This post contains a large number of short-answer questions on Chapter 5 of Second Class Citizen. Take note of the answers because you can even use a lot of them in an essay on such characters as Trudy, Miss Stirling, Adah, and Francis.
An essay on either Vicky or Titi should also benefit from these points.
Are you a teacher of high school Literature-in-English? You can adapt the questions and answers in this post for your objective test on Buchi Emecheta’s novel, Second Class Citizen.
Without wasting much time, let’s move to the questions and answers on Second Class Citizen Chapter 5. As usual, the correct answers are in bold lettering.
Part One
1. The incident where Vicky clings to his mother refusing to allow Francis to send him to Trudy’s place and later falling seriously ill is an example of the narrative technique known as … Foreshadowing
2. The pregnant Adah had to starve while at work because … She had spent all her pay to single-handedly take care of her family.
3. Two events that foreshadow Vicky’s terrible illness at Trudy’s place are … i. Vicky’s reluctance to leave his mother for Trudy’s place. ii. Adah’s feeling of unease while window shopping during break time
4. Who has Adah blamed for Vicky’s illness? Trudy
5. What is Francis’s reaction to the news of Vicky’s disease diagnosis? He cries along with Adah.
6. Trudy suggests that the cause of Vicky’s serious illness is … The dirty water he drank in Nigeria before coming to England.
7. What makes Adah threaten to kill Trudy? Adah must have felt insulted when Trudy attributes Vicky’s illness to the kind of water they used back in Nigeria.
8. What consequence has Trudy suffered as a result of Vicky’s illness? Her name is removed from the Council’s list of approved child-minders.
9. Which worker at North Finchley Library is engaged to be married? Cynthia
10. What sign on Adah always makes Cynthia realize that she is very hungry? Adah’s rumbling stomach.
Part Two
11. What is the name of the hospital where Vicky is taken after falling ill at Trudy’s place? Royal Free Hospital.
12. What two conditions will warrant a doctor visiting a child patient in Lagos? i. One must be a millionaire. ii. One must be the doctor’s relative.
13. ‘… he could be with any one of his girlfriends’ What does this statement reveal about the character of Francis? Francis is a womanizer and an adulterer.
14. What is Vicky’s age at the time he falls seriously ill? One Year Old.
15. What does Adah imply when she tells the beautiful nurse at the Royal Free Hospital that Titi, her other child is ‘only a girl’? In her society, girls are not valued that much as compared to boys.
16. Adah asks the beautiful nurse, ‘Do you know I’m making another one?’ ‘Another one’ here refers to … A new baby.
17. The above statement portrays Adah and other women in her society as … baby-making machines.
18. What is the name of Adah’s third baby? Bubu.
19. Identify Bubu’s gender. Bubu is a male child (a boy).
20. ‘He cried like a woman with Adah.’ Who is the character in question here? Francis.
Part Three
21. The above incident occurs at … The Royal Free Hospital
22. Who pays Trudy for taking care of Titi and Vicky? Adah
23. What does the statement in question 20 say about Francis’s role as Adah’s husband? Francis does almost nothing to support his family financially.
24. What does the above depict about the character of Francis? Francis is an irresponsible husband and father.
Use the extract below to answer questions 25 to 30.
You’re just like your mother after all. That quarrelsome troublemaker! People say women grow up to be like their mothers. But unfortunately for you, you’re not as tall and as menacing as she was. You’re small, and I’m sure Trudy will teach you a lesson or two.’
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
25. Who is the speaker? Francis Obi
26. ‘Your mother’ refers to … Ma, Adah’s Mother
27. a. Is Ma still alive at the time of this incident? No. b.How do you know? Because Francis refers to her in the past tense.
28. With close reference to this statement, compare and contrast the characters of Ada and Ma, her mother. Like her mother, Adah can be troublesome. Unlike Ma, Adah is smallish in her physique.
29. What negative character trait of Francis can we deduce from his utterance? Francis is not a supportive husband.
30. What is Adah’s terse response to the statement? ‘We’ll see.’
Part Four
31. Who is described as a ‘fat loose-fleshed woman with dyed hair with pussy-cat eyes? Trudy.
Use the extract below to answer questions 32 to 35.
I am going to kill you. Do you hear that? I am going to kill you, if anything happens to my child. I shall sneak in here and kill you in your sleep. If not, I’ll pay people to do it for me, but believe me, I am going to kill you, and with a smile on my face. I saw Vicky with my own eyes in the rubbish dump. I smelt of you through my husband. I pay you with the money I earn, let my husband sleep with you, and then you want to kill my son.’
Buchi Emecheta – Second Class Citizen
32. Who is the speaker? Adah
32. Who is the addressee? Trudy
33. Give one adjective that describes the speaker’s mood. Angry
34. Two literary devices that are used in the extract are … Repetition and Parallelism
35. What is the name of the speaker’s husband? Francis Obi
36. Why has Trudy decided to leave Malden Road for a new place in Camden Town? Because she is scared of Adah’s threats to her life.
37. ‘Trudy looked as if somebody was forcing her to eat shit.’ What does this statement imply? Trudy was extremely scared and agitated.
38. The above statement is an example of … Simile
39. ‘We’ve got a nursery place for the children.’ Who is the speaker? Miss Stirling
40. The children being referred to above are … Titi and Vicky.
41. The diagnosis at the Free Royal Hospital shows that Vicky has contracted a disease called … Viral Meningitis.
42. Chapter 5 of Second Class Citizen is titled … An Expensive Lesson
Last Word
Now you have a good number of objective questions on Chapter 5 of Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta.
What other objective questions do you need for your studies? Let me know in a comment below.
Meanwhile, remember to check out these equally useful objective questions on WAEC/WASSCE English Language Lexis and Structure.
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Ralph Nyadzi is the Director of Studies at Cegast Academy. He is a qualified English tutor with decades of experience behind him. Since 2001, he has successfully coached thousands of High School General Arts WASSCE candidates in English, Literature and related subjects. He combines his expertise with a passion for lifelong learning to guide learners from varying backgrounds to achieve their educational goals. Ralph shares lessons from his blogging journey on BloggingtotheMax. He lives with River, his pet cat, in the Central Region of Ghana.
