Applying Critical Approaches to Literary Analysis — Quiz
Question 18 • English Language Arts 10
Read the passage from "Marriage Is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe. The first paragraph is a letter that Okeke sends to his son Nnaemeka. I have found a girl who will suit you admirably—Ugoye Nweke, the eldest daughter of our neighbour, Jacob Nweke. She has a proper Christian upbringing. When she stopped schooling some years ago, her father (a man of sound judgment) sent her to live in the house of a pastor where she has received all the training a wife could need. Her Sunday School teacher has told me that she reads her Bible very fluently. I hope we shall begin negotiations when you come home in December. On the second evening of his return from Lagos Nnaemeka sat with his father under a cassia tree. This was the old man’s retreat where he went to read his Bible when the parching December sun had set and a fresh, reviving wind blew on the leaves. Which idea from this passage can be analyzed from both feminist and historical perspectives?
Answer
A
how weather conditions affect this culture during this period
B
how a woman could be considered "proper" in this culture during this period
C
how fathers and sons interact in this culture during this period
D
how children return to their hometowns to negotiate marriages during this period
Explanation
A feminist perspective can examine the expectations placed on women, while a historical perspective can consider how those expectations reflected the period and culture. The passage describes Ugoye as a suitable wife because of her Christian upbringing and training in domestic duties, showing how a woman was considered “proper.” Weather, travel, or father-son interactions do not connect as directly to both perspectives.
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