Name:       Date:      

“Civil Peace”
Chinua Achebe

FIRST READ: Comprehension

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

      1. As shown in “Civil Peace,” what does Jonathan Iwegbu value most?
a. his bicycle
b. his money
c. his family
d. his home

      2. In “Civil Peace,” why does Jonathan Iwegbu bury his bicycle?
a. He no longer needs a bicycle to help him make a living.
b. He is worried that his child may injure himself while riding it.
c. He wants to get rid of the bicycle because it is broken and rusted.
d. He is afraid that a person claiming to be a soldier will take the bicycle.

     3. In “Civil Peace,” how does Jonathan Iwegbu feel when he finds his house
intact?
a. He is ashamed of his poor shelter.
b. He wants to boast to his neighbors.
c. He feels as if he has won a valuable prize.
d. He feels as if he has been punched in the stomach.

      4. In “Civil Peace,” how does Jonathan Iwegbu deal with his losses?
a. He turns to stealing from others to survive.
b. He focuses on the good things that remain.
c. He spends his days feeling sorry for himself.
d. He seeks revenge on those who caused his losses.

      5. What is the outcome of Jonathan Iwegbu’s confrontation with the thieves in
“Civil Peace”?
a. Jonathan gives them 100 pounds, but they demand even more.
b. The thieves kill Jonathan’s son before Jonathan gives them the money.
c. Jonathan’s family shouts the alarm, and the entire village comes running.
d. Jonathan gives them his egg-rasher, and they leave him and his family
alone.

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 GRADE 10 • UNIT 4 • SELECTION TEST

“CIVIL PEACE” BY CHINUA ACHEBE

Name:       Date:      

FIRST READ: Concept Vocabulary

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

      6. If the value of a human life is inestimable, then which of the following must be
true? Base your answer on the meaning of inestimable.
a. A human life has a value greater than can be measured.
b. A human life has little value during a time of war.
c. A human life is always worthy of great respect.
d. A human life is worth a great deal of money.

      7. Which of the following situations could best be used to illustrate the meaning
of a windfall?
a. A hardworking woman asks for a raise in salary and gets it.
b. A young man receives an expected inheritance from his grandfather.
c. A poor man gets a large sum of money from a stranger to pay his debts.
d. A business owner finds her shop is earning more money than previously.

      8. What is the most likely meaning of amenable in the following sentence?
When Vincent complained about the faulty tires on his new bicycle, the shop owner
was amenable about replacing them and did the job with a smile.

a. hostile
b. suspicious
c. cooperative
d. unresponsive

CLOSE READ: Analyze the Text

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

      9. In “Civil Peace,” what does the phrase “Happy survival!” mean to most
members of the community?
a. Put on a happy face.
b. Beware of further violence.
c. Survival does not ensure happiness.
d. Congratulations on surviving the war.

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 GRADE 10 • UNIT 4 • SELECTION TEST

“CIVIL PEACE” BY CHINUA ACHEBE

Name:       Date:      

     10. Which statement best explains the meaning of the expression “Nothing puzzles
God” in “Civil Peace”?
a. People should have faith in God’s plan.
b. People should have faith in themselves.
c. God will punish those who fought in the war.
d. God does not like things that do not make sense.

11. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

      Part A In “Civil Peace,” the thief uses a relaxed and familiar tone while he is
robbing Jonathan. What does the thief’s tone suggest about how he views
Jonathan?
a. The thief is a neighbor who has learned that Jonathan is wealthy.
b. The thief is sure that Jonathan has no choice but to give him money.
c. The thief pretends to be tough, but he really feels sorry for Jonathan.
d. The thief thinks that Jonathan is a coward who won’t defend his money.

      Part B What evidence from the story best supports the answer to Part A?
a. The thief calls Jonathan “friend.”
b. The thief decides to take the twenty pounds instead of a hundred.
c. The thief has many armed men with him, while Jonathan is unarmed.
d. The thief makes fun of Jonathan and his family when they call for help.

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 GRADE 10 • UNIT 4 • SELECTION TEST

“CIVIL PEACE” BY CHINUA ACHEBE

Name:       Date:      

12. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

      Part A In “Civil Peace,” Jonathan observes what happens to another man who
is robbed of his egg-rasher by a thief in a crowd. After the victim loudly
protests the theft, how do the other people in the crowd behave toward him?
a. The crowd is sympathetic to the man’s loss.
b. The crowd angrily pursues the thief but he gets away.
c. The crowd finds the thief and forces the thief to return the money to its
owner.
d. The crowd is angry at the man who was robbed because he did not
adequately protect his money.

      Part B Which sentence from “Civil Peace” best supports the answer to Part A?
a. As soon as the pound notes were placed in his palm Jonathan simply
closed it tight over them and buried fist and money inside his trouser
pocket.
b. He had to be extra careful because he had seen a man a couple of days
earlier collapse into near-madness in an instant before that oceanic crowd
because no sooner had he got his twenty pounds than some heartless
ruffian picked it off him.
c. Though it was not right that a man in such an extremity of agony should
be blamed, many in the queues that day were able to remark quietly at the
victim’s carelessness, especially after he pulled out the innards of his
pocket and revealed a hole in it big enough to pass a thief’s head.
d. Jonathan soon transferred the money to his left hand and pocket so as to
leave his right free for shaking hands should the need arise, though by
fixing his gaze at such an elevation as to miss all approaching human
faces he made sure that the need did not arise, until he got home.

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 GRADE 10 • UNIT 4 • SELECTION TEST

“CIVIL PEACE” BY CHINUA ACHEBE

Name:       Date:      

CLOSE READ: Analyze Craft and Structure

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

13. The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

      Part A Which of the following sentences best states a major theme of “Civil
Peace”?
a. Crime must be stopped regardless of the cost.
b. Problems can be solved if people take action.
c. Poverty cannot be avoided after a war.
d. Money is necessary for survival.

      Part B Which information from the story most clearly supports this theme?
a. Jonathan and his family find ways to survive under difficult
circumstances.
b. Jonathan and his family fear losing the egg-rasher money to the
criminals.
c. Jonathan risks the lives of his family in order to stand up to criminals.
d. Jonathan successfully protects the egg-rasher until he gets it home.

     14. How does the difference between the thieves’ method of survival and Jonathan
Iwegbu’s method of survival illustrate a major theme of “Civil Peace”?
a. Both the thieves and Jonathan steal to survive, but the thieves threaten
violence while Jonathan does not.
b. The thieves survive by stealing, but Jonathan survives by letting money
go and accepting his fate.
c. The thieves find many ways to get money, but Jonathan knows only one
way to earn a living.
d. The thieves maintain a good sense of humor, but Jonathan usually feels
sorry for himself.

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 GRADE 10 • UNIT 4 • SELECTION TEST

“CIVIL PEACE” BY CHINUA ACHEBE

Name:       Date:      

     15. Near the end of “Civil Peace,” Jonathan Iwegbu makes this statement.
What is egg-rasher? Did I depend on it last week? Or is it greater than other things
that went with the war? I say, let egg-rasher perish in the flames! Let it go where
everything else has gone.

What theme of the story does this statement best reflect?

a. In order to survive, one must look past personal losses.
b. Survival without money and other possessions is meaningless.
c. It is important to fight criminals, even at the cost of one’s own life.
d. One must find a way to hold onto all possessions in order to survive.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Word Study

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

     16. What is the closest meaning of the compound noun firewood in the following
sentence?
The firewood was stacked neatly behind the house, ready to be used in winter.

a. wood planks for building

b. charcoal and ashes
c. wood cut for fuel
d. whole tree trunks

     17. The compound noun sandpaper combines the nouns sand and paper. What
meaning does sandpaper suggest in the following sentence? Use your
knowledge of the meaning of the combined words and the context in
answering.
Adam was so frightened that his throat felt like sandpaper.

a. a slimy feeling
b. a rough feeling
c. a soggy feeling
d. a clogged feeling

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 GRADE 10 • UNIT 4 • SELECTION TEST

“CIVIL PEACE” BY CHINUA ACHEBE

Name:       Date:      

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT: Author’s Style

Identify the choice that best answers the question.

     18. What main effect does the author achieve by using dialect in “Civil Peace”?
a. The use of dialect adds realism by showing readers the way that many
Nigerians spoke in that time and place.
b. The use of dialect involves readers by challenging them to interpret the
characters’ dialogue.
c. The use of dialect shows readers that the thieves speak a special
language of their own.
d. The use of dialect informs readers that the thieves were once soldiers.

     19. In “Civil Peace,” what effect does the author achieve by having the thief speak
in dialect while Jonathan speaks more standard English?
a. The difference in speech shows that the thief is not a Nigerian.
b. The difference in speech shows that Jonathan is not a native Nigerian.
c. The difference in speech shows that Jonathan is probably richer than the
thief.
d. The difference in speech shows that the thief is probably less educated
than Jonathan.

     20. In “Civil Peace,” the leader of the thieves demands that Jonathan give him 100
pounds. Jonathan does not have that sum of money and offers the 20 pounds
that he does have. Read the following answer that the leader of the thieves
makes to Jonathan. Then, answer the question that follows.
“Ok. Time de go. Make you open dis window and bring the twenty pound. We go
manage am like dat.”

What conclusion about the leader’s character is most clearly supported by his
answer to Jonathan? Choose two items.
a. The leader is intimidating in dealing with Jonathan.
b. The leader is impatient to take the money and get away.
c. The leader has a kind heart even though he is a criminal.
d. The leader fears Jonathan and accepts less money than he wanted.
e. The leader pities Jonathan and his family and accepts less money than he
knows they have.

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