EBS 363 – STUDIES IN LITERATURE – GENDER & WRITING
SAMPLE QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following best defines gender?
A. Biological differences between males and females
B. Socially constructed roles and behaviours considered appropriate for men and women
C. Genetic makeup of a person
D. Hormonal composition of an individual
Answer: B
2. Which statement accurately differentiates sex from gender?
A. Sex is learned while gender is innate
B. Sex is biological while gender is social
C. Both sex and gender are purely biological
D. Gender determines sex
Answer: B
3. The process by which individuals learn their gender roles is known as:
A. Gender stereotyping
B. Gendering process
C. Gender awareness
D. Gender performativity
Answer: B
4. Which of these is NOT a channel of gender role acquisition?
A. Family
B. School
C. Media
D. Biology
Answer: D
5. Institutions such as schools and churches that reinforce gender norms are called:
A. Gendering institutions
B. Gender roles
C. Gender stereotypes
D. Gender performativity centres
Answer: A
6. The concept that gender is an ongoing performance rather than a fixed identity was proposed
by:
A. Simone de Beauvoir
B. Judith Butler
C. Chimamanda Adichie
D. Bell Hooks
Answer: B
7. Which term describes fairness of treatment for women and men according to their respective
needs?
A. Gender equality
B. Gender equity
C. Gender inclusion
D. Gender awareness
Answer: B
8. Which of these involves giving equal opportunities and rights to all genders?
A. Gender mainstreaming
B. Gender equity
C. Gender equality
D. Empowerment
Answer: C
9. Which term refers to widely held but fixed and oversimplified images of gender groups?
A. Gender norms
B. Gender stereotypes
C. Gender roles
D. Gender awareness
Answer: B
10. Affirmative action seeks to:
A. Punish men for past oppression
B. Create opportunities for women and marginalised groups
C. Encourage men to take up female roles
D. Reverse gender roles entirely
Answer: B
11. Which of these best defines feminism?
A. Hatred of men
B. Political movement for equal rights for women
C. Women seeking to dominate men
D. Theory that supports traditional gender roles
Answer: B
12. Which wave of feminism focused primarily on suffrage and property rights?
A. First wave
B. Second wave
C. Third wave
D. Fourth wave
Answer: A
13. Queer theory primarily critiques:
A. Heteronormativity
B. Gender equality
C. Affirmative action
D. Feminist literary criticism
Answer: A
14. In A Woman in Her Prime, how is Pokuwa depicted beyond motherhood?
A. As only a mother
B. As a trader with spiritual significance
C. As a submissive wife only
D. As a teacher
Answer: B
15. Which theme in African women’s writing focuses on economic empowerment?
A. Female docility
B. Weapon of female liberation
C. Male supremacy
D. Feminine mystique
Answer: B
16. _________ is the process of integrating gender perspectives into policies and programmes to
achieve gender equality.
Answer: Gender mainstreaming
17. The notion that masculinity is socially constructed and varies across cultures is called
_________.
Answer: The concept of masculinity
18. _________ refers to harmful acts directed at individuals based on their gender.
Answer: Gender-based violence
19. The type of feminism that focuses on race, class, and gender intersectionality is called
________ feminism.
Answer: Black / Womanist
20. According to feminist literary criticism, analysing how texts reinforce or challenge gender
inequalities is known as _________.
Answer: Feminist literary critical methodology
21. The writer of A Woman in Her Prime is _________.
Answer: Asare Konadu
22. The poem ‘Fatherhood’ critiques _________ stereotypes of fathers in society.
Answer: Traditional / authoritarian
23. The type of setting that reflects social class, values, and beliefs is called _________ setting.
Answer: Social setting
24. The fear of losing masculine status or power is often referred to as _________.
Answer: Emasculation
25. _________ is the awareness of how societal norms and expectations shape gender relations.
Answer: Gender consciousness
TEXT-SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
A. In the Chest of a Woman (Efo Kodjo Mawugbe)
26. Why did Nana Yaa choose to raise her daughter as a male heir?
Answer:
Nana Yaa Kyerewaa chose to raise her daughter as a male heir to secure the royal lineage and
preserve political power within her family. In their society, only males could inherit the throne.
Faced with the threat of her family losing authority due to lack of a male successor, she disguised
her daughter’s sex to ensure continued influence and stability for her lineage.
27. What does this decision reveal about gender expectations in her society?
Answer:
It reveals that her society strictly equated leadership, power, and succession with masculinity,
excluding women entirely from rulership. Gender was seen not as performance or ability but as
an unchangeable biological determinant of destiny and societal worth.
28. How does the playwright portray the consequences of gender deception on both the
individual and society?
Answer:
The playwright portrays personal consequences such as identity crisis, psychological conflict,
and isolation for Owusu, who struggles with living a lie. Socially, the deception leads to political
tension, betrayal, and moral dilemmas for the kingdom, questioning the legitimacy of leadership
and destabilising societal trust in traditional norms.
29. What traditional beliefs about leadership and gender are challenged in the play?
Answer:
The play challenges the belief that only men are capable of leading, showing that leadership
ability is not tied to biological sex. Owusu’s effective rulership, despite being female, subverts
the tradition that femaleness is incompatible with authority.
30. When does the truth about the child’s sex become a threat to the kingdom, and why?
Answer:
The truth becomes a threat when Owusu is about to ascend full kingship roles and take a wife.
Revealing her biological sex at this point would invalidate her rulership, delegitimise her
decisions, and potentially plunge the kingdom into succession crisis or conflict.
31. Where does the play suggest power truly resides – in physical sex or in leadership ability?
Answer:
The play suggests that power resides in leadership ability rather than physical sex. Owusu’s
competence and wisdom prove that effective rulership
32. Why do you think the playwright titled the play In the Chest of a Woman?
Answer:
The title symbolises the hidden strength, secrets, and sacrifices carried by women. It reflects how
Nana Yaa Kyerewaa harbours the secret of her child’s true sex within her heart (“chest”) to
protect royal lineage. It also signifies that women possess wisdom, courage, and agency often
overlooked by patriarchal society, showing that within a woman’s chest lies power equal to or
greater than men’s.
33. How does Nana Yaa’s role as a mother and political strategist challenge or reinforce
patriarchal expectations?
Answer:
Her role challenges patriarchy by showing that a woman can make powerful political decisions
to protect her people, defying expectations that women are only nurturers. However, it also
reinforces patriarchy because she disguises her daughter as male rather than openly challenging
the male-only leadership system, indirectly validating that power belongs to men.
34. What gender stereotypes are evident in how male characters treat female characters?
Answer:
Male characters often treat women as subordinate, emotional, and unfit for leadership. For
instance, they dismiss female voices in political discussions and assume only men can inherit the
throne, perpetuating stereotypes that women are weak, inferior, or meant only for domestic roles
and childbearing.
35. How does the ending of the play reflect on gender equity or inequity?
Answer:
The ending reflects gender inequity as it does not resolve systemic exclusion of women from
leadership. Although Owusu proves capable, her identity as a woman ultimately threatens her
rulership, showing society’s unwillingness to accept women as leaders and sustaining patriarchal
dominance despite individual female excellence.
36. Why is the child’s identity crisis central to understanding gender performativity in this play?
Answer:
Owusu’s crisis illustrates Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity: gender is not innate
but performed based on societal expectations. Owusu’s life as a male is a forced performance,
proving that gender roles are constructed and maintained through repetitive acts rather than
biological destiny. Her suffering highlights the destructive effects of rigid gender norms on
identity and selfhood.
37. What is the general setting of the play In the Chest of a Woman?
Answer: Pre-colonial Akan society/kingdom where succession is patrilineal.
38. How does the traditional palace setting reinforce the gender themes in the play?
Answer: It shows patriarchy’s power centre, excluding women from leadership except through
deception.
39. Where does the conflict mainly unfold and why is this significant?
Answer: Within the royal court and household; it symbolises private decisions shaping public
destinies.
40. Who is Nana Yaa Kyerewaa and what does she symbolise?
Answer: Queen Mother who disguises her daughter as male; symbolises maternal sacrifice and
defiance of patriarchy.
41. Describe Prince Owusu’s character.
Answer: Brave, intelligent, conflicted about her identity; represents forced gender performance.
42. How is Osei characterised in relation to gender expectations?
Answer: As a man seeking love, his role exposes tensions in gender deception and traditional
masculinity.
43. Identify a symbol used in the play and explain its significance.
Answer: The chest – symbolises secrets, power, and the hidden truth of gender.
44. What is the dominant theme and how is it presented through imagery?
Answer: Gender inequality; images of kingship regalia highlight exclusion of women.
45. Explain the use of irony in the play.
Answer: A woman rules successfully disguised as a man, proving female capability despite
patriarchal exclusion.
B. A Woman in Her Prime (Asare Konadu)
46. What societal beliefs about womanhood does Pokuwaa challenge by remaining childless for
many years?
Answer:
She challenges the belief that a woman’s worth is only defined by her ability to bear children.
Despite childlessness, she maintains dignity, economic success, and spiritual respect, proving
that womanhood is not limited to motherhood alone.
47. How does Pokuwaa’s economic activity (trading) redefine gender roles in her community?
Answer:
Her success as a trader positions her as economically powerful and independent, roles
traditionally reserved for men. She shows that women can provide for themselves and their
families, thereby expanding women’s roles beyond domestic spaces into public economic life.
48. Why do the villagers view motherhood as the ultimate validation of womanhood?
Answer:
In Brenhoma society, motherhood ensures social status, spiritual fulfilment, and lineage
continuity. It is viewed as a woman’s duty and proof of her usefulness to her husband, family,
ancestors, and community.
49. When Pokuwaa finally stops seeking children, how does her identity shift?
Answer:
She gains inner peace, confidence, and spiritual maturity. Her identity shifts from desperate
seeker of motherhood to a dignified, self-fulfilled woman who accepts herself beyond societal
expectations.
50. Where does Pokuwaa derive her confidence despite societal pressure?
Answer:
From her strong spiritual beliefs, economic independence as a trader, and her husband’s support,
which together affirm her worth beyond childbearing.
51. How is Pokuwaa’s relationship with her husband depicted in terms of gender equity?
Answer:
It is relatively egalitarian. Kwadwo respects and supports her despite her infertility. Unlike other
men in their society, he does not take another wife or mistreat her, showing mutual love and
dignity.
52. What is the significance of the rituals Pokuwaa performs, and what do they reveal about
gender and spirituality?
Answer:
They show that women’s spirituality is deeply tied to fertility and societal expectations of
motherhood. Her rituals symbolise the cultural belief that spiritual intervention can alter female
reproductive destiny, reflecting gendered spiritual burdens.
53. Why does Asare Konadu choose an older woman as his protagonist instead of a young girl?
Answer:
To emphasise mature womanhood, resilience, and lifelong struggles with gender expectations.
An older protagonist highlights the cumulative societal pressures women face beyond youth,
critiquing how womanhood is policed at every life stage.
54. How does the text portray motherhood: as a burden, privilege, or both? Why?
Answer:
As both a burden and privilege. It is a privilege because it brings honour and fulfilment, yet a
burden because the desperate quest for it consumes Pokuwaa’s life, subjecting her to rituals,
societal judgment, and emotional turmoil.
55. What gender issues emerge from the communal expectations of Pokuwaa’s role as a wife?
Answer:
Issues include:
Expecting women to prove worth through childbearing only
Blaming women solely for infertility
Defining a wife’s value by her ability to bear children
Ignoring women’s economic contributions and individuality
56 What is the main setting of the novel?
Answer: Brenhoma village in Ghana.
57. How does the market setting contribute to gender themes?
Answer: Shows women’s economic power and independence.
58. When is the story set and why is this important?
Answer: Pre-independence Ghana, highlighting traditional beliefs about womanhood.
59. Describe Pokuwaa’s character.
Answer: Resilient, independent, spiritual yet pragmatic; challenges gender expectations of
motherhood defining womanhood.
60. How is Kwadwo’s character depicted in relation to gender roles?
Answer: Supportive husband; presents an egalitarian model within patriarchy.
61.. What does Pokuwaa’s mother symbolise?
Answer: Traditional expectations of women to be mothers for social validation.
62. . Identify a metaphor used in the novel.
Answer: Pokuwaa as “a woman in her prime” – metaphor for maturity, strength, and dignity
beyond motherhood.
63. Explain the use of symbolism in Pokuwaa’s sacrifices.
Answer: Symbolises society’s desperate attempts to force fertility and equate womanhood with
childbearing.
64. How does the author use imagery to portray rituals?
Answer: Vivid description of herbs, animal sacrifices, and libation to show depth of cultural
beliefs.
C. Coniferous Fathers (Poem)
65. What does the persona mean by ‘coniferous fathers’?
Answer:
The persona refers to fathers who are evergreen, protective, nurturing, and strong, like coniferous
trees that remain green all year. It symbolises fathers who provide consistent shelter, care, and
stability for their children.
66. Why does the poet use imagery of trees to describe fathers?
Answer:
Trees symbolise strength, stability, life, and protection. By comparing fathers to trees, the poet
highlights their role as providers of shade, support, and nourishment, emphasising gentleness
alongside strength.
67. How does the poem challenge traditional notions of masculinity and fatherhood?
Answer:
It challenges the idea that fathers should be strict, distant, and authoritarian by celebrating fathers
who are gentle, nurturing, and emotionally available – traits often dismissed as feminine but
essential in true fatherhood.
68. Where do you see gender stereotypes being critiqued in this poem?
Answer:
The poem critiques stereotypes that men should only be disciplinarians and providers by
showing that men can and should also be nurturing, caring, and emotionally supportive without
losing masculinity.
69. When the poet speaks of fathers sheltering, what does it imply about ideal fatherhood roles?
Answer:
It implies that ideal fathers are protective, comforting, and safe havens for their children – not
just economic providers or disciplinarians, but emotional and psychological shelters as well.
70. Why is it significant that the poet desires nurturing fathers rather than authoritarian ones?
Answer:
It signifies a call for transformative masculinity that values empathy and care, breaking cycles of
fear-based parenting and building more emotionally healthy families and societies.
71. How does this poem relate to societal perceptions of men as caregivers?
Answer:
It challenges the perception that caregiving is solely feminine, arguing that men can also be
natural caregivers, thus broadening acceptable expressions of masculinity to include nurturing
roles.
72. What gender expectations does the poem seek to transform or maintain?
Answer:
The poem seeks to transform expectations that fatherhood is about authority and discipline only,
promoting an ideal of fathers as compassionate caregivers while maintaining respect for their
protective role.
73. How does the poem’s structure enhance its message about fatherhood?
Answer:
Its structure, with calm, flowing imagery and repetition, mirrors the steady, soothing presence of
coniferous trees, reinforcing the message that fatherhood should be consistent, nurturing, and
enduring.
74. Why do you think the poem remains relevant in today’s discussions on gender and family
roles?
Answer:
Because it addresses ongoing debates about inclusive masculinity, redefining fatherhood beyond
traditional rigidity, and the need for fathers who are emotionally present in a world redefining
gender roles and expectations in family life.
75. Where does the poem’s imagery place the reader?
Answer: Among evergreen coniferous forests, evoking shelter and constancy.
76. How is the ideal father characterised in the poem?
Answer: As nurturing, strong yet gentle, protective like evergreen trees.
77. What is the dominant literary device in the poem?
Answer: Extended metaphor – comparing fathers to coniferous trees.
78. Explain how imagery is used to portray fatherhood.
Answer: Uses nature imagery (branches, shelter, cones) to evoke warmth and security.
79. What is the tone of the poem towards traditional masculinity?
Answer: Critical yet hopeful; rejects harshness and embraces nurturing fatherhood.
80. Why does the poem suggest that men should redefine fatherhood, and how does this relate to
gender equity?
Answer: It argues for nurturing roles to be part of masculinity, promoting gender equity by
valuing care work typically feminised.
[Link]
1. Which of the following best defines gender?
a) Biological differences between males and females
b) Socially constructed roles and behaviours considered appropriate for men and women
c) Genetic makeup of a person
d) Hormonal composition of an individual
Answer: B
2. Which statement accurately differentiates sex from gender?
a) Sex is learned while gender is innate
b) Sex is biological while gender is social
c) Both sex and gender are purely biological
d) Gender determines sex
Answer: B
3. The process by which individuals learn their gender roles is known as:
a) Gender stereotyping
b) Gendering process
c) Gender awareness
d) Gender performativity
Answer: B
4. Which of these is NOT a channel of gender role acquisition?
a) Family
b) School
c) Media
d) Biology
Answer: D
5. Institutions such as schools and churches that reinforce gender norms are called:
a) Gendering institutions
b) Gender roles
c) Gender stereotypes
d) Gender performativity centres
Answer: A
6. What is the central theme of the poem, “Coniferous Fathers”?
a) The importance of traditional masculinity
b) The desire for emotionally present and nurturing fathers
c) The role of sports in fatherhood
d) The superiority of nature over humanity
7. Why does the speaker prefer “coniferous” fathers over “oak”?
a) Because oak trees are rare
b) Because coniferous trees are softer and more flexible
c) Because oaks are not found in forests
d) Because oak fathers are more emotional
8. What quality does the poet associate with “sternness” and “wisdom”?
a) They are essential fatherly traits
b) They are outdated and should be replaced
c) They are ideal for raising children
d) They make fathers more reliable
9. What metaphor is used to describe the kind of fathers the speaker wants?
a) Iron fathers who cannot bend
b) Rolling stones that gather no moss
c) Coniferous trees that are soft, evergreen, and ethereal
d) Fire that warms but burns
10. Which of the following is NOT an attribute of the ideal father described in the poem?
a) Emotionally available
b) Physically affectionate
c) Knowledgeable in sports
d) Openly vulnerable
11. Why does the speaker reject figures like Johnny Appleseed and Atticus Finch?
a) They are too focused on religion
b) They are fictional characters with unrealistic morals
c) They represent outdated or absent models of fatherhood
d) They never had children
12. Which phrase best captures the tone of the poem?
a) Angry and resentful
b) Hopeful and visionary
c) Humorous and ironic
d) Sarcastic and indifferent
13. The poet imagines fathers who sing lullabies that represent:
a) Routine and responsibility
b) Fear of parenting
c) Childhood punishments
d) Possibilities and love
14. In the poem, what does the father do while discussing menstruation?
a) Reads the newspaper
b) Plays a game of pepper in the yard
c) Fixes a car
d) Watches television
15. What is the symbolic significance of “evergreen” in the final stanza?
a) It suggests wealth and status
b) It refers to being consistent, nurturing, and enduring
c) It means the father is old
d) It implies that the father travels often
16. What literary device is used in the line “Let’s grow fathers from pine, not oak”?
a) Simile
b) Hyperbole
c) Metaphor
d) Personification
17. Which literary device is used in the phrase “songs every evening, like possibilities”?
a) Irony
b) Simile
c) Symbolism
d) Alliteration
18. The line “No more La-Z-Boy dads reading newspapers in some other room” uses which
device?
a) Allusion
b) Symbolism
c) Metaphor
d) Irony
19. What is the effect of repetition in lines like “Give us fathers…”?
a) It mocks the idea of fatherhood
b) It emphasizes a plea or longing
c) It adds a musical rhythm
d) It creates suspense
20. Who were Pokuwaa’s first and second husbands?
a) Kwaku Fosu and Kofi Deede
b) Kofi Daafo and Kwaku Fosu
c) Kofi Daafo and Kofi Dede
d) Fordwuo and Kofi Deede
21. What caused the breakdown of Pokuwaa’s earlier marriages?
a) Financial stress
b) Infidelity
c) Parental pressure and trivial issues
d) Migration
22. Koramoa accused Kofi Deede of cheating on her with a lady and threatened divorce if he
goes ahead to marry that lady. Who is this lady?
a) Afua Fofie
b. Akosua Seewaa
c. Pokuwaa
d. Adwoa
23. Where did Pokuwaa buy the sacrificial hen?
a) Adasua
b) Brenhoma
c) Nsutem
d) Tanofie
24. How much did Pokuwaa pay for the sacrificial hen?
a) 1.50 cedis
b) 100 cowries
c) 300 cowries
d) 200 cowries
25. In A Woman in Her Prime, how is Pokuwa depicted beyond motherhood?
a) As only a mother
b) As a trader with spiritual significance
c) As a submissive wife only
d) As a teacher
26. What was believed to have caused the fire on the wawa tree outside Brenhoma?
o A. A careless hunter
o B. Lightning from the gods
o C. The 77 gods of Brenhoma
o D. A festival fire
Answer: C
o
27. What role were women assigned during the pacification rites?
o A. Sweeping the shrine
o B. Singing and dancing
o C. Cooking for the ancestral spirits
o D. Fetching water from the stream
Answer: C
o
28. What was Pokuwaa’s belief about the cause of the thunder fire?
o A. It was divine punishment
o B. It was from the gods
o C. It was caused by an evil person
o D. It was due to bad weather
Answer: C
29. Why was Pokuwaa named after her grandmother?
o A. It was her father's wish
o B. It was her mother's choice
o C. It was a tradition
o D. The priest ordered it
Answer: A
o
30. What did the fetish priest divine about Pokuwaa's father's illness?
o A. He would recover in Brenhoma
o B. He was under a spell
o C. A witch in Brenhoma was ‘eating’ him
o D. He had offended the gods
Answer: C
31. What did Pokuwaa go to do at Disemi farms?
A. To find herbs
B. To escape boredom
C. To bring back foodstuff
D. To meet Yaw Boakye
Answer: C
32. What shocking discovery did Pokuwaa make at Disemi?
A. A burning farm
B. A shrine in the forest
C. A decaying corpse of Yaw Boakye
D. A secret gold mine
Answer: C
33. What was Pokuwaa’s greatest fear during the search?
A. That Kwadwo would not return
B. That Kwadwo would find the corpse
C. That she would be blamed
D. That Boakye would appear alive
Answer: B
34. Who eventually discovered Yaw Boakye’s body?
A. The elders
B. The priest’s men
C. Kwadwo’s group
D. A group of women
Answer: C
1. Who is the protagonist of the novel A Woman in Her Prime?
A) Dedei
B) Pokuwaa
C) Efua
D) Akosua
Answer: B) Pokuwaa
2. What major personal issue drives Pokuwaa’s spiritual and social struggles in the story?
A) Poverty
B) Infertility
C) Divorce
D) Illiteracy
Answer: B) Infertility
3. Which cultural theme is most prominently explored through Pokuwaa’s
experiences?
A) Political freedom
B) Urbanization
C) The role of tradition in women’s lives
D) Colonial resistance
Answer: C) The role of tradition in women’s lives
4. What does Pokuwaa’s decision to abandon the gods and rituals toward the end of
the novel symbolize?
A) Her rejection of her culture
B) Her conversion to Christianity
C) Her personal empowerment and faith in self-determination
D) Her desire to migrate to the city
Answer: C) Her personal empowerment and faith in self-determination
5. Who is Kwadwo Fordwuo in the novel?
A) A village priest
B) Pokuwaa’s late father
C) Pokuwaa’s patient and understanding husband
D) A traveling trader
Answer: C) Pokuwaa’s patient and understanding husband
6. One of the central themes of the novel is:
A) The conflict between science and religion
B) The role of education in national development
C) The search for personal fulfillment within the boundaries of tradition
D) The rivalry between villages
Answer: C) The search for personal fulfillment within the boundaries of tradition
1. Which of the following best represents a central theme in “Coniferous Fathers”?
A) Fathers as strict disciplinarians
B) The celebration of material success
C) Redefining fatherhood through emotional presence
D) The decline of traditional family roles
Answer: C) Redefining fatherhood through emotional presence
2. In the poem, the poet primarily expresses a desire for fathers to be:
A) Silent and authoritative
B) Gentle and emotionally available
C) Distant but financially supportive
D) Passive and submissive
Answer: B) Gentle and emotionally available
3. What theme is reflected in the lines about fathers singing off-key lullabies?
A) Rebellion against tradition
B) Emphasis on musical talent
C) The beauty in imperfection and effort
D) Fathers' need for perfection
Answer: C) The beauty in imperfection and effort
4. The poem’s vision of fatherhood contrasts most strongly with:
A) Feminist views of parenting
B) Modern capitalist ideals
C) Stereotypical masculine expectations
D) Religious views on family
Answer: C) Stereotypical masculine expectations