Multiple Choice Questions on “New Tongue” by Elizabeth L. A. Kamara

Download our SSCE Study Guide Bundle

We have prepared for you multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on “New Tongue” by Elizabeth L. A. Kamara to drill you on your understanding of the poem. There are a total of 43 objective questions. Share your answers in the comment section. The answers to the questions are in the next page of this post.

Multiple Choice Questions on “New Tongue”

1. Who is the author of “New Tongue”?
A. Gabriel Okara
B. Elizabeth L. A. Kamara
C. Niyi Osundare
D. Wole Soyinka

2. What is the dominant theme of the poem?
A. Romantic love
B. The erosion of cultural heritage and identity
C. War and political conflict
D. Religious devotion

3. The poem’s opening line, “They speak in a new tongue,” primarily introduces the idea of:
A. A medical condition
B. Linguistic and cultural assimilation into foreign ways
C. A new musical style
D. Childhood innocence

4. In the poem, “the old songs” symbolise:
A. Modern pop music
B. Traditional customs and ancestral heritage
C. Foreign hymns
D. Forgotten lullabies for babies

5. Describing the old songs as “disregarded dreams” and “remnants of a past” suggests that tradition is now viewed as:
A. Sacred and treasured
B. Irrelevant and discarded
C. Newly invented
D. Mysterious and feared

6. “Ties of family and friendship / Loosened, broken, burnt” is an example of which literary device?
A. Climax (gradation)
B. Onomatopoeia
C. Hyperbole
D. Rhetorical question

7. What image does the poet use to depict the destruction of family bonds?
A. Ashes scattered into the sea
B. Snow falling on a mountain
C. A river overflowing its banks
D. Birds migrating south

8. The phrase “the bottomless sea” (where the ashes are strewn) suggests:
A. A shallow pool
B. Irrecoverable, permanent loss
C. A calm and gentle place
D. A place of celebration

9. “As fishes swim by / Careless of the loss” is an example of:
A. Simile
B. Personification
C. Onomatopoeia
D. Rhetorical question

10. The “new generation” described in the poem is portrayed as:
A. Reverent towards elders
B. Indifferent to tradition and heritage
C. Eager to preserve the past
D. Protective of family bonds

11. The repeated structure “Careless of bonds / Of family / Of tradition / Of heritage” is an example of:
A. Anaphora
B. Onomatopoeia
C. Assonance
D. Apostrophe

12. “Their minds turn inwards / Only inwards” suggests:
A. Generosity towards others
B. Growing self-centredness and individualism
C. A communal spirit
D. Curiosity about the outside world

13. The simile comparing inward-turned minds to “the insides of clothes / That marry the bodies of mankind” emphasises:
A. Fashion trends
B. How closely self-absorption now clings to people, like clothing to a body
C. Cultural diversity
D. Physical comfort

14. “No room for elders… not even on the edge of their minds” highlights which social problem?
A. Overpopulation
B. The marginalisation and disregard of the aged
C. A housing shortage
D. Gender inequality

15. “Their ears blocked to the old tongue” is best understood as a metaphor for:
A. Physical deafness
B. A refusal to listen to or value indigenous language and customs
C. Noise pollution
D. A speech impairment

16. “Glorying in their newness of a borrowed tongue and culture” implies:
A. Genuine appreciation of one’s own heritage
B. Misplaced pride in an adopted, foreign identity
C. Deep shame and regret
D. Total confusion about identity

17. “Every man / For himself / By himself / Of himself” illustrates the idea of:
A. Communalism
B. Individualism and selfishness
C. National patriotism
D. Religious unity

18. “A strange coldness descending like snow covered mountain” makes use of which literary device?
A. Simile
B. Onomatopoeia
C. Alliteration
D. Irony

19. The “coldness” referred to in the poem is best interpreted as:
A. A literal change in weather
B. Emotional detachment and loss of warmth in human relationships
C. A description of climate change
D. A symbol of old age

20. “Or like bathing at the back of the house / On a rainy July day” reinforces a feeling of:
A. Comfort and warmth
B. Discomfort and exposure
C. Celebration
D. Wealth and luxury

21. “The gusts of wind falling trees / Carting roofs away” is symbolic of:
A. A calm, peaceful evening
B. The upheaval of culture and tradition
C. Renewal of the land
D. A festive storm

22. “The borrowed shoes dance” is best described as:
A. A simile
B. A metaphor
C. Onomatopoeia
D. Hyperbole

23. The recurring word “borrowed” suggests:
A. Originality and innovation
B. Imitation and dependence on foreign ways
C. Material poverty
D. Creative freedom

24. “Their borrowed minds parted the red sea long ago” contains an allusion to:
A. A Biblical event
B. A historical war
C. A Greek myth
D. A natural disaster

25. The biblical allusion in line 26 suggests that the break from tradition:
A. Is a recent development
B. Happened a long time ago
C. Never actually occurred
D. Will only happen in future generations

26. “They hang the last lock on their culture” means that the new generation:
A. Carefully preserves its culture
B. Symbolically abandons its culture for good
C. Builds an entirely new culture from scratch
D. Locks elders out of their homes

27. “And glide into the future / Without a backward glance” conveys a sense of:
A. Deep regret and longing
B. Effortless, unsentimental movement away from the past
C. Hesitation and doubt
D. A planned return to tradition

28. Structurally, “New Tongue” can best be described as:
A. A sonnet with a fixed rhyme scheme
B. Free verse with no regular rhyme scheme
C. A ballad
D. A villanelle

29. The dominant tone of the poem is:
A. Joyful and celebratory
B. Critical, regretful and elegiac
C. Humorous and light-hearted
D. Detached and indifferent

30. The persona’s attitude toward the new generation’s rejection of tradition is one of:
A. Approval
B. Disapproval and concern
C. Complete neutrality
D. Envy

31. The title “New Tongue” most directly refers to:
A. A medical or physical condition
B. The adoption of a foreign culture in place of one’s own
C. A newly invented musical instrument
D. A type of food

32. Which statement best captures the central message of the poem?
A. Modernisation is always entirely beneficial
B. Cultural abandonment risks the loss of identity, family bonds, and tradition
C. Family relationships can never be broken
D. The sea is a dangerous place

33. The poem is fundamentally concerned with which kind of conflict?
A. Man versus nature
B. Tradition versus modernity
C. Man versus self
D. Religious conflict between faiths

34. “Minds battered into new modes and shapes” suggests that the change described is:
A. Voluntary, gentle, and joyful
B. Forceful and almost violent in nature
C. Entirely absent
D. A physical injury only

35. In “bound hearts with impregnable chains,” the word “impregnable” means:
A. Easily broken
B. Unbreakable or impossible to escape
C. Temporary and weak
D. Loose and flexible

36. The image of “chains” used to describe attachment to the new culture ironically suggests that this supposed freedom is:
A. Truly liberating
B. Actually another form of bondage
C. Completely harmless
D. Insignificant to the new generation

37. Which weather imagery recurs in the poem as a symbol of overwhelming, destructive change?
A. Fire and flame
B. Wind and storm
C. Sunshine
D. Drought

38. The word “revere,” as in “Nor revere the old,” means:
A. To despise
B. To regard with deep respect
C. To ignore completely
D. To fear

39. “Their ears blocked to the old tongue” suggests that communication between generations is marked by:
A. Perfect mutual understanding
B. A breakdown in communication and a refusal to listen
C. Active, healthy dialogue
D. Mutual respect and learning

40. The closing image of the poem reinforces an overall sense of:
A. Complete severance from the past
B. Hope for reconciliation with tradition
C. A cyclical return to old ways
D. Confusion about the future

41. “New Tongue” engages most directly with the theme of:
A. Colonial nostalgia
B. Cultural erosion caused by globalisation
C. Environmental conservation
D. Gender roles in society

42. The poem contains no regular rhyme scheme or fixed stanza length; this form is best described as:
A. Blank verse
B. Free verse
C. Heroic couplets
D. A Petrarchan sonnet

43. Which of the following best describes the relationship between the “new generation” and their elders, as portrayed in the poem?
A. Close and respectful
B. Distant, dismissive, and disconnected
C. Dependent and obedient
D. Competitive but loving

Answers on the next page.

Related:

• Q & A: Examine the conflict between tradition and modernity in “New Tongue” by Elizabeth Kamara
• Q & A: Discuss the central theme in “New Tongue” by Elizabeth Kamara

Receive Literary Updates through our Social Media Channels:

• WhatsApp: Literature PADI or Literature-in-English with LP
• Telegram: Literature PADI
• YouTube: @literaturepadi
• Facebook: Literature PADI