33 pages 1 hour read

Derek Walcott

A Far Cry from Africa

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1962

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Reading Comprehension Questions

1. Who or what are the Kikuyu mentioned in Line 2 of the poem?

A) an ethnic group in Kenya

B) a type of fly

C) an instrument in Africa

D) a colonial city

2. Which best describes what the poet suggests by his title, “A Far Cry from Africa”?

E) He is crying over the condition of Africa.

F) He is far away from Africa, and he hears its cry of anguish.

G) He is too far removed from the condition of Africa.

H) He is confused by the condition of Africa.

3. What does the poet-narrator imply when he writes that he is “divided to the vein” (Line 27)?

A) He doesn’t know where he should live.

B) He doesn’t know which language he should speak.

C) He knows he has no particular loyalties.

D) He knows he has inherited two different traditions.

4. What term best describes the attitude of the poem’s speaker?

A) outraged

B) hopeless

C) conflicted

D) nostalgic

5. With what choice does the poet-narrator feel he is faced?

A) the gorilla or the superman

B) the statistics or the scholars

C) the English language or African heritage

D) the native dread or white peace

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