Important Questions and Answers

Textbook Comprehension I (with answers)

1. Roof was a popular young man because he: a. had not abandoned his village b. wanted to guide his people c. was forced to return to his village Answer: a. His popularity measured the villagers' gratitude that he had not left the village for work in the towns.

2. Why was Marcus considered rich and powerful? He was the Minister of Culture and a chief with titles and a doctorate. He had two long cars, the biggest house in the area and a private electricity plant.

3. Marcus Ibe had earlier been a: a. doctor b. school teacher c. politician Answer: b. A not-too-successful mission school teacher.

4. Marcus returning to his village whenever he could shows: a. his devotion to his people and love for the place b. he enjoyed the comforts of the city in his village c. he wanted to improve the amenities of his village Answer: a. The text says "he remained devoted to his people" (though the narrator is ironic).

5. After the feasting the villagers: a. praised Marcus's faithfulness and generosity b. intended to demand more for their votes c. realized Marcus's wealth Answer: b. They decided they had underrated the power of the ballot paper.

6. The 'whispering campaign' is: a. secret campaigning at night b. bargaining for votes c. clandestine distribution of money Answer: a. At night Marcus's stalwarts campaigned secretly. In practice this meant handing out money from the jute bags, so the campaign also involved (c).

7. Ezenwa tilted the lamp because: a. he could not see properly b. the place was too dark c. he wanted to confirm the amount paid to each Answer: c. "as if to make sure he had not mistaken its value".

8. 'Firewood' refers to: a. Roof taking advantage of the situation b. the advantages of being a voter c. the benefits the elders received Answer: b. In Ezenwa's proverb, firewood stands for what voters can take while it is "our day". Roof applies it to himself too ("he had lately been taking down a lot of firewood himself").

9. Roof and the leader of the POP campaign team were: a. friends b. strangers c. acquaintances Answer: c. They were "well known to each other, and might even be called friends", but the visit was cold and business-like.

10. Roof was mesmerized by: a. the red notes on the floor b. the picture of the cocoa farmer c. the POP campaign leader Answer: b. The text says he "seemed to be mesmerized by the picture of the cocoa farmer", which is on the red notes, so really he was hypnotized by the money.

11. Roof inserting torn ballot papers in the two boxes signifies: a. keeping his promise b. appeasing iyi c. absolving himself of his guilt Answer: a. He tries to keep his promise to both sides: to Maduka, sworn on the iyi, and to Marcus.

Comprehension II (Short Answers)

1. Trace the change in the attitude of the villagers before the second election. Give reasons. Five years earlier the villagers had voted for Marcus free of charge. Since then they had seen how quickly and plentifully politics brought him wealth, titles, a doctorate, cars and a mansion. They realized they had underrated the power of the ballot paper. So they decided to demand money for their votes. Even the elders, while promising their votes to Marcus, called two shillings "shameful" and bargained for more.

2. What was the justification for the formation of the POP? The Progressive Organization Party was formed by the tribes down the coast. Its founders said it would save them from "total political, cultural, social and religious annihilation", in other words from being dominated by the majority group represented by PAP.

3. 'Roof is an intelligent manipulator.' Justify with reference to the story. Roof reads the mood of voters expertly and warned Marcus about the village's changed thinking. With the elders he flatters them, promises pipe-borne water, adds shillings one by one and fakes anger to close the deal. He also uses Marcus for favours: a robe, beer, a chauffeur-driven car to win a land case. He accepts POP's five pounds and swears on the iyi. Then, in the booth, he tears the ballot in two and says "I vote for Maduka", manipulating even his oath so that he appears to keep both promises.

Comprehension III (Long Answers)

1. The POP campaign leader's meeting with Roof shows the misuse of transparency in a democratic set-up. Discuss. The meeting is marked by crude frankness. There is no pretence: the leader places five pounds on the floor and says, "We want your vote." He brushes aside Roof's loyalty to Marcus: "Marcus will not be there when you put in your paper." When Roof asks for secrecy, he replies, "We are after votes not gossip." Openness, which should mean honest dealing and public accountability, is turned into open bribery. The leader even produces an iyi to make the bribe binding. The secret ballot, meant to protect free choice, becomes a shield for betrayal. POP's aim is openly commercial: people will hear "he gives out pounds, not shillings" and will listen next time. Democracy's tools are used to buy power, not to express the people's will.

2. 'To every human comes a time of reckoning.' How does Roof's dilemma on election day reflect this? All morning Roof hides his worry behind extra activity. When Marcus says, "Roof, you had better go first", the moment of reckoning arrives. Inside the booth he faces the car and the head, and his choices close in on him. He cannot betray Marcus, whose trust and favours he enjoys. He cannot return the five pounds, because greed will not let him. He cannot break his oath on the iyi from Mbanta, because he fears it. The man who manipulated everyone is now trapped by his own double-dealing. His way out, tearing the ballot, is clever but hollow: his vote counts for nobody. His reckoning shows that a person who serves two masters ends up serving neither.

3. What comment does the story offer on the electoral system? Is it relevant? The story shows an electoral system with the outward forms of democracy: parties, symbols, posters, booths, police checks, indelible ink and secret ballots. Its spirit is missing. Politicians use office to get rich and then buy votes. Voters sell them and bargain for more. Campaigners change sides for cash, and oaths and superstition replace informed choice. Illiterate voters choose by symbol and are joked with, not informed. It is highly relevant today: cash-for-votes, freebies, liquor and gifts at election time are still reported in many democracies, including ours. The Election Commission's rules and voter-awareness drives exist precisely because of such practices.

4. 'Democracy is more than holding elections regularly.' Does the story highlight this statement? Yes. Umuofia holds regular elections every five years, "the great day… when the people exercise power". The power is sold for a few shillings. The minister neglects the village, which has no water or electricity while his house has a private plant, and the villagers accept this as long as they are paid. Real democracy needs informed, honest voters, accountable leaders and a vote cast on issues, not on money or fear of an iyi. Without these values, elections are only a ritual that renews the power of the rich. The story shows this through irony, from the "landslide victory" to Roof's wasted, torn ballot.

Exam-Pattern Questions (Model Answers)

Q. (2025, 4 marks) The lure of money is greater than loyalty and ethics. Substantiate with reference to "The Voter". Money controls every character in the story. The villagers, who voted for Marcus free five years earlier, now want payment, and the elders refuse two shillings as "shameful" until Roof raises it to four. Marcus, once a struggling teacher, entered politics for wealth and buys votes with his advance salary. Roof, Marcus's most trusted campaigner, betrays him the moment the POP leader places five pounds on the floor. He is mesmerized by the red notes, swears on the iyi, and cannot bring himself to return the money even when his conscience troubles him. His loyalty survives only as a trick: half a ballot for each side. Ethics disappear too; voting is a bargain, and oaths are sworn for cash. The story shows that when money enters politics, loyalty and ethics are the first to be sold. (about 130 words)

Q. (3 marks) Describe the bargaining between Roof and the elders at Ezenwa's house. Roof met five elders with two shillings placed before each. Ezenwa promised all their votes but called the amount shameful and used the iroko proverb to demand more. Roof gave each man one more shilling, then another, and pretended to be angry ("Go cast your paper for the enemy"). The elders calmed him and, without losing dignity, picked up the money.

Q. (3 marks) How did Roof vote? Why? He tore his ballot paper along the crease and put one half in each box, putting the first half into Maduka's box and saying "I vote for Maduka". He had taken POP's five pounds and sworn on the iyi, yet he could not betray Marcus. This way he felt he had kept both promises.

Q. (2 marks) What was the POP leader's reply when Roof said Marcus would win anyway? He said it was enough that Maduka got a few votes now. Next time he would get more, because people would hear that he gave out pounds, not shillings.

Q. (2 marks) What preparations did Marcus make for the election? He drew five months' salary in advance, changed a few hundred pounds into shillings and gave his campaign boys jute bags of coins. On election day he hired a highlife band and sent his men to vote one at a time.