Study Questions
1. Using context clues, define the Igbo word ilo.

2. Why is the ancient silk-cotton tree considered sacred?

3. Why do the young boys of 15 and 16 wrestle first?

4. Describe Chielo in ordinary life.

5. Give an example of Chielo’s fondness for Ezinma.

6. What does Ekwefi mean when she says Ezinma is probably going to stay?

7. What is the most exciting moment in a wrestling match?

8. How do you know that Okafo and Ikezue are equally matched wrestlers?

9. What role do the drums play in the wrestling match?

10. Using context clues define the word Amadiora.

Answers
1. The Igbo word ilo refers to a playground or a large open area where meetings and sports events take place.

2. The ancient silk-cotton tree is considered sacred because the spirits of good children who are waiting to be born live there.

3. The young boys of 15 and 16 wrestle first in order to set the stage. They are actually practicing.

4. In ordinary life Chielo is a widow with two children. She is friendly with Ekwefi, and they share a common shed in the market.

5. Chielo shows her fondness for Ezinma by sending her bean cakes.

6. When Ekwefi says Ezinma is probably going to stay, she means she is probably going to live.

7. The most exciting moment in a wrestling match is when a man is thrown.

8. Okafo and Ikezue are equally matched because in the previous year, neither one threw the other. Both wrestlers have the same style, and they seem to know each other’s moves beforehand.

9. The drums announce the wrestling match early in the day. The drums beat a rhythm of excitement. Like the crowd, the drums go mad when a wrestler is thrown. The drums are like the pulse of the nine villages.

10. Amadiora is the god of thunder and lightning.