A good number of candidates attempted this question, though not many of them were able to show the importance of Papa Nnukwu’s death. Some of the candidates confused Papa Nnukwu with Eugene.

The significance of Papa Nnukwu’s death should include:

• It exposes the emotional sides of some of the characters in the text.
• It shows Aunty Ifeoma’s attachment to her father and her reaction on his death.
• The courage that Obiora displays inspires Jaja to realise that the responsibility to protect his mother and sister from the stranglehold of his father rests on him.
• Eugene’s reaction to his father’s death shows how much their father-son relationship has degenerated.
• Eugene’s religious fanaticism is also shown here when he concludes that Papa Nnukwu is doomed for refusing to abandon the traditional faith for the Catholic faith.

 

Candidates’ performance in this question was fair.