TRICKSTER NARRATIVE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q1. Read the following narrative then answer the questions that follow. (20 marks)

Once upon a time Hare and Hyena were very good friends. They visited each other every day and herded their cows together. There came a time when the cows started dying one after the other. The two friends wanted to find out why the cows were dying. Hare said, ‘Let us go and kill our mothers and take out their livers. We shall then cook and taste these livers. The bitter liver will show whose mother was making the cows die. At once Hyena went and killed his mother. He took out the liver and cooked it. Hare went and hid his mother in the garden in bushy banana plants. He then went and killed an antelope, took out its liver and cooked it. The two friends met to eat their livers. “My liver is very bitter”, said the Hyena. “Mine is very sweet,” said Hare, “So it was your mother who was making the cows die.” Hyena kept quiet and went home feeling sad. He moved from the old house to a smaller one because now he had no mother. Hare did the same. After a short time, there was great famine in the land. The two friends decided that each of them was to look for food on alternate days sharing on an equal basis what was available. When it was Hyena’s turn, he went and found only honeycombs without any honey. When Hyena brought these, Hare refused this because he had secretly gone to his mother who had given him some bananas. This went on for many days, and Hyena grew thinner and thinner. Then he started wondering “How does my friend remain fat and he doesn’t eat anything. I will find out.” One day he followed Hare. Hare went to his mother as usual. ‘Mother, mother, I have come’ and the mother dropped some bananas which Hare ate quickly. He then looked for some honeycombs and took them to the friend. “This is all I could find my friend.” The Hyena kept quiet. The next day he went to the banana plant and called. His voice however was very deep and no bananas were dropped for him. There was an old hyena who was staying at the end of the forest and used to give advice to people. So Hare’s friend went to her and told her his problem. “Go and put your tongue on the path of black ants,” He was told, “Let them bite your tongue until it hurts. That’s how your voice will be soft.” Hyena went and did as he was told. When he went to Hare’s mother his voice was as soft as Hare’s. “Mother, mother I have come.” And Hare’s mother dropped bananas for his him. Then he told her to come and greet him. When she came down and saw it was Hyena she screamed but there was nobody near to help. Hyena killed her immediately. Hyena went and met Hare as usual saying nothing about Hare’s mother. The following day it was Hare’s turn. He went to his usual place. “Mother” he called again. He climbed up. There was nobody. Having seen some blood on the ground, Hare knew what had happened to his mother.When Hare got back to Hyena’s house, he said nothing. At night, Hare took all cows including Hyena’s and went away to live in another part of the country. That ended the Hare and Hyena’s friendship. And that is the end of my story to you.

1. Classify the above narrative. (2 marks)

2. Identify three features in this story that are characteristics of oral narratives. (3 marks)

3. Briefly explain the character traits of the following. (4 marks)

 a. Hare

b. Hyena

4. What moral lesson do you learn from this story? (2 marks)

5. Identify two socioeconomic activities from the community in which the narrative is taken from. (2 marks)

6. You have been selected for a field work research to collect the above item. a. Briefly explain two ways in which you will collect the information on the item. (2 marks)

b. Identify two problems and their solutions that you might encounter during the field work. (2 mks)

7. Then he started wondering “How does my friend remain fat and he doesn’t eat anything. I will find out.” (Rewrite into indirect speech.) (1 mark)

8. Describe the irony in the fifth paragraph. (2marks)

ANSWERS

1. trickster narrative….. ‘lets go and kill our mothers and take out their livers.’ Hare tricks Hyena into killing his mother

2. Opening formula ‘ once upon a time’ refers to no particular time in history

Personification hare and hyena talking …give illustration Closing formula ‘ and that is the end of my story to you.’ to signal end of narration Timelessness ‘ once upon a time’ no particular time in history Dialogue .. give illustration of hare and hyena talking.. to bring it to almost a real situation ½ mk ident…. ½ mk illust = 1 X 3. If no illustr then award 0

3. Hare is clever/wise/intelligent

Hare is loving hides his mother and does not kill his mother

Hyena is foolish/unwise/gullible. Hare does not kill his mother as agreed while Hyena believes what his friend tells him and kills his mother.

Peking

Hyena is cruel he kills his mother. Accept any well illustrated trait

4. We should love and respect our parents whatever the circumstances+ illustration

Friendship ought to be genuine + illustration Award 1 mks for lesson (positive) and 1 mks illustr

.

5. cattle keeping/herding/banana farming (Economic) and food sharing(Social), + Illustration= 2mks (1 economic and 1 social)

6. Observation, Participation

7. Hyena/He wondered how his friend remained fat and he did not eat anything and decided that he would find out.

8. It is ironical for the narrator to say there was great famine in the land yet Hare went and hid his mother in a banana plantation and his mother used to give him some bananas. (The two sides must clearly be seen otherwise award 0)