CLASS 11 · WOVEN WORDS · CHAPTER 12
Original student-friendly answers to Wole Soyinka's poem activities.
12 worked answers · short steps first, explanations when you need them
Textbook pages Understanding the Poem
Question Understanding the Poem 1
Explain that the landlady uses skin colour to judge a prospective tenant.
The poem criticises racism by showing a landlady judging a tenant by his skin colour.
Question Understanding the Poem 2
Link the pauses to surprise, shock, and the breakdown of polite conversation.
The silences show surprise and discomfort as racism disrupts ordinary polite speech.
Question Understanding the Poem 3
List the colour terms and explain that their accumulation mocks colour-based judgement.
The many shades—light, dark, chocolate, sepia, brunette, blonde, raven black, red—mock judging a person by colour.
Question Understanding the Poem 4
Choose a line and explain its effect; answers may differ.
Sample: The final challenge is striking because it exposes the absurdity of judging a tenant by colour.
Question Understanding the Poem 5
Explain the phrase as polite or indirect speech that hides prejudice.
It suggests hiding uncomfortable ideas behind polite speech, as the conversation's prejudice comes out indirectly.
Question Understanding the Poem 6
Link capitals to loud emphasis and the force of the landlady's questions.
Capitals make the landlady's questions sound loud and aggressive, contrasting with the speaker's calm voice.
Question Understanding the Poem 7
Explain the ordinary title's contrast with the prejudice and offer a fitting alternative.
The plain title contrasts with the racism in the call; another title could be 'The Colour Question.'
Question Understanding the Poem 8
Explain how the comic call reveals prejudice without a direct lecture.
The awkward pauses and exaggerated answers expose racism through humour rather than a lecture.
Textbook pages Try This Out
Question Try This Out 1
Assign roles, use pauses and tone, and keep the performance respectful.
Perform the call with clear roles and pauses, using tone to reveal prejudice without caricature.
Question Try This Out 2
Describe the red booth, infer the landlady from her voice, and characterise the speaker's restrained wit.
The caller is in a red street booth; the unseen landlady sounds demanding; the speaker is polite but witty.
Question Try This Out 3
Include the red booth, street, unseen landlady's house, and a speech bubble.
Draw the caller in a red booth, the street outside, and the unseen landlady at the other end.
Question Try This Out 4
Write a brief meeting that addresses the prejudice and gives the caller a choice.
Sample: The landlady acknowledges her unfair question, and the caller decides whether to view the room.