The Voter Question and Answers

“The Voter: Question and Answers” In addition to the themes of democracy, social justice, and the power of the individual, The Voter also explores other themes such as the importance of perseverance, the power of hope, and the resilience of the human spirit. Read More Plus Two English Question and Answers.

The Voter Question and Answers

Question 1.
The roof was a very popular man in his village. Give reasons.
Answer:
Roof Okeke was an energetic young man and had come back to his own village Umuofia, after working as a bicycle repairer’s apprentice for two years in Port Harcourt. It was true that he would have enjoyed a rich life if he had stayed on in his job. But he came back to the village and told the people that he wanted to guide them in difficult times. Later he became an ‘election campaign manager’ for Marcus Ibe and over a period of five years became an expert in election campaigning at all levels. Hence he was a very popular man in his village.

Question 2.
How did the POP campaign team trap Roof?
OR
Describe the meeting held by the POP campaign team with Roof in ‘The Voter’.
OR
Describe the meeting held by the POP campaign team with Roof in ‘The Voter’.
Answer:
In the story ‘The Voter’, Roof is the election campaign manager for Marcus Ibe, a candidate of the People’s Alliance Party. On the night before the election, the leader of the POP campaign team visits Roof’s house. He places five pounds on the floor and tells Roof that he wanted his vote. Initially, Roof did not know what to say or do. But, when he gets up from his chair, closes the door, and comes back, he gets enough time to weigh the proposition. He craves to make such a huge amount, his own.

However, his conscience pricks him and he tells in a feeble voice that the other person knows that he works for Marcus and it will be very bad on his part to accept a bribe, vote for Maduka, and deceive his own master. But when the other person tells him that Marcus will not know who he has voted for, Roof throws away his moral scruples to the wind and asks him whether anyone will talk about him outside. When he assures him that they are only interested in votes and not gossip, Roof’s greed tempts him to accept the offer. But, he also gets trapped. The leader asks him to swear on the Tyi’, that he would vote for Maduka. The roof cannot go back on his promise. So he swears to vote for Maduka.

Question 3.
Describe the last-minute election campaign in Umuofia.
OR
Give a picture of the activities on the election morning.
Answer:
On the day of the election, Chief the Honourable Marcus Ibe was doing things in a grand style. He had hired a highlife band from Umuru and stationed it at such a distance from the voting booths as just managed to be lawful. Many villagers danced to the music, their ballot papers held aloft, before proceeding to the booths. Marcus sat in the ‘owner’s corner’ of his enormous green car and smiled and nodded. Some villagers came up to the car, shook hands with the great man, and said in advance ‘Congrats!’

Roof and the other organizers were prancing up and down, giving last-minute advice to the voters and pouring with sweat. Roof tried to guide illiterate women saying “Our sign is the motor-car”. Then he told them, “Don’t look at the other with the man’s head: it is for those whose heads are not correct”. Finally, he shouted, “Vote for the car and you will ride in it!”

Question 4.
How is Roof’s dilemma brought out in ‘The Voter’?
OR
Roof’s dilemma on the day of the election is the result of his own misdeeds. Do you agree? Give reasons.
Answer:
On the day of the election, we see Roof in a moral dilemma. For the first time, his moral conscience pricks him not to betray Marcus. But it is only a momentary impulse and vanishes almost immediately when Roof recalls the picture of iyi and the cocoa farmer harvesting his crop. Then he hits on an idea of deceiving both Marcus and Maduka. He folds the ballot paper, tears it in two at the crease, and drops the first half into the box meant for Maduka and the other half into the box meant for Marcus. Thus, the writer successfully delineates how ‘money politics’ can corrupt people at all levels. It also reveals the contagious nature of an immoral attitude as the villagers who feel they “have climbed the iroko tree today and would be foolish not to take down all the firewood needed” blatantly ask for bribes.

It is Roof who is responsible for this moral degradation. The fall of Roof demonstrates the deepening level of corruption and the dimming of moral principles. Although Roof overcomes his personal dilemma on election day by tearing his ballot paper in two – one-piece for Maduka, the opponent, and one for Chief Marcus Ibe, his own employer his act illustrates the basic unreliability and political dishonesty of people working for elections. The plot of the story hinging on this man who bribes the electorate and who is bribed in turn drives home the deviant tendency of the political scene.

Question 5.
What changes did politics bring in Marcus Ibe?
OR
Describe how Marcus Ibe in ‘The Voter’ had managed to become a ‘successful’ politician.
OR
Everyone is full of praise for Marcus Ibe. What qualities and achievements attracted the people to praise him?
Answer:
Marcus Ibe was a not-too-successful mission school teacher. When he was almost on the verge of dismissal on the basis of a female teacher’s complaint, he joined politics, got elected as a representative of Umuofia, and was made Minister of Culture. People referred to him as Chief the Honourable Minister of Culture. In a period of five years Marcus became very wealthy, was given many chieftaincy titles and doctorate degrees and several other honours.

He got a huge mansion built in Umuofia and named it ‘Umuofia Mansions’ and got it opened by the Archbishop. On the day of the opening, he hosted a grand lunch to the people of his village slaughtering five bulls and countless goats. After feasting in his house, people were full of praise for him. They opined that he was a great man and does his things like a great man. He also owned two big cars.

Question 6.
Account for Roof’s popularity in ‘The Voter’.
OR
The roof was a very popular man in his village. Give reasons.
Answer:
Rufus Okeke, called Roof for short, was a very popular man in his village. His popularity was due to the fact that even after spending two years as a bicycle apprentice in Port Harcourt, Roof had come back to Umuofia of his own free will with the intention of guiding his people in difficult times. If he had stayed on in his job he would have enjoyed a rich life. By this gesture, he wins the gratitude and admiration of his people.

Question 7.
What was the whispering campaign and how did Roof conduct it in ‘The Voter’?
Answer:
A ‘whispering campaign’ refers to secret meetings held between the group of elders of a village and the election campaign manager of a political party. The election manager goes to such campaigns armed with money bags and woos the voters offering money for votes.

In ‘The Voter’, Roof, the most trusted campaigner of the PAP, conducted a whispering campaign in the house of Ogbuefi Ezenwa, a man of the high traditional title. Initially, Roof tried to kindle the pride of the people telling them that the PAP had made Marcus Ibe, one of their own sons, Honourable Minister of Culture in the outgoing government, and offered them 2 shillings each initially. But, Ezenwa rejected it saying that two shillings were shameful and Marcus was a great man, who did his things like a great man. Later, when Roof offered them 2 more shillings each, they accepted it and agreed to cast their vote for Marcus Ibe. Thus, Roof conducted his whispering campaign.

Question 8.
Why was Roof in a fix when putting in his ballot paper, in ‘The Voter’?
Answer:
As soon as Roof went into the voting booth, he was confronted by the ‘car’ on one box and the ‘head’ on the other. He took out his ballot paper from his pocket and looked at it. For a moment he found himself caught in a moral dilemma. He could not decide whether he should vote for Marcus Ibe of the PAP or Maduka of POP.

As the election campaign manager for Marcus Ibe, he had worked enthusiastically urging the people to vote for PAP. He had also taken a lot of money and other gifts for his service. But, now he had put himself in a fix because he had accepted five pounds from the POP and had sworn before the ‘iyi’ that he would vote for Maduka. So he did not want to cheat, because his fear of ‘iyi’ from Mbanta troubled him seriously. On the other hand, he felt guilty for betraying Marcus Ibe. For a moment he felt like going back to the campaign manager and returning his five pounds.

Finally, the moment he thought of the red notes, he visualized the cocoa farmer busy at work and his swearing on that ‘iyi’. Therefore, he folded the ballot paper, tore it into two along the crease, and put one half in each box. He put the first half into Maduka’s box confirming his action verbally, “1 vote for Maduka”.

Question 9.
Trace the behaviour of Roof on the day of voting.
Answer:
On the day of the election, Roof appears to be seriously interested in ensuring that the voters know who to vote for and how to exercise their choice. Along with others Roof prances up and down giving last-minute advice to the voters. As soon as the first rush of voters is over, Marcus promptly asks his campaign boys to go one at a time and put in their ballot papers. He asks Roof to go first. Roof’s spirits fall, but he lets no one see it. Roof dashes off in his springy fashion towards the booth.

When Roof goes into the booth, he faces a moral dilemma. But he overcomes his moral dilemma, cuts the vote into two, and drops the two halves in the boxes, one half for Marcus and the other half for Maduka. While coming out, he looks as happy as he was when he went in. Thus, by putting on a happy face and walking with a lot of energy in his gait while going into the booth as well as while coming out of the booth, Roof is able to conceal his betrayal of Marcus in the election.

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