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Read the following excerpt from the novel Blossoms of the Savannah and answer the questions that follow.
"Not really, my husband," she said ruefully, beating a hasty retreat. "Our culture is everything and it rules our lives." "Good," he said authoritatively. "Now listen, you must immediately start counselling the girls to understand their roles as potential wives of the men of Nasila. Prepare them to appreciate and accept their future responsibilities as mothers and home builders. "I'll do that, my husband," she said quietly. "One other thing," he said evenly. "I'll ask Simiren to request the young teacher called Parmuat, who is of our clan and therefore a brother to the girls, to find time to teach them a few home truths. After that we shall call enkamuratani to play her part before we give them away. Those were the words, whose utterances she so dreaded. And once uttered, she knew, the words instantly becomes an inviolable edict. Now that he had spoken, the pain was already...

Answer Text:
a) "Not really, my husband." What is Mama Milanoi responding to?
Mama Milanoi is repondin to Ole Kaelo’s question that he hopes she doesn’t imply that their culture comes second.

b) Identify two people who have influenced Ole Kaelo to initiate his daughters and how.
Ole Musanka and Yeiyo-botorr.

c) Ole Kaelo appoints Parmuat to educate the girls about their culture. What is their reaction?
Taiyo is happy because this is going to be an opportunity to see Joseph every evening but Resian is not pleased with the arrangement since according to her, no other education would replace the university education that she wants obtain.

d) Describe the character traits of Ole Kaelo.
He is conservative. He asks Mama Milanoi that she must immediately start counselling
the girls to understand their roles as potential wives of the men of Nasila and prepare them to appreciate and accept their future responsibilities as mothers and home builders. This is in line with the Nasila culture.
He is authoritative. "Good," he said authoritatively, then followed the instructionsthat he gave whith much of finality.

e) Identify and explain one thematic concern that emerges in this excerpt.
Theme of Male chauvinism. Ole Kaelo speaks authoritatively and with finality to his wife that she cannot question a thing even when she feels that something is not right. We are told that she was torn between her love for her daughters and her dutiful role of a faithful and obedient wife of Ole Kaelo.

f) "She was torn between her love for her daughters and dutiful role of a faithful and obedient wife".
Give examples of other times when Mama Milanoi's duty as a wife superseded her love for her daughters.
She collaborates with Ole Kaelo and plan to give her daughters to Oloisudori. She fails to tell her husband her daughters’ dream to get university education.

g) Give two roles that Emakererei plays in this text.
She is used to bring out the themes e.g. theme of Education.
She is educated at The Makerere University.
She is used by the author to portray women who stand firm against negative cultural practices that are oppressive to women.
She develops the plot. The novel ends when Resiam and Taiyo are in her ranch.
She helps in building the character traits of other characters in the novel e.g. the trait of Resian i.e. determined.

h) Describe the attitude of the Nasila people towards Emakererei.
They have hate and disrespect towards her. The elders of Nasila contemptuously calls her entangoroior the wasp.

i) Give the meaning of the following expressions as used in this excerpt:
a) Home truths
b) Inviolable edict
a) A true but unpleasant fact about yourself that another person tells you.
b) A command/order incapable of being violated/unable to be broken.