PAPER #1—SHORT ANSWER PAPER
According to the article by Boniface Obichere,
QUESTION A: What was the basis for the inadequate examination of
African history?
THERE is something weird, almost uncanny, in the noiseless
rush of the ‘cyclist, as he comes into view, passes by, and
disappears. Pedestrians and carriages are left behind. He yields
only to the locomotive and to birds. The apparent ease and
security of his movement excite our wonder. We have seen rope-
walkers, and most of us have tried to walk on the top rail of a
fence, and have a vivid recollection of the incessant tossing of
arms and legs to keep our balance, and the assistance we got
from a long stick or a stone held in our hands. But the ‘cyclist
gets no help. His legs move only in the tread of the wheel, and
his hands rest quietly on the ends of the cross-bar of his
machine. [130 words]
QUESTION B: What suggestions did Obichere offer to correct the
problem?
For an answer to this question I have searched somewhat
widely, and, while I have found articles enough on or about the
bicycle, and what has been done by its riders, I have found none
that offered a reasonable theory for its explanation. This is my
apology for presenting the present paper. In it I shall state
the theories which have been offered, the reasons why they are
unsatisfactory, and then give what appears to me the
true rationale of the machine. The only paper I found that
claimed to explain the bicycle was one by Mr. C. Vernon Boys,
entitled The Bicycle and its Theory. [103 words]
