Flowers and Shadows MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature

Songs of Enchantment MCQs
Updated on: November 6, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 16 min

Flowers and Shadows MCQs

1. What pet did Jeffia rescue when returning from Ode’s place?

A. A stray cat
B. A small kitten
C. A brown and white puppy
D. An injured bird

C. A brown and white puppy
Jeffia rescued a jumpy, brown-and-white puppy while returning from Ode’s place.

2. How much money did Jeffia give the aged watchday?

A. Twenty kobo
B. Five kobo
C. Ten kobo
D. One Naira

C. Ten kobo
He tossed the aged watchday a ten-kobo coin, which the man said would buy a cigarette.

3. What leisure activity did Jeffia enjoy in the evening while reading Arrow of God?

A. Listening to rock music
B. Listening to jazz
C. Playing cards
D. Watching television

B. Listening to jazz
Jeffia read Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God while listening to jazz music in the evening.
4. Where did Ode want to study after getting good results?

A. London
B. America
C. Local university
D. Canada

A. London
Ode’s father wanted him to study in London if his exam results were good.

5. What temporary job did Ode secure while waiting for results?

A. A teacher
B. A mechanic
C. A bank clerk
D. A reporter

D. A reporter
Ode got a temporary job as a reporter on the Everyday Times through his father’s friend.

6. What societal ill did Jeffia criticize Ode for, regarding his new job?

A. Low pay
B. Nepotism
C. Poor writing
D. Long hours

B. Nepotism
Jeffia criticized Ode for using nepotism to get the job, contradicting his own ideals.

7. What object were the boys trying to stick up the puppy’s anus?

A. A needle
B. A piece of wood
C. A piece of wire
D. A stone

B. A piece of wood
One boy held the dog while the other tried to stick a piece of wood up its anus.
8. How much did Jeffia pay the tormenting boys for the puppy?

A. Three Naira
B. Two Naira
C. Five Naira
D. Ten Naira

B. Two Naira
Jeffia offered and paid the boys two naira to save the puppy from them.

9. What did Jeffia believe was the worst experience a person could have?

A. Hunger
B. Helplessness
C. Cruelty
D. Loneliness

B. Helplessness
Jeffia believed helplessness was the worst experience, comparing it to being lost in a dark room.

10. What sound woke Jeffia in the early morning hours?

A. The puppy barking
B. A piercing scream
C. Loud music
D. The phone is ringing

B. A piercing scream
A piercing scream cut through the sacred early morning hours, waking Jeffia briefly.

11. What occurred to Jonan’s car in Mrs. Okwe’s nightmare?

A. It was stolen
B. Exploded over a cliff
C. It caught fire
D. It broke down

B. Exploded over a cliff
Mrs. Okwe dreamt Jonan’s car swerved, went over a cliff, and exploded on the rocks below.
12. What was Mrs. Okwe’s background before meeting Jonan?

A. University student
B. Orphanage and housegirl
C. Wealthy merchant
D. Factory worker

B. Orphanage and housegirl
She was taken to an orphanage and later lived as a housegirl for a rich widow.

13. Where did Mrs. Okwe first meet her husband, Jonan?

A. At a college party
B. At the rich widow’s funeral
C. In Wilm Street
D. At the market

B. At the rich widow’s funeral
She met Jonan at the rich widow’s funeral, where men came to select wives from housegirls.

14. What six words did Jonan’s dying father speak to him?

A. Never forget your family
B. Be ruthless, my son
C. My son, poverty is a curse…
D. The plague is coming soon

C. My son, poverty is a curse…
His father’s dying words, “My son, poverty is a curse…”, became Jonan’s driving force.

15. What type of mail did Mrs. Okwe have a horror of?

A. A bill
B. A registered letter
C. A telegram
D. A magazine

C. A telegram
She had a personal horror of telegrams, associating them with immediate bad news and disaster.
16. What was Jonan Okwe’s position at Afioso Paints?

A. Head of Sales
B. Chief Accountant
C. Chairman
D. Managing Director

D. Managing Director
Jonan Okwe was the Managing Director of Afioso Paints, holding a position of great power.

17. What major health crisis had Jonan suffered?

A. A severe stroke
B. A heart attack
C. Blindness
D. An acute fever

B. A heart attack
He suffered a heart attack during a board meeting and was hospitalized for months.

18. Who sent the disturbing telegram to Jonan?

A. Gbenga
B. Chief Hans
C. Sowho
D. His doctor

C. Sowho
The telegram was from Sowho, his half-brother, whose past threat of revenge worried Jonan.

19. What physical item did Jonan look at for strength when facing problems?

A. His father’s ring
B. A religious cross
C. A portrait of himself
D. His wallet

C. A portrait of himself
He looked at a large, flattering portrait of himself to stir inner strength when facing problems.
20. What was Gbenga’s key role for Jonan?

A. Chief Accountant
B. Security Guard
C. Stooge and information gatherer
D. Chief Lawyer

C. Stooge and information gatherer
Gbenga was Jonan’s right-hand man and stooge, gathering information and doing dirty work.

21. What did Jonan compare the signs of trouble before a storm to?

A. Restlessness of goldfish
B. Birds flying low
C. Leaves turning brown
D. A snake shedding its skin

A. Restlessness of goldfish
Jonan compared the unsettling tension before trouble to the restlessness of goldfishes.

22. What did Mrs. Okwe attribute Jeffia’s good character to?

A. His kindness
B. Good schooling
C. Sheltered upbringing
D. Ode’s influence

C. Sheltered upbringing
Mrs. Okwe was proud of Jeffia and attributed his good character to his sheltered upbringing.

23. What traumatic event previously triggered Mrs. Okwe’s fears about her husband’s business?

A. Sowho’s jailing
B. Jonan is losing a contract
C. Policémen detained Jonan for fraud
D. Jonan is beating her up

C. Policémen detained Jonan for fraud
The event where policémen roughly detained Jonan for alleged fraud triggered her lasting fears.
24. What about Jonan did Mrs. Okwe not “altogether mind”?

A. His late hours
B. His obsession with money
C. Having another woman outside
D. His temper

C. Having another woman outside
She didn’t altogether mind him having another woman, but insisted his business be clean.

25. What was the puppy’s name?

A. Jeff
B. Joey
C. Ode
D. Rowly

B. Joey
Juliet, the owner, confirmed the puppy’s name was Joey, given by her late mother.

26. What was Juliet’s profession?

A. Teacher
B. Nurse
C. Businesswoman
D. Receptionist

C. Businesswoman
Juliet told Jeffia that she was a businesswoman, showing her independence.

27. What was Jeffia’s feeling about the man who walked into Juliet’s room?

A. He was afraid
B. He was familiar
C. He was suspicious
D. He was friendly

B. He was familiar
Jeffia felt something familiar about the tall man with a walking stick who entered her room.
28. What item did Jeffia realize he had forgotten in his jacket at home?

A. His wallet
B. His school ID
C. His driving licence
D. His car keys

C. His driving licence
Stopping by the police, Jeffia realized his driving license was in the jacket he had worn the day before.

29. What advice did Jonan give Jeffia about police corruption?

A. Always carry cash
B. They will hound you till you grease their palms
C. Don’t talk to police
D. Drive very slowly

B. They will hound you till you grease their palms
Jonan had warned him that police will “hound you till you grease their palms.”

30. What was the policeman’s nickname?

A. Big Joe
B. Officer Okwadia
C. Sergeant Sami
D. Mallam

A. Big Joe
The policeman introduced himself threateningly as ‘Big Joe’ to instill fear.

31. How much did Jeffia bribe the policeman with?

A. Two Naira
B. Fifty kobo
C. Five Naira
D. Ten Naira

D. Ten Naira
Jeffia handed the policeman, Big Joe, a ten Naira note to end the confrontation.
32. What sudden occurrence caused Jeffia to swerve on the expressway?

A. A car cutting him off
B. A large frog hopped across the road
C. A cat running across
D. A sudden downpour

B. A large frog hopped across the road
A large frog hopped across the road, causing Jeffia to swerve and run over it.

33. What did the mysterious caller want Jonan to be filled with?

A. Anger
B. Dread
C. Ambition
D. Desire

B. Dread
The mysterious caller chillingly stated, “I want you filled with dread. That’s all.”

34. What did Jane say were her most reliable companions?

A. Her friends
B. Her memories
C. Her books
D. Her job

B. Her memories
Jane told Cynthia she had discovered that her memories were her most reliable companions.

35. What sight made Cynthia freeze during her night walk?

A. A pack of wild dogs
B. People beating someone with weapons
C. A car accident
D. A large fire

B. People beating someone with weapons
Cynthia froze when she saw the outlines of several people beating someone with weapons.
36. What weapon was likely used to make the huge cut on the injured man’s head?

A. A blunt matchet
B. A gun
C. A broken bottle
D. A fist

A. A blunt matchet
She examined the man and determined the huge head cut was from a blunt matchet.

37. Who did Jeffia realize the injured man was?

A. Sowho
B. The landlord
C. Gbenga
D. Big Joe

C. Gbenga
Jeffia was shocked to realize the short, stocky, injured man was Gbenga, his father’s stooge.

38. What was Jonan proficient at, which he now faced himself?

A. Gambling
B. Subtle business blackmail
C. Forgery
D. Public speaking

B. Subtle business blackmail
Jonan, proficient at subtle business blackmail, was now facing a naked form of it himself.

39. What object in the sitting room did Jonan’s eyes rest upon while thinking?

A. The telephone
B. The Hausa sword
C. The television
D. The grandfather clock

B. The Hausa sword
While thinking, Jonan’s eyes rested on the decorative sword in its fanciful Hausa scabbard.
40. Who called Jonan to report that Gbenga had received “the treatment”?

A. Sowho
B. Amazu
C. Big Joe
D. The commissionaire

B. Amazu
The caller, Amazu, reported that he and his team had given ‘G’ (Gbenga) the treatment.

41. What traumatic information did Cynthia reveal about her father?

A. He was a thief
B. A Mr. Okwe framed him
C. He was secretly rich
D. He had died in jail

B. He was framed by Mr. Okwe
Cynthia’s father’s diary revealed that a Mr. Okwe had framed him for theft.

42. What did Jeffia’s excellent H.S.C. result reveal about Ode?

A. Ode failed
B. Ode also scored A in Literature
C. Ode did slightly worse
D. Ode didn’t sit for the exams

B. Ode also scored A in Literature
The results showed Ode also did very well, matching Jeffia’s A in Literature.

43. Why did Juliet originally stop seeing Jonan?

A. He was too poor
B. She was fed up with the secret arrangement
C. She found someone else
D. His wife found out

B. She was fed up with the secret arrangement
Juliet stopped seeing Jonan because she was “fed up with the whole secret arrangement.”
44. What was the last word Jonan uttered after the car crash?

A. Jeffia
B. Wife
C. Forward
D. Revenge

C. Forward
After uttering his wife’s and son’s names, Jonan’s last word before dying was “forward.”

45. What was the cause of Mrs. Okwe’s injuries?

A. Stab wounds
B. Concussion and shock
C. Heart attack
D. Mental breakdown

B. Concussion and shock
Mrs. Okwe fell down the stairs, and the doctor confirmed she had a concussion and shock.

46. What was Jeffia horrified to realize about his memory of his father after the burial?

A. He remembered only the good times
B. He couldn’t remember his face clearly
C. He realized he hated him
D. He kept seeing him alive

B. He couldn’t remember his face clearly
He was horrified that his memory of his father’s face was already vague and hazy.

47. Who took over Afioso Paints after Jonan’s death?

A. Jeffia and his mother
B. Sowho’s family
C. Jeccaro and Chief Hans
D. The trade union

C. Jeccaro and Chief Hans
Jeffia learned that Jeccaro and Chief Hans, hostile to Jonan, had taken over the company.
48. Where did Jeffia and his mother move to after leaving Ikoyi?

A. Port Harcourt
B. Surulere
C. Amukoko, a slum
D. Back to Jonan’s village

C. Amukoko, a slum
They moved from the Ikoyi house to a slum called Amukoko, a big social drop.

49. What belief about his mother’s past helped Jeffia understand her fear of the future?

A. She was secretly wealthy
B. She was an abandoned orphan and housegirl
C. She had always wanted to be a teacher
D. She was cursed

B. She was an abandoned orphan and housegirl
Learning that his mother was an orphan and a housegirl helped him understand her fear of the future.

50. What final image did Jeffia see in his mother’s finished painting?

A. A stormy sea
B. Flowers in the shadow
C. A portrait of Jonan
D. A dead bird

B. Flowers in the shadow
Her finished painting depicted ‘flowers in the shadow,’ reflecting her worldview.

Brief Overview

Flowers and Shadows is a novel by Ben Okri, first published in 1980. It is a coming-of-age story and Okri’s debut novel. The narrative details the troubled life of the young protagonist, Jeffia Okwe, in Nigeria.

The novel starts with Jeffia living a seemingly rich life in Lagos, but his family is marked by profound unhappiness. His mother suffers from nightmares about impending disaster. His father, Jonan, is obsessed with business success because he desperately fears a return to poverty.

Jeffia personally witnesses corruption in society and suffers a significant personal loss when his close friend, Ode, dies suddenly in a tragic road accident. Jonan’s business begins to fail, and he faces blackmail. His half-brother, Sowho, seeks revenge on Jonan for sending him to prison years earlier.

Jeffia meets nurse Cynthia and learns a painful secret: his father, Jonan, framed Cynthia’s father, Mr. Oduko, for theft. Jeffia feels immense guilt over this past wrong.

The family tension reaches a tragic climax. Jonan confronts Sowho at home, leading to a violent fight with a sword. Jonan’s wife falls down the stairs and is badly injured. Jonan chases Sowho in his car, suffers a fatal heart attack, and crashes, killing both men.

Others seize Jonan’s company. Jeffia and his grieving mother move to the poor area of Amukoko. Cynthia offers steady support and love. Jeffia finally resolves to confront his troubled past and build a positive future, separate from his father’s corrupt influence.

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