Songs of Enchantment 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: 18 min

Songs of Enchantment MCQs

1. What are the seven mountains always ahead of the characters, calling them to realize?

A. Wealth and fame
B. Dreams, joys, and promises
C. Political victory
D. A new homeland

B. Dreams, joys, and promises.
The mountains are a recurring symbol representing the lofty, challenging goals of dreams and joys.

2. What did the characters fail to see, leading to being unprepared for the ensuing chaos?

A. The approaching army
B. The circulating spirits
C. The mountains ahead
D. The closure of the betting shop

C. The mountains ahead.
They failed to look beyond immediate chaos at the symbolic mountains, leaving them unprepared.

3. What is the nature of the narrator, the spirit-child, described as being?

A. A willing seeker
B. A professional spy
C. An unwilling adventurer
D. A cheerful observer

C. An unwilling adventurer.
The spirit-child narrator describes himself as an “unwilling adventurer” into chaos and dreams.
4. What event caused the narrator’s adventures to get deeper and stranger?

A. Mum leaving home
B. Dad’s last fight
C. The coming of the Masquerade
D. Meeting Helen

B. Dad’s Last Fight.
Dad’s profound spiritual battle and subsequent dream deepened the narrator’s immersion into the spirit world.

5. What unexpected content filled the narrator’s history exercise book at school?

A. Love poems
B. Complex math equations
C. Philosophical riddles
D. Foreign language

B. Complex math equations.
His teacher was horrified to find his history book filled entirely with complex mathematical equations.

6. Who stared at the narrator from the trunk of a dying silk-cotton tree during mathematics class?

A. The face of a penitent oppressor
B. The face of Pharaoh Akhnaton
C. The faces of the unborn
D. All of the above

D. All of the above.
The tree contained a composite vision of Akhnaton, an oppressor, and the unborn watching him.

7. How did the spirit-companions torment the narrator during English class?

A. Whispering secrets
B. Singing polyphonic chorales in seven languages
C. Making him invisible
D. Making him fail the exam

B. Singing polyphonic chorales in seven languages.
The spirits distracted him from lessons by singing intricate, multilingual polyphonic chorales.
8. Why did teachers often fail the narrator despite accurate answers?

A. They disliked his family
B. They thought he had been cheating
C. They didn’t understand his spirit nature
D. He refused to pay attention

B. They thought he had been cheating.
His accurate answers, derived from spirits, seemed like cheating to his conventional teachers.

9. What arcane knowledge did the spirit-companions instill in the narrator before he could read?

A. Colonial history
B. Quantum physics and chiaroscuro
C. Zulu mathematics
D. Political philosophy

B. Quantum physics and chiaroscuro.
The spirits taught him esoteric knowledge like quantum physics and chiaroscuro before he was literate.

10. What prophecy and philosophical theory did the narrator absorb while walking barefoot?

A. Plato’s Republic and Zulu epics
B. Nostradamus’ prophecies and Pythagoras’ theories
C. The visions of Akhenaton and Luo proverbs
D. The charting of the Atlantic tides

B. Nostradamus’ prophecies and Pythagoras’ theories.
The earth conveyed ancient knowledge, including that of Nostradamus and Pythagoras, while he was barefoot.

11. What location had the beggars initially disappeared from?

A. Madame Koto’s barfront
B. The housefront
C. The edges of the forest
D. Sami’s shop

B. The housefront.
The beggars mysteriously vanished from their usual spot outside the narrator’s housefront.
12. What was Dad carrying on his head all day when he returned home?

A. Bags of cement
B. Bags of fish
C. Bags of garri
D. Bags of cloth

B. Bags of fish.
Dad returned from work, carrying heavy bags of fish on his head, their scent strongly reminiscent of the sea.

13. What physical feature of Dad was glistening with iridescent scales?

A. His arms
B. His forehead
C. His boots
D. His chest

B. His forehead.
Stinking of fish, Dad’s forehead was glistening with iridescent scales, hinting at his spiritual energy.

14. What was Dad going to teach the póor and illiterate people?

A. Reading, writing, and music
B. Mathematics, accountancy, law, and history
C. Philosophy and art
D. Spirit-child literature

B. Mathematics, accountancy, law, and history.
Dad planned a secret university for beggars, teaching them accountancy, law, and history.

15. What were crowds of people talking about on the main road?

A. The beggars’ disappearance
B. The forthcoming rally and political violence deaths
C. Sami’s shop closure
D. The spirit-child’s strange behaviour

B. The forthcoming rally and political violence deaths.
The crowds were discussing the impending rally and recent political violence deaths in the city.
16. Where were the carpenters constructing a mighty dais?

A. At the arena where the great rally was to be staged
B. Outside Madame Koto’s bar
C. Near the broken vehicle
D. In the market

A. At the arena where the great rally was to be staged.
Carpenters built a mighty dais at the arena, the central location for the upcoming political rally.

17. Where were the beggars astonishingly found upon Dad’s return to the street?

A. Near the forest edge
B. Sitting around the broken vehicle
C. Inside Dad’s house
D. At Sami’s betting shop

B. Sitting around the broken vehicle.
The beggars were found inexplicably seated around the broken vehicle after they had disappeared.

18. What did Mum smell of when she returned from hawking?

A. Fish and mud
B. Profound exhaustion
C. Cheap perfume
D. Yellow dust

B. Profound exhaustion.
Mum’s smell reflected the profound exhaustion from her intense physical labor (hawking) to survive.

19. What physical item did Dad anoint himself with after bathing?

A. Coconut oil
B. Cheap perfume
C. Holy water
D. Palm-wine

A. Coconut oil.
Dad anointed himself with coconut oil after bathing as a ceremonial cleansing before the conflict.
20. What uniform had Dad put on, which had turned brownish with age?

A. His army fatigues
B. His work overalls
C. His French suit
D. His safari suit

D. His safari suit.
Dad wore his old, brownish safari suit, a remnant of his travels and adventurous nature.

21. What did Dad chase the narrator with, leading to Mum’s intervention?

A. A club
B. A thick belt
C. A whip
D. A piece of firewood

B. A thick belt.
Dad’s frustration led him to chase the narrator with a thick belt, but Mum intervened.

22. What form did the demon entering Dad’s spirit take?

A. A beautiful girl with green eyes
B. A luminous tiger
C. A swirling mist
D. A giant insect

A. A beautiful girl with green eyes.
The demon in Dad’s spirit manifested as a beautiful girl with green eyes, symbolizing new ambitions.

23. What did Dad accuse Mum of failing to keep alive?

A. His connection to the spirit world
B. His dream of a university for beggars
C. Her love for him
D. The family’s financial security

B. His dream of a university for beggars.
Dad accused Mum of failing to keep his ambitious dream of a university for beggars alive.
24. How long did Mum say Dad slept like a goat after his great victory?

A. One day
B. Three days
C. Seven days
D. A fortnight

C. Seven days.
After his spiritual victory, Dad slept heavily for seven days, marking his transformation and exhaustion.

25. What truth did Mum question regarding Dad’s plans?

A. If he would build a school for mosquitoes
B. If he was going to steal the money
C. If money falls out of dreams
D. Both A and C

D. Both A and C.
Mum mocked Dad’s impracticality, asking if money fell from dreams or if he’d build a school for mosquitoes.

26. What amount was owed to Dad for winning the battle with the warrior from the Land of Fighting Ghosts?

A. A small amount
B. A sizable fortune
C. Nothing, they lost
D. A single pound

B. A sizable fortune.
Dad’s victory in the spirit battle was supposed to yield a sizable fortune from the betting shop.

27. Who did Dad owe money to?

A. The landlord
B. Madame Koto
C. The betting shop man, Sami
D. The men who sold fish

C. The betting shop man, Sami.
Sami, the betting shop man, owed Dad a large sum, leading to the conflict.
28. What did Mum begin bundling after Dad’s angry tirade?

A. Her cheap jewelry and tin can of money
B. Her moth-eaten wig and faded wrappers
C. Her slippers and undergarments
D. All of the above

D. All of the above.
Mum packed all her cheap possessions (jewelry, wigs, wrappers), signaling her readiness to leave.

29. What was thickening in the air outside the house?

A. Yellow dust
B. Green moths
C. Sulphurous smoke
D. Red spirits

B. Green moths.
The ominous, thickening presence of green moths in the air signaled the strange, magical atmosphere.

30. Where was Helen sitting when Dad encountered her outside?

A. On the steps
B. On the bonnet of the burnt political vehicle
C. Under a tree
D. Near the rubbish heap

B. On the bonnet of the burnt political vehicle.
Helen was seated on the burnt political vehicle, connecting her to the street’s chaos.

31. What did Helen tell Dad was time to do?

A. Come back later
B. Go to Sami’s shop
C. For them to go
D. Start building the school

C. For them to go.
Helen delivered the urgent, spiritual command that it was time “for them to go,” starting the adventure.
32. What celestial body did Dad compare Helen’s face to during his courtship?

A. A yellow moon
B. A distant star
C. The sun
D. Atlantis

A. A yellow moon.
In his enchanted state, Dad compared Helen’s face to a yellow moon, signaling her mysterious allure.

33. What did Dad declare his intention to do, astonishing the narrator?

A. Fight the landlord
B. Marry Helen as his second wife
C. Join the Party of the Pôor
D. Become a wandering preacher

B. Marry Helen as his second wife.
Influenced by his demon, Dad declared his shocking intention to marry Helen as his second wife.

34. What did Dad grab when setting off with Helen towards Sami’s shop?

A. His wallet
B. His stick
C. Helen’s hand
D. A piece of bread

C. Helen’s hand.
Dad asserted his new claim by forcefully grabbing Helen’s hand, drawing him into the street.

35. What did Mum call Helen in her tearful curse?

A. That stinking beggar girl with a goat’s eye
B. Princess of the road
C. A beautiful demon
D. Dad’s betrayal

A. That stinking beggar girl with a goat’s eye.
Mum’s tearful curse revealed her pain and jealousy, insulting Helen with this phrase.
36. Why did the narrator choose to follow Dad instead of Mum?

A. Mum chased him away
B. Dad represented the greater magnetic adventure and curiosity
C. He was curious about Sami’s money
D. He was afraid of Madame Koto’s bar

B. Dad represented the greater magnetic adventure and curiosity.
The narrator was pulled by the “magnetic adventure” and the curiosity that Dad embodied.

37. What was missing from Sami’s betting shop?

A. The customers
B. The signboard
C. The door
D. The beggars

B. The signboard.
The absence of the signboard hinted at Sami’s flight and frustrated Dad’s hopes.

38. What was Dad’s explosive energy and fury associated with at Sami’s closed shop?

A. The loss of his money
B. The landlord’s cruelty
C. The blind intensity of the demon’s gift
D. The return of the fighting ghosts

C. The blind intensity of the demon’s gift.
Dad’s uncontrollable rage stemmed from this spiritual presence overwhelming his consciousness.

39. Who came rushing out to stop the commotion at Sami’s, holding a cocked dane gun?

A. A thief
B. The compound people
C. The landlord
D. A police officer

C. The landlord.
The enraged landlord emerged holding a cocked dane gun to assert his authority.
40. What apparition suddenly emerged from beneath the crush of fighting bodies?

A. Dad, suit in tatters, head crowned with lights
B. The landlord, fully clothed
C. Sami, holding the money
D. Helen, weeping

A. Dad, suit in tatters, head crowned with lights.
Dad emerged as a visionary figure, his suit ruined and head crowned with “mutinous lights.”

41. What happened to the landlord after the great noise exploded?

A. He was arrested
B. He was totally naked, eyes crossed in dementia, gun smoking
C. He fled the scene
D. He was shot by a beggar

B. He was totally naked, eyes crossed in dementia, gun smoking.
The landlord was left defeated, totally naked, and “eyes crossed in dementia.”

42. How was the wounded beggar injured?

A. He was clubbed on the head
B. Dad spat on him
C. He was shot in his bad arm
D. A cart ran him over

C. He was shot in his bad arm.
The beggar was accidentally shot in his bad arm when the landlord’s gun discharged.

43. How did the wounded beggar respond to Dad trying to touch his arm?

A. He thanked him
B. He cried out in pain
C. He spat into Dad’s face
D. He asked for a cigarette

C. He spat into Dad’s face.
The beggar responded to Dad’s sympathy with hostility and rejection by spitting in his face.
44. What natural feature shook the earth after Dad and the narrator pursued the beggars into the forest?

A. A white wind
B. A tree groaning
C. A fantastic noise
D. A rushing river

C. A fantastic noise.
A “fantastic noise” shook the earth, symbolizing the magnitude of the spiritual breakthrough.

45. Where did the narrator find Dad clinging?

A. To the ground
B. To the roots of a tree over an abyss
C. To a large rock
D. To the branches of a tree

B. To the roots of a tree over an abyss.
Dad was found clinging to tree roots over an abyss, symbolizing his struggle on the edge of a void.

46. What metaphorical activity did Dad say the forest was engaged in?

A. Breathing
B. Weeping
C. Dreaming
D. Talking

C. Dreaming.
Dad said the forest was “dreaming,” indicating the profound, non-linear reality of the natural world.

47. What did the loud noise of flowing waters sound like to the narrator?

A. Gunshots
B. Human laughter
C. Animal growls
D. Tumultuous insect noises

B. Human laughter.
The sound of the torrential waters was perceived as “human laughter,” symbolizing the chaotic power of nature.
48. Through which worlds did Dad and the narrator run in the forest?

A. Abode of spirits and marketplace of the unborn
B. Yellow village of invisible crows
C. Alabaster landscapes of the recently dead
D. All of the above

D. All of the above.
Their journey blurred the lines between the living realm, the abode of spirits, and the marketplace of the unborn.

49. What did the golden discs of a cat’s eyes remind Dad of?

A. Sami
B. Green Leopard
C. Helen
D. His father

B. Green Leopard.
Dad associated the cat’s golden eyes with the Green Leopard, his spiritual antagonist.

50. What happened after the silver wings sliced open the heavens?

A. The forest cleared
B. A flood of warm water crashed down
C. Madame Koto appeared
D. The spirit-companions fled

B. A flood of warm water crashed down.
The wings split the heavens, resulting in a flood of warm water signifying a transformative cleansing.

Brief Overview

Songs of Enchantment is a novel by Ben Okri, first published in 1993. It is the second book in the trilogy that follows The Famished Road. The novel continues the story of the spirit-child narrator, Azaro, and his family in their póor, chaotic Nigerian community.

The novel deepens the earlier themes of the conflict between the real world and the world of spirits. Azaro continues his difficult life as an abiku, a child who belongs to the spirit world but is trapped in the human world. He constantly witnesses the invisible struggles that shape human events.

Azaro’s mother and father, Mum and Dad, continue their hard lives. Dad becomes obsessed with a political fight that promises to bring money and fame, but it only brings him suffering. Mum focuses on her work and on holding the family together despite constant poverty and violence.

The political situation in the community grows worse, filled with increasing corruption and violence. The novel features more mystical and often surreal encounters. Azaro is constantly tested by both malicious and benevolent spirits, who try to pull him back into the spirit world.

The novel concludes with a focus on endurance and the power of hope. Mum and Dad’s commitment to each other and to the human world, despite their suffering, provides a small measure of stability. Azaro realizes that the only way to survive is to choose the painful reality of the human world over the easy surrender of the spirit world.

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