Question

Read the following passage from "In the Shadow of War." That afternoon three soldiers came to the village. They scattered the goats and chickens. They went to the palm-frond bar and ordered a calabash of palm wine. They drank amidst the flies. Omovo watched them from the window as he waited for his father to go out. They both listened to the radio. His father had bought the old Grundig cheaply from a family that had to escape the city when the war broke out. He had covered the radio with a white cloth and made it look like a household fetish. They listened to the news of bombings and air raids in the interior of the country. His father combed his hair, parted it carefully, and slapped some after-shave on his unshaven face. Then he struggled into the shabby coat that he had long outgrown. Omovo stared out of the window, irritated with his father. At that hour, for the past seven days, a strange woman with a black veil over her head had been going past the house. She went up the village paths, crossed the Express road, and disappeared into the forest. Omovo waited for her to appear. According to the passage, what is the most likely reason Omovo is irritated with his father?

A) Omovo knows that his father plans to go drinking with the soldiers.
B) Omovo does not like his father to leave the house without him.
C) Omovo believes his father is secretly working with the woman in the black veil.
D) Omovo is upset because the radio does not work well when it is covered with cloth.

Answer 1

Omovo's irritation with his father is likely due to his anticipation of seeing a mysterious woman with a black veil being disrupted by his father's actions.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the passage, the most likely reason Omovo is irritated with his father is that at that hour, for the past seven days, a strange woman with a black veil over her head had been going past the house, which Omovo seemed to be waiting for and observing. However, his father's preparation to go out, which included combing his hair, applying aftershave, and putting on a coat he had outgrown, may have been delaying or distracting Omovo from watching for this woman. The passage does not indicate involvement with the soldiers, dissatisfaction with his father leaving the house, secret work with the woman in the black veil, or annoyance due to the radio's performance. Therefore, the details suggest that Omovo's irritation is likely due to his anticipation of the mysterious woman's appearance being disrupted by his father's preoccupations.

Answer 2

The correct answer is B) Omovo does not like his father to leave the house without him.

Step-by-step explanation:

This is a story written by Ben Okri called The Shadow of War and it is a story about a young boy called Omovo, who is a witness of the Nigerian war and who has to face some morality issues. In this part of the story he is at home looking through his window some soldiers and he knows his father is going to leave without him, so he feels irritated. Although he mentions the woman with the black veil, he does not mentions his father is going to see her and he never mentions his father will drink with the soldiers. In spite the fact the radio is covered, they can listen perfectly the news. So the reason Omovo has to feel irritated is that he does not like his father to leave the house without him