46 pages 1 hour read

Ben Okri

In the Shadow of War

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1983

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Answer Key

Reading Check

1. From the radio (Paragraph 2)

2. He sees her walk through the village every day, ignoring the taunts of the other children. (Paragraphs 3, 15)

3. She seems to be delivering food to starving women and children hiding in a cave. (Paragraph 32)

4. She is shot and probably killed by the soldiers. (Paragraph 39)

Short Answer

1. He does not trust them. He lies about his name and refuses to take their bribe for information about the black-veiled woman. (Paragraphs 17-28)

2. She is a stranger in the village and does not interact with anyone as she passes through. The children make up stories about her because they do not understand her. (Paragraph 16)

3. They have been sent to the village to find the black-veiled woman, who is supposedly a spy. Instead of looking for her, they sit in the bar and drink while bribing children for information. (Paragraphs 1-27)

4. Omovo’s father doesn’t let him finish his story and jokes with the soldiers about Omovo being young. He may do this to protect his son (and maybe even others) from the soldiers’ anger or retaliation. (Paragraphs 40-42)

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By Ben Okri