mono?

Todays practical subject at camera club was black and white. I took this to mean we would be shooting in mono but all the props people had bought were either black or white. I did try this in mono but it actually looked better in colour. I'm not really sure what the objects are but think they might be some kind of salad servers.
Next months project is 'red' and I don't think I can go wrong there. Or can I?