Two Sisters.

Two sisters, whose names are Connie and mercy lost their parents. Connie who is the eldest and is six
years older than mercy is a teacher while mercy is a typist. Mercy calls Connie, Sissie. Sissie is so protective
of her sister that she wants her to stop following sugar-daddies and marry a young debutant like Joe.
Mercy acquires a taste for the finer things in life and gets them by dating richer men. This is because her
salary as a civil servant cannot afford them. Neither can Joe, a taxi driver who claims love her can.

Mercy is also not ready to work hard for these things. As a mistress, Mercy now enjoys these luxuries
despite the lack of emotional substance. Connie her sister, openly disapproves of this relationship but
cannot help herself when Mensar-Arthur, Mercy’s lover gives her a gift she wanted in a long time. She
accepts this gift but still frowns on her sister’s lifestyle. While Connie confesses I love James and I am not
interested in another man, Mercy pointed out that she can love several men at the same time. Their kind
of moral uprightness hits so different. Connie has two children; Akosua and a new born baby. Mercy had
already received a pair of shoes and handbag from Mensar-Arthur. Mensar-Arthur is a fifty year old man
who will be able to take mercy home every evenings, not like those graduates boyfriends who wouldn’t
even get enough time for himself than to do that for her.

While Mercy and Mensar-Arthur had arranged on seeing a movie, his arrival with a big car with a
super smooth engine, they both agreed on going to the sea way. She feels so excited on being able to
what she fancies, she then thinks of the disadvantages of befriending an Oldman, who is old enough to
be her father. She also thinks that things would have being different if she had a young guy, handsome
and not wealthy as this man but could be able to suite most basic needs and make life simply comfortable.
She then sees herself to be a twenty-three year old child who chooses a silly way to conquer
unconquerable problems. Connie’s husband James, on the contrary thinks it is wonderful idea for her to
be dating an old person who can provide her needs.

Mercy argues every morning that, her friends who do not earn more than her wears new dresses,
new shoes, wigs and what-have-you to work. James believes it is only fair for Mercy to continue this
lifestyle. He continues by saying,” if I were Mercy I am sure that I would have done exactly what she is
doing”. James is delighted about this affair and encourages it because, he could benefit from it.
Unfortunately, a military junta successfully overthrows the ruling government in a coup.

Mensar-Arthur is arrested after the coup, James dreams of getting a new car from him is aborted.
Mercy then moves from her new house which was bought for her by Mensar-Arthur. Connie is delighted
as she believes the new order with undisguised relief. She believes the old order as symbolized bu Mensar-
Arthur was a threat to her sister and therefore her own peace of mind. With it, gone things could return
to normal. Even though Connie benefits from the old order, she hypocritically applauds when it is deposed
but her joy is short-lived when a day, Mercy comes to introduce her new lover to her .This older man is
no other than Captain Ashey, the chairman of a Commission of enquiry in the new government.
 THE LATE BUD.
Maami is cooking some cocoyam porridge. Adwoa is helping her by running errands, Yaaba is
outplaying with her friends. When she smells the aroma of her mother’s food, She jumps up and dealers
to her friends, I am going home she said before her friends can ask her why, she is already flying
home. This story deals with a mothers attitude to their children based on their perception that
some children are good because they are introverts and are always home running errands while
the others are branded bad and unsupportive because they are outgoing and playful.
While Yaaba’s siblings are served their portion of food, Yaaba is refused a plate because
she does not stay at home to run errands like her sister, Adwoa. Often she will ambush one of
her siblings and forcefully take a share of his or her meal. Deep down, Yaaba only wants to be
identified, understood and accepted as a child who loves to play.
Yaaba feels this loneliness gnawing deeper when her mother Maami refers to her sister
as my child Adwoa but only refers to her as Yaaba. This worries her very much that she considers
asking the adults in the house, if Maami is indeed her real mother. Yaaba, who showed what a
child should really do, is treated unfairly for staying long on the playground. Mothers of her
friends such as panyin and Kakra’s mother, still loves and cares for her children.
On the Eve of Christmas, yaaba has no new dress to wear to church. Her sister, Adwoa
has already got one from her mother. Panyin and Kakra have got theirs, though they spend their
playtime with Yaaba under the big trunk. Maami on the other hand believes that,” a good child
who willingly goes on errands eats the food of peace”. And so because Yabba does not perform
these responsibilities, she does not deserve affection. She also feels that, Yaaba is growing up
and needs to start learning how to do home chores and behave like a responsible young woman.
When Yaaba hears her mother complaining about her inability to get red earth to paint
her floors because her daughter Adwoa is not around, Yaaba is indifferent about it. She considers
cancelling her plans to fetch her mother red earth when her mother beats her up severally for
not bathing before going to bed. Preparation for the expedition does not go well for Yaaba. That
evening, Maami Benyiwa laments,” eeei my Father God, who inflicted on me such a child”. Yaaba
later agrees to sacrifice wearing her Christmas dresses and jewelries in order to go to the red
earth pit to fetch some for her mother.
Still bent on going fir the red earth with her friends, she tries to locate a hoe and an am
apampa. Unfortunately, she stumbles over a large water-bowl, falls down hitting her chest
against the edge of the tray and gets unconscious. When her mother hears the noise, she thinks
thieves have come to her room, she raises an alarm but goes to find out that it is Yaaba lying
unconscious with a hoe in her hands. Maami Benyiwa suspicions that Yaaba is a witch which
seems confirmed. She wonders what Yaaba can be doing in the dark at past midnight. It has to
take Egya Yaw, the village medicine man treating Yaaba with herbs to restore her back to
normalcy.
Her sacrifice is not even recognized until Panyin and Kakra come to fetch her as scheduled that
Maami and her Aunties found out. They are all surprised at Yaaba’s sudden change. Yaaba is
finally understood and accepted as she has always wanted

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT ON THE WAY TO THE

FUNERAL.

Auntie Araba was a beautiful young woman. At puberty, she sent to stay with a lady relative
and learns to bake epitsi, tatare, boodo, and other sweeties which satisfy the tongue but do not
fill the stomach. Two gossips, a resident woman at Ofuntumase and Adwoa who lives in Tarkwa
with her husband have just met on their way to Auntie Araba’s funeral. Auntie Araba’s death has
attracted a lot of sympathy and everybody excerpt those constrained by government work,
desires to mourn her because of her good nature. Adwoa predicts to get a good funeral because
her death is a celebration of womanhood.
When she was sent to the big town where she learnt how to bake bread and other pastries,
it was obviously her beauty that made the big man, her only son, Ato’s father impregnate her.
Since a good name does not rot, she was able to survive the harm that the, lawyer or doctor-or-
something-like-that did to her life by marrying the good man Egya Nyaako. Auntie Araba’s baking
skills were unparalleled, so she is now accredited with the bread song which has now become a
Bosoe song. It is said that, the moment the aroma bust out of the oven, children began tugging
at their parents clothe for pennies and threepences.
Auntie Araba and her husband, Egya Nyaako led good lives. Auntie Araba was considered a
good Christian, a Methodist who went to church twice every Sunday. Eyga Nyaako was
considered a good man who would not cheat those who worked for him, unlike his successor. To
worsen Auntie Araba’s plight, Ato impregnated Mansa. Her father was a proud man, who wanted
to educate his daughter in a white man’s land. Because of the insinuations cast on Auntie Araba
and even Mansa’s mother by her father, Auntie Araba had to for Mansa to stay with her.
The gossips praise Auntie Araba’s effort. The relationship between her and Mansa is
compared to that of friends, mother and daughter and sisters. After school, Ato became a
teacher, he was posted to another town about two weeks before Christmas, he wrote a later to
his mother to inform her that he would come home. Mansa as well as Auntie Araba was happy
because, Ato was going to marry her. Mansa had to move to her parents’ house but Ato kept
them in suspense, he did not come home.
When he later came home, he told her that he would not marry her because he has
impregnated another lady whose parents were big. Mansa was compelled to leave Ofuntumase
to make a living somewhere, leaving her son with her mother. Now that Auntie Araba is dead,
the gossips believe,” Auntie Araba is going to heaven”.

ANANSE IN THE LAND OF IDIOTS.

Just as they planned, Pootagyiri the prince arrives at Ananse’s craft shop to be measured for the
wedding clothes. Akpala greets him with his appellations but Pootagyiri rudely tells him to cut the
ceremony and tell him where Ananse is. Akpala nervously tries to make conversation by informing the
prince of how beautifully the princess danced when she visited Anansi’s shop. Pootagyiri is very
offended and accuses Akpala and all the royal guards of lusting after the princess. He promises to punish
Akpala after his wedding when he becomes a chief in his own rights.

Ananse joins Pootagyiri to condemn Akpala’s supposed crime against the prince and tells him to go
and hide his face in the bush as a sign of respect for the prince. This Akpala the perfect opportunity to
be in the position to kill the prince. As planned, Ananse instructs the prince to remove his amulets,
necklace, bows and arrows and stretch his arms for measurements. Upon Ananse’s signal, Akpala shoots
an arrow straight into the prince’s heart, killing him instantly.

Akpala dresses Pootagyiri in Ananse’s clothes and calls Odudu to help him burry the prince as
Ananse. He informs Odudu that, Ananse fell from the rafter and broke his neck. Ananse goes to wait for
Akpala at an agreed place, somewhere in the forest to be trained so he can replace the prince at the
wedding without any questions.

At the secret meeting place, Akapala guides Ananse to rehearse all he had taught him in order to
fit as prince. Ananse is totally transformed. Akapala is busy directing Ananse to appear like Pootagyiri.
Pootagyiri was gap toothed, had a facial mark and a lame leg which Ananse should be able to observe.
After sometime, he’s able to project himself as Pootagyiri and sodziisa’s clans and announces the
couple’s area of jurisdiction.

At the wedding, King Dosey gives his daughter in marriage to Ananse impersonating Pootagyiri, the
prince. As custom demands, Ananse is made a chieftain over Boyile Island with all the property that
comes with it. After thanking the King, Pootagyiri [Ananse], request that their first born be named after
Ananse for his generosity. The king refuses to grant his request and reveals that Ananse was born to die
after his task, contrary to their agreement, because the priestess insists that, so long as he lived, the
circumstances of his abominable acts remains with them.

Ananse as Pootagyiri, showers his own praises and appreciation to the king. He reveals that
Ananse’s death was timely. He promises to uphold the trust reposed in him by Kind Dosey. He adds that
Ananse requested for his death not to impact on the marriage festivities. As Ananse speaks, Sodiiza
enters. She observes that Ananse as Pootagyiri voice resembles that of Ananse, the death craft man. In
response, Ananse admits saying, “he is possessed by the late Ananse evil powers, making him speak like
that”. He tells his new wife that, Ananse has given him his veil gourds which contains a medicine to cure
him off Ananse words that he is possessed with. Ananse asks Sodiiza to fetch the gifts for him to destroy
them.

Akpala arrives to ask for his share of the deal, because he is to receive his reward, immediately after
the marriage. Ananse wonders how impatient Akpala is. He tells him to wait for the honey he has
promised him. Ananse wittingly seals Akpala with the gum contained in one gourd by pouring it into his
mouth. He claims in an incantation that the substance is the secret of honey. Akpala naively accepts
Ananse sealing of his mouth. As Ananse having invested supposed secret of honey in Akpala.

Everything is set for Akpala and his wife to depart, he shares parting exchanges with king Dosey.
Ananse insists on leaving when the king wants him to wait for the tappers to bring the wine in the
evening for prayers to the gods for safe journey. Akpala may have drank from Ananse gourds. The
people then realized the day is Friday. Ananse as Pootagyiri wants the people to stay away from Akpala
to avoid the same afflictions. Akpala is then executed. Odudu tells the king that Ananse is still alive as he
comes in. this happened after Ananse had left with his wife. He narrates how Akpala shot Pootagyiri,
Ananse wearing the items of Pootagyiri. King Dosey orders, Imacila to lead the royal archers and the
warriors to follow Odudu, to where Pootagyiri had been buried.
They then finds out that what Odudu said was actually the truth. Ananse had lied to them. King
Dosey does not understand the priestess and when he prompts , she repeats the same words after the
shocked news . It confirms that he was shot with an arrow. The king, the queen and the old one then
realize that they have been idiotic enough to have let Ananse swindle them, King Dosey declares war
against Ananse as his empire is under siege.

ESSAY.
QUESTION 4.
Achimota School,
Post Office Box AH 11,
Achimota, Accra.
12 th March, 2021.
The Headmistress,
Achimota School,
Post Office Box AH 11,
Dear Madam,
REASONS WHY DISCIPLINE HAS BROKEN DOWN IN THE SCHOOL
AND WAYS TO SOLVE THEM.
I wish to write formally to make you aware of why discipline has broken down among students
in the School and ways to solve them. Discipline is the practice of making people obey rules or standards
of behavior, and punishing them when they do not.
Achimota School as most people know is one of the best senior high schools in Ghana. Most people in
other schools look up to us, hence indiscipline among students will bring about a bad name upon the
students, the teachers and the School at large.
First of all, the absence of a disciplinary committee in the School has caused indiscipline. Due
to some reasons, the School suspended the disciplinary committee for some time just in favor of
students in the school. But it seems that students have taken advantage of the situation and is living life
pleasing to them alone at the expense of the School. They do all sort of non-schools such as; cutting of
preps, cutting lesson periods, wearing of unprescribed attires on campus and so on. With this discipline
which has to be held in the school is not seen.
I would like to plead with the School administration to bring back the disciplinary committee.
When students are aware of the punishments they are going to face when a rule is broken,
They would comport themselves living lives pleasing themselves and the school at large. Students
should be severely punished with hard labor when a rule is broken. This is to instill discipline in them.
Another factor is the less hours spent in class. The School administration has reduced the
number of hours spent in class by students, because of this student’s gets excess time to engage in
whatever they would want to do. Some ends up leaving the school premises to town to drink, smoke or
even buy items which are not supposed to be used in schools. Due to this, students becomes so deviant
leading indiscipline among themselves.

With this, I would like to plead with the school administration just to add few hours to the time
spent in class so that students gets few time to engage in these deviant acts and also making teachers a
watch dog over students. That is, checking roll often in order to know their absence in the school. This
would help students to be much disciplined.

Furthermore, the period of visiting for students is a cause of indiscipline. Students have
visitations once a month, because of this most students finds it very difficult to subdue to this. Hence,
they end up sneaking out of their boarding houses to their homes just to take items into the school to
make life comfortable for them. This act is against the school hence should not be practiced by students.

To put a stop to this, I want to plead with the school administration to move visiting from once
a month to at least every two-weeks. This would prevent students from leaving the school premises
because they would have the idea that they would be visited.

With all these said, I hope the school administration sees the effects and risks students will
bring upon the school if discipline is not instilled in them. Good discipline among students will promote
the good name of the school and the country at large.

Thank You.

Yours faithfully,

E.A.F,

Edna Fusman.
QUESTION 3.

Achimota School,

Post Office Box AH 11,

Achimota, Accra.

12 th March, 2021.

Dear Esi,

I am glad writing you this letter. I hope all is well? All is ok here too. I just wanted to tell you
how my school is managing the covid-19 situation and the safety measures taken by the management to
prevent the spread of the disease.

Covid-19 we all know has caused a lot of effects to individuals, the school and the nation at
large. The greater effects of these placed a ban on some stuffs, which included schools hence our
coming back to school caused the school administration to put up some safety precautions just to help
manage the situation.

To begin with, the school suspended all social gatherings which included church service,
entertainment, morning devotions and all club meetings in the school. This was to encourage the social
distance policy brought up by the government. They also spaced out students in class. The usual way of
siting in class was changed to have 25 students in each class. Also, the number of people to sit on each
dining hall was lessened from sixteen to ten. All these were done to promote safety among students in
school.

Furthermore, all eatery centers were closed. That is, our snack square and corporation shop
were closed since it was noticed that students were mostly packed on buying food and snacks hence
they decided to close it down to prevent the spread of the disease in case anyone had it. In all our
dormitories, students were spaced out. Usual numbers which were to be taken in every dormitory were
reduced likewise the position of which we slept in. We did not have to sleep facing each other rather,
from different directions. With bathing also, we had different times for every dorms to bath.

Again, house mistresses made sure students did not move from one dormitory to another this
also happened among teachers who ensured that students do not roam about and be at where they had
to be always. The number of hours spent in class was also reduced just to make them healthy and strong
always.

To control the situation, the school provided veronica buckets at all vantage points to help
students wash their hands frequently with soap and the water provided and thereafter wipes their
hands with tissues. The wearing of the nose masks were enforced in the school. Teachers, house
mistresses, prefects in fact everyone was a watch dog on the other. Students who failed to wear the
nose masks were severely punished. They even went far taking some to the disciplinary committee,
inviting their parents to sign a bond with their wards on them not removing their nose masks in school.
Pictures of students were sometimes together with their details to be punished after they had been
seen with their nose mask off.
 Also, temperatures of students were taken in the mornings, afternoons and evenings each day
just to know each student has a normal temperature and is safe and sound. Isolation centers were also
created for students who showed symptoms of the disease to prevent most students from acquiring it.

My school has really forced in managing the situation. I would like to say I am very pleased and
perplexed with all these efforts the school has placed in managing the situation. With all these act, I am
hoping forward we fight through this pandemic hopefully. I would like to draw the curtains here extend
my greetings to Auntie Emelia.

Your friend,

Edna.

OUESTION 2.

Two young men lived as friends, as days passed by they became so close and acted like
brothers. They made it through their primary level of education and moved to the secondary level
through hard labor since they both were not financially sounded. Agyei and Fiifi as they were both called
sold coconut each day after school just to hustle to gain ends meet.

Life became so difficult but gradually they moved through and hopefully they completed.
Because hard work pays, they came out with flying colors of which they had passed with good grades
good enough to offer any course of their choice in the tertiary level of education. Money became a
problem so they planned on setting up a business for themselves just to gather money and continue
their education. As they moved on life became more difficult than how they were already expecting.
Whatever they tried putting up failed and ending up losing all their capital left with nothing.

Fiifi became so fed up and was complaining about how bad life was treating them. At a
point in time, what they had to eat was even a problem. Because of this Agyei’s wife left him and
eventually his only daughter whom he dearly loved passed away just because he could not afford the
hospital bills for the proper treatment of his daughter who had cancer of the lungs. He ended up stealing
drugs one time which caused him to be severely beaten up.

Fiifi one time as he walked in town met a longtime friend back in senior high school who
had made it so big in life. He was so shocked because he knew the financial state of that guy back in
school. As he hopped in his friend Ato’s car, Ato told him his source of wealth upon several questions
from Fiifi and forcefully told him how he had all his wealth. It was then he revealed to him that it was
through blood money of which he had to sacrifice his mother for it. Fiifi was astonished by the news
thereafter left.

As weeks passed by, he told his friend about was Ato had told him. Agyei then told him
that it was not the best option that God’s time was the best. He then got to know that his friend was not
interested hence passed his back upon making up his mind to go and then lied to his family and friend
that he was traveling and that would be back soon. He went with Ato for the blood money which ended
the life of his mother. Months had passed by without anyone hearing from him. Seven months later, Fiifi
was seen with a latest sports car which he had moved to where Agyei worked as a car cleaner to get his
car cleaned. He pretended not to have known Agyei from anyone and even paid him less for his service.
His act baffled Agyei and felt sorry for himself.

A condition that he should not give money to the poor was broken hence it caused him to go
mad. He was insane and lost whatever he had. Agyei on the other hand made it in life when a friend he
once helped in school saw him in his condition and sent him abroad. He became wealthy and set up
businesses. When he decided to come back to Ghana, he went to work and on his way to his surprised it
was old time who they did everything together now insane.

Without any words coming out, tears dropped from his eyes got down from his car still in total
amazement and sorrow. With this, the man stood there for a long time holding his jaw with his left
hand.

Thank you.

QUESTION 1

The Chair, Organizers, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen. I am appreciative of the

opportunity given to me to deliver a speech on the topic, `how first year students can manage their
time`. Being on time in whatever one does is a necessity for humans because, there is a wise that time
and tides waits for now man. Time management is the process of planning and controlling how much
time to spend on specific activities. Good management enables an individual to complete more in
shorter period of time and lowers stress.

There are practices and activities that helps and individual improve upon their time
management skills. One way an individual or student can manage their time is to task early. This is the
earliest point in the schedule at which a task can begin. Early finish time is the earliest point in the
schedule at which a task can finish. Latest start time is the latest point in the schedule at which a task
can start without causing delay.

The chair, another way the form one students can manage their time is by setting limits
for what you will say yes to. Limits should also be set in regards to unnecessary conversations. Many
students would be content chatting with their friends all day long. Limits provide boundaries and
structures for students. Students however may give themselves a break. Taking breaks has been shown
to be important in recovering from stress, which can in turn, improve their performance. Recovering
from work stress can restore energy and mental resources and decrease the development of fatigue,
sleep, disorders and cardiovascular diseases.
 Also, students have to prioritize their task which is very important when it comes to time
management. To prioritize is to organize or complete things in order of their importance. When you do
the most important tasks first and then continue on tasks of less importance.

Lastly, form one students can manage their time when they schedule their tasks and
deadlines. This could be done through the following ways.

a. Identify available times. Start by establishing the time you want to make available time for work
b. Schedule essential actions. Next, block in the actions you absolutely must take to do a good
work.
c. Schedule high-priority activities
d. Schedule contingency time.

The chair, Organizers, Students, Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is very
essential to know time management in order to be successful.
Edna Fusman.