1.

LAWRENCE DARMANI: Scribbler’s Dream

“When upon the shelf you gaze

vacuum stares at you.

a. Vacuum used in the above extract means?

b. What literary device is used in the above underlined statement?

c. The poem begins and ends with a word. Which word is it?

d. Quill is to …………………………….. as parchment is to ……………………………………

e. Write an appropriate theme for poem.

f. According to the poem, where was the gold adorning the neck?

Identify the literary device used in the following statements below.

g. “But by mating quill and parchment.

h. “Between dreams and fruition yawning gaps close”

i. “but heavy are your hands”

j. “the gold adorning the neck”

1. MERRILL CORNEY: Debbie, Sandy and Pepe

Read the following extract carefully and answer questions (a) to (e)
“Don’t you even care?” she shouted. He was just a little baby. He was going to be our own
special pet and now he’s dead. I bet it was that chocolate you tried to feed him with that killed
him! and she burst into tears.”

a. To whom was the speech made to?

b. Who made the above speech?

c. literary device is used in the above underlined statement?

d. What is referred to as a ‘Poor little thing’ in the story?

e. What is the dominant setting of the story?
2. AMA ATA AIDOO: Dilemma of a Ghost.
Read the following extract carefully and answer questions (a) to (e)

“Yes, my young woman, I shall remember you.

I shall remember you in the hours of night.

In my sleep, in my sleepless sleep.”

a. “… young woman” refers to …………

b. ‘The sleepless sleep’ of the speaker is caused by ………….

c. Who is the speaker?

d. What literary device is used in the underline statement?

e. Who made the statement “Those scruffy urchins and the racket of noise they were making”
and what literary device is used?

3. KAAKYIRE AKOSOMO NYANTAKYI: Tell My Son to Hold On to His Gun

“Be courageous, be courageous, ………., be courageous!”

a. Who made the above speech?

b. Who is the addressee?

c. What is the setting?

d. The above statement is an example of a literary technique termed as …………….

4. PETER PAUL ADOLINAMA: Ripples

“his bark was worse than his bite”.

a. Who is the above statement referred to in the story?

b. Which literary device is used?

c. The underlined words evoke which senses?

d. What is the dominate theme of the story?

5. Merrill Corney: Debbie, Sandy and Pepe

“I can’t do it! You do it, …” … said, shuddering. “Perhaps, we could use Mum’s blender!”

a. Who made the above speech?

b. To whom was the speech made?

c. What was the setting?
 d. What was the blender intended for in the above statement?

“Yuk! That’s revolting!”

e. Who made the above speech?

f. Which literary device is used?

Identify the literary technique used in the following statements below.

g. “So many birds! Millions of them”

h. “I could tie notes to his legs and send messages to my friends, like they used to do with
pigeons”

i. “Mrs. Atkins’ hand fell heavily on her shoulder”

j. “But she knew that when he grew up, he would be very handsome”

6. ROBERT FROST: A Minor Bird

a. What type is the poem?

b. What is the rhythmic pattern of the poem?

c. What makes the poem rhyming poem?

d. What is the dominant theme of the poem?

e. What was the wish of the persona in the poem?

f. What other word can be used to replace “key” in the poem.

g. The statement “The fault must partly have been in me” suggest?

h. “when it seemed as if I could bear no more” what is the mood of the persona?

Identify the following poetic devices used in the poem.

i. “away – day, door – more, me – key, wrong – song” hence state the scheme.
j. “Have wished, have clapped, have been”

k. “Have …, have …, have …”

l. “Have clapped my hands at him from the door”

7. MERRILL CORNEY: Debbie, Sandy and Pepe

“Well, we’ll just have to look after him ourselves then, she said. We’ll make a soft nest for him
and feed him and when he grows up, he will stay in our garden”
a. Who is the speaker?

b. Who is the addressee?

 c. Which literary device is used in the underlined statement?
d. What was the setting for the above speech?

e. Write two wishful thought Debbie had about the bird.

Identify the devices used in the following statement.

f. “Mrs. Atkins’ hand fell heavily on her shoulder”

g. “It felt like a great weight on her heart”

h. “I’ve been waiting for ages”

i. “It beak opened wide and it let out a squeaking …”

j. “No mother bird’s cry of alarm broke the afternoon stillness”

8. ERNEST HEMINGWAY: A Day’s Wait

“You can’t come in,” …. “You mustn’t get what I have”

a. Who is the speaker?

b. Who is/are the addressee(s)?

c. What is referred to as the young Irish setter?

d. What was the boy’s temperature when it was checked the first time?

e. At what time did the boy receive the second dose of the prescribed medicine?
f. What was the boy’s temperature when it was checked the second time?

g. “He walked slowly as though it ached to move” which literary device is used?

h. Which literary device can be found in this extract? “window while we were”
“You poor …, I said. “Poor old …, It’s like miles and kilometers. You aren’t going to die. That’s a
different thermometer. On that thermometer, thirty-seven is normal. On this kind, it’s ninety-
eight”

i. Who made the above speech?

j. To whom was the speech made to?

k. What literary device is used in the underlined statement?

l. What were the instructions for giving the medicine to the boy?

m. Why did the doctor say there was nothing to worry about?

9. THERESA ENNIN: MAKOLA

“Head bent, rags all around the upside down pan

Picking her nose, shuffling her feet, oblivious to the bustle

and the calls of the drivers’ mates”.

 a. Who is being referred to in the first lines of the above extract?

b. Who are they the calls of the drivers’ mates directed to?

c. Which literary device is used in the above underlined statement?

d. Who said, “Move out of the way, move out, I say”?

“Put him to the breast, one woman counsels.

I can’t, she says, ………...”

e. Who can’t?

f. Why can’t she?

g. The “fade ATL cloth and the battered teddy” represent what?

Identify the literary device used in the following statement below.

h. “They snake down and glide effortlessly into his dirty T-shirt”
i. “fade ATL cloth and the battered teddy”

j. “Why must it all be on his terms, at his convenience?”

10. PETER PAUL ADOLINAMA: Ripples

“You have not been yourself these few days. Don’t tell me I am imagining things. This is because I
know you very well and can tell when …. is troubled,”

a. Who made the above speech?

b. To whom was the speech made?

c. What was the setting of the above extract?

d. On what three things did SayibuMba’s fame rest?

e. List three privileges Amina enjoyed as a new bride.

f. List the names of Amina’s parents and siblings.

g. Identify the following literary techniques used in the following statement below.
h. “… while the bride remained unhappy, she was the envy of all the young women in town.”

i. “She dashed out and Jamila and her group ran after her.”

j. “Amina had aged and looked much older than her sixteen years.”
k. “I can’t live on the bank of a river and wash my hands with spittle.”
11. KAAKYIRE AKOSOMBO NYANTAKYI: Tell my so to Hold on to His Gun

“He started coughing and sneezing. Then blood began oozing down his mouth and nose. I gave
him a slow-sidelong look and anger began to spread over me like fever”
a. What was the setting of the above speech?

b. Which literary device is used in the first underlined statement?

c. “oozing” used in the second sentence is an example of which literary device?

d. Which literary technique is used in the second underlined statement?

e. The above speech is in reference to what?

12. JEAN WATSON: The Old Man and His Children

“Now go, sons of my son, for I am very tired.”

a. Who made the above speech?

b. The speaker address whom?

c. What was the setting of the above extract?

d. Where had the twins father gone to at the time they were fighting?

Identify the literary technique used in the following statement below.

e. “A good scolding”

f. “bundle of sticks and separate sticks”

g. “On its fig-like fruit, mouse-birds and parrots were quietly feeding. The old man sat very still
with his eyes closed.”

13. KAAKYIRE AKOSOMO NYANTAKYI: The Generous Hunter

a. Who gave detailed explanation of why the hunter was to be hanged?

b. Who assured the chief to allow the hunter to go the forest alone and fetch the leaf?
c. “… the herb is ready. But it has to be mixed with the blood of a slanderer. Who is the
speaker?

d. Whose blood was used as requested by speaker?

“A loud silence suddenly enveloped the entire gathering”

e. Which literary technique is used in the above underlined statement?

“I have heard so much about you. They say you are kind, and hardworking, and I like people
like that”
f. Who is the speaker

g. Who is the speaker addressing?

h. What did the hunter uncover when the rat asked him to dig?
 i. What is the setting of the story?

j. Who did the chief send to call the hunter to the palace?

14. LAWRENCE DARMANI: Sosu and the Bukari Boys

a. “But right at dawn ……… had left” who left?

b. “Not even a thank you?” who called out?

c. “when the bell rang for lunch break, he remembered the small amount of money he had in
his pocket and resumed his worries” which literary is used?
d. What do the Bukari boys have in common?

“Then at one corner of the assembly grounds, he saw someone else and knew there was
trouble”

e. Who was this “someone else” in the above extract?

f. Who saw this “someone else” in the above extract?

“What’s the matter?” But … whispered to …. “Keep quiet”

g. Who remarked the underlined statement?

h. “…. had already received … stipend and was walking towards the gate” identify the character.

15. EVELYN TOOLEY HUNT: Mama is a Sunrise

Identify the following poetic devices used in the poem.

a. “and turns out all our darkness”

b. “She warms us like grits and gravy”

c. “And we rise up shining”

d. “… that promises tomorrow and tomorrow”

e. “Mama is a sunrise”

16. AMA ATA AIDOO: The Girl Who Can

“When I came out of the land of sweet, soft silence into the world of noise and comprehension”

a. “The land of sweet, soft silence” is ……………………

b. “The world of noise and comprehension” is …………………

 c. Which literary device is used in the underlined statement?
d. Which cup did the narrator win?

e. What is required of a woman before she can be fertile, according to the story?

“They say that I was born in ……, and it is a very big village”

f. Who is the speaker?

g. Who is the speaker referring to as ‘they’?

Identify the literary device used in the following extract.

h. “They also say that when all of Africa is not chocking under a drought”

i. “But she walks way behind us school children as though she was on her way to someplace
else”
j. “she would at once stop whatever she is doing and mouth open, stare at me for a very along
time”

17. KEN SARO – WIWA: Home Sweet Home

“I wonder what you’d do if you could walk upright like the rest of us”

a. Who is the speaker in the above statement?

b. Who is the speaker referring to?

c. Which literary device is used in the above statement?

d. What is the name of the narrator’s friend and how many children did the narrator’s friend
have according to the story?

“Its driver was the son of the soil,”

e. Soil in the above statement is in reference to what?

f. Which literary device is used in the above statement?

“There is nothing like having a beautiful, educated daughter. That’s the way I always hug
mine when she returns from a long journey.”

g. Who is the speaker?

h. Who came into the narrator’s house almost ghost-like?

i. “Progres” to move like a lady” identify the literary device used.

j. “Progres” had screeched to a stop” what literary technique is used.

18. JEAN WATSON: The Old Man And His Children

“Soon blows and insults were flying to and fro between the two boys”
a.

b. Who are the two boys?

c. Who came to separate them?

d. Who called the boys after this incident?

e. Where was the old man sitting when the two boys started fighting?

f. Where had the twins father gone to at the time they were fighting?
g.

h. Identify the literary device used in the following statement.

i. “M……. rushed over to him and kicked the hoop with all his might”.
j. “A good scolding”

k. “N……. shouted and lashed out angrily”

l. “K……. sat on his three – legged stool in the shade of the spreading ……………… tree”

m. It is the same with people as with sticks”

n.


Comprehension 1

Read the passage carefully and answer all questions.

Diamond is a clear, precious stone; in fact, the hardest substance so far known. From Akwatia, Oda to
Kedaall in the Eastern Region, then through Bonsa field where the Bonsa and Ankonbra rivers meet, for
precious diamond, good diamonds, you may direct your feet.Its importance in the making of jewelry is
certainly great. As it is the hardest substance so far known, it is used for cutting delicate substance like
glass. The glass cutter for example, has diamond at its tip for cutting louvre blades and mirror without
breaking them.

The type of diamond mined in Ghana is the best you can have, used in jewelry industries around the
world. Ghana’s economy is partly helped by diamond mining for it is exported abroad as a source of
foreign exchange to support our developmental programs. Not only does diamond mining offer
employment to thousands of Ghanaians, but also communities and government receive royalties and
taxes respectively. The process of mining diamond in Ghana is just like that used in mining gold. That is
the opencast system of mining, and it involves big companies mostly not indigenous ones because of the
huge capital it comes with to sustain constant operations.
Mining diamond and other precious minerals comes with a lots of benefits but now it seems mining in
Ghana is becoming a necessary evil: It destroys valuable farmlands, affecting the produce of farm
products. What is even more serious is that most of the chemical used in mining these minerals are
harmful and poisonous to human beings and animals. Our water bodies are in great danger because of
reckless mining activities going on nowadays with impunity all in chase of wealth.

a. Give three adjectives that describe diamond as presented in the passage.

b. Mention places where mining of diamond is common according to the passage.

c. It is the hardest substance so far known.

(i) What is the usefulness of this quality of diamond?

(ii) Why is it the best substance for the tip of glass cutting tools?

d. What three things does mining of diamond contribute to Ghana’s economy as presented in
the passage?
e. Why is it that most indigenous are unable to partake in mining of diamond in Ghana?

f. Mention two things making mining in Ghana a necessary evil.

g. Why do people engage in reckless mining with impunity?

h. Explain the following expressions in your own words.

(i) direct your feet

(ii) sustain constant operations

(iii) necessary evil

(iv) in chase of wealth

i. For each of the following words, give another word or phrase that means the same and can
fit best into the passage. (i) precious (ii) impunity (iii) delicate (iv) exported (v) support(vi)
indigenous(vii) capital(viii) danger(ix) reckless(x) impunity

j. Identify the grammatical names (parts of speech) for each of the words in (i) as used in the
passage.

Comprehension 2
Read the passage carefully and answer all questions.

It was a British politician, Lord Acton, who once said that “power corrupts and absolute
power corrupt absolutely”. Indeed, because power corrupts, most nations have constitutions
which make it impossible for one person to govern a country until he dies. Their
constitutions limit the number of years a leader can serve his country. In Ghana, for example,
a leader can serve a maximum of two terms of four years each, after which he cannot serve
his country at the highest level.

However, so sweet are the users of political power that there are leaders who tamper with
their countries’ constitutions, so that they can stay in power as long as they wish. While they
are in power, they fear that they may lose the authority and prestige they enjoy when they
go out of office. There will no longer be the crowd that troop to the airport to welcome
them after their travels abroad; there will no longer be the police escort and they will no
longer be seen on television screens, nor be read about in the newspapers. Some leaders
cannot accept that they will become ordinary people again. But that is where the danger is.

Power, when it is used in the interest of others, can be one of the best gifts anyone can give
to others. Not all of us can be leaders, especially at the level of the president of a country
like Ghana. But a leader who respect himself and others, and who feels for the poor, works
tirelessly and ardently to improve the living conditions of his countrymen and women will be
happy. The people will speak well of him. And the voice of the people is the voice of God.
a. Who is Lord Acton?

b. Why do nations like Ghana have constitutions?

c. How many maximum years can one govern a country like Ghana according to the
constitution?

d. Give two reasons why some leaders fear to leave office?

e. What according to the passage can be the best gift one can give to others?

f. Who is a happy leader according to passage?

g. Explain the following expressions in your own words as used in the passage:
(i) tamper with (ii) stay in power (iii) out of office (iv) improve the living condition

h. For each of the following words, find another word or phrase which means the same
and can fit into the passage. (i) absolute (ii) constitutions (iii) govern (iv) limit (v) troop
(vi) ardently

i. Identify the grammatical names (parts of speech) for the words in (h) as used in the
passage.