This question requires the candidates to discuss Adah’s first day at Methodist School and how this event contributes to the development of the

Candidates were expected to mention the following points among others:

• The themes of patriarchy, gender and racial discrimination and social standing.
• Character identification: Adah, who is the female protagonist, works as a librarian assistant and is the breadwinner willy-nilly.

• Adah’s dream and attitude towards education
• Adah’s first day experience in the Methodist School: Adah sneaks out of the house in her oversized dress to the Methodist School. Adah locates Mr. Cole’s class and enters amidst the pupils’ unfriendly disposition. Mr Cole shows great understanding and encouragement. He offers Adah a seat near the boy with craw-craw on his head. Adah’s determination makes her not mind the boy’s condition. She feels triumphant, having achieved her aim.
• Contribution to plot development: the incident reveals the reality of Adah’s curiosity, and self-determination to get education as against societal view of her.  It sets the pace in the treatment of girl-child education in the novel. It sets the stage for Adah’s realization of her dreams and goals in life.
• It reveals supporters of girl education in the like of Mr Cole

Candidates’ performance in this question was average.