Write an article for publication in a national newspaper on the topic:

The manace of knowing on the street and how to deal with it.

As senior prefect of your school, write the speech you would deliver to first-year students on how to manage their time

Your sick grandmother has been admitted to hospital. Write a letter to your brother describing the state of her health when you visited her.

Write a story to illustrate the saying: The lazy man goes to bed hungry.

The society for the improvement of living conditions is organising a debate on the motion: The rapid development of a country depends solely on politicians.

Write your argument for or against the motion.

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

The World Day against Child Labour was observed on June 12 in several parts of Ghana. A national durbar was held at the Agbogbloshie market in Accra, a venue that was strategically selected for its prevalence in female porters.

It was quite an effort for the organisers to convince the girls and women to sit and listen to the message. The reasons for this included the fact that, sitting would waste precious time during which they could be out making some money. Those who sat did so only because they were tired and wanted rest for a few minutes. They were rewarded with delicious cups of chilled fruit juice and snacks.

They were also treated to good traditional music, dance and drama. These girls and women had travelled to Accra to make a living. They said they could not return home 'empty-handed'. They needed to buy saucepans and pieces of cloth to prepare for marriage when they returned home.

One girl narrated how a woman had brought her to Accra, with the blessing of her parents, to attend school and serve as a housekeeper. She had been promised a sewing machine, a school uniform and a lot of money. Unfortunately, that woman disappeared on arrival. Stranded, she found a few female porters at the lorry park who spoke her dialect. They took her in and introduced her to their porterage business.

It is sad that so many youngsters have had their dreams shattered. Parents, rather than support their children at home, allow them to travel to distant places to work for strangers. Children's aspirations have been altered; their main aim now is to make money and get married. Many parents consider themselves too poor to cater for their children, yet they continue to produce more, expecting the government to support their children.

While some youth desire to continue their education or to learn a trade, there are very few avenues open to them. Several Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have joined hands with the government to assist such youth. Centres have been provided particularly for girls to learn a trade. Some girls who got sewing machines and working tools have sold these off and resumed their porterage business. There is the need to adopt specific measures to solve this lingering problem.

In the Kumasi Central market, for example, an innovation was introduced a few years ago. After many porters had been interviewed, those who were younger than fifteen were immediately registered and enrolled in school. Then customers were also educated to allow only porters older than fifteen years to operate. It was a Herculean task . Unfortunately, this effort was discontinued when some girls started lying about their ages. Even those enrolled in school began to withdraw and return to the markets and lorry parks to make money. The lure of money was too strong to resist

Questions

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.

Of the various organs in the body, the heart is undoubtedly the most important. All the other organs also perform very useful functions which make continuous existence possible. However, while some organs can be surgically removed with no fatal consequences, if the heart fails for even a few minutes, the human being dies. Yet, it is the only organ that never really rests. It throbs ceaselessly, distributing blood to nourish all parts of the body.

Come to think ofit, a man's heart beats about 70 times every minute. At that rate, we can say with all certainty that the heart beats 4,200 times every hour or 1,000,800 times in a day. If a person lives for 70 years, his heart would beat 2,575,440 000times. From all indications, there is no known machine contrived by man that can equal this feat. Machines made by man normally have long periods of inactivity when they are undergoing repairs or are being serviced. New parts are installed to improve their performance. Besides, very few machines can keep on working for more than a few years without depreciating. Yet, there is one machine that keeps on working efficiently for years on end, whether we are awake or asleep, without any form of servicing or repair-the marvelous hearts!

As a result of the heart's dependability we take it for granted. We hardly even give ourselves enough rest and overworking puts a strain on the heart. We also do not think of what we eat or drink and their effects on the heart. Rather, most people carelessly consume all sorts of foods and drinks, regardless of their cholesterol content, that can cause harm to the heart. We also find it convenient not to take the appropriate exercise that strengthens the heart.

Regrettably, there are some individuals who overburden their hearts and put this vital organ at risk, by taking unprescribed drugs. People should avoid negative emotions like anger and jealously because they disrupt the function of the heart. Therefore, to have a good heart, live and well, people should at all costs adopt healthy lifestyle and live in harmony with all.

Questions

Read the following passage carefully and answer, in your own words as far as possible, the questions on it.

The local textile industry which boomed in the 1970s has taken a nose dive following the importation of cheap fabrics. Those involved in this nefarious practice have a field day, with no legislation in place to check their activities. Even the traditional Ghanaians kente has been pirated and is being imported with impunity. The question is, how do the foreign manufacturers get access to our designs? The answer is simple. There are some Ghanaians who are so greedy that they are prepared to do anything to become rich overnight. Such people find nothing wrong with selling what should be jealously guarded as national assets and secrets to foreigners. They smuggle the local designs abroad and have them pirated. The fabrics are smuggled into the country and sold at ridiculously low prices by these nation wreckers.

It is in the light of the negative effects of the pirated textiles on the local textile manufacturing companies and vendors that the textile workers took to the streets of Accra Central Business District recently. They also presented a petition to the government. The local textile manufacturers and traders are unable to compete with the dealers in pirated textiles. The incomes of the former are adversely affected. The national economy also suffers as a result of this unpatriotic act. There are no taxes paid on most of these imported textiles because the smugglers outwit the tax agencies. Even some of the tax officials connive with these smugglers.

Our textile industries have their own internal problems. There is irregular and insufficient supp of cotton, the major raw material. The cost of production is very high. It is, therefore, not surprising that some of the local industries such as Juapong Textiles, have collapsed resulting in the loss of jobs and other related hardships. Other companies such as Akosombo Textiles, Ghana Textile Printing and Printex Ghana Ltd. are barely surviving, as a result of the pirating of fabrics.

Our local textile manufacturing companies must be saved. The rights of the owners of the designs must be protected. The government should encourage and develop the cotton industry. This will make cotton readily available so that the locally-manufactured fabrics can be sold at affordable prices. The security agencies and tax officials should be held responsible for the predicament in which the country finds itself regarding the imported pirated textile products. They should be made to discharge their duties diligently

Anybody or group of people arrested in connection with smuggling, either the designs or the finished products, should be immediately prosecuted. Punishments severe enough to deter others must be meted out to offenders. However, if our laws are not stringent enough, new ones should be promulgated to deal with this nuisance because it is getting out of hand. Our local industries must continue to flourish to provide employment for the people. The rights of the designers must also be protected.

Questions