Gce Model Questions Vol1 2017 Literature In English Question 9

Read the following excerpt from the short story *The River’s Whisper*: "Ada stood at the edge of the river, the water glimmering like a ribbon of silver under the early dawn. The elders had warned her that the river was a boundary between the world of the ancestors and the world of the living. Yet, the city beyond the hills promised school, a future she had never imagined. As the first light painted the sky, Ada felt the pull of two worlds – the familiar rhythm of the village and the distant hum of progress." (a) Identify the central theme of the excerpt. (b) Analyse how the writer develops this theme through the use of characterisation, setting and symbolic elements. In your answer, consider how the theme reflects broader social issues in contemporary Nigerian society.