It was a cold windy Monday morning just before dawn. A frail old woman who could barely see beyond a few metres ahead of her—an early septuagenarian—braved all odds and stepped out onto the dirty road in the village of Koomla. For her, today's duty had to be done even if it meant further risking her delicate health. "What would I not do for Koku to amount to something in this life that has given me nothing but woes?" Mma Koku thought to herself.

And so, despite the ominous signs from the sky, and wearing just a threadbare sweater over an equally aged wrapper, she forged ahead, daring the draught of air that was threatening to topple her. Luckily, the sand ground was still largely undisturbed owing to the dew, so she didn't have to contend with fending off particles from her often rheumy eyes.

"Come what may" Mma Koku assured herself as her left foot planked into a muddy pothole she hadn't seen in time, "today I shall see the pathfinder, before he leaves for the city." Her destination was still about nine kilometres away. At home, The Pathfinder; a middle-aged university teacher—the very first person to earn the highest postgraduate degree from the village of Koomla—had just roused himself from dreamland. In the dream, a figure in white had told him he owed an obligation to the old woman. She was on her way to give him a parcel for her son studying in the university in the city, about a thousand miles away.

The Pathfinder had come home for a two-day visit and the news had got to Mma Koku, who gladly took all her savings for the last three months, put it in a small envelope and tied up in the edge of her wrapper. The duo were to meet at the junction where the village road led off to the city. "You know, Lord, this is all I have. Please let my son turn out well," the old woman prayed. "No sacrifice is too much for one's child," she heaved, skipping over another muddy pothole, for it had rained the previous day.

By the time Mma Koku got about a mile from The Pathfinder's home, the day was now bright enough for her to see with less strain. However, the sky suddenly became overcast and only seconds later, there was a torrent from the heavens. There was very little that the surprised old woman could do to stave off the watery onslaught, so she trudged on stoically. At the appointed place, The Pathfinder activated his wipers at top speed as he stayed on the lookout for the person he was expecting.

As drenched as Mma Koku came into view, The Pathfinder switched off the ignition and rushed out to meet up with her, guiding her into a nearby shed. After a few minutes of pleasantries, she handed over her widow's mite. "Mma, please wait here till the sky stops weeping," he begged her. "I must run along now."

"Ah, what can beat a mother's love!" Dr Felix Adoka soliloquised pensively, shaking his head as he winked a left turn to an oncoming driver, prepared to confront the elements. "I shall ensure her son gets a teaching job once he is done," he promised himself.

a. Why did Mma Koku leave home on a cold, windy Monday morning?

b. What two difficulties did Mma Koku face on her way to meet The Pathfinder?

c. What may have prompted the villagers to call the man "The Pathfinder"?

d. What two indications are there in the passage that Mma Koku was poor?

e. What was The Pathfinder's attitude toward Mma Koku?

f. What was the expectation of Mma Koku concerning her son?

g. In what age range would you place Mma Koku?

h. "...sky stops weeping..."

What figure of speech is contained in the expression above? 

i. "...before he leaves for the city..."

i. What is the grammatical name of the expression above?

ii. What is its function?

j. For the following words, find another word or phrase which means the same and which can replace it as it is used in the passage:

i. delicate

ii. ominous

iii. an obligation

iv. overcast

v. pensively