8th English Periodic Test II (2018-19)

8th English Periodic Test II – Set A: (2018-19)

School Name: Venkateshwar Global School, Sector 13, Rohini, Delhi 110085 India
Time: 3 hour
M.M. 80 marks
Date: 13/09/2018
Class: VIII

General Instructions:

1. The question paper is divided into three sections.
   Section A: Reading : 20 Marks
   Section B: Grammar & Writing Skills : 30 Marks
   Section C: Literature : 30 Marks
2. All questions are compulsory.
3. You may attempt any section at a time.
4. All questions of that section must be attempted in the correct order.

Section – A (Reading) (20 marks)

Read the following passage carefully: (12 marks)

Dharam Dev Pishorimal Anand (September 26, 1923 – December 3, 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian film actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema. Part of the Anand family, he co-founded Navketan Films in 1949 with his elder brother Chetan Anand. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002 for his contribution to Indian cinema. His career spanned more than 65 years with acting in 114 Hindi films of which 104 have him play the main solo lead hero and he did 2 English films. Dev Anand’s autobiography “Romancing with life” appear to be a very honest portrayal of the man called Dev Anand.

This article is composed on the basis of revelations recorded in his life story. Being a very shy boy Dev’s father put him up in a girl’s school in Gurdaspur. It is obvious that Dev had a very captivating face. As a child Dev was fond of playing with marbles on the street outside his houses. He was an excellent marksman from any distance. He was always sure of hitting every marble that he aimed for. Due to his marksmanship, he had won several marbles and stored those in a big jar, Which was his proud possession. His father hated him for playing all day with marbles.

Dev was afraid of his father. One day his father admonished him for playing with the marbles all the time. He said that this was not the way to attain stature in life. But he loved his mother very much. While Dev was still in Gurdaspur, his mother developed  Tuberculosis, a fatal disease during those days. The rare medicines necessary for her treatment were unavailable in Gurdaspur. Dev and his friend Bhagoo used to go to Amritsar, more than thirty miles away from Gurdaspur, by bus to bring medicines for the treatment of his mother. Dev was fond of a special “Lassi” made from full fat milk, which used to have “Pedas” crushed into it.

One sultry summer day Dev was sweating outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar. A Sikh gentleman was selling “Almond Sherbat”. Dev put his hand forward to grab the tumbler of “Shebat”. The Sikh “Sherbatwala” saw the unique blessing of sun on Dev’s forehead. He quickly said that some day he would be a big shot in life. Dev narrated this to his mother, who hugged him and told his father to give him the finest education and other facilities so that he son gets what he aspires for. His mother soon became too weak to walk even and was moved to a sanitarium, where she died.

Dev was enrolled in Government College Lahore for his graduation, which he did with honors in English. But soon he discovered that his father had fallen on bad days. Dev wanted to go England for higher education, so that he could get an elite government job on return to India, but his father admitted that he could not afford this His father gave him the serve as a clerk in a bank, which Dev declined.

Question: 1. (A). On the basis of your reading of the above passage answer the following questions briefly: (8 marks)

1. What was Dev Anand’s contribution to Indian cinema for which he was felicitated with awards?
2. Why did Dev travel to Amritsar with is friend Bhagoo?
3. Where did Dev want to go for his higher education and why was he not able to do so?
4. How did Dev’s mother contribute in making his life batter?

(B). Complete the Following sentences as briefly as possible: (4 marks)

1. Dev was a very shy boy who was put in _______ school in __________.
2. Dev was really fond of drinking ______________________.
3. _____________________ appears to be an honest portrayal of Dev Anand.
4. The synonym of the word ‘reprimand’ (para 3) is ____________.

Read the following passage carefully: (8 marks)

This is the story of Phineas Snodgrass, inventor. He built a time machine. He built a time machine and in it he went back some two thousand years to about the time of the birth of Christ. He made himself known to Emperor to Augustus, his lady Livia and other powerful and rich Romans of the day and, quickly making friends, secured their cooperation in bringing about a rapid transformation of yearlong living habits. (He stole The idea from a science fiction novel by L. Sprague De Camp called “Lest Darkness Falls”.)

His time machine wasn’t very big, but heart was. So Snodgrass his cargo with the plan of proving the maximum immediate help for the world’s people. The principal feature of ancient Rome were dirt and disease, pain and death. Snodgrass decided to make the Roman world healthy and to keep its people alive through twentieth century medicine. Everything else could take care of itself, once the human race was free of its terrible plagues which were the fatal diseases that caused early deaths. Snodgrass introduced penicillin and Aureomycin and painless dentistry.

He ground lenses for spectacles and explained the surgical techniques for removing cataracts. He taught anesthesia and the germ theory of disease. And showed how to purify drinking water. He demanded, and got, covers for the open Roman sewers, and he pioneered the practice of the balanced diet.

Question. 2. (A). On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the following questions briefly: (5 marks)

1. What did Phineas Snodgeass build?
2. Why did he make friends so quickly?
3. What did Snodgrash decide for the Romans?
4. What were the principal features of ancient Rome?
5. What was Snograss’ contribution to the world of science?

(B). Find the word or group of words from the passage which mean the same as follows: (2 marks)

1. speedy (para 1)
2. to initiate (para 3)

(C). The antonym of the word- ‘fortunate’ is ___________.

Section – B: (Grammar and Writing) (30 marks)

Question: 3. Read the following hints and frame a story in about 200 words. Remember to give a suitable title and moral to your story. (10 marks)

Gauri had enough that day, she was fed up of being bullied by her own peer group. This time she had to gather up the courage to speak against the constant bullying or it would continue forever. She geared up to face he bullies that day and entered the classroom boldly when…

Question: 4. Imagine you have been to old age home today. You realised how significant parents are for us and how we as children, forget about our values and duties as we tend to grow up. Write a diary entry in about 100 – 120 words on how you felt and what should be done to inculcate these values in the children in present times. (8 marks)

Question: 5. The following passage has not been edited. There is an error in each of the lines. Write the incorrect word and the correct word in your answer sheet against the correct blank number. Do not copy the passage. (3 marks)

Question: 6. Choose the correct from of tenses from the brackets and fill in the blanks: (4 marks)

I (a) ___________ (have been waiting/ was waiting. waited) for my friends for an hour now. They (b) ___________. (tell/ told/ have tell) me to wait here, near the City Mall. But I (c) ___________ (think/ thought/ will think) they (d) ___________ (were not coming/ are not coming) now. May be I should leave. Or should I (e) __________ (called/ call/ shall call) them and ask? I guess before I call them up, I should (f) __________ (have gone/ go/ going) inside and eat my favourite cone of ice cream. I (g) ___________ (am coming/ was coming/ have been coming) to this mall since I was a child. It’s time for me to relive the old days. Yes, I (h) ___________ (will decide/ have decide/ have been deciding) that I will enjoy my day alone.

Question: 7. Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences: (3 marks)

e.g. nectar / bees / many / in search of / fly
Bees fly many in search of nectar.

1. You / know / Ron / do / bought / has / pet? / a / that
2. a / cat / and / looks / it / cute / it’s / really
3. am / definitely / I / at / going / place / his / with / to / play/ it

Question: 8. Choose the suitable phrasal verbs from the brackets and fill in the blanks. (2 marks)

1. She ___________ (dropped in/ broke down/ set up) when she heard the news of her father’s death.
2. Rohan tried his best to ___________ (sink in/ hand in/ fit in) the group but was not able to.

Section- C: (Literature) (30 marks)

Question: 9. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow: (4 marks)

“He hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate’er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.”

1. Explain the phrase ‘honest sweat’?
2. Why does the poet thank the blacksmith at the end of the poem?
3. What is the figure of speech used in this stanza Give an example of the same from the stanza.
4. Briefly differentiate between the physical and emotional characteristics of the blacksmith.

Question: 10. Answer: following questions in about 80-100 words: (8 marks)

1. Bagheera and Baloo played a significant role in the story ‘Mowgli’s Brothers’. Explain how?
2. “Even thought Annette’s Waltz were selling now, she was quite dispirited”. Elaborate.
3. What did Makhan do when Phatik asked him to move away from the log?
4. The hitch-hiker was filled with contempt when he heard the word ‘pickpocket’ for himself. Which word would he prefer instead and why?

Question: 11. Answer the following question inn about 150 word: (8 marks)

‘Family does not always mean to be of the same blood’. Throw light upon this statement in context with the lesson ‘Mowgli’s Brothers.’

Long Reading Text. (10 marks)

Question: 12. The basis of your reading of the Supplementary Reader – ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, answer the following questions in about 150 words:

1. Write the character sketch of your favourite character.       (5 marks)
2. ‘Huck was always fond of adventure, but Jackson’s island was like a cherry on the cake’. Elucidate the statement. (5 marks)