Rustomjee Cambridge International School & Junior College
First Term Examination(2012-13)SUBJECT: English-I GRADE: VIII Div: ____
Question No. I II III IV V VI 80 20 100
Marks Obtained
Q. I. A. Read the following passage carefully and answer the following questions:
(10 marks) I remember an occasion, many years ago, when in Ceylon,I, along with my brother, had organised a scheme for the development of a mountain sanatorium at Newera Ellia. We had a couple of tame elephants employed in various works; but it was necessary to obtain the assistance of the government’s elephant stables for the transport of very heavy machinery, which could not be conveyed in the ordinary native carts.There were, accordingly, a large number of elephant wagons drawn by their colossal teams, some of which required four elephants.
It was the wet season upon the mountains. Our settlement was 6,200 feet above the sea, and the zigzag pass from Rambodde, at the base of the steep ascent, was fifteen miles in length. The crest of the pass was 7,000 feet in altitude, from which we descended 800 feet to the Newera Ellia plain.
The elephant wagons having arrived at Rambodde from Colombo, about 100 miles distant, commenced the heavy uphill journey. The rain was unceasing, the roads
Name: _____________________________________________________Roll No.__________
were soft, and the heavily laden wagons sunk deeply in the ruts; but the elephants were mighty beasts, and, laying their weight against the work, they slowly dragged the vehicles up the yielding and narrow way.
The abrupt zigzags bothered the long wagons, and their still longer teams. The bridges over dangerous chasms made it necessary to unload the heavier carts, and caused great delay. Day after day passed; but although the ascent was slow, the wagons still moved upwards, and the region of everlasting mist ( at that season) was reached.
Dense forests clothed the mountain sides; the roar of waterfalls echoed in the depths of black ravines; tangled bamboo grass crept upwards from the wet soil into the lower branches of the moss-covered tress, and formed a green curtain impenetrable to light.
The thermometer fell daily as the altitude increased. The elephants began to sicken; two fine animals died. There was plenty of food, as the bamboo grass was the natural provender, and in the carts was a good supply of paddy; but the elephants’ intelligence was acting against them – they had reasoned, and had become despondent.
For nine or ten days they had been exposed to ceaseless wet and cold,dragging their unmanageable wagons up a road that, even in dry weather,was insufficient to carry the weight. The wheels sank deep below the metal foundation, and became hopelessly embedded.
Again and again, the wagons had to be emptied of their contents, and extra elephants had evidently reasoned upon the situation,and had concluded that there was no summit to the mountain, and no end to the steep and horrible ascent; it would be,therefore, useless to persevere in unavailing efforts. They determined, under these heart-breaking circumstances, to strike work; and they did strike.
Questions:-1.What conclusion did the elephants reason on seeing the situation? (2 mark) __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ 2. In your own words,explain ‘the thermometer fell daily as the altitude increased.’ (2 marks)
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 3. Write a summary of about 50 – 70 words about the climatic condition and the difficult situation faced by the elephant during the ascend. (6 marks) __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ B. Directed Writing. (10 marks) Though it is summer in Ceylon , the workers are not willing to take the elephants through the hilly road to go to Newera Ellia . Imagine you are one of the elephant trainers who was present during the situation mentioned in the passage.
Write a dialogue between you and one of the new trainers wherein, you are
convincing him to take that route by describing the situation that elephants underwent and the success achieved. Write upto 1-1 ½ side allowing the size of your hand-writing.
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ C. Do as directed:- (15 marks) 1. Rewrite the sentence using the present perfect tense of regular verb. (2 marks) a. They slowly dragged the vehicles up the yielding and narrow way.
__________________________________________________________________ b. The abrupt zigzag bothered the long wagons.
_________________________________________________________________ 2. Underline the verb in the following sentences and identify the tense: - ( 2 marks) a. When in Ceylon, I, along with my brother, had organised a scheme for the development of a mountain sanatorium.
__________________________________________________________________ b. For nine or ten days they had been exposed to ceaseless wet and cold.
__________________________________________________________________ 3. Change the given sentence to the passive voice. (2 mark) a. Dense forests clothed the mountain sides.
__________________________________________________________________ b. They slowly dragged the vehicles up the yielding and narrow way.
__________________________________________________________________ 4. Rewrite the sentence using a different verb form. (2 mark)
a. The wagons had to be emptied of their contents.
__________________________________________________________________ b. The wheels sank deep below the metal foundation .
5. Give the adjective of ‘development’ and frame a sentence of the new word. (2 marks) Adjective – ______________________________
________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________ 6. Pick out a synonym of ‘gradually’ from the passage – (1mark) __________________________________________________________________ 7. Pick out an antonym of ‘ended’ from the passage – (1 mark) __________________________________________________________________ 8. Give the noun form of ‘exposed’ and frame a sentence of the new word. (2 marks) _________________________________________________________________ 9.Place the adverb given at the end in appropriate place within the sentence.
(1 mark) The bridges over the dangerous chasms made it necessary to unload the heavier carts. Consistently
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Q. II. Poem
comprehension:-Read the following stanza and answer the questions below:- (5 marks) When I taught you
at eight to ride a bicycle, loping along
beside you as you wobbled away on two round wheels, my own mouth rounding in surprise when you pulled
ahead down the curved path of the park,
I kept waiting For the thud Of your crash as I sprinted to catch up,
While you grew smaller,more breakable
with distance, Pumping, pumping for your life. screaming
with laughter, The hair flapping behind you like a handkerchief waving
goodbye.
Questions:-1. How old was the girl when her mother taught her to cycle? Where did the
teaching take place? (1 mark)
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
2. State and explain the figure of speech in the following line: - (2 marks)
a. pumping, pumping for your life.
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
3. Identify the figure of speech and explain this line :- (2 marks)
‘the hair flapping behind you like a handkerchief waving goodbye.’
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
III. Literature: - (5 marks)
1.Describe any two features of banjara women that Sonali often lingered to watch. (2 marks)
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 2.Why did Sonali never like the shopkeeper? (2 mark) __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ 3. Name the place where Gogi found Mrs. Khanna’s spectacles? (1 mark) __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
IV. Words are Important:- (10 marks)
A. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words from the given bracket: (3marks) (callous , fraudulent, emanated, deter, permeate)
1. The noise_______________ from air vents on the side of the building and its apparently single skinned sides of steel paneling.
2. ____________________ behaviour is never a way to express feeling of disagreement.
3. But inequality still ________________ the fabric of our society.
B. Use the following word in a sentence of your own . ( 2 marks) obsequious-
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ C. Match up each word in column 1 with a word or expression in column 2. ( 5 marks)
Column 1 Column 2
1 Indefatigable a deal
2 elegy b prisoners
3 lucrative c features
4 rehabilitate d labourer
5 salient e sorrowful
Q. V. Grammar:- (20 marks) 1. Underline the incorrect verb forms in the following sentences and rewrite the correct sentence:- (3 marks) (a). Everyone need to exercise regularly to stay healthy.
__________________________________________________________________ (b). She would be working in this firm from next week.
__________________________________________________________________ (c) They take bed sheets from the bed.
__________________________________________________________________ 2. Fill in the blank with the simple past or the past continuous tense form of the verbs given in the bracket. ( 4 marks) (a). I _________________ (watch) TV,when he ____________ (ring) the bell. (b) They___________ (ask)her but she __________ (keep ) quiet .
3.A. Change the voice of the sentences given below:- (4 marks)
(a)People hope that the President will take control of the situation.
__________________________________________________________________ (b)She is considered the best student in the class.
_________________________________________________________________ (b) I made this omelette with onion and cheese.
_________________________________________________________________ (c) The villagers were moved away from the area for their own safety by the police.
__________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
3B.Put the words from the bracket into correct active or passive voice. (4 marks) (a)We began work early, but we _________________ (not finish) until late. (b)Yesterday afternoon, an entire village ______________ ( destroy) by an volcanic reaction.
(c) Don’t stay up late night, or else you ________________ (be) tired tomorrow. (d) James ____________ (run) two kilometres every day before work.
4. Do as directed: - (5marks)
(a) Every student and teacher ____________ (be) present during the assembly. (Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb given in the bracket.)
(b)There is a thick envelop /envelope of air in the lower region. (select the correct alternative)
(c)Nothing has been done to reverse the loss.(Underline the indefinite pronoun) (d)I ______________ (travel) to many cities in India in the last two years. (Complete the sentence with the present perfect tense,using the correct forms of the verb in the bracket)
(e).Tick the correct sentence.
1.The film began by the time we reached the theatre. 2.The film had begun by the time we reached the theatre.
VI. Language record:- (5 marks)
a. Give the noun form of ‘perfect’ - _________________________________ b. Give the synonym of ‘discarded’ –________________________________ c. Give the adverb form of ‘quiet’ –_______________________________ d. Give the antonym of ‘wobbled’- __________________________________ e. Give the verb form of ‘perception’ - _______________________________
