Time: 3 hours ST. THOMAS SCHOOL Periodic Test -2 Sample CLASS VIII ENGLISH SECTION A READING (20) M.M-80 No of pages- 5 1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow 8 Are we happier than our forefathers? The conquest of happiness has different facts to different generations. Our forefathers took pride in scholarship, a spirit of sacrifice and solicitude for the welfare of others. Gone are those days. Today we live only for ourselves. We are jealous of the advancement of our neighbours. We end up tense and unhappy. Happiness lies within the mind of the individual. No amount of external wealth maybe helpful in making him happy. Our forefathers had lifestyles, very much different from those we have today. Their life was based mainly on the concept of simple living and high thinking. People were satisfied with whatever they obtained after working hard. Excessive material wealth did not mean much for them. They derived mental satisfaction and enrichment which they aimed at. The structural framework of forefathers families was different from those of ours. They lived in a cohesive joint family structure where they were happier than we. They cared for one another. The siblings grew up with their cousins. The bond of love which they shared cannot be easily found in the nuclear family of the day. The family provided an emotional cushioning effect against tension and stress. However, in the nuclear family, we are detached from the feelings towards our kith and kin. At times even cousins do not recognize one another, when they happen to be selfcentered. Disputes in the family may lead to divisions. This may finally destroy the family psyche. But today we are happy only if we attain our coveted material ends. We are ready to resort to any means to achieve that end. Our philosophy of life has turned out totally Machiavellian. On the other hand, today people are ready to migrate to the west, to enjoy a comfortable life. They run away from the evils of the Indian society without trying to remedy them. Often they become successful in the foreign lands. But in the process, they become alienated from their motherland. The nostalgic feeling of their childhood and the relationship they left remained which cannot make them happy. Distance from their
ailing parents is a worrying factor and keeps them disturbed. It is not easy for them to return, as their children will not be able to adjust to the Indian environment and the way of life. 1) What concept of the forefathers lifestyle should we model on? 2) Happiness doesn t mean acquire wealth or material things but it 3) How did the role of family lead to emotional bonding? 4) According to the author, why do we end up tensed and stressed nowadays? 5) What is the tone of the author in the first paragraph? 6) Who are happy these days? 7) What do the people try to avoid when they migrate to the west? 8) Write one advantage and disadvantage each of migrating to the west. 2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow. 12 These days, it is not unusual to see people listening to music or using their electronic gadgets while crossing busy roads or travelling on public transport, regardless of the risks involved. I have often wondered why they take suck risks. Is it because they want to exude a sense of independence, or is it that they want to tell the world to stop bothering them? Or is it that they just want to show how cool they are? Whether it is a workman or an executive or a student, earphones have become an inseparable part of our lives, sometimes even leading to tragicomic situations. The other day, an electrician had come to our house to fix something. We told him in detail what needed to be done. But after he left, I found that the man had done almost nothing. It later turned out that he could not hear our directions clearly because he had an earphone on. Hundreds of such earphone addicts commute by the Delhi Metro everyday. While one should not grudge anyone their moments of privacy or their love for music, the fact is ipod oblivion can sometimes be very dangerous. Recently, I was travelling with my wife on the Delhi Metro. Since the train was approaching the last station, there weren t too many passengers. In our compartment, other than us, there were only two women sitting on the other side of the aisle. And then suddenly, I spotted a duffel bag. The bomb scare lasted for several minutes. Then suddenly, a youth emerged from nowhere and picked up the bag. When we tried to stop him, he looked at us, surprised. Then he took off his earpieces, lifted the bag, and told us that the bag belonged to him and that he was going to get off at the next station. We were stunned but recovered in time to ask him where he was all this while? His answer: he was in the compartment, leaning against the door totally immersed in the music. He had no clue about what was going on around him. When he got off, earplugs in his hand, we could hear strains of the song.
Short answer type questions. 2x4=8 a) What risk is involved in listening to music or using electronic gadgets while crossing roads? b) Why had the electrician done almost nothing? c) What alarmed the narrator on the Delhi Metro? d) Why did the young man have no clue about what was going on around him? Choose the most appropriate meaning of the given word from the options provided. 1x4=4 e) In spite of (a) regardless (b) tragicomic (c) bothering (d) inseparable f) Find the synonym of travel from the passage g) Find a word which means as to give out h) Find the antonym of standing straight Section B (Writing) Q3. You have been selected as the student of the year in your school. You are extremely excited about your achievement`. This has made you popular in your school. Write a diary entry expressing your feelings. 7 Q4. Write a letter to the Editor of a national daily about the bad condition of roads in your locality. 8 Q5. Independence Day Celebration was held in your school on the 15 th of this month. Write a report for your school magazine. 5 Section C (Grammar) Q6. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of verbs 1x4 a. Look! Sara (go) to the movies. b. When he (wake up) his mother (already prepare) - breakfast. c. I (just/ finish) my homework. d. Tomorrow I think I (start) --- my new project. Q7. Choose the appropriate modals from the brackets. 0.5x 8 a. you please be quite (shall/ will) b. I have lost my hat. I have dropped it somewhere. (must/ will) c. - I have the salt please. (could/ would).
d. You never forget my advice (dare/should) e. It- rain today (might/ must). f. We love our neighbours. (ought to/could). g. Anyone succeed with hardwork. (can/must). h. The phone is ringing. It be mother. (would /could) Q8. Convert the following into indirect speech 1x4 a. Shruti says to him, No, I am not angry with you. He says, I am happy. Shruti tells him that i). He tells her that ii) b. She said to him, Where have you kept the folder? c. He said, Please don t dismiss me. d. He said, Alas! how ignorant I have been. Q9. Mention suitable idioms and proverbs for the following sentences 1x4 a. to work hard and for long hours at night. b. to tease someone c. Things we already have are more valuable than what we hope to get. d. As long as the outcome is good, problems on the way don t matter. Q10. Fill up with appropriate phrasal verbs 1x2 bring up bring down a. This sad music is me b. Grandparents me after my parents died. Q11. Fill up with the correct options. (knot, not, were, where, buy, bye) 0.5 x4 a, Do tie the two ropes with a b, did you put my car keys? c, where did you the book from? SECTION D (LITERATURE) Q12. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow. 3+3=6 a) Tell them I came, and no one answered, That I kept my word, he said. i) Who is I referred to here? ii) Why didn t any one answer? iii) Whom is he speaking?
b) Really! Does he prowl about all night? i) Who is he referred to here? ii) Why is the speaker alarmed that he prowled about the house at night? iii) Name the chapter and the writer. 13. Answer any four of the questions in brief. 8 a) What was the reason for Atzel s parents worry? b) Why did the family make the room look like paradise? c) Why is the poet not able to rejoice with the people? Why are the people rejoicing? d) Describe the niece in The Open Window e) Why was Quetzalcoatl sent to heaven? 14. Answer the following question in 100-120 words. 6 Imagine that you are Mrs Sappleton. You found Mr Nuttel as an extraordinary man when he disappeared from your house. Write a diary entry expressing your thoughts and feelings of your meeting with him.