English Questions and Answers - Class 8 Opener Exams Term 3 2023 Set 1

Read the passage below. It has blank spaces numbered 1 to 15. For each blank space, choose the answer from the choices given.

It was mid-afternoon __1__ they reached Mt. Ketiri. The rocky slopes of the mountain were coloured brown, red, orange, yellow and white caused by the geothermal activity __2___. Below the eastern flank of the mountain     3     an area of sulphur pits and     4        of bubbling mud. Jets of super-heated steam erupted from events in the ground. "Phew __5___" Jane wrinkled her nose at the overpowering ___6__, "It's like rotten eggs!"

"Hydrogen sulphide gas, actually. Mind your camera!" Alan __7__ seizing her arm and  __8__ her away as she ventured __9___ close to the hissing steam. "That vapour contains hydrochloric acid, among other things. Jane clutched her camera. They crouched down __11__one of the largest mud pools. It was two metres across, with a metre-high rim formed by the splattering mud. The liquid mud slurped noisily __12___ large bubbles of gas burst.

Jane quickly took out her camera. She got two marvellous shots. One was of a metre-wide bubble that __13__ into a dome.  The other was a circle of droplets hanging in mid-air. She walked on towards a cream-coloured cone from __14___ steam was billowing like a mini-volcano. The smell was terrible, and the mouth of the cone was stained __15___ by the powdered sulphur.

For questions 16-18, choose the phrase that best completes the given sentence.

16. When I met him in the market, I asked him whether _____.
    1. he is buying plantain for his uncle
    2. I may help him carry is load
    3. he would lend me sixpence
    4. we shall go home together, but he preferred to wait for Kwesi.
17. I beg your pardon _____.
    1.  if my words have offended you in any way
    2. from reporting my fault to my father
    3. to use your telephone for a moment
    4. to do this favour for me
18. Cleaning my teeth,
    1. the chewing stick hurt my tongue
    2. I noticed that one of them had begun to decay.
    3. a knock came at the door.
    4. my little brother told me to be quick.

For questions 19 and 20, choose the word that best fills in the blank space

19. The politician was _____ defamation of character.
    1. charged
    2. locked
    3. Sued
    4. Accused
20. The money order was not paid because the _____ did not write his name on the requisition form.
    1. payee
    2. recipient
    3. claimant
    4. remitter

For questions 21 and 22, choose the adjective connected with the noun

21. Island
    1. continental
    2. insular
    3. isolated
    4. marine
22. Father
    1.  fatherhood
    2. familiar
    3. paternal
    4. fatal

For questions 23 and 24, choose the word that suits the given description.

23. A person who makes cakes and sweets and sells them in a shop is
    1. confectioner
    2. grocer
    3. merchant
    4. hawker
24. A large inn, specially made for travellers to stay in
    1. bar
    2. café
    3. dormitory
    4. hotel

For question 25, choose the odd one out.

25. 1. Floor
    2. Wall
    3. Flour
    4. Door

Read the passage below and then answer questions 26-38

Educating boys and girls together has always been an important and stressful issue. Many parents believe that the educational process can be more effective if the classes are divided according to the gender of the students. Although same-sex schools are considered too conservative and strict in today's times. Nevertheless, there are still supporters of this manner of education. Some parents are not in favour of a co-educational system as they feel that the presence of the opposite gender distracts the attention of students and prevents them from concentrating on their studies. They also feel that some children may not be confident enough to speak up in front of their opposite sex classmates thus causing them to perform poorly.

On the other hand, supporters of co-education feel that as boys and girls tend to be different, it is a valuable experience for both genders to communicate with each other. Moreover, the earlier boys and girls begin to communicate with each other, the sooner they acquire social skills, which are crucial to communicating freely in our day to day lives thanks to the opportunity to learn from teachers of both sexes. Furthermore, if there are girls in the classroom, boys may possibly try to behave better in order well not to lose face in front of the girls. Additionally, co-education teaches students equality as the teachers treat everyone in the classroom equally.

Apart from all that has been mentioned above, educating boys and girls together helps them understand and mutually respect each other from an early stage in life. This can possibly help in building a generation that doesn't suffer from gender bias and is open to healthy competition even between the two genders. This helps them maintain their dignity and educates them to face their failures as well as learn from them. Stereotypes have always been a huge problem in society. They cause issues for both boys and girls in specific roles but co-education can help in diminishing these barriers. For example, some girls would not be offered to work with robots as they are seen to be for boys, similarly boys would be discouraged to take the subject of fashion and textile but this does not matter in a co-education system as they are all treated the same way and encouraged to take similar subjects and take part in similar activities. This can help in overcoming misconceptions from an early age.

26. What does co-education mean based on the information above?
    1. Teaching both genders the same subjects in their respective schools
    2. Teaching both genders about each other
    3. Having both male and female teachers in schools
    4. Educating students of both genders together
27. How do you think the writer feels about co-education?
    1. They are conflicted about it
    2. They support it
    3. They are against it
    4. They are not sure about it
28. Why are socializing skills important?
    1. They help learners get employment
    2. They build confidence in students
    3. They eliminate bias
    4. They are required to communicate effectively in the real world
29. In these times, same sex schools are considered,
    1. strict and traditional
    2. perfectly reasonable
    3. unnecessary
    4. modern and strict
30. What, according to supporters of same sex schools would cause poor performance in a co-education school?
    1. Lack of resources due to overcrowding
    2. Distraction due to early relationships
    3. Lack of confidence to participate in coursework
    4. Lack of attention from teachers
31. According to the writer, how do girls and boys develop a mutual respect for each other?
    1. By having the same teachers
    2. By occupying the same academic space from an early stage in life
    3. By playing together
    4. By attending same sex schools
32. From the second paragraph, why is it important for boys and girls to learn to communicate with each other?
    1. They are different and should therefore learn to do so from an early age
    2. They can swap knowledge on different topics
    3. They are similar and will get along easily
    4. They need to prepare for day to day problems
33. What does the phrase lose face mean?
    1. To become humiliated
    2. To become less desirable
    3. To gain respect
    4. To become shunned
34. How does co-education encourage equality?
    1. By ensuring all students are treated the same
    2. By employing male and female teachers
    3. By teaching similar subjects
    4. By enrolling an equal number of boys and girls
35. Why would boys be discouraged from pursuing fashion and textile subjects?
    1. They are too clumsy to handle delicate fabric
    2. They were traditionally considered to be feminine interests
    3. Boys are much better with robots
    4. No one knew how to teach boys fashion related subjects
36. Find a word in the passage that means the opposite of inconsequential.
    1. conservative
    2. crucial
    3. bias
    4. dimishing
37. How do you think stereotypes are harmful in society?
    1. They lead to conflict
    2. They cause friction in the classroom
    3. They lead to loss of opportunities for some people
    4. They encourage unhealthy competition
38. What do you think would be the best title for the passage you just read?
    1. The dangers of same sex schools
    2. How to survive co-education
    3. The advantages and disadvantages of co- education
    4. How to navigate a mixed classroom

Read the passage below then answer questions 39 to 50

'Early in August, Livingstone set off with another missionary, having chosen the site of his station the beautiful valley of the Mabotsa, some two hundred miles to the north-east, where lived a tribe called the Bakatla Here he built a house with his own hands, and lived for three years; and here occurred his famous adventure with the lion. The villagers had for some time been troubled with lions, which not only raided their cattle-pens by night, but, growing bolder, attacked their herds in open day. The Bakatla set off once to attack the lions, but without success.
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"It is well known," writes Livingstone, "that if one of a group of lions is killed the remainder leave that part of the country. The next time, therefore, the herds were attacked, I went with the people to encourage them to rid themselves of the annoyance by destroying one. We found the animals on a small hill covered with trees. The men formed a circle, and gradually closed up as they advanced. Being below on the plain with a native schoolmaster named Mabalwe, I saw one of the lions sitting on a piece of rock within the ring. Mabalwe fired at him, and the ball hit the rock on which the animal was sitting. He bit at the spot struck, as a dog does at a stick or stone thrown at him; and then, leaping away, broke through the circle, and escaped unhurt. If the Bakatla had acted according to the custom of the country, they would have speared him in his attempt to get out, but they were afraid to attack him. When the circle was re-formed, we saw two other lions in it, but dared not fire lest we should shoot some of the people. The beasts burst through the line, and as it was evident the men could not be prevailed upon to face their foes, we turned towards the village. In going round the end of the hill, I saw a lion sitting on a piece of rock about thirty yards off, with a little bush in front of him. I took a good aim at him through the bush, and fired both barrels into it. The men called out, ' He is shot, he is shot!' Others cried,' He has been shot by another man too; let us go to him!' I saw the lion's tail erected in anger, and, turning to the people, said, 'Stop a little till I load again.' When in the act of ramming down the bullets I heard a shout, and looking half round, I saw the lion in the act of springing upon me. He caught me by the shoulder, and we both came to the ground together.

Growling horribly, he shook me as a terrier dog does a rat. As he had one paw on the back of my head, I turned round to relieve myself of the weight, and saw his eyes directed to Mabalwe,who was aiming at him from a distance of ten or fifteen yards. His gun missed fire. The animal immediately left me to attack him, and bit his thigh. Another man; whose life I had saved after he had been tossed by a buffalo, attempted to spear the lion, upon which he turned from Mabalwe and seized this fresh foe by the shoulder. At that moment, the bullets the beast had received took effect and he fell down dead."

39. Why did Livingstone set off for the valley of the Mabotsa?
    1. To help the Bakatla tribe to hunt for lions
    2. To keep his missionary friend company
    3. To start a new mission there
    4. To see whether the source of River Nile lay in that direction
40. What was the main occupation of the Bakatla tribe?
    1. They built houses with their having no toolsown hands,
    2. They were brave hunters
    3. They were warriors and adventurers
    4. They were cattle- farmers
41. How do we know that the lions were very bold?
    1. They were not afraid to show themselves in the daylight
    2. They raided the cattle pens by night
    3. The Bakatla had no success when they hunted them
    4. One of them could dare attack large numbers of cattle
42. Why did Livingstone accompany the Bakatla on their next expedition?
    1. He wanted to leave that part of the country
    2. He was annoyed by the destructive lions
    3. He wished to encourage them to kill one and so frighten the rest away
    4. He was the only person who had a gun
43. What was the Bakatla's plan to attack?
    1. To drive down the lions from the hill
    2. To surround the lions and spear any which tried to escape
    3. To set their dog against the animals
    4. To throw sticks and stones at the animals on the hill
44. Why did Livingstone not try to shoot the two lions in the circle?
    1. He saw that the Bakatla were afraid to face their foes
    2.  It was not according to the custom of the country
    3.  When Mabalwe shot the first lion, it escaped unhurt, and so he thought it useless
    4.  He was afraid of injuring the men nearby
45. When the men said 'Let us go to him!' why did Livingstone delay?
    1. He wanted to put fresh bullets into his gun first
    2. He knew that another man was firing, and did not want to be hit
    3. He was afraid when he saw the lion's tail erected in anger
    4. The lion was hiding behind a bush and could not be seen clearly
46. Why did Livingstone turn round after the lion sprang on him?
    1. He wanted to see what Mabalwe was doing
    2. He was dizzy from being shaken by the lion
    3. The lion's teeth gave him an unbearable pain in his shoulder
    4. To get rid of the pressure of the lion's paw on his head
47. What eventually killed the lion?
    1. The spear of the man whose life Livingstone had once saved
    2. The shot fired by Mabalwe before he was bitten in the thigh
    3. The buffalo which came and tossed it
    4. The bullets it had first received when sitting on the rock
48. Why do you think the lion growled?
    1. It was in immense pain
    2. To scare its attackers
    3. To express anger
    4. To call the other lions for back up
49. The word that can best replace the word group as used in the passage is
    1. herd
    2. host
    3. troop
    4. pride
50. Which of the following would be the best title for this extract?
    1. Hunting in Central Africa
    2. The discoveries of David Livingstone
    3. A narrow escape from a lion
    4. The bravery of the Bakatla

COMPOSITION

The following is the beginning of a composition. Write it in your own words making it as interesting as possible.

We arrived at Nkoroi Primary School past nine o'clock. The competition was just about to begin. According to the programme, we were the fourth troupe on stage......

MARKING SCHEME

1. B
2. D
3. C
4. A
5. D
6. B
7. D
8. A
9. C
10. C
11. D
12. B
13. B
14. C
15. D
16. C
17. A
18. B
19. C
20. D
21. B
22. C
23. A
24. D
25. C
26. D
27. B
28. D
29. A
30. C
31. B
32. A
33. A
34. A
35. B
36. B
37. C
38. C
39. C
40. D
41. A
42. C
43. B
44. D
45. A
46. D
47. D
48. A
49. C
50. C