English Questions and Answers - Class 8 End Term Exams Term 2 2023 Set 2

Read the letter below. It contains blank spaces numbered 1 to 15. For each blank space choose the best alternative from the choices given.

Dear Editor,

My name is Abigael Mwikali. I __1__ something that I would like to share with my fellow youth and Kenyans in __2__.__3__
is the use of sheng. Experts say that sheng is a mixture and corruption of Kiswahili, English and a sprinkling __4__
local languages.

Let me be very candid. Sheng should be __5__ because it dilutes, pollutes and erodes the standards of English, Kiswahili __6__ local languages. It __7__ people to switch from one language to another and mix them at will. It does not __8__ to any rules and standards. This affects the mastery of any one language. The widespread of sheng is to blame for the __9__ performance in English and Kiswahili in the K.C.P.E examination.

__10__ people and professionals do not use sheng. In deed no self-respecting individual would be held using the weird language, if it qualifies to be called a language. It is the __11__ of conmen who rely on it to __12__ disrespectful and inane messages. It is __13__ the language of result for deviant and rebellious teenagers in school and at home. In __14__ it, they show disrespect to authority and order. Policy makers should outlaw sheng __15__ they are serious about developing foreign, national and local languages.

Yours truly,
Abigael Mwikali.
Standard 8 pupil.

For question 16 to 18, choose the best answer to complete each sentence.

16. They __________________ on the beach, enjoying a cool breeze.
    1. laid
    2. lain
    3. lay
    4. lied
17. We watched the soldiers _______________________ majestically into the stadium.
    1. much
    2. match
    3. munch
    4. march
18. If you are not careful, you will ______________________ all your friends.
    1. lose
    2. loss
    3. loose
    4. lost

For questions 19 and 20, choose the word that means the anatomy of the underlined word.

19. The whole town celebrated the freedom of the hostages.
    1. humility
    2. captivity
    3. ability
    4. festivity
20. We felt inferior when the other pupils started laughing at us.
    1. exterior
    2. junior
    3. interior
    4. superior

For questions 21 and 22, choose the correct meaning of the given idiom. 

21. To be at logger heads.
    1. To have a headache
    2. To be quarreling
    3. To be confused
    4. To get along well.
22. To give someone a cold shoulder.
    1. To treat someone harshly
    2. To be unfair to someone
    3. To make someone feel unwelcome
    4. To be hostile to someone.

For questions 23 and 24, choose the correct order of adjectives to fill in the blank spaces.

23. Diana bought a ___________________ dress.
    1. long, costly, beautiful
    2. beautiful, long, costly
    3. costly, beautiful, long
    4. beautiful, costly, long
24. Aunt Rose married a ________________ man.
    1. tall, dark, handsome
    2. handsome, dark, tall 
    3. handsome, tall, dark
    4. dark, handsome, tall

For questions 25, choose the correct phrasal verb to complete the sentence.

25. Marube finally __________________________ his alcohol addiction.
    1. got down
    2. got off
    3. got out
    4. got over

Read the passage below and then answer questions 26 to 38.

It was on Thursday morning during the school holidays when Otieno was alone at home. His younger brother, Sam and three sisters had gone to play with the children of the neighbours. To while the day away, he had been sitting down under a tree reading an interesting storybook. His mind had been fully absorbed in the story that he was reading. Suddenly he remembered that he has Science homework to do. An experiment of all things! But the temptation to read the storybook was irresistible. Could the homework wait until later? Nevertheless Otieno reluctantly put down the book and decide to carry out the experiment.

As he was rushing to the kitchen, he slipped in a puddle of water which he had forgotten to wipe and found himself skidding on the floor. He was left unscathed as he hurt his ankle.

On most occasion, Otieno liked using his home-made burner to carry out Science experiments in his bedroom. He impatiently tried to look for his burner but he could not find it. After failing to trace the burner, he got hold of his salt solution and switched on the cooker. He became impatient as the cooker seemed to heat rather slowly, as if on purpose just to annoy him. But as he put the container on the cooker what he did not realise was that he had switched it on fully. Then Otieno went back to his book and left the solution boiling, hoping to be back in a few minutes. The part he was reading become so exciting that he soon forgot about the experiment. tied up with ropes and The story was about a detective who had got himself locked up in a room, a time bomb in a corner ready to blow up any minute! He was counting the minutes and.....

Suddenly, Otieno heard a loud bang go off somewhere in the kitchen within a fraction of a second. He thought that the bomb had actually exploded, killing the poor detective. Then he remembered his experiment!

Otieno immediately threw his book aside and run to the kitchen where he found smoke billowing from the cooker. he was shaken and frightened even as he tried to turn off the cooker and inspect th damage. Fortunately there was nothing amiss with the cooker.

He hurriedly removed all traces of the burnt solution and cleaned up the messed up place before his parents arrived home from work.

From that day he resolved to always do one thing at a time and at least read storybooks after finishing all other household chores.

26. What time is referred to in the first sentence?
    1. Before midday
    2. After sunset
    3. Between midnight and midday
    4. Between midday and sunset
27. To while the day away' mean to;
    1. waste the day
    2. spend the day pleasantly 
    3. do something naughty
    4. get involved in negative activities
28. When Otieno thought of the Science experiment, he;
    1. stopped reading at once
    2. began to while the day away
    3. was briefly undecided
    4. continued reading briefly
29. Why did Otieno decide to read a storybook?
    1. The book belonged to him
    2. He was sitting under a tree 
    3. There was nothing else to do 
    4. He was at home
30. "An experiment of all things! This expression suggested that Otieno;
    1. detested Science experiments 
    2. had many things on his mind
    3. liked doing experiments, especially Science one
    4. was a very busy boy
31. The word 'reluctantly' as used in the passage, its opposite is;
    1. hurriedly
    2. carefully
    3. slowly
    4. eagerly
32. What made Otieno hurt his ankle?
    1. It is normal for boys to hurt themselves
    2. He was naturally a very careless boy 
    3. In his hurry, he skipped on the floor
    4. He could tread himself easily
33. The word 'unscathed' can be replaced with;
    1. unhappy
    2. uninjured
    3. badly injured
    4. slightly injured
34. Which of the following is not true about the home-made burner?
    1. Otieno often used it in his bedroom
    2. It was used by Otieno for Science experiment
    3. Otieno used it mainly for Science experiment
    4. Otieno could not trace it when he needed it
35. It is true to say that Otieno used the cooker because;
    1. he wanted quick results
    2. it was better than his burner
    3. his burner was unavailable
    4. cooker are safer to use than burners
36. Why did Otieno soon forget about his experiment?
    1. His mind was on the loud bang in the kitchen
    2. All his attention was on the story 
    3. The death of the poor detective saddened him
    4. The cooker was heating slowly to annoy him
37. How did Otieno escape possible punishment?
    1. By switching off the cooker 
    2. By finishing his experiment on time 
    3. By lying to his parents about the cooke
    4. By cleaning up the mess before his parents arrived home
38. Which of these proverbs correctly summarises the story?
    1. Patience pays
    2. Better late than never
    3. Every cloud has a silver lining
    4. Never judge a book by its cover.

Read the passage below and then answer questions 39 to 50.

We cannot deny the fact that corruption has taken root in our society. It is an evil we must do everything possible to fight. Corruption manifested itself in different ways and may mean different things to different people.

Giving or receiving bribes and land grabbing are acts of corruption. So is the misuse of power by people to gain advantage for themselves or for their relatives and friends.

Embezzlement, or stealing money belonging to your employer, or money you have been given responsibility to be in charge of, is an example of misuse of power and authority. People who practice tribalism, nepotism or favouritism when recruiting 'others to jobs or during selection for admission to institutions of learning are engaging in corruption. There are also those who forge certificates or other people's signatures for selfish gains. Others put public property to private use or receive payment for goods that are partially supplied or not supplied at all.

Corruption goes beyond offices, businesses and other formal organizations. Ordinally people engage in corruption too. When small scale farmers add water to their milk or traders stuff the bottom of their containers of potatoes or charcoal before selling their goods to unsuspecting customers, aren't they involved in acts of corruption?

Pupils have not been spared this evil either. Some often jump queues, give or receive small bribes, cheat in the examinations and steal or use school property irresponsibility.

Finally corruption can be done using lawful punishment, for example, taking to court those who engage in any form of abuse of office. Preventive measures can also help the fight against corruption. There include improving the way organisations work, reviewing workers' salaries and educating the youth on morals such as integrity and honesty. All of us - the government, organisations including schools and individuals of all age and social status - should make it our responsibility to fight corruption. We should report cases of corruption to relevant authorities and encourage others to shun the vic

39. What is meant by 'corruption has taken root?'
    1. Corruption is widely practised
    2. We cannot do much about corruption
    3. Corruption is not properly fought
    4. Many people know about corruption
40. Why is corruption described as evil?
    1. It is feared by many
    2. It is done secretly
    3. It is harmful and immoral
    4. Its effects are feared by many.
41. Which of the following is an act of corruption?
    1. Helping our friends and relatives
    2. Rejecting bribes offered to us.
    3. Using of power provided by government
    4. Accepting bribes to help people.
42. Embezzlement is;
    1. being in charge of money
    2. taking money from your bank account
    3. stealing money from friends 
    4. stealing money from your work place.
43. Which of the following is not a negative deed?
    1. Nepotism
    2. Recruitment
    3. Forgery
    4. Favouritism
44. The example of charcoal, milk and potatoes is meant to show that;
    1. farmers and traders cannot be trusted
    2. most farmers and traders are corrupt
    3. office workers are not as corrupt as ordinally people
    4. corruption is found in all level of society
45. Which of these statements is true about pupils?
    1. They are more corrupt than other people
    2. They are also not free of corruption 
    3. They are corrupt only when they are in school
    4. Their corruption is not as serious as that of adults
46. Pupils have not been spared this evil. which evil is this?
    1. Corruption
    2. Irresponsibility
    3. Forgery
    4. Tribalism
47. Which of the following is not a proper way of fighting corruption?
    1. Improving salaries of corrupt people
    2. Taking corrupt people to court
    3. Teaching the young to be honest 
    4. Making salaries of employees better
48. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
    1. Corruption promotes development 
    2. To gain advantage over others is corruption
    3. We should sometimes report corruption cases
    4. Everybody should join the anti- corruption crusade
49. The word shun can be replaced with; 
    1. report
    2. avoid
    3. destroy
    4. practice
50. Which of the following would be a suitable title for this passage?
    1. Why people engage in corruption
    2. Why pupils are corrupt
    3. Corruption in the society
    4. How corruption affects the poor

COMPOSITION

You have 40 minutes to write your composition.

Below is the beginning of a composition. With your own words finish it making it as interesting as possible.

The day dawned like any other and we had high hopes. Little .............................................................................................

MARKING SCHEME

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