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

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

We started going to school because either we were told by our parents or our ___1___ brothers and sisters had made us want to go even before we became of the right___2___. The thought of___3___school uniform and being away from home for some hours of the day too could have__4____ us and made us look forward to attending school__5____ I'm sure for majority of us, it was short-lived. This is because school life proved to be___6_____ different from what we were__7___ to at home.

To start with, in some homes, fighting was not condemned and whoever was___8___ was usually praised. At school, this was against the school rules and if one was found to be fighting others consistently, he could be___9___ from school casily. Next, at home, the___10___was more relaxed and one could even eat at any time of the day upon their___11___ while school programmes are usually__12___. This discourages new and young learners from liking school. Behaviour at school is set and all learners are___13___ to obey the rules. This is__14___ at the end of the first few weeks, a big positive change is___15___ on the learners who attend school.

For questions 16 and 17, choose the correct alternative to fill in the blank space in each of the sentences.

1. The boy lay down and soon dozed _____ as he was very exhausted.
   1. on
   2. off
   3. over
   4. down
2. He confessed that he had just made ______ the story so it wasn't true.
   1. out
   2. over
   3. off
   4. up

For questions 18 to 20, choose the word that means the opposite of the underlined word.

1. Many butchers use very sharp knives to cut meat.
   1. old
   2. short
   3. blunt
   4. rusty
2. He is unlikely to reach home before dark.
   1. probable
   2. impossible
   3. unlikely
   4. possible
3. Children are warned not to talk to their elders in a hostile manner.
   1. angry
   2. pleasant
   3. warm
   4. friendly

For questions 21 to 23, select the alternative that means the same as the given sentence.

1. "We are starting our examinations tomorrow," Ken said.
   1. Ken said that they are starting their examinations tomorrow.
   2. Ken said that they were starting their examinations the next day.
   3. Ken said that we are starting our examinations the following day.
   4. Ken said that they are starting their examinations the next day
2. John wished he had not shouted at the old man.
   1. John regretted shouting at the old man.
   2. John hoped he had not shouted at the old man.
   3. John said he did not like shouting at the old man.
   4. John decided not to shout at the old man.
3. No sooner had the bus stopped than the driver switched off the engine.
   1. The driver switched off the engine when the bus stopped.
   2. The bus stopped when the driver switched off the engine.
   3. The driver switched off the engine after the bus had stopped.
   4. The driver switched off the engine immediately the bus stopped.

For questions 24 and 25, select the alternative that best completes the sentence.

1. Titus chose to run home______ there was still a lot of time
   1. because
   2. though
   3. while
   4. when
2.  The chief was very______ with Abdul for stealing from his neighbours.
   1.  annoyed
   2. disturbed
   3. sorry
   4. shocked

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

For some time, the villagers had lived under great fear. Raiders had almost taken control of all the village activities. Women who were notorious for leaving the market at dusk realised they had to change and so as the sun sank below the horizon, trade at the markets also got concluded. No one walked in darkness and whoever did would not feel at case until they reached their destination. However, no one had been
warned against this.

We had come from a long journey. We had covered hills and valleys and our feet were sore but we could not afford to stop. As the sun started going down, our moods changed. We hastened our steps but it was no use. We had left late and would not arrive home before ten o'clock, however fast we walked. No one talked, not even Ken, who always found fun in everything, including his own misery.
Some paths were rocky and narrow and so we had to walk in a single file. We avoided this as much as we could, though, because hardly any of us liked being in the rear. We heard crickets and frogs, dogs and jackals and occasionally hyenas. The sound that were dreaded most, however, was that of screaming men and women because we knew what it would signify.
we

We were beginning to relax for two reasons. The village was not that far anymore and the arcas known to be dangerous were already behind us. Then, heard a sound, too strange for any us to attribute to any known creature. It could neither be a human being nor a bull; we all froze on our tracks as if that was the safest thing to do. I must have stopped breathing temporarily and my knees felt so weak that had I been alone, maybe, I would have collapsed. By instinct, we found ourselves darting into the bushes along the path and going flat on the ground.

Then, we heard more of the strange sounds and for some time, we believed we had come face to face with the ruthless raiser, for the first time. I could distinctly hear the voice of a man, talking in a low murmur; but the other sounds were so muffled up that either due to fear, inexperience or both, I was completely unable to identify.

A shadow figure started coming towards us. From a distance, I could see it struggling drunkenly but the voice was too strong. Fearing for the worst, the whole party jumped from their hiding places, running and screaming in all directions. My throat felt too dry to utter a squawk and waited to die there. The 'thing' kept coming towards me and I closed my eyes. Then, I heard another sound-the type I could not mistake for anything else. It was the bleating of a ram.

The man walked past me, struggling with the ram. It's like it had strayed away and he was leading it home and I identified the man as Mike, my own uncle!

1. Why are the women in the first paragraph described as notorious?
   1. They did not seem to follow the new village time lines.
   2. They were never afraid of the raiders as the men.
   3. They sold more of their items at night than day.
   4. They associated with the raiders who terrorised the villagers.
2. What do you think made business be concluded at the market before darkness?
   1. The men had warned all the villagers against trade at night.
   2. The women were no longer doing business within the accepted times.
   3. Women were getting attacked at the market places at night.
   4. There was fear caused by lawlessness in the village.
3. The writer and his party were travelling late because
   1. they were tired and scared of raiders.
   2. their departure had not started as expected.
   3. they were too many walking along a narrow path.
   4. their feet were aching due to long period of walking.
4. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
   1. Unavoidable circumstances made some people to walk in darkness.
   2. All the villagers stopped walking in darkness.
   3. The more the writer and his party walked, the slower they became.
   4. The party walked in a single file throughout the journey.
5. The sounds made by the animals. mentioned in the third paragraph are used as
   1. signs that the travellers never felt lonely.
   2. a confirmation that the raiders were soon attacking
   3. signals that instilled fear into the writer and his party
   4. an indication that travellers were not afraid at all.
6. The main reason why the writer expected to hear sounds of screaming men and women is
   1. people rarely walked at night those days.
   2. attacks from raiders had become common.
   3. there were too many dangerous wild animals in the area.
   4. they were approaching homes of people.
7. When the travellers heard the strange sound
   1. none of them could tell which animal had made it.
   2. it was too strange to bother them.
   3. they were sure the raiders were close to them.
   4. they were confused because of being exhausted.
8. The word 'froze' has been underlined in the passage. It suggests that the writer
   1. was feeling very cold.
   2. decided neither to talk nor walk anymore.
   3. identified the dangerous animal.
   4. was extremely frightened.
9. Had the writer done what the other members of the party did when the shadowy figure approached them
   1. They could all have reached home safely.
   2. The villagers could have come out to save them:
   3. Probably they could never have identified the creature.
   4. The writer's uncle could never have blamed them.
10. Why do you think the shadowy figure seemed struggling drunkenly?
    1. The person could have been drunk.
    2. It was the ram making movement difficult in darkness.
    3. He was scared of the raiders who could appear anytime.
    4. The person too was very scared.
11. The writer closed his eyes as the 'thing' kept going towards him because
    1. he feared that the worst would soon befall him.
    2. there was nothing to see anymore.
    3. his party had abandoned him in the bush.
    4. he wanted to see the 'thing' clearly.
12. Which of the four words below would best describe how the writer felt upon identifying what had made them panic?
    1. Desperate.
    2. Shocked.
    3. Disgusted
    4. Relieved.
13. In the end,
    1. The writer and the party reached home safely.
    2. Only the writer had information none of the party had.
    3. The writer's uncle blamed him for behaving cowardly.
    4. The writer vowed never to walk in darkness again.

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

The word 'justice' is usually associated with courts of law. We might say that justice has been done when a man's innocence or guilt has been proven beyond doubt. Justice is part of the complex machinery of the law. Those who seek it undertake an arduous journey and can never be sure that they will find it. Judges, however wise or eminent, are human and can make mistakes.

There are rare instances when justice almost ceases to be an abstract conception. Reward or punishment is meted out quite independent of human interference. At such times, justice acts like a living force. When we use a phrase like 'it serves him right,' we are, in part admitting that a certain set of circumstances has enabled justice to act of its own accord.

When a thief was caught on the premises of a large fur store one morning, the shop assistants must have found it impossible to resist the temptation to say it serves him right.' The shop was an old-fashioned one with many large, dormant fireplaces and tall, narrow chimneys. Towards midday, a girl heard a muffled cry coming from behind one of the walls. As the cry was repeated several times, she ran to tell the. manager who promptly rang up the fire-brigade. The cry had certainly come from one of the chimneys, but as there were so many of them, the firemen could not be certain which one it was. They located the right chimney by tapping on the walls and listening for the man's cries. After chipping through a wall which was eighteen inches thick, they found that a man had been trapped in the chimney. As it was extremely narrow, the man was unable to move, but the firemen were eventually able to free him by cutting a huge hole in the wall. The sorry-looking, blackened figure that emerged, at once admitted that he had tried to break into the shop during the night but had got stuck in the chimney. He had been there for nearly ten hours. Justice had been done even before the man was handed over to the police.

1. Which of the following is true according to the paragraph?
   Justice is........
   1. normally connected to the local courts of law.
   2. when a man is found guilty.
   3. when a man is found innocent
   4. normally connected to the courts of law,
2. Those who seek justice
   1. undertake the journey with doubt.
   2. undertake a short and easy journey.
   3. are never sure of finding it.
   4. are sure of finding it.
3. The word eminent as used in the passage means
   1. famous
   2. indolent
   3. notorious
   4. uncivilised
4. According to the passage, judges are
   1. human and are not bound to make mistakes.
   2. human and are bound to make mistakes.
   3. wise and take a long time.
   4. wise and always take a short cuts.
5. Which of the following words can correctly be used to replace 'ceases' as used in the passage?
   1. Disappear
   2. Commences
   3. Stops
   4. Eludes
6. When was a thief caught on the premises of a large fur store?
   1. At sunset
   2. Almost at dawn
   3. At midnight
   4. At midday
7. Which of the following best describes the kind of shop in the passage? An old-fashioned
   1. with one large fire place.
   2. with used fire places.
   3. ,disused fireplaces and a narrow chimney.
   4. ,many large not used fire places and tall narrow chimney.
8. A girl heard a muffled cry from
   1. behind many walls
   2. tall-narrow chimneys
   3. behind a wall
   4. a large disused fire place
9. How did the firemen locate the right chimney?
   1. Tapping the walls and becoming deaf to the cries.
   2. Tapping the walls and listening to the man's cries.
   3. Listening to the man's crics.
   4. Tapping the walls and crying loudly.
10. Which of the following best explains why the man was trapped? The chimney
    1. was very narrow making the man not move.
    2. was extremely wide enabling him not to move.
    3. had fire that scared off the man to move.
    4. was narrow while the man was stout.
11. How did the firemen rescue the man? Cutting a
    1. deep hole in the wall
    2. tiny hole in the wall
    3. medium hole in the wall
    4. large hole in the wall.
12. The best summary for this passage would be: Justice
    1. is only found in the courts of law.
    2. does not exist today.
    3. can be done without human beings around.
    4. must be done with human beings around.

COMPOSITION

You have 40 minutes to write your composition. Below is the beginning of a story. Complete it in your own words, making it as interesting as you can.
Everybody was happy that morning. The final day of education in primary school had finally come. So, when the bell was rung............

                                                                                MARKING SCHEME

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