English Questions and Answers - Class 8 Term 2 Opener Exams 2022 Set 1

Questions

Read the passage below:It contains blank spaces numbered 1-15. For each blank'space choose the BEST alternative choices given

Crying is not always a      1          of sadness. Many people,       2        , cry because of pain but       3          are cases when people cry due to the pain of      4            . Take , for example,       5            you go to an accident       6           . At first, you may see a         7       standing there, doing nothing but looking sad. then a friend you know well comes and       8         into uncontrollable wail after recognising the      9         . You would definitely join in because of your friend's pain.
People also cry when they are extremely happy      10          the cases are        11        few. Such people laugh until you see them shed tears. There are also who cry but because of some       12         reasons, no tears are       13        seen. To the very elderly ones , crying is accompanied           14   either a kind of        15       or movement. Crying , therefore, does not take a specific fashion.
that means the SAME. as the underlined one.

For questions 16 to 17, choose the option which BEST fills the blank space in the sentences below.

16. In our school, we write _________ a fountain pen.
    1. in
    2. with
    3. by
    4. from
17. I could have gone to hospital if I _______ sick in the morning.
    1. had been feeling
    2. felt
    3. was feeling
    4. had felt

For questions 18 and 19 choose the sentence that means the SAME as the underlined one.

18. You ought to pay attention in class.
    
    1. You may pay attention in class.
    2. You can pay attention in class.
    3. You should pay attention in class.
    4. You have to pay attention in class.
19. He will not only come but also bring the present he had promised.
    1. He will come and likewise bring the present he had promised.
    2. He will come and confirm that he had promised to bring the present
    3. He will come and probably bring the present he had promised.
    4. If he  bring the present he had promised, he will come.

in questions 20 and 21, choose the best alternative that means the OPPOSITE of the underlined word:

20. Wheat flour is very fine.
    1. Rough :
    2. Tough
    3. Coarse
    4. Hard
21. He behaves in a civilised manner.
    1. Strange
    2. Barbaric
    3. Cruel
    4. Ancient

In questions:22 and.23, choose the, BEST, arrangement of the given sentences to make sensible paragraphs. :

22.            
    1. She could not use all that they had brought her.
    2. I became a beneficiary as a result of that
    3. My sister was once visited by her friends.
    4. She received a number of presents from them.
       1. (iii),(i),(ii),(iv)
       2. (iii),(iv),(ii),(i)
       3. (iii),(iv),(i),(ii)
       4. (iii),(ii),(iv),(i)
23.                 
    1. I watched some passengers disembark from it. 
    2. The bus came to a halt at the bus stop
    3. We were soon on our way to town.
    4. The vacant seats were soon occupied again.
       1. (ii),(i),(iv),(iii)
       2. (ii),(iv),(i),(iii)
       3. (ii),(iii),(i),(iv)
       4. (ii),(i),(iii),(iv)

 For questions 24 and 25 choose the sentence which is CORRECTLY punctuated.

24.            
    1. Phares shouted, "Look out." 
    2. Phares shouted "Look out!"  
    3. Phares shouted, "look out!"  
    4. Phares shouted, "Look out!"   
25.  
    1. Maralal medical centre has run out of water.
    2. Maralal Medical Centre has run out of water.
    3. Maralal Medical centre has run out of water.
    4. Maralal medical Centre has run out of water.

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

Long ago, Frog did not have the hoarse voice he has today. Infact, he was a well-known singer who would be paid handsomely to perform at various functions. He liked this and bragged about it openly, not knowing that one false turn could put a Stop to his fame.

Although he was famous, he was not liked due to one thing. He had the habit of stealing but this was unknown to many people. Hé stole cabbages and carrots from time to time but for sweet potatoes, it was like a daily routine. He liked eating them raw, boiled or roasted. He would salivate as they got roasted in an open fire just outside his house. He would not wait for them to roast as he greedily salivated. That is why he ate them while still warm. He was lazy and never watt farm like the others did.

During one harvesting season, people did not invite him much. He , therefore, found himself lacking food while the others had plenty to eat. Had he got the usual invitations, the situation would have been very different. He therefore resorted to his other way of getting food- stealing, For carrots and cabbages, he stole them late in the night and hid them in his bedroom so that not even his visitors would know he ever had anything edible in the house.

It was when he stole from Hare's farm that he got himself into trouble, Hare hid himself up in the big tree at the edge of his farm to keep watch over his carrots and cabbages that he had tended and watered for a long time. It was approaching midnight when he saw something moving towards the farm. After recovering from the fright, he identified the thief for he walked in a special way. As soon as the thief was through, he left and went home. 

The following day, he visited Squirrel. He was given instructions to follow carefully and stop thieves from reaping where they did not sow. So the very following day, he went to the farm. As soon as he saw the thief arrive, he ran to Frog’s home, lit a fire at the normal fireplace and started roasting some potatoes in which he had wedged in some pebbles carefully. He then went back to his waiting area, just behind the fence to wait for the thief to return. It was cold, dark and frightening, but he eventually heard the happy whistling, a signal of the return of a happy man.

He came straight to where the nice aroma of roasting potatoes was coming from. Whenever he saw some nice meat, he always stopped being cautious and this is what Squirrel had told Hare. Frog took two long Ieaps and was there. In just a couple of minutes, he had swallowed a number of them before he realised that it was actually quite hot. He had no time to think when the heat started burning him from within. He croaked loudly and headed straight for the pond where he dipped himself:

He survived but he lost his golden voice. From that day, Frog learnt a lesson of his life but décided to keep trying to sing again. This is what you hear at the ponds during the rainy season.

26. From the first paragraph, it is true to say that
    1. frog's hoarse voice started because of singing.
    2. frog was very proud of his voice.
    3. frog wass well known though he had a hoarse voice.
    4. frog was not paid as much as he would have wished during the shows
27. Which of the following was Frog ignorant about?
    1. Functions he was always needed to perform at.
    2. How much he was valued by others
    3. He was an excellent singer.
    4. The possibility of losing his talent.
28. What made Frog’s popularty to drop?
    1. His shows were not as attractive as expected.
    2. He was too proud to be liked by many.
    3. Some people had known he was a thief.
    4. He had been caught stealing from others.
29. The fact that the Frog would salivate as the potatoes got roasted shows that
    1. he was very greedy.
    2. the potatoes were very sweet,
    3. he used to steal daily.
    4. the stealing was not a sccret.
30. Why.did Frog use to eat the sweet potatoes while they were still warm?
    1. They tasted sweeter when still warm.
    2. He lacked the patience to wait.
    3. He did not want others to find him eating.
    4. Stolen potatoes are usually sweeter.
31. Frog liked eating sweet potatoes all the time because
    1. it was his favourite. 
    2. he found them easier to steal.
    3. many people grew it near his home.
    4. he was given a lot of it
32. What caused Frog’s temptations to steal increase?
    1. People had too much work to do on their farms.
    2. Frog lacked visitors at his home
    3. He stole carrots and cabbages during the night easily.
    4. His shows became less popular with time.
33. The movement that helped Hare to identify the thief in darkness is:
    
    1. hopping
    2. prowling
    3. staggering
    4. croaking
34. How did the other animals contribute towards making Frog to steal?
    1. They took too long to catch him.
    2. His invitations to stage shows became less.
    3. They grew more crops than they could consume.
    4. They listened to him as he bragged about his voice:
35. Why did Hare decide to wedge pebbles into the sweet potatoes before roasting them?
    1. To ensure the potatoes remained hot for along time —
    2. Tomake the potataes smell nice even at a distance.
    3. It could have been an instruction from Squirell
    4. He wanted Frog to eat less potatoes than usual
36. Frog did not realise the potatoes he was eating had pebbles in them because
    1. he was too greedy to chew the potatoes. 
    2. he was used to eating thems
    3. hare had roasted them nicely.
    4. .it was not the first time he was stealing
37. Whom do you think could bear the blame for Frog’s downfall? 
    1. Squirrel
    2. Those who invite him to perform.
    3. Hare
    4. The farm owners from whom he stole.
38. Which of the following proverbs well BEST be used to Summarise this story?
    1. A new broom sweeps clean.
    2. Charity begins at home. 
    3. We never miss the water until thé well runs dry
    4.  The days of a thief are numbered.

Read the passage-below and then answer the questions 39-50

Teachers in the North-Eastern Kenya are an unhappy lot. It is said that people from other ethnic groups or religions perceived to be from far off regions are unwanted. They left the region and as they did so, most public servants who could find other jobs also left and there is no possibility of them returning there.

Those that felt their security was guaranteed braved their way back to serve the nation. They went there, knowing well that others have moved away and that means there would be more work for them. This is what led some teachers to camp at the Teaches Service headquarters in Nairobi. The teachers indicated that they were willing to serve anywhere else in the country except the North-Eastern. They expected to be posted to new stations.

One will ask if this is a fair decision to make given the children in those risky areas also leave an equal right to education like their counterparts in other regions. 

On the other hand, is it fair to force someone to work in an area he or she perceives to be unsafe? Which is stronger, the right of the child or the forceful posting of a disgruntled employee? Teaching is said to be a noble profession and cannot be equated to the amount of money the teachers get paid. It is a service that trains a whole,being into being an acceptable membér of the society.

The government has used threats, insults and intimidation to make the teachers go to work. They have been threatened with being sacked and even reminded to think of whom they are. The government should have remembered that the insecurity the teachers are running away from is real and not imagined. The main issue here is security and the government has only verbally repeated to the teachers that they would be safe. No additional police officers have been deployed in such areas to show the government’s concern.

One wonders why the employer, too, told the teachers that they could be replaced at the snap of a finger. This strategy, honestly can’t work because those replacing them will equally soon demand the same security immediately and they too are replaced, what happens next?

Education of a child has almost nothing to do with what the teacher verbally communicates. It has a lot to do with what the teacher expects to impart in the mind of the child. A teacher working under stress is more dangerous to the children's welfare and cannot be expected to deliver.

39. What has made teachers in the North-Eastern Kenya unhappy?
    1. An anonymous statement regarding their security.
    2. People from some ethnic groups scared them off.
    3. Two religious groups were contradicting themselves on the teachers' issues.
    4. The government does not seem to want them in those regions.
40. Public servants who returned tothe North-Eastern Kenya
    1. returned there because the teachers returned
    2. wanted tose if the threat was genuine or not.
    3. did so because they had no alternative.
    4. decided to go against the teachers' decision.
41. Why would there be more work for the few who moved back to the North-Eastern Kenya? They would
    1. work against the wish of the local people.
    2. be unwilling to work as hard as expected.
    3. be harassed by the people they serve.
    4. still have to serve the whole population.
42. The MAIN reason why some teachers camped at the Teachers Service Commission headquarters is because
    1. they had not received a pay rise for a long time. .
    2. the number of teachers returning was too small.
    3. they were protesting against those who had gone back to work
    4. they felt the security of all teachers was lacking.
43. How would the government solve this problem after transferring the teachers but without employing more teachers?
    1. Increase the number of teachers willing to go there.
    2. Get teachers from elsewhere and post them to North-Eastern Kenya.
    3. Allow teachers to choose where they wanted to work.
    4. Force the unwilling teachers to return there.
44. Transferring of teachers as demanded by the teachers would MOST LIKELY cause
    1. improvement of education standards .
    2. discomfort to the locals of North-Eastem Kenya.
    3. imbalance of teachers’ mumbers.
    4. indisciptine amonp seadents:
45. As the teachers and the government maintained their stand against each other.
    1. Pupils suffered.
    2. teachers suffered.
    3. the government relaxed.
    4. the sucrity agents had no work.
46. The government's use of threats, insults and intimidation to make teachers return to work suggests that
    1. It has finally found a way of dealing with the teachers
    2. the teachers have started returning slowly
    3. teachers can only be formed in order to return to work.
    4. it is desperate to ensure learning resumes.
47. What do teachers expect the government to do in terms of their security?
    1. To be convinced that they will be safer than earlier.
    2. Practically put measures they can in place on the ground,
    3. To be assured of their security by the police.
    4. To be given guns to use for self-defence.
48. A teacher, according to the passage
    1. works best under threats and intimidation.
    2. can work only where he or she wants
    3. is being paid less than what he or she should be
    4. needs to be given more security than any other employee
49. Why is the teachers' employer not adressing the real issue raised by the teachers? It
    1. doesn't seem to respond to the teachers' demand.
    2. has enough teachers to replace the ones on strike.
    3. is used to the continuous strikes of the teachers
    4. does not believe the teachers are in any danger.
50. the BEST title for this passage, would be
    1. Causes of strikes among teachers
    2. How security of the country can be improved.
    3. Security officers in North Eastern Kenya need education,
    4. The stand-off between teachers and government.

Composition:

Below is the beginning of a story. Complete it in your won words, making it as interesting as you can

We arrive at the venue of a championship early. Already , many teams in brightly coloured kits had come and we were sure the whistle would soon be blown...

Marking Scheme