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

QUESTIONS

Read the passage below. It contains blank spaces numbered 1-15. For each blank space choose the BEST answer from the choices given.
It was a fine Friday morning when_1_ by our class teacher, we attended_2_ annuala Nairobi Trade Fair. We were all _3_ excited about the tour. Most of us _4_ about Trade Fairs but we had never attended any.
Before we left for the Fair, we_ 5_ to go to a hotel for a quick meal. When we had finished. . eating a waiter brought the _6_ for the meal. However, our teacher, Mr Mweti, _7_ pay for it because he had left the wallet at home. He _8_ some money from the bus driver, saying he would refund it later. After paying we_9_for the Fair.
On arrival, we found our deputy headteacher waiting for us. He gave cach of us _10_. note to pay at the gate. We quickly entered the grounds and started visiting various stands. At the wildlife stand, the warden _11_ to us in detail how various animals have different abilities to defend themselves in the face of danger. He told us that cheetahs can flee from their enemies because they can _12_ very fast. However, since leopards are not _13_ . cheetahs, they are more fierce. He surprised us when he further pointed out that wild animals hardly attack people _14_ they are provoked.
Before we could learn more, a guard asked us to leave the stand _15_ other visitors were waiting for their turn outside.

1.        
   1. together
   2. accompanied
   3. going
   4. including
2.        
   1. an
   2. the
   3. attitude
   4. one
3.          
   1. too     
   2. more
   3. so
   4. very
4.      
   1. had heard
   2. has had
   3. have heard
   4. were hearing
5.      
   1. thought
   2. wanted
   3. decided
   4. planned
6.      
   1. receipt
   2. order
   3. invoice
   4. bill
7.      
   1. could 
   2. should
   3. could not
   4. would not 
8.        
   1. begged
   2. borrowed
   3. paid
   4. lent
9.      
   1. left
   2. went
   3. go
   4. dispersed
10.        
    1. a ten shilling
    2. a ten shillings
    3. ten shillings
    4. ten shilling
11.        
    1. talked 
    2. told
    3. explained
    4. described
12.        
    1. run
    2. ran
    3. rans
    4. running
13.          
    1. as fast as 
    2. faster than
    3. better than
    4. as well as
14.          
    1. if 
    2. because
    3. until
    4. unless
15.      
    1. so
    2. because
    3. if
    4. while

In questions 16 and 17. choose the odd one out

16.        
    1. cassava
    2. maize
    3. bean
    4. wheat
17.        
    1. bedding 
    2. ship
    3. luggage
    4. stationery

In question 18. select the correct order of adjective.

18. She bought two wrist watches.
    1. expensive, golden, beautiful
    2. golden, beautiful, expensive 
    3. beautiful, golden, expensive
    4. beautiful, expensive, golden

For questions 19 and 20. choose the best word that has the same meaning as the underlined.

19. Children should not wander in the streets. 
    1. walk
    2. stroll 
    3. loiter
    4. roam
20. She deserved that reward. 
    1. got
    2. won
    3. earned
    4. gained

In questions 21 and 22. choose the correctly punctuated sentence 

21.      
    1. "As I was saying, "he resumed, that man is mad."
    2. "As I was saying, "he resurned, "That man is mad.” 
    3. "As I was saying," he resumed, that man is mad." 
    4. "As I was saying, he resumed. That man is mad."
22.        
    1. He said, “Come here." 
    2. He said: "Come here." 
    3. He said. "Come here,** 
    4. He said, “Come here".

For question 23 choose the correct alternative to replace the underlined.

23. Since his boy who was learning a trade was absent, he became mad. 
    1. novice
    2. learner 
    3. apprentice. 
    4. student

In questions 24 and 25, choose the correct answer to fill the blank space.

24. Mwangi is the____among his brothers
    1. oldest
    2. old
    3. elder
    4. eldest
25. His performance was liked by everyone.
    1. very
    2. so
    3. too
    4. not

Read the passage below then answer questions 26 - 38.
The dry season was the season when all insects worked hard on their farms, preparing for the rainy season. During the rainy season they all remained indoor eating what they had stored during the dry season. It was now the dry season and the insects were toiling hard on their farms replenishing their barns.'
The locusts and the praying mantis were friends. The praying mantis was happy-go-lucky insect and always sang while his friends worked. The locust advised him to go and gather grains in his own barn in readiness for the rainy season. .
"It's no matter, there is still plenty of time," the lazy mantis replied. At times he related stories to the locust who was not interested. Several times he warned him to go and prepare himself for the change of weather. The mantis was no longer happy staying with his friend. He went to the bee. As usual he sang and danced as the busy bee overworked himself. The bee occasionally brought food and wine which they shared together.
The mantis became ill and could no longer sing and dance. For eight market days he could not leave his house. As soon as he became well again, he started his merry-making.
. "Why not go and do a little work on your farm now that you are well again?" the bee suggested. "Next week, I shall start next week," the mantis replied dismissively. The rainy season came earlier than expected. Everyone was surprised but the insects were not worried since they had been storing grain for use when the rainy season began. But the praying mantis was worried. He had already used up the grain he had when he was ill. He went to the locust to borrow some. "Go to your friend the bee," was the locust's sharp answer. He went to the bee but the latter was not prepared to help. The third week of the rainy season saw the praying mantis kick the bucket.

26. According to the first paragraph, the insects worked hard; 
    1. when the rains started 
    2. towards the end of the dry season 
    3. during the dry season 
    4. all the time
27. The animals remained indoors during the rainy season; 
    1. so as to eat what they had stored during the dry season 
    2. to escape the effects of the weather change 
    3. to rest after the hard work 
    4. to continue working from there
28. "replenishing'as used in the passage means; 
    1. to refill
    2. to rebuild 
    3. to repair
    4. to repaint
29. Which word is used in the passage to show that the animals worked very hard? 
    1. Preparing 
    2. Toiling 
    3. Period
    4. Worked
30. The mantis is described as a happy-go-lucky insect. What does this mean? 
    1. Luck followed him everywhere 
    2. He was a jovial insect 
    3. He was an excellent and lucky singer 
    4. He never planned or worried about his future
31. Which of the following cannot be used to describe the mantis? 
    1. Fun-loving 
    2. Lax
    3. Short-sighted
    4. Industrious
32. Why wasn't the locust interested in the stories mantis told?
    1. He did not like stories 
    2. He was too busy to be bothered
    3. The stories were not interesting at all
    4. He hated the mantis
33. Which change of weather is referred to in th third paragraph? 
    1. The impending drought 
    2. The coming cold season
    3. The impending dry season 
    4. The coming rainy season
34. Why was the mantis no longer happy with his friend the locust? 
    1. The locust refused to listen his stories 
    2. The locust was cruel to him 
    3. The locust urged him to work like everyone else 
    4. The locust was mean and selfish
35. Which word means the same as 'occasionally as used in the passage without changing the meaning of the sentence? 
    1. Sometimes 
    2. Hardly 
    3. Rarely
    4. Regularly
36. Why weren't the insects worried when the rains came earlier than usual? 
    1. They would not get wet 
    2. They were hardworking 
    3. They had already prepared their farms 
    4. They had enough food in their barns
37. Which of the following sayings summarises the moral of the story? 
    1. Every cloud has a silver lining
    2. Hurry hurry has no blessings 
    3. As you make the bed, so you must lie on i 
    4. Once bitten twice shy
38. The story of praying mantis ends; 
    1. surprisingly 
    2. happily 
    3. tragically 
    4. shockingly

Read the passage below then answer the questions that follow
Driving at a steady speed 30 km per hour with your family comfortably seated in your vehicle, you slow down for the closet inspection of a tawny shape ahead on the road. "What's that daddy?" one of your children asks. It can't be - it is...."Simba!" Everyone says at once.
A male lion is sitting right there, unperturbed, on the dusty murram road. Cameras click and videos whir while you wait patiently in case the sleepy predators yawns revealing fangs three inches long.
A little while later, the children spot giraffe and eland, a serval cat pouncing around in the long grass. Zebras with their art deco markings swish their tails at bothersome flies and stare nonchalantly back at you.
A stunning sunset over the distance hills heralds the end of a perfect afternoon. Think you are on safari, the Maasai Mara or Samburu; perhaps you are. But right here you are not a stone's throw away from the bustling hub of one of Africa's busiest cities - in Nairobi National Park.
Nairobi is the only capital city on the planet with a natural wilderness in its town backyard. A former Kenya Wildlife Service Director , interviewed by Komba magazine in 2003 said, "San Diego spends $120 million a year to recreate something like what Nairobi has naturally. Many other capital cities around the world have wildlife but most of it is caged into the confined and unnatural spaces of a zoo. Nairobi is the envy of the world's capitals from Sydney to Stockholm, Chicago to Santiago. Big cities are very short of recreational areas and green spaces.
Nairobi National Park is a haven for diverse range of wildlife and birdlife inhabiting the gently rolling, acacia dotted savannah plains and African olive forests, rivers, gorges and glades.
Disturbingly, this sanctuary and the pyramid of life it supports is under increasing threat. As the city area expands, there is more and more pressure for land and the needs of people. Wildlife is falling prey to the Acti relentless bush-meat trade and even the park territory itself has not been spared. Plains have been drawn up Goto that cut off a section of the Northern perimeter to make way for the Nairobi Southern bypass.

39. The family in the first paragraph was;
    1. on an inspection mission 
    2. looking for lions 
    3. on a wildlife tour 
    4. on a joyride
40. The tawny shape ahead; 
    1. was probably a lioness 
    2. was not easy to distinguish 
    3. could have been a male lion 
    4. was actually a lion
41. The sight on the murram road; 
    1. excited those in the vehicle 
    2. infuriated the children
    3. disturbed the children's father 
    4. perturbed all those in the vehicle
42. Why did cameras click? 
    1. Because the lion was unperturbed 
    2. Photos were being taken 
    3. So that the predator could yawn 
    4. To make the predator move off the road
43. From the second paragraph, we can conclude that; 
    1. the predator yawned 'sleepily 
    2. the predator yawned because it was disturbed 
    3. the predator yawned probably to reveal its fangs 
    4. probably the predator did not yawn
44. Which animal or animals did the writer find beautiful? 
    1. The serval cat and the eland 
    2. The giraffe and the eland 
    3. The zebras 
    4. The serval cat
45. Which of the following words can replace nonchalantly without changing its meaning? 
    1. Angrily
    2. Blankly 
    3. Calmly
    4. Carefully
46. According to the writer, the afternon and sunset were; 
    1. busy
    2. enchanting 
    3. full
    4. rare
47. Nairobi is described as; 
    1. the busiest city in Africa
    2. among the busiest cities in Africa 
    3. a busy city in Africa 
    4. the busiest city near Nairobi National Park
48. Why is Nairobi the envy of the world's capitals? 
    1. It is the busiest city in the world 
    2. It is the only city with a natural wilderness in its backyard 
    3. It has a natural haven for wildlife 
    4. Other cities spend a lot of money on their natural parks
49. Which of the following is not a threat to Nairobi National Park? 
    1. It is teeming with wildlife and birdlife 
    2. People are killing its animals for meat
    3. Its land is being put under human use 
    4. A road has cut across it
50. Which would be the best title for this passage? 
    1. Nairobi - the busy city 
    2. How Nairobi National Park can be protected ctiv 
    3. Nairobi National Park - its highs and lows 
    4. A drive through Nairobi National Park

COMPOSITION
Below is the ending of a composition. Complete it and make it as interesting as possible
.......since that day i came to realize that every cloud has a silver lining

MARKING SCHEME