English Questions and Answers - Class 8 Mid Term Exams Term 1 2023 Set 12

Read the broken passage below and use it to answer questions 1-15. For each blank space, choose the best alternative from the choices given.

Drinking enough liquids to stay hydrated helps to ensure that all __1__ functions are able to take place as normal. Water in the body is essential for many important __2__ . In the blood system, water carries glucose, oxygen and nutrients to cells __3__ getting rid __4__ waste products through the kidney.

Human bodies are __5__ designed to regulate temperature particularly in hot conditions by __6__ more water through the skin, which in turn acts to cool the body helping to maintain a stable temperature. The more water is lost __7__sweat, the more it is needed for replacement. More fluid. than normal is lost during sporting activities.

Water levels in the body change __8__ people age. New borns have a higher body fluid level. compared to adults. Elderly people have lower fluid levels __9__ hydration is really important at all ages. Low levels of fluid in the body __10__ cause headaches, dizziness, lethargy and a dry mouth. Over a longer term, dehydration causes constipation, urinary__11__ infections and the formation of kidney stones. To prevent this, everyone should have regular and adequate intake of fluids.

We shouldn't wait for the sensation of __12__ to take a drink. By __13__ our bodies are already dehydrated. The best indicator of good hydration is a pale straw coloured urine. Darker coloured urine is a sure sign that the body needs more fluid. Getting __14__ the habit of drinking fluids regularly is a great way of keeping hydrated. Water from the top is a great choice because it is __15__available and free.

Complete the below sentences with the correct 

16. The news we heard _____________________ good at all.
    
    1. were
    2. wasn't
    3. weren't
    4. is
17. Grade Four girls played on the ________________________yesterday.
    
    1. lone
    2. alone
    3. loan
    4. lawn

For questions 18 and 19, choose the word which means the opposite as the underlined.

18. Everyone should be cautious when handling chemicals.
    
    1. reckless
    2. careful
    3. lazy
    4. steady
19. The soldiers retreated after sensing defeat.
    
    1. continued
    2. withdrew
    3. gained ground
    4. ran away

Complete the below sentences with the correct word.

20. Why are you ___________________ to your parents?
    
    1. lieing
    2. laying
    3. lying
    4. lied
21. George is the _________________________ of the twins.
    
    1. better
    2. best
    3. good
    4. worst

Use the correct phrasal verb to fill in the choice. blank spaces.

22. Marina said that she did not know what to ________________________the new student.
    
    1. make out
    2. make of
    3. make for
    4. make up
23. Babu must have ___________________________some kilos during the festive holiday.
    1. put up
    2. put through
    3. put on
    4. put in.

For questions 24 and 25, rearrange the below sentences to make a sensible paragraph.

24.  
    1. In Kwasi Location
    2. the village dashed into hiding
    3. at the buzz of a helicopter
    4. and scattered into the bushes.
       1. (iii), (ii), (i), (iv) 
       2. (ii), (iii), (i), (iv)
       3. (i), (ii), (iii), (iv)
       4. (iii), (i), (ii), (iv)
25.  
    1. Finally, he must be fluent in English
    2. If a school wishes to employ a teacher
    3. Apart from being atleast 25 years old
    4. The job applicant must be a graduate
       
       1. (ii), (iv), (iii), (i)
       2. (iv), (iii), (ii), (i)
       3. (ii), (i), (iv), (iii)
       4. (iii), (i), (ii), (iv)

Read the passage below and use it to answer questions 26 - 38.

In the far East, there was a great King who had no work to do. Every day, and all day long, he sat on soft cushions and listened to stories. And no matter what the story was about, he never grew tired of hearing it, even if it was very long.

"There is only one fault that I find with your story," he often said. "It is too short."
All the story-tellers in the world were invited to his palace, and some of them told tales that were very long indeed but the King was always sad when a story was ended.

At last he sent word into every city and town offering a prize to any one who would tell him an endless tale.

He said, "To the man that will tell me a story which shall last forever, I will give my fairest daughter for his wife and I will make him my heir, and he shall be a king after me."

But this was not all. He added a very hard condition. "If any man shall try to tell such a story and then fail, he shall have his head cut off."

The king's daughter was very pretty, and there were many young men in that country who were willing to do anything to win her but none of them wanted to lose their heads and so only a few tried for the prize.

One young man invented a story that lasted three months but at the end of that time, he could think of nothing more. His fate was a warning to others and it was a long time before another story-teller was so rush as to try the king's patience.

But one day a stranger from the South came into the palace.
"Great King," he said, "is it true that you offer a prize to the man who can tell a story that has no end?"

"It is true," said the King.
"And shall this man have your fairest daughter for his wife, and shall he be your heir?" "Yes if he succeeds," said the King. "But if he fails, he shall lose his head."
"Very well then," said the stranger. "I have a pleasant story about locusts which I would like to relate."
"Tell it," said the King. "I will listen to you."
The story-teller began his tale.

"Once upon a time a certain king seized upon all the rice in his country and stored it away in a strong granary. But a swarm of locust came over the land and saw where the grains had been put. After searching for many days, they found on the east side of the granary a crevice that was just large enough for one locust to pass though at a time. So one locust went in and carried away a grain of rice, then another locust went in and carried away a grain of rice.

Day after day, week after week, the man kept on saying, "Then another locust went in and carried away a grain of rice."

A month passed; a year passed. At the end of two years, the King said, "How much longer will the locust be going in and carrying away rice?"

"Oh King!" Said the the story-teller, they have as yet cleared only one cubic and there are many thousands cubics in the granary."

"Man, man!" cried the King," you will drive me mad. I can listen to it no longer. Take my daughter, be my heir, rule my kingdom. But do not let me hear another word about those horrible locusts!" And so the strange story-teller married the King's daughter. And he lived happily in the land for many years. But his father-in-law, the King, did not care to listen to any more stories.

26. From the story, why did the King sit all day long?
    
    1. He had soft cushions
    2. He had no work to do.
    3. He got tired of listening
    4. He liked short stories.
27. Which reward awaited the person who would tell an endless story to the king?
    1. A great farm in the Kingdom.
    2. A lot of wealth
    3. A granary full of rice
    4. A heiress and a kingdom.
28. What did the King dislike about the stories he had been told before? They were 
    1. full of repetition
    2. too short
    3. disinteresting
    4. full of lies.
29. Which of the below statements does not describe the granary?
    
    1. It was on the East of the farm
    2. It was very strong
    3. It was big
    4. It had a narrow opening
30. From the story, what befell the young man who narrated a story for three months?
    
    1. He was rewarded heavily
    2. He escaped his fate
    3. He was beheaded
    4. He married the King's daughter
31. What amount of grain had been taken out of the granary in two years?
    
    1. One tonne
    2. Many thousand cubics
    3. One cubic
    4. Everything
32. The word father-in-law has been used in the passage. Choose its plural?
    
    1. Fathers-in-law
    2. Father-in-laws
    3. Fathers-in-laws
    4. Fathers-ins-laws
33. Which of the below words best describes the King's daughter?
    
    1. Fair
    2. Patient 
    3. Bold
    4. Good-looking
34. According to the story what was the King looking for in every city and town?
    
    1. The longest story
    2. The strongest man
    3. The best prize
    4. The medicine to locusts.
35. Which of the below words can be used in place of the word "seized"?
    
    1. Grabbed
    2. Took
    3. Controlled
    4. Affected.
36. What stopped the young men from telling the King a story?
    
    1. The young men were many
    2. They were afraid of locusts
    3. They were scared of dying
    4. Only a few tried
37. Why did the King complain of being driven mad?
    
    1. He had a lot of things to do
    2. He no longer wanted stories
    3. He had found a heir
    4. He didn't like repetition.
38. According to the passage, choose the most suitable title for the story.
    
    1. An Endless Tale
    2. Dead Men Tell No Tales
    3. The King and The Locust
    4. A Young Brave Man.

Read the passage below and use it to answer questions 39-50.

Journalism as a profession is gaining ground these days in Kenya. There is an explosion o information. We are living in a fast changing world with a fast flow of information. A large number o books, magazines and journals have come up. Today, we have more than twenty associations of journalists in the country. Not to mention the regular courses in journalism running in various universities. Mass communication has already been introduced as a subject at post graduate level in many universities. The profession of jounalism now attracts a lot of able and talented Kenyan students.

Journalism requires a special bent of mind. The first requirement of journalism as a profession is a keen interest in current events or day to day happenings. A budding jounalist mus understand political, social and the economic movements taking place in Kenya and abroad. He mus take an active interest on current events and have a good understanding of history and geography to develop a proper perspective. In fact, a journalist has to be a well-read and learned man. He must have a well stocked mind. He has to be a wake, a lert and active. He must possess a sound memory. He mus have an analytical mind.

A journalist must have original thinking in the face of events that take place from time to time He has to interpret, explain and comment on events. He must read extensively and assimilate facts. A journalist has a noble task to perform. He must present facts before the people. He is an educator. He has to form and build public opinion. He must have an independent way of thinking. He must have the courage of his conviction. He must not be biased or prejudiced against anybody or any organisation. He must have an insight into human mind. He must live and move among people to study their mode of living. A good journalist combines in him all these qualities of head and heart.

A social duty to a journalist is to educate people. It is duty bound for a journalist to educate the mass on their rights and responsibilities. Also, he has to present before one and all, the facts of day-to-day life without bias or interest. He has to keep his own personal prejudices away from what he is writing. He should guard against being exploited by those who are in power. Political clout or the power of wealth should not frighten or coerce a journalist into writing with some ulterior motive. This demands for a lot of courage, a strong conviction and a true sense of patriotism and humanism.

Lately, there are vast opportunities to young men and women since it is a developing and expanding profession. In the wake of multi-channel T.V stations, journalism is holding a great promise to many a young man and woman is not meant for unscruplous person. Some journalists distort facts and exaggerate things. They spread baseless rumours. There are others who thrive on slander or abuse and they take delight in obscenity and vulgarity. This is known as "Yellow journalism." Such kind of people should be brought to book.

This is a noble and challenging profession. Enterprising young people who are creative in writing should adopt it as a professional hobby. Why not?

39. What makes journalism popular in Kenya these days? Because of
    1. professionalism
    2. plenty of information
    3. many news agencies
    4. many young people.
40. What does the phrase "sound memory" means?
    
    1. A lot of noise in the mind
    2. Mental state to understand actions 
    3. Creating music in the memory
    4. Sleeping with sounds in the mind
41. Which one of the following has been introduced as a subject at post graduate level?
    
    1. Mass media
    2. Journalism
    3. Mass communication
    4. Information and technology 
42. A journalist does all the following inorder to succeed except
    
    1. explains
    2. comments
    3. extracts
    4. interprets.
43. From the passage, education to people has been grouped as
    
    1. a social responsibility
    2. a civil responsibility
    3. an economic responsibility
    4. a biological responsibility.
44. According to the passage, a journalist must not
    
    1. assimilate facts
    2. be social
    3. read extensively
    4. be exploitative.
45. What would make the work of a journalist fail as mentioned in the passage?
    
    1. Being too patrictic
    2. Being biased in opinion.
    3. Being just in presentation
    4. Being sincere
46. Choose the word which means the same as "coerce" as used in the passage.
    
    1. blackmail
    2. terrorise
    3. separate
    4. pressurize
47. The phrase "A good journalist combines in him all these qualities of head and heart" means that he must be
    
    1. knowledgeable and intelligent
    2. brave and courageous
    3. knowledgeable and human
    4. pitiful and merciful
48. What should be done to those who communicate using vulgar word?
    
    1. They should be punished
    2. They should be arrested
    3. They should be sacked
    4. They should be booked
49. Which of the below character traits should a journalist not have?
    
    1. Courage
    2. Slander
    3. Patriotism
    4. Conviction
50. Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?
    
    1. The Age of Yellow Journalism.
    2. Kenya Breaks from Media.
    3. Talented Kenya Youths.
    4. Journalism as a Profession.

COMPOSITION

Below is the beginning of a composition. Write a composition, making it as interesting as possible.

Dusk was fast approaching. My friend and I had to .................................................

MARKING SCHEME

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