English Questions and Answers - Class 8 Opener Exams Term 2 2023 Set 1

QUESTIONS

The passage below contains blank spaces. Fill them with the best answer from the choices given

We had ...................1..................... the weekend outing for  ...................2..................... some time. All of us had been very busy these last two months. We had been busy  ...................3.....................  our examinations and Dad had   ...................4.....................  going on at his factory. Mum as ...................5.....................  had been caught between entertaining and household chores. So we had all decided that was time we had a break and planned a weekend ...................6.....................  the beach. There was a small Rest House where we intended to ...................7.....................  the night.

Saturday  ...................8 .....................  and we were up long before   ...................9 .....................  . Dad took out the car from the garage and we boys started   ...................10 .....................  our stuff. I longed for a day in the sun and an    ...................11 ..................... swim in the sea. I also carried a journal to  ...................12 ..................... memorable events.

We were  ...................13 ..................... similar outings but this one was extra special as it was after a very busy period and we felt we had deserved it.   ...................14 ..................... it would be a lovely experience to have our parents relax and be at our ...................15 ..................... and call. So we excitedly prepared for it.

1.                  
   1. looked back to
   2. looked up to
   3. looked forward to
   4. looked ahead to
2.              
   1. quite
   2. rather
   3. quiet
   4. really
3.                  
   1. during
   2. for
   3. in
   4. with
4.              
   1. a little
   2. a lot
   3. many
   4. more
5.                  
   1. often
   2. habitual
   3. usual
   4. normal
6.              
   1. on
   2. by
   3. to
   4. at
7.                      
   1. lodge
   2. live
   3. sleep
   4. stay
8.            
   1. arrived
   2. came
   3. reached
   4. appeared
9.                
   1. dust
   2. sun rise
   3. dawn
   4. twilight
10.              
    1. loading
    2. packing
    3. filling
    4. piling
11.                  
    1. occasions
    2. occassion
    3. occasional
    4. occasionally
12.              
    1. put across
    2. put down
    3. put away
    4. put in
13.              
    1. familiar to
    2. familiar of
    3. accustomed with
    4. accustomed to
14.                               
    1. Beside
    2. Therefore
    3. Moreover
    4. Nevertheless
15.                  
    1. beckon
    2. help
    3. service
    4. beck

For questions 16 to 18. select the best alternative to fill the blank spaces.

16. Ndanu read the book several times...................................... , she did not understand the story.
    1. However
    2. Furthermore
    3. Moreover
    4. Although
17. It is important to put into..................................learnt skills.
    1. practice
    2. practices
    3. practises
    4. practise
18. These machines have.....................................here for several months.
    1. lay
    2. lied
    3. lain
    4. laid

For questions 19 to 21, complete the sentences with the most suitable alternatives.

19. It was not until evening
    1. that the suspects were arrested.
    2. the suspects were arrested. 
    3. when the suspects were arrested. 
    4. for the suspects to be arrested.
20. Driving on the highway,
    1. a dog was ran over.
    2. a motorist ran over a dog.
    3. the car broke down.
    4. an accident suddenly occurred.
21. James Mwamburi, just like his five friends,
    1. is received new books.
    2. have received new books.
    3. has received new books.
    4. are receiving new books.

For questions 22 and 23, select the sentence that means the same as the one underlined.

22. Little work has been done.
    1. No work has been done.
    2. Hardly any work has been done. 
    3. Much work has been done. 
    4. Some work has been done.
23. It was not necessary to buy flowers.
    1. You shouldn't have bought flowers.
    2. You wouldn't have bought flowers.
    3. You couldn't have bought flowers.
    4. You needn't have bought flowers.

For questions 24 and 25, select the opposite of the underlined words,

24. This part is the most densely populated.
    1. sparsely
    2. tightly
    3. deserted
    4. scattered
25. We always look forward to the festive season.
    1. hardly 
    2. rarely
    3. never
    4. mostly

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

Julian finally left his village when there was no one left living there. He had never left his beloved village before, but got intrigued by the fact that everyone had gone to the city. He decided to go and see for himself what wonderful things those cities had. So he packed a knapsack with a few clothes, put on his best smile, and off he went to the city.

On reaching the city, he was given a most unexpected welcome. A couple of policemen stopped Julian and questioned him in great detail. It turned out that Julian had seemed suspiciously happy' for someone with hardly any possessions. In the end, the police had to let go, but they were still suspicious about this apparently simple and good-natured fellow.

The fist thing Julian noticed about the city was all the rushing around. Everyone was in such a hurry that he thought that there must be something special happening that day, which no one wanted to miss. Curious as to what it was, Julian started following a man who looked like he was hurrying to see whatever it was that was happening. However, after several hours following him, the man arrived at a small flat and went inside. He had done or seen nothing of interest that whole day

That night Julian slept in a park. The park was strewn with bits of paper and plastic. As the bins were completely empty, Julian thought how cool it was that the city had seemingly invented plants with petals made of paper and plastic. He only believed this until the following morning when a man came by and dropped his chocolate wrapper.

Julian carried on walking through the city streets, trying to understand what was going on when he arrived at a group of big warehouses, which many people were entering. "This must be the best museum in the world," he thought on entering and seeing all the useless-looking things they had inside. But then he saw that people were picking these things up, paying for them, and taking them away.

"Why would anyone want a watch which doesn't show the minute?" he wondered to himself after seeing a woman very contentedly leaving with the most modem of watches on her wrist. Once again, he decided to follow the lady with the watch. He saw her joy turn into disappointment whe her friends gave her new watch a look of disapproval. Julian started wishing he had not left hi village, just to come to this place where no one seemed happy.

Then he saw a few kids playing. Now, they certainly did seem happy, playing, running about chasing each other. Except for one child, who se: med troubled by a little machine they were calling a video game. He was hitting it so hard with his fingers, and making all kinds of faces and angry gestures.

Julian thought that the boy was trying to destroy that little machine because it was making him so unhappy. He decided to help the boy. Julian went over, took the gadget, threw it on the ground stamped on it, and looked at the boy with great satisfaction. At this, the boy flew into a rage, as di all the other children there, and nearly all the adults. They pursued Julian so relentlessly that he had to run away. He didn't stop running until he reached the road leading back to his village.

As he was making his way home, he couldn't help wondering whether the whole world had gone mad.

26. According to the first paragraph, Julian
    1. had prior plans to leave the village. 
    2. knew why everyone was leaving the village.
    3. was the last to leave the village.
    4. left because of loneliness.
27. Julian's visit to the city was motivated by
    1. excitement.
    2. pleasant memories.
    3. fear of loneliness.
    4. curiosity.
28. By putting on his best smile, Julian showed that he
    1. longed for the city.
    2. expected the best.
    3. was happy to leave his village.
    4. was not coming back to the village.
29. When the police stopped Julian, they 
    1. accused him.
    2. interrogated him.
    3. examined him. 
    4. arrested him.
30. The people of the city
    1. were in haste to nowhere.
    2. did not want to miss special events.
    3. were late for their appointments.
    4. were rushing to see something special.
31. Unlike the people in the city, Julian was
    1. happy with many possessions. 
    2. joyous without any possessions.
    3. contented with few possessions.
    4. unhappy because he had few possessions.
32. Which one of the following statements is true?
    1. The city had planted special plants.
    2. The city had maintained the park very well.
    3. All papers were dropped in the bins at the park.
    4. The park was littered with rubbish from the people.
33. The big warehouses Julian saw
    1. were real museums.
    2. were used to store people's items.
    3. were places where people shopped.
    4. stocked and sold very old items.
34. The watch the lady bought 
    1. was an ancient piece of jewellery. 
    2. was not working well.
    3. gave her a lot of satisfaction.
    4. was not very attractive.
35. From the woman and her friends, Julian learnt that their happiness depended on
    1. their friend's approval.
    2. the quality of items they bought.
    3. the number of friends they had.
    4. the amount of possessions they had.
36. Why did Julian regret leaving his village?
    1. The people in the city were cruel.
    2. The people in the city were suspicious of him.
    3. Everyone in the city looked unhappy.
    4. He did not find his village mates in the city.
37. The children and the adults were angry with Julian because
    1. he had destroyed the video game on purpose.
    2. he was mistaken for a criminal.
    3. he was not supposed to help the boy.
    4. he had misunderstood the boy's feelings.
38. Julian can best be described as
    1. curious, excited, suspicious. 
    2. pessimistic, curious, outgoing.
    3. observant, foolish, sceptical.
    4. optimistic, observant, naive. 

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

When James was suspended from his school in July, his parents could not receive him. Investigation done in school showed that he was indisciplined and the ringleader of bad company in school. His father was particularly very bitter about it after spending all his resources sending him to a boarding school while other siblings were in simple day schools. To make matters worse, he had deteriorated in performance immediately he entered his last grade.

James was neither a child nor an adult. He had no one to share problems with as he was the first born. His mother could not intervene as his father ruled the fily with an iron rod. The teachers could not listen to him and so were his parents and society.

James woke up in the morning. His father had gone to work and his mother was in the kitchen. He went to the kitchen and asked for breakfast.

"Your breakfast is in school. Take a glass of water and go to the farm. Your father will come to check the work you are doing in the shamba," his mother answered him.

"But......" James tried to explain but his mother interrupted immediately and harshly. "If you have any question or you might require any explanation, enquire from your father or write to him." James went outside, sat on the wet grass and dropped his head between his legs. Surely, he was in deep thought.

"My father has surely invested in me by placing me in the most expensive school. He provides me with all my needs and is always concerned with my education. I can't blame him for anything, neither my mother. Now what can I do? James thought deeply. He realised he was crying when he saw drops of liquid fall on the ground. He took his handkerchief, wiped his face and his nose. This was just the second day at home. He has to do something before things got worse.

He stood up, went to his room and locked the door behind. He took a pen and plucked some sheets of papers from his book. He was to apologise to his father, mother and finally to the headteacher in school.

As he wrote the letters, he thought about his peers from rich families and cursed loudly. Then he realised he was talking to himself.

"Oh my God! I'm becoming mad. I have to be baptized a new. I am the cause of all this. No peace at all in the family," he murmured to himself.

He jerked his head as he realised there was a shadow at the window. His mother had been there watching all his movements and actions and even she could read the writing at the end of the table.

His mother smiled at him and said; "My son, we love you so much. Just be baptized 'James' of the Bible and your father will be proud of you and the whole family."

39. Why was James sent away from school?
    He
    1. led an indiscipled company in school. 
    2. misbehaved in school.
    3. led a strike in school.
    4. suffered rejection from his peers, teachers and parents.
40. Which statement is not true according to the first paragraph?
    1. James' father was very concerned with his son's education.
    2. The parents refused to accept James after being sent from school.
    3. Much resources had been used on James' education than any other sibling.
    4. James had been performing poorly all through.
41. James was neither a child nor an adult means that he was
    1. very young to be understood. 
    2. in the adolescence age.
    3. not tall nor short.
    4. a middle aged man.
42. The phrase with an iron rod means
    1. very strict and harsh.
    2. very rigid and cruel.
    3. very serious and bitter.
    4. brave and fearless.
43. When none could listen to James, we can say that he suffered
    1. guilt.
    2. indiscipline.
    3. rejection.
    4. hatred.
44. Why did mother refuse to give James breakfast?
    1. It was not ready yet.
    2. She hated him as he had angered everybody.
    3. The father had commanded that James should not be given anything.
    4. James woke up very late and demanded to be served.
45.  From James' deep thought, we can conclude that he
    1. placed a blame on his parents.
    2. was very bitter with his father.
    3. did not blame anybody and had realised his mistake.
    4. had blamed the teachers in school.
46. Which statement is true about James? 
    1. James' friends were from rich families. 
    2. He had decided to end his friendship with his peers.
    3. He was to write three letters.
    4. He liked cursing his peers.
47. Why did James say that he had to be baptized? He
    1. had no other name.
    2. had not gone to church.
    3. was tired of being called James.
    4. was to change his behaviour.
48. Why did James think he was becoming mad? He
    1. had cursed his friends.
    2. had angered his parents.
    3. was talking to himself.
    4. was crying without any reason.
49. From the last line of the passage, we can conclude that
    1. the harshness of the father to the family had been caused by James.
    2. the mother loved James so much but the father did not.
    3. the father was never proud of anyone.
    4. James would only be loved if he was to be baptized.
50. What is the best title for the passage?
    1. Pride comes before a fall
    2. James learns a lesson the hardway
    3. James' family problems
    4. The bad peer pressure

 COMPOSITION

You have 40 minutes to write your composition.

Below is the beginning of a story. Write it in your own words, making it as interesting as possible.

When I read the announcement on the school notice board, I decided to....................................................

MARKING SCHEME