SRIJAN MULTIPURPOSE SCHOOL BARAMKELA
Half Yearly Examination
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
CLASS-VIII
Time allowed: 2½ Hrs. Maximum Marks: 80
General Instructions:
1. The Question Paper contains THREE sections-READING, GRAMMAR & WRITING and LITERATURE.
2. Attempt questions based on specific instructions for each part.
SECTION A : READING SKILLS (20 marks)
Questions 1 Read the following passage and answer the following questions ( 10 Marks)
About the year 1900, a small, dark-haired boy named Charles Chaplin was often seen waiting outside the
back entrances of London theatres. He looked thin and hungry but his blue eyes were determined. He was
hoping to get work in show business. He could sing and dance. His parents were music-hall performers and
he had been born into the life of the theatre. And, although his own boyhood was painfully hard, he knew
how to make people laugh.
His own father had died from drinking too much. And his mother was not really able to look after Charles
and his older half-brother, Sid. She was often sick in mind and had to be sent to hospital.
Questions ( 5x1)
Q I) The boy Charles Chaplin was __________.
a) brown-haired. b) dark-haired. c) red-haired. d) light-haired
Q II) Chaplin thought to get a job in __________.
a) soap business. b) hotel business. c) show business. d) hospital business
Q III) His parents were __________.
a) music-hall performers. b) actors. c) singers. d) directors
Q IV) His father had died due to __________.
a) an illness. b) accident. c) drinking. d) suicide
Q V) The meaning of ‘determined’ is ___________.
a) mind made up. b) mind turn up. c) mind fade up. d) mind turn down
Q V. Write a short note on Charlie Chaplin's struggle. (2 mark)
Q VII. What was the most amazing talent of Charlie Chaplin? ( 2 marks)
Q VIII. Find a similar word of Decisive from the above passage.
Q. 2 Read the following passage and answer the following questions ( 10 Marks)
When we enter New York harbour, the first thing we see is the Statue of Liberty. What impresses us the
most is its size and magnificence. Have you ever wondered how it came to be there ? The Statue of Liberty
was a gift from the people of France to mark the one hundred year anniversary of American Independence.
In 1869, sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi began to plan his concept for the monument.
Bartholdi chose the look of classic Greek and Roman figures. He envisioned Liberty as a strong and proud
figure, one who personified not only the majestic Greek goddesses of the past, but also the working men
and women of the present. Finally, in 1884, the work was finished, and Liberty was packed into 214 crates
and sent to New York city. Only one problem stood in the way. While the French had raised a lot of funds to
build the statue, New York had not secured the funds to build its foundation. It was not until a New York
newspaper implored people for donations that money became available. Finally, on 28th October 1886,
Americans celebrated the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty.
Questions:
i. Why was the Statue of Liberty given as a gift to America by France?
ii. What is the name of the sculptor of the monument ‘the Statue of Liberty’ ?
iii. What did the sculptor imagine the Statue of Liberty to be ?
iv. How many years did it take to unveil the Statue of liberty ?
v. Trace the word from the passage which means the same as “imagined”.
Section B ( WRITING AND Grammar)
Q. 3. Letter Writing ( solve any one). 5x1
(A). Write a letter to your friend Rudra inviting him to spend the summer vacation at your place in Mumbai.
You are Sakshi/ Saksham. Do not exceed 100-120 words.
(B) You are Manish Kumar, president of the NGO JYOTI. Write a letter to the editor of a national daily
highlighting the issue of your neighborhood being dirty for a long time and even after complaining to the
Municipality they didn’t take any action.
Q 4. Story Writing ( Solve any one). 5x1
(A) Given below is an outline of the story given in the form of phrases. Fill in the blanks to create the
complete story.
A rich man ……… had many servants……… purse with lot of money is stolen from rich man’s drawer……… rich
man files a complaint in the police station ……… all the servants called ……… stick of same length given to
each ……… servants told that stick of the thief will grow by one inch overnight ……… the thief cuts his stick by
one inch ……… he is easily caught the next day.
(B) Look at the picture and construct a short story in about 100-120 words.
Ant and Grasshopper
GRAMMAR
Q.5. Do as Directed ( solve any 10) 10x1
Fill in the blanks with the proper tense or form of the verb given in brackets :-
I. Raj and his family --------------------- here since May 1980 . [ live ]
a) is living. b) have been living. c) are living. d) has been living
II. Our examination ----------------------- on 4th March . [ begin ]
a) has begun b) is beginning. c) begins. d) began
III. After he ---------------- the roof ------------- [ leave , collapse ]
a) left ,collapsed. b) has left , collapsed. c) left , had collapsed. d) had left, collapsed
IV. They ------------- when the thief entered the bedroom . [sleep ]
a) sleep. b) were sleeping. c) slept. d) are sleeping
V. Look there , the man ------------------ the child . [beat ]
a) is beating. b) beats. c) beat. d) has beaten
VI. When I visited him in Mumbai , he --------------------- there for five years . [teach ]
a) teaches. b) is teching. c) had been teaching. d) has been teaching
VII. He ------------- to my house to tell me what ---------------- . [ come , happen ]
a) came , happened. b) comes ,happens. c) came , had happened. d) had come , happened
VIII. Have you ------------------------ my instructions ? [ carry out ]
a) carry out. b) carried out. c) carrying out. d) had carried out
IX . Delhi ------------- on the Yamuna . [ stand]
a) stood. b) is standing. c) stands. d) has stood
X. I told him that I -------------------- hard that day. [ work ]
a) worked. b) had working. c) am working. d) has been working
XI A moment ago I ------------------ strange news . [hear ]
a) have heard. b) heard. c) hear. d) am hearing
XII. Bali -------------------- this book in January . [ read ]
a) is reading. b) reads. c) has been reading. d) read
XIII. They --------------------- to London next year . [ go ]
a) went. b) go. c) had gone. d) are going
XIV. We -------------------- each other for the past ten years . [ know ]
a) know. b) are knowing. c) have known. d) had known
Section - C Literature
Q. 6. Answer the following questions in about 40 - 50 words. ( any 6). 6×3
i. Why did Bepin Choudhury drop at Kalicharan’s in new market?
ii. Describe the condition of roll – top box. From where the author found the roll-top box?
iii. What happened to the camel when he said ‘Humph’ last time?
iv. The Giant’s heart melted’. How did he become a changed person?
v. What was the name of the marriage hall in Children at Work?
vi. What is the Last bargain in the poem?
vii. What was boy’s plea ( request ) to his parents in the poem The School Boy?
viii. What did the cricket began to complain?
Q.7. Answer the following questions in about 80-100 words. ( any 2). 2x6
i. Write a summary of Ant and Cricket.
ii. You are the best Christmas present’. What was the best present? What was its importance?
iii. Service for welfare of other should be the aim of human deeds’. Elaborate with reference to The
Selfish Giant.
iv. How did Jaya help Velu in Chennai?
Q8 Extract Based Questions 2x5
( A). Says the ant to the cricket, “I’m your servant and friend,
But we ants never borrow; we ants never lend.
But tell me, dear cricket, did you lay nothing by
When the weather was warm?” Quoth the cricket, “Not I!
(i) What was the reaction of the ant?
(ii) What do ants usually do?
(iii) What was the question raised by the ant?
(iv) Was the cricket happy or depressed?
(V) What is the rhyming scheme of the stanza?
(B)
In the heat of the mid-day the houses stood with shut doors.
I wandered along the crooked lane.
An old man came out with his bag of gold.
He pondered and said, “I will hire you with my money.”
He weighed his coins one by one, but I turned away.
i. What was the weather on that day?
ii. What was the offer that the old man made?
iii. Does the speaker accept the offer?
iv. Who is the speaker of these lines?
a. The king. b. The poet c. The child d. The man
v. Where did the speaker meet the old man?
a. At the seashore b. At the stone-paved road c. In the garden. d. Near the crooked lane
