ASN Sr Sec School
Class VIII English Model Test Paper
2022-23
This paper consist of five sections
Section-A-Reading-12 Marks
Section-B-Writing - 20 Marks
Section-C-Grammar
Section-D-Literature
Section-E-Story Book
Section A (Reading)
A.1 Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow
(I) There are many among us who, given the opportunity to leave India, are only too happy to go. But whenever I have
had the chance to go away, I have held back. Or something has held me back. What is it that has such a hold on me, but
leaves others free to where they will, sometimes never to come back?
(II) A few years ago I was offered a well-paid job in a magazine in Hong Kong. I thought about it for weeks, worried myself
to distraction, and finally, with a great sigh of relief, turned it down.
(III) My friends thought I was crazy. They still do. Most of them would have jumped at a comparable offer, even if it had
meant spending the rest of their lives far from the palm fringed coasts or pine-clad mountains of this land. Many friends
have indeed gone away, never to return, except perhaps to get married, very quickly, before they are off again! Don’t they
feel homesick, I wonder.
(IV) I am almost paranoid at the thought of going away and then being unable to come back. This almost happened to me
when, as a boy, I went to England, longed to return to India, and did not have the money for the passage. For two years I
worked and saved like a miser (something I have never done since) until I had enough to bring me home.
(V) And home’ wasn’t parents and brothers and sisters. They were no longer here. Home, for me, was India. So what is it
that keeps me here? My birth? I take too closely after a Nordic grandparent to pass for a typical son of the soil. Hotel
receptionists often ask me for my passport. Must I carry a passport to travel in my own country? I ask. “But you don’t look
like an Indian, they protest T’m a Red Indian, I say.
(VI) India is where I was born and went to school and grew to manhood. India was where my father was born and went to
school and worked and died. India is where my grandfather lived and died. Surely that entitles me to a place in the Indian
sun. If it doesn’t, I can revert to my mother’s family and go back to the time of Timur the Lame. How far back does one
have to go in order to establish one’s Indianness?
(VII) It must be the land itself that holds me. But so many of my fellow Indians have been born (and) reborn) here, and yet
they think nothing of leaving the land. They will leave the mountains for the. plains; the villages for the cities; their country
for another country, and if other countries were a little more willing to open their doors, we would have no population
problem-mass emigration would have. solved it.
(VIII) But it’s more than the land that holds me. For India is more than a land. India is an atmosphere. Over thousands of
years, the races and religions of the world have mingled here and produced that unique, indefinable phenomenon, the
Indian: so terrifying in a crowd, so beautiful in himself. And oddly enough, I’m one too. I know that I’m as Indian as the
postman or the paan wala or your favorite MP. Race did not make me an Indian. Religion did not make me an Indian. But
history did. And in the long run, it is history that counts.
A1.1 Choose the correct option (1x2 =2)
1. Home for Ruskin Bond is
a. England, where his parents came from
b. Hong Kong
c. The palm Fringed coasts and pine-clad mountains of India
d. The whole world
2. Hi friends thought he was crazy because
a. He didn’t join the job in Hong Kong
b. He was a writer
c. His brothers and sisters lived in England
d. He wanted to live in England
A1.2 Answer these questions (2x2=4)
1. Why did many people leave India ?
2. As a boy what did Ruskin Bond do to return to India from England ?
A1.3 Find the word that mean the same as (0.5x1=0.5)
1. To miss one’s people (Para III)
A1.4 Provide a suitable title to the Passage (0.5x1=0.5)
A.2 Read the poem given below and answer the questions given below
With lifted feet, hands still,
I am poised, and down the hill
Dart, with heedful mind;
The air goes by in a wind.
Swifter and yet more swift,
Till the heart with a mighty lift
Makes the lungs laugh, the throat cry:—
"O bird, see; see, bird, I fly.
"Is this, is this your joy?
O bird, then I, though a boy,
For a golden moment share
Your feathery life in the air!"
Say, heart, is there aught like this
In a world that is full of bliss?
'Tis more than skating, bound
Steel-shod to the level ground.
Speed slackens now, I float
Awhile in my airy boat;
Till, when the wheels scarce crawl,
My feet to the treadles fall.
Alas, that the longest hill
Must end in a vale; but still,
Who climbs with toil, wheresoe'er,
Shall find wings waiting there.
A2.1 Given below is the Summary of the Poem. Fill in the blanks with the suitable words to complete the
summary. (0.5x6=3)
The speaker describes a personal (a) __________ of going down the hill on his bicycle. As he makes a swift (b)
__________ down the hill, the (c) __________ passes by him. His heart is filled with joy and fresh air which (d)
__________ his lungs laugh. He tells the bird that he (e) __________ fly in the air like it and for a golden moment he (f)
__________ its joy of flight.
A2.2 Mention the poetic device used in the given line (1x1=1)
“Makes the lungs laugh,the throat cry.”
A2.3 Provide a catchy title to the Poem (1x1=1)
Section B (Writing)
B.1 Write an interesting paragraph on
VALUES OF TRAVELLING
(Hints : general introduction, new places, meet people, exposure to culture, tradition, feel rejuvenated and refreshed,
family bonding time, conclusion (5)
OR
Recently you witnessed a special assembly of middle wing on GRAND PARENTS - AN ESSENCE OF OUR FAMILY. You
learnt the importance of elderly people and were motivated after watching it. Write an article expressing your views in
about 120 words (5).
B.2 Complete the dialogue between two friends on the topic, "Air Pollution", by adding four more dialogues. (1x4=4)
Neeta: Hello Vibha! How are you?
Vibha: I am fine, Neeta! Why are you rubbing your eyes repeatedly?
Neeta: (a) ____________________________________________
Vibha: (b) ____________________________________________
Neeta: (c) ____________________________________________
Vibha: (d).____________________________________________
OR
Karan took Parth’s call for his brother, Varun as the latter was not at home. Parth informed him that there will be practice
for their class play for a couple of hours after school tomorrow, so one should be there for the same. Karan had to go
somewhere so he left a message for Varun. Draft the message in about 50 words. (4)
B.3 You are Rehan, a resident of Raigarh. You have noticed that every time your family and you go out shopping, your
biggest problem is 'parking'. Use the clues given below and write a letter to the editor of The Hindu' highlighting the
problems you face. Also give a few suggestions to help in solving the parking problem. (word limit: 120-150).
{CLUES: dug up road too many vehicles new diversions everyday No parking signs-put up in new places everyday
unauthorized parking- vehicles towed away-- excessive parking charges. (5)
OR
Recently a popular TV channel organized an audition in your city for selecting talented singers. Many children of your age
group participated. Your best friend has been selected. Write a letter congratulating him/her to have cleared the audition.
Also give suggestions and tips to keep up with all the next rounds. (5)
B.4 Complete the given story in the most interesting way in about 120 words and also give a suitable title.
Everyone in the house had gone to bed and I was sitting alone in my room studying. That’s when I heard a strange voice
near the door …………….. (6)
Section C (Grammar)
C.1 Fill in the blanks using the correct form of verbs given in the bracket (0.5x4=2)
Last night I just (a) __________ (go) to bed and started reading a book when suddenly I (b) __________ (hear) a noise. I
(c) __________ (get) up to see what it was, but I (d) __________ (not see) anything, so I went back to bed.
C.2 Report the following conversation between Mita and her Aunt (1x4=4)
MITA - Wow! I am so excited today
AUNT - Where are you going ?
MITA - I am going to Kingdom of Dreams with my School
AUNT - May you have an enjoyable trip.
Mita exclaimed with (a) __________ Her Aunt asked her (b) __________. She replied that (c) __________. Aunt then
blessed her that (d) __________.
C.3 Frame a sentence with the given Idioms (any 2) (1x2=2)
1. A golden handshake
2. Waiting in the wings
3. Blood, sweat and tear
C.4 Fill in the correct proverb (any 2) (1x2=2)
1. Jacob was a bit of __________ before he married and settled down.
2. Parents are always right in advising to find the solution there only as it is said that __________
3. Difficult and complicated chapters can be understood through colorful pictures and videos. Someone has rightly
said _____________
Section D (Literature)
D.1 Choose the correct option (1x3=3)
1. The poem “Somebody’s Mother” is written by
a. Mary Dow Brine
b. Issac Watts
c. Sarojni Naidu
2. Who is eligible for Red Headed League
a. The ones all red eyed men
b. Unsound in body and mind
c. Youth above the age of 21 years
3. Why was Mr. Johnson delighted to look at Mr.Tallent’s manuscripts
a. To mint money
b. To copy his notes
c. To choose the masterpiece
D.2 Extract based Question (1x3=3)
Not offered a helping
hand to her, so meek,
So timid, afraid to stir
a. Who is “her” ?
b. Who did not offer help to “her” ?
c. Why was the lady afraid to stir ?
D.3 Answer ANY FOUR questions in 20-30 words (2x4=8)
1. Who is Pocahontas and why is she important ?
2. Why type of child was Bama ?
3. What are the challenges faced by the refugees in Refugee Blues ?
4. Who founded the Red Headed League and why ?
5. What did Mr.Tallent expect of the narrator ?
6. Prove that “friendship is beyond social or personal barriers” with reference to the chapter A most important
person’.
D.4 Answer the following in about 50 words (1x4=4)
In the unit 6 “Beyond the veil” you read about suspense, mystery , twist , criminals and detectives. Explain the most
favourite character you liked and why?
OR
In the unit 3 “Conflict and Hope” you read about the historical facts describing he struggles, right violation being faced by
the people. Explain how the female protagonist played a major role in uplifting the society.
