Lebanese Modern College First Term Exam Grade 8

Ms. Carol Badawi in English 120 minutes

Name: _______________ Dec ____, 2014

Part One: Reading & Vocabulary 40

minutes

Read the following text which proves the importance of friendship by telling the
story of a true friend who supported her friend overcome her terrible problem.
When you are through reading, answer the questions that follow.

A Motivational Friend

True friends never leave each other, even if one of them is walking on the wrong
path of life. A true friend will try to correct the other in a way that it does not hurt the ego
of the other friend. Friends don't mind when mistakes are pointed out; rather they try to
accept it and change themselves for the better. True friends are those, who inspire others
to become a better person in life.
Two girls were best of friends, since their childhood. When they were small kids,
they used to go to school together, play together and sometimes even stay at each other's
places. They were next door neighbors and thus their parents were friends as well. The
best friends graduated from school and went to pursue higher studies in the same college.
Everyone knew that the girls were the best of friends. Nothing was hidden between the
duo, because both knew each other inside out. 
After some days, one of the friends found the other behaving in a very strange
manner. She would remain withdrawn, sleep too much and turn violent, very often. At
first, the other friend thought it was just the studies getting on to her. However, with
time, she became even more moody and frustrated. Finally, her friend couldn't take it any
longer and confronted her with the problem. She broke down into tears and confessed
that she was going around with a guy, who was taking drugs and forced her to take them
too. 
The girl was not only forced to take drugs, but was also forced to bring money
every now and then and was threatened with dire consequences if she revealed the matter
to anyone, even her best friend. Shocked by her story, the other friend consoled her. She
then thought of a way to help her. Finally, she thought that she would come up straight to
the point and tell her to leave this guy and get out of all the mess. She contacted the
college counselor, who was a psychologist and narrated the entire problem to her. She
offered to help and said that matter would be kept under wraps. 
The girl was then advised by her friend to leave this guy, as he was torturing her
unnecessarily. Her friend reminded her of her dreams of becoming a successful
professional, inspired her to set an example for others and reminded of what her parents
 would feel, if they found out what their daughter was up to. After a lot of persuasion, the
girl finally agreed to leave him. She was given basic counseling and was weaned off
drugs, with time. All this while, her friend never left her side and always stood by her. 

Finally, they graduated and the friendship only grew stronger. They both went on
to become successful professionals, but never let each other down by indulging
themselves into bad habits. They lived happily ever after, as close friends.

NOTE: All the answers should be written on the answer booklet.

A- Comprehension Questions
1- Answer the following questions using proper language. (5pts)
a) "True friends never leave each other, even if one of them is walking on the wrong
path of life." Explain this sentence referring to the story of the two girls.
b) What was the problem of the girl? How did her friend notice it?
c) How did her friend motivate her? Mention two points she used to persuade her.
2- Tell if each of the following is true or false. Correct the false ones. (2pts)
a) The friend advised her to keep close to the guy.
b) Her friend asked the girl's parents for help.
c) The girls' parents are friends too.
d) When she knew about her friend's problem, she left her alone.
3- Choose the correct response. Write a, b, or c on your booklet. (1pt)
1) Another suitable title can be
a. Loneliness b. A Precious Friend c. The Mean Girl
2) The girls were ____ at the end
a. successful engineers b. successful professionals c.
Doctors
3) The moral of this story is that …
a. It's not a friend's duty to heal the pain
b. A true friend inspires you to become the best
4) When she told her the problem, she was …
a. shocked b. happy c. calm
B- Vocabulary
Find words in the text that mean the following: (2pts)
1) Follow (paragraph 2)
2) Disappointed (paragraph 3)
3) Relieved (paragraph 4)
4) Accepted (paragraph 5)

Part Two: Grammar 20 minutes

1- Complete with the correct form of the verb in parentheses. (2.5)

1. (YOU FIND) your passport yet, Joe?

2. Before Mr Green (go) to bed, he(TAKE) his sleeping pills
 3. I think I (HAVE) another drink. Can you get me one?
4. I (WATCH)a scary movie when suddenly my mobile phone rang.

2- Put in the correct question tags. (2.5)

1.      He sometimes reads the newspaper,……………………………………………..
2.      Peggy didn't use the pencil, ……………………………………………..
3.      Tom and Maria will arrive at Heathrow, …………………………………………
4.      He's been to Texas,………………………………………………..
5.   I'm late, ………………………………………………..  
3- Complete with FOR or SINCE. (1)

1. The cat hasn't eaten anything _______yesterday.

2. Kim and Joey have been friends ________three years.
3. Miss Thomas has taught at my school _________1975.
4. Guy has known Joanna ________they were at primary school.

4- Complete using gerunds or infinitives. (2)

1. I wanted  (go) alone, but Joe insisted on  (go) with me.
2. Tom offered  (bring) me home.
3. After the break they went on (paint) the walls.

5- Complete using comparative or superlative adjectives. (2)

1. This armchair is (comfortable) the old one. 

2. Trains are (slow)  aeroplanes. 
3. I bought (expensive)souvenir I could afford. 
5. Ann is (young) child in the family. 

Part Three: Writing 60 minutes

Friends are very important in our lives. Friendships are easily formed when we are young and do not
demand too much out of it. More serious friendships are formed when one enters puberty and achieves
certain level of maturity. However, one tends to have less friends as one grows older and wiser.
The saying that a friend in need is a friend indeed is very appropriate in this scenario because good
friends are those who are reliable and trustworthy.
In an essay of 250-350 words, explain the above saying by mentioning the basic conditions to have a
real friend. Then narrate a situation in which one of your friends did something for you and proved
that you can count on him/her.
Provide your essay with an outline and title.

GOOD LUCK