SSVM INSTITUTIONS

SUBJECT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE 2021-2022

PERIODIC TEST 2
CLASS: VIII MARKS: 40

General Instructions:
1. This paper is divided into two parts: A and B. All questions are compulsory.
2. Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. Read
these instructions very carefully and follow them.
3. Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions.

Part A (15 Marks -MCQ TYPE)

READING (10 marks)
Q.1 Read the passage given below.

New Trends, Materials, and Designs

In Europe and North America during the seventeenth century, most people wore boots
because they were practical. Even in many large cities, dirt roads were common, and
people had to walk along muddy pathways and across streams. By the eighteenth century,
however, more city streets were paved with cobblestones, and it was easier to keep shoes
clean. Shoes became more decorative, and fancy buckles of gold and silver were often
used. Most shoes worn in the United States throughout the nineteenth century were
patterned after European styles. The major change in shoes over the last century has been
the use of materials other than after. Humphrey O’Sullivan invented the first rubber heel
for shoes in 1898. Rubber heels were popular because they lasted much longer than heels
made of leather. The use of rubber soles came next. The first rubber-soled shoes were
called plimsolls, and they were manufactured in the United States in the late 1800s. The
first American shoes made without leather were invented in 1917. The upper material was
made of a flexible canvas. Those were the original “sneakers,” a word that was used
because the rubber sole made the shoe very quiet, unlike most leather shoes, which often
squeaked when people walked. Many people today choose athletic shoes for casual wear,
but not until the late 1970s were shoes designed with amateur athletes in mind. Shoes
made of rubber and canvas was worn by tennis, volleyball, and basketball players. By the
1980s, companies began to design athletic shoes for specific sports, helping athletes
perform better while protecting their feet and providing comfort. Shoes have come a long
way since the ancient Egyptians created their first sandals. Many more types of materials
 are used, and shoes have never been more comfortable or supportive for feet. Even so, it
is interesting that the basic sandal, crafted by people more than four thousand years ago,
still has many similarities to the shoes we wear today.

(On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from
the SEVEN that follow.) (5X1=5)

1. What was the purpose of the first shoe?

A. comfortable
B. fashionable
C. functional
D. popularity
2. Which event happened first in the history of shoes?
A. the making and wearing of moccasins
B. the making and wearing of sandals
C. the making and wearing of boots
D. the making and wearing of sneakers
3. Which civilization was the first to wear shoes to make a fashion statement?
A. Greek
B. Roman
C. Egyptian
D. Persian

4. What is the correct hyphenated word?

A. moon-shaped
B. fur-was
C. shoe-whether
D. available-thin
5. Which is the correct analogy?
A. Thin is to stout as skinny is to long.
B. Thin is to stout as narrow is to wide.
C. Thin is to stout as short is to thin.
D. Thin is to stout as tall is to fat.
6. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A. to inform about the first sneaker
B. to inform about the history of moccasins
C. to inform about ancient Greeks
D. to inform about the history of shoes
7. An example of personification would be
A. non-leather shoes.
B. fancy buckles of gold.
C. paved with cobblestones.
D. squeaked when people walked.
Q.2 Read the passage given below.

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the
house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his family. He would miss the
paycheque, but he needed to retire. The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and
asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour. The carpenter said ‘yes, but
in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy
workmanship and used inferior material. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When
the carpenter finished his work, his employer handed over the key of the house to the
carpenter— “This is your house, my gift to you.” What a shock! What a shame! If he had
only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently! Now he
had to live in a poorly built house. So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often
putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we have to live in
the house we have built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently. But, you
cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day you hammer a nail, place a board, or
erect a wall. Someone once said, your attitude, and the choices you make today, help build
the “house” you will live in tomorrow. Therefore, build wisely!

(On the basis of your understanding of the passage, answer ANY FIVE questions from
the SEVEN that follow.) (5x1=5)

1. The carpenter told his employer of his plans to _____________

A. Retire from his house-building business
B. live a leisurely life with his family.
C. Both A & B
D. None of the above

2. How many houses did the employer offer to build as a favour?

A. One or more
B. Just one
C. Many
D. None

3. What surprise did the employer have for the carpenter?

A. Handed over the cost of the new house to the carpenter
B. Handed over the keys of the new house to the carpenter
C. Surprised the carpenter by giving him retirement.
D. He offended the carpenter

4. Why was the surprise a shame for the carpenter?

A. The carpenter resorted to shoddy workmanship
B. The carpenter used inferior material.
C. Both A and B
D. None of the above

5. Which word in the first paragraph means the same as ‘art of skill of a workman’?
A. Carpenter
B. Artisan
 C. Worker
D. Workmanship

6. Find the word from the paragraph which makes the opposite of ‘irrational’
A. Differently
B. Wisely
C. Shame
D. Foolishly

7. Find the idiomatic expression from the passage that gives the meaning an attempt
to improve.
A. Resorted to
B. Hand in
C. Do it over
D. Build up

LITERATURE (5 MARKS)

Q.3 A.Read the extracts given below and attempt ANY ONE, by answering the
questions that follow. (5 X 1 = 5)

“However, he had the courage to keep the class to the end. At the back of the room, old
Hauser had put on his spectacles, and holding his spelling –book in both hands, he
spelled out the letters with them. I could see that he too was applying himself.”

1. ‘However, he had the courage to keep the class to the end’. Who is the speaker of
the above passage?
a. Alphonse Daudet
b. Monsieur Hamel
c. Little Frantz
d. Old Hauser
2. However, he had the courage to keep the class to the end. ‘Who is he referred to in
this passage?
a. Old Hauser
b. Monsieur Hamel
c. The author
d. Alphonse Daudet
3. He had the courage to keep the class to the end implies that
a. Monsieur Hamel remained composed
b. Monsieur Hamel remained patriotic
c. Frantz was courageous and composed
d. Old Hauser remained composed

4. “I could see that he too was applying himself” Who is spoken about in this passage?
a. The ex-mayor
b. M. Hamel
c. Old Hauser
d. Little Frantz.
5. “I could see that he too was applying himself” Find the meaning of the idiomatic
expression.
a. the love towards the language
b. work hard to achieve something
c. applying the theory practically
d. None of the above
(OR)
B.

“Rose a nurse of ninety years,

Set his child upon her knee-
Like a summer tempest came her tears-
Sweet my child, I live for thee.”

1. Who is the author of the poem?

a. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
b. Leo Tolstoy
c. Alphonse Daudet
d.Alfred, Lord Tennyson
2. Sweet my child, I live for thee” Who is the speaker of these
a. the poet
b. the maid
c. the widowed mother
d. the friends
3. What is the poetic device used in these lines?
a. Alliteration
b. Simile
c. Anaphora
d. Enjambment
4. What is the tone of the poem in these lines?
a. sorrow
b. fear
c. hypocritical
d. optimistic
5. What is the rhyme scheme of the stanza?
a. abcd
b. aabb
c. abab
d.abba
GRAMMAR (5 MARKS)
Q.4 Choose the correct options to complete the following sentences: (1/2 X 2=1)
1. ____________we leave now or do you want to wait?

a) Will
b) Mightn’t
c) Shall
d) can
2. The government _________ vote on the issue tomorrow. It's scheduled for 10am.
a) Will
b) May
c) Would
d) should
Q.5.Combine each pair of the following sentences using too or enough and an infinitive
form of a suitable verb. (1/2X 2=1)
1. My school is far away. I cannot walk to school every day.
2. The bed was big. It could hold three of us.
Q.6. Choose the correct options for ANY THREE of the FIVE sentences given below:
(3 x 1 =3)
1. The doctor bandaged the arm of the injured man.
a) The arm of the injured man was bandaged by the doctor.
b) The injured man bandaged his arm.
c) The injured man made the doctor injure his arm.
d) The doctor injured and bandaged the arm of a man

2. We have already done the exercise.

a) Already the exercise has been done by us.
b) The exercise has already been done by us.
c) The exercise had been already done by us.
d) The exercise is already done by us.

3. Leo Tolstoy wrote 'War and Peace’.

a) ‘War and Peace’ was written by Leo Tolstoy.
b) ’War and Peace' is written by Leo Tolstoy.
c) ‘War and Peace’ will be written by Leo Tolstoy.
d) ‘War and Peace' was being written by Leo Tolstoy.

4. Why does she teach the slum children free?

a) Why are slum children taught by her?
b) Why are slum children taught free?
c) Why are slum children taught freely by her?
d) Why are slum children taught free by her?
5. My parents have done this to help you in your financial crisis.
a) This have been done by my parents to help you in your financial crisis.
b) This is been done by my parents to help you in your financial crisis.
c) This has been done by my parents to help you in your financial crisis.
d) This is to be done by my parents to help you in your financial crisis.

Section B: WRITING (1x5= 5 marks)

Q.7. Attempt ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words. (5 marks)
A. As a health-conscious person, you noticed an advertisement in the newspaper on
yoga classes in your neighbourhood. Write a letter to the organizers enquiring
about the duration of the course and other relevant details. You are
Swapna/Surendra of 60, RK Puram, New Delhi.
(OR)
B. Read the telephone conversation given below:

Caller: Could I talk to Mr Ravi? I am Sam from Amoeba Software.

Rohit: Sorry, he is out with the guests. I’m his son, Rohit.
Caller: Rohit, your father had to attend a meeting in Chennai. The meeting has been
postponed. Please inform him about the change so that he can cancel his flight.
Rohit: I’ll do the needful, Mr Sam.
 You are Rohit. You will not be at home when your father returns. Write a brief
message to be left on his table.

LITERATURE (15 marks)

Q.8. Answer ANY TWO questions in 20-30 words each, from the following.
(2x2=4)
i) What story does Swami’s father read in the newspaper?
ii) Was there a change in the teacher’s attitude that day? What was/were the change(s)?
iii) Why were the onlookers shocked at the response of the slain warrior’s wife?
iv) How does Swami try to make his father change his mind?

Q. 9. Answer ANY TWO questions in 40-50 words each, from the following.
(3x2=6)
i) What have her (warrior’s wife) tears been compared to and why?
ii) What was the general attitude of the villagers towards the education of the children?
iii) How did the teacher dismiss his last class? Why did he do it in such a manner?
iv) What impression do you form on Swami’s father?
Q. 10. Answer ANY ONE of the following in 100-120 words. (5)
A. A mother’s life is totally dedicated to her children. Elucidate
(OR)
B. What would be the key to freedom? Explain with reference to the story “The Last Class.”

_____________________________ All the Best! __________________________________