QUEZON MEMORIAL ACADEMY

Progreso St. Poblacion West, Umingan Pangasinan

DIAGNOSTIC TEST
in
ENGLISH 8
Last Name: First Name: Middle Name:
Section: Date: Score:
I- Grammar- Fill in the blanks with the correct transition word or phrase. Write your answer on the space
provided.
_______ 1. The word marmoreal means ______.
a. Made of clay b. Made of bricks c. Made of marble d. Made of wood
_______ 2. Which of these words have positive meaning?
a. Cheap b. Coarse c. Confident d. Creative
_______3. ____ of the weather, the basketball game will be played tomorrow.
a. Therefore b. Regardless c. As a result d. In addition
_______ 4. I dropped my reading glasses and it broke____, I need to either buy a new one or
have the lenses changed.
a. Replaced b. In spite of c. Furthermore d. Likewise
_______ 5. Gerry is very active and enjoys working out; ____, Marvin plays video games all
day.
a. Similarly b. As a result c. On the other hand d. For example
_______ 6. In the parts of speech it is considered as the heart of a sentence.
a. Adjective b. Noun c. Pronoun d. Verb
_______ 7. The classification of words categorized by their roles and functions within the
structure of the language is called?
a. Parallel structure b. Parts of speech c. Sentence d. Word definition
_______ 8. In writing an Introduction the following steps are included, except.
a. Capture the attention of your audience b. States your central idea or purpose
c. Introduce your topic d. Include your own experiences
_______ 9. Which graphic organizer is best used in identifying similarities and differences of the
text?
a. Venn Diagram b. Maps c. Fish bone d. Pie graphs
_______ 10. When helping in the kitchen, I am always careful not to hurt ____.
a. ourselves b. myself c. himself d. herself
_______ 11. Had I studied very well, I ____ rewarded with vacation in the U.S
a. was b. would have been c. will be d. would be
_______ 12. The student’s request to reset the test ____ reasonable
a. were b. very c. are d. is
_______ 13. A ____ is a word or phrase that goes with another word or phrase.
a. Parallel Structure b. Collocation c. Connectors d. Draft
_______ 14. A skirmish is a little ____.
a. Fight b. Laugh c. Sound d. Talk
_______ 15. “I have an awesome friend.” We can substitute awesome with ____.
a. Bright b. Brilliant c. Beautiful d. Great

II- Literary: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answer on the space provided before the
number.
_______16. This is a text type in which a writer aims to give information or explain as idea.
a. Narrative b. Descriptive c. Expository d. Persuasive
_______ 17. A broad statement about a subject based on provided information, observation, and
experiences.
a. Sentence Outline c. Generalization
b. Topic Sentence d. Hypothesis
_______ 18. The author’s purpose in “Village of the Round and Square Houses” is to ________.
a. Entertain b. Persuade c. Inform d. Pose an arguments
_______ 19. It is the main idea or the underlying meaning that is continuously developed
throughout the poem.
a. Climax b. Theme c. Mood d. Tone
_______ 20. It is a repetition of similar sounding words at the end of lines in a poem.
a. Figurative language b. Rhyme scheme c. Rhyme d. Meter
_______ 21. How many steps should be followed to understand a poem?
a. Four b. Five c. Six d. Seven
_______ 22. It is figure of speech that shows emphasis using extreme exaggeration.
a. Hyperbole b. Metaphor c. Simile d. Repetition
_______ 23. It is a type of speech that provides interesting, useful, and unique information to the
audience.
a. Informative b. Creative entertainment c. Memorize d. Persuasive
_______ 24. It is a figure of speech that means the opposite of what you really think especially in
order to be funny.
a. Assonance b. Hyperbole c. Irony d. Simile
_______25. “Not yet, Rizal, not yet.” The given phrase in an example of what figurative
language?
a. Rhetorical question b. Simile c. Hyperbole d. Repetition
_______ 26. It is a long narrative poem recounting actions, travels, adventures, and heroic
exploits.
a. Parable b. Fable c. Epic d. Legend
_______ 27. It is a series of events connected by causes and effects of the story.
a. Character b. Theme c. Setting d. Plot
_______ 28. It is the overall feeling a drama invoke in its reader.
a. Mood b. Theme c. Plot d. Setting
_______ 29. It is a literary genre that is meant to be acted out before an audience.
a. Drama b. Essay c. Poetryd. Short story
_______30. A poetry element that poets use by choosing words and phrases that help the
reader see ordinary things in new ways.
a. Figures of speech b. Form c. Imagery d. sound
III - Reading comprehension.
A. Read the short story and answer the questions below.

Sonny Boy lifted the lid of his desk cautiously and peered at the big ripe mango
which was resting on his reading book. There was a great gnawing in his stomach as he
had not eaten since lunch-time and it had been only split pea soup with two dumplings in
it. That was since 12.30 p.m. He wondered if he dared take two quick bites before Mr
Callender returned from the toilet. He put out his hand to take it then drew it away again.
It was too big a risk he decided. The juice would be all over his fingers and, besides, Mr
Callender would smell it. It was a quarter to five. He would wait until five, when he hoped
Mr Callender would let him go home.
He bit another piece from the pencil he was holding and his eyes wandered listlessly
round the room and finally fastened on the open door before him from which Mr. Callender’s
plump figure would emerge at any moment. He was writing an essay on ‘Birds’ and there
seemed so little he could say. He did not know many birds anyway. There was only the
blackbird and the sparrow, and perhaps seagulls.
Why couldn’t Mr Callender give him a composition on something he knew about – crabbing,
for instance? He could write pages about that.
His mind was brought back abruptly to the present as Mr. Callender appeared.
‘Finished yet? You don’t have to take the whole evening to write one piece of
composition.’
‘Yes sir,’ he said. He had only written six lines which were really only a list of the
few birds he knew, and some like the nightingale and the swallow that he had read about.
It was better to get it over though. To wait longer was only to prolong the agony.’
‘Bring it here!’
He rose slowly and pushed back the chair with his right calf. It escaped harshly and
tottered for a moment, before it crashed to the floor.
‘Put some life in you, boy. That’s all you can do. This can liven you up, you know,”
and he stretched out his hand towards the leather strap which remained either curled up like
a lazy snake on his desk, or hung languorously from his shoulder. No one would suspect
that there was such a deadly sting in its tail.
_______ 31. The story is mainly about
A) eating in class. B) Sonny Boy’s problems.
 C) Sonny Boy’s fear for Mr Callender D) Preparing for examination.
_______ 32. Eating the mango was a big risk because
A) Mr Callender would have smelt the juice. B) Mr Callender was a strict teacher.
C) Mr Callender had gone to the toilet. D) Mr Callender did not like the fruit.
_______ 33. From the passage you can tell:
A) Mr. Callender did not like to use the strap.
B) Sonny Boy was very afraid of Mr. Callender.
C) There was no tension in Mr. Callender’s classroom.
D) Mr. Callender was an expert teacher.
_______ 34. The word ‘cautiously’ means:
A) quickly B) carefully C) quickly D) suddenly
B. Read the poem and answer the questions below.
Extract from Reflection on wrecked kites
On the sagging telephone wires And now
just outside my window they look so forlorn,
hang the corpses so pitiful, hanging there limply,
of what were once their flat silly heads
three joyous little kites. Woggling in the breeze,
Only a few days ago their scraggy tails
they were describing twined around the swaying wires,
fussy little arcs their happy function frustrated,
up there in the blue, their brief day done.
bobbing and buzzing
they soared as they flew. Frank Collymore

_______ 35. What is this poem all about?

A) children flying kites B) kites that can fly no more
C) kites soaring in the air D) the poet’s fear
_______ 36. What does the word “sagging” tell you about the telephone wires?
A) They are falling down. B) They are loose and hanging.
C) They are straight and upright D) They are old.
_______ 37. What picture do you get in the first five lines of the poem?
A) Three joyous little kites B) Three kites that will rise again
C) A looks at the kites D) Three kites that have fallen and can no longer fly
_______ 38. In the poem, what are corpses?
A) dead bodies B) kites entangled as they fly
C) wires that cannot be repaired D) kites that could no longer move
_______ 39. Which one of these expressions describe the kites in movement?
A) bobbing and buzzing B) joyous little kites
C) fussy little arcs D) scraggy tails
_______ 40. How do the kites look now?
A) forlorn, pitiful and limp B) hanging and foolish
C) happy and lively D) sagging and limp
_______ 41. What feeling does the poet have for the kids?
A) pity B) joy C) frustration D) fear
_______ 42. The poet compares the kite to corpses mainly because
A) their work is complete B) they can no longer soar in the air
C) they resemble dead bodies D) they are damaged

C. Place the following group of words in alphabetical order. Write above the word the number 1-6 which you
think comes first from the list.
_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______
43. business, bustle, busy, butcher, butter, button.
_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______
44. dear, deer, deal, debate, deaf, data.
_______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______
45. garage, garbage, garble, garden, gargle, garlic.

D. Give the correct word: “between”, “among” in the following sentences.

46. There was agreement _______________the captain and the coach.

47. The students argued_____________themselves about the rules of the school.

48. My aunt shared her money______________her husband, her nephew and her brother.

49. The teacher will share the pencils_________________the students in his class.
50._________________you and me, we share the same thoughts about our new principal.

Prepared by:
Ma. Aulene V. Montemayor
Subject Teacher