Class 8 English: Sample Question Paper with Solutions - 4 | Sample Papers For Class 8 PDF Download

Ques 1: Read the following passage carefully:
From Rameswaram to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, it's been a long journey. Taking to Nona Walia on the eve of Teacher's Day, President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam talks about life's toughest lessons learnt and his mission being a teacher to the Indian youth. "A proper education would help nurture a sense of dignity and self-respect among our youth," says President Kalam.
There's still a child in him though, and he's still curious about learning new things. Life's a mission for President Kalam.
Nonetheless, he remembers his first lesson in life and how it changed his destiny. "I was studying in Standard V and must have been all of 10. My teacher, Sri Sivasubramania lyer was telling how birds fly. He drew a diagram of a bird on the blackboard, depicting the wings, tail and the body with the head and then explained how birds soar to the sky. At the end of the class, I said, "I didn't understand." Then he asked the other students if they had understood, but nobody had understood how birds fly," he recalls.
"That evening, the entire class was taken to Rameshwaram shore," the President continues, "My teacher showed us sea birds. We saw marvellous formations of them flying and how their wings flapped. Then my teacher asked us. Where is the bird's engine and how is it powered?' I knew then that birds are powered by their own life and motivation. I understood all about birds' dynamics."
(i) When did Nona Walia talk to the President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam?
(ii) What did the teacher draw on the blackboard?
(iii) What did Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam learn when the entire class was taken to the Rameshwaram shore?
(iv) (a) Give the antonyms of:
(i) remembers
(ii) toughest.
(b) Which words in the passage mean the following:
(i) fate
(ii) forces that produce movement.
(v) What inspiration do you gain after reading about Dr. Kalam's experiences as a student?
Ans: (i) Nona Walia spoke to the President Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam on the eve of Teacher's Day.
(ii) The teacher drew a detailed diagram of a bird on the blackboard showing the wings, tail and the body with the head.
(iii) He learnt that birds were powered by their own life and motivation and all about birds dynamics.
(iv) (a) (i) forgets (ii) easiest
(b) (i) destiny (ii) motivation
(v) This passage teaches us that one must have a craving to learn more and more in life. I also learnt that by asking questions we can learn more. If we don't understand a particular concept, we must ask the teacher and not keep the doubts to ourselves.

Ques 2: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follows:
Solar energy has long struggled to compete with fossil fuels due to the high cost of solar panel production, installation and maintenance.
It is here that robots made their entry and have come in handy.
The auto industry and many other solar companies have automated the production of photovoltaic (PV) panels with robots that are more cost effective and precise. This has led to a fall in price of solar energy in recent years.
However, the savings generated by robotic production alone have not been enough to create widespread availability. In order to create a competitive edge, many companies had to look to other areas to cut costs.
Solar company Alion has developed the "Rover," a robot that can install solar panels rows along concrete bases using only an operator and a small team to create the foundation. The robot can work continuously in the hot, sunny areas where solar panels necessarily have to be installed. This brings down the cost of installation and materials by 75 per cent over conventional methods.
Once installation is complete, other robots take over the maintenance of the panels by moving across each row to wash away any surface material that may reduce the efficiency of the panel - a time-consuming task previously done by teams of people with hoses. This robotic maintenance technology is improving.
Robotic innovation is not restricted to the solar industry. Competitors in energy field like mining, oil and gas industries ? are also seeking to integrate robots to cut down on their costs. Driverless trucks and trains in mines today are used to cut cost, eliminating the need to pay operators, Similarly, companies across the mining industry are looking to replace human workers at the face of the mines with robotic technology as conditions hundreds of metres below ground are often extremely dangerous. Robotic technology can be remotely operated and is cheaper.
In Canada, rig robots can now assemble an entire down-hole assembly system for obtaining oil at the bottom of the sea. Other welding robots have become more sophisticated and require near little help when making repairs. Robotics companies are now trying to replace manpower by fully automating the entire drilling process from the floor to retrieval.
The adoption of robots in the fossil fuel industry may slow solar integration in the near future by boosting competitors, but won't be able to stop it. Developed countries have committed themselves to renewable energy resources. The U.S. recently donated $4 billion in private sector funding for innovations. In emerging energy markets, solar innovations are becoming more sustainable and affordable than fossil fuels.
(i) Answer the following questions: 
(a) Why is solar energy still not a preferable mode for energy generation?
(b) How are the companies using solar panels trying to cope with the cost?
(c) What are some of the areas being taken over by robots?
(d) Why is the U.S. Government donating money to private companies?
Ans: (i) (a) Because installation and maintenance of solar panels is very costly whereas fossil fuels are cheaper.
(b) By installing Robots to do the work which was done by men earlier. They have also cut down on staff to save on costs.
(c) Robots have taken over all those jobs which are dangerous ? maintaining and laying solar panels, underground mining, oil drilling from ocean base.
(d) To aid and promote and research by private sectors. They will compete and innovate and bring down the costs.

Ques 3: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follows:
Solar energy has long struggled to compete with fossil fuels due to the high cost of solar panel production, installation and maintenance.
It is here that robots made their entry and have come in handy.
The auto industry and many other solar companies have automated the production of photovoltaic (PV) panels with robots that are more cost effective and precise. This has led to a fall in price of solar energy in recent years.
However, the savings generated by robotic production alone have not been enough to create widespread availability. In order to create a competitive edge, many companies had to look to other areas to cut costs.
Solar company Alion has developed the "Rover," a robot that can install solar panels rows along concrete bases using only an operator and a small team to create the foundation. 
The robot can work continuously in the hot, sunny areas where solar panels necessarily have to be installed. This brings down the cost of installation and materials by 75 per cent over conventional methods. Once installation is complete, other robots take over the maintenance of the panels by moving across each row to wash away any surface material that may reduce the efficiency of the panel - a time-consuming task previously done by teams of people with hoses.
This robotic maintenance technology is improving.
Robotic innovation is not restricted to the solar industry. Competitors in energy field like mining, oil and gas industries ? are also seeking to integrate robots to cut down on their costs. Driverless trucks and trains in mines today are used to cut cost, eliminating the need to pay operators, Similarly, companies across the mining industry are looking to replace human workers at the face of the mines with robotic technology as conditions hundreds of metres below ground are often extremely dangerous. Robotic technology can be remotely operated and is cheaper.
In Canada, rig robots can now assemble an entire down-hole assembly system for obtaining oil at the bottom of the sea. Other welding robots have become more sophisticated and require near little help when making repairs. Robotics companies are now trying to replace manpower by fully automating the entire drilling process from the floor to retrieval.
The adoption of robots in the fossil fuel industry may slow solar integration in the near future by boosting competitors, but won't be able to stop it. Developed countries have committed themselves to renewable energy resources. The U.S. recently donated $4 billion in private sector funding for innovations. In emerging energy markets, solar innovations are becoming more sustainable and affordable than fossil fuels.
(ii) Complete the following statements with one word or phrase:
(a) Robotic technology is beneficial for mining industry because it can now get the dangerous part of the job done by robots without risking the life of human beings. Also because robotic technology can be __
(b) Solar energy is not only renewable source of energy but also more ___.
(c) Another word used in the passage which means the same as distantly is ___.
(d) ___ is a system in which work is done with mechanical or electronic equipment and not human beings.
Ans: (ii) (a) remotely operated and is cheaper.
(b) sustainable
(c) remotely
(d) automation.

Ques 4: You are Rachit Sharma, the Head Boy of Ryan Public School, Ghaziabad. Your school is organizing a cultural programme to raise the funds for an orphanage in your city. Write a notice for your school notice board, informing the students about the same.
Ans: Mother: Where were you yesterday?
Daughter: I had gone to my friend?s house.
Mother: You should have told me.
Daughter: You had gone out. I will tell you in advance before going out. I will remember it for the next time.

Ques 5: The mother asked her daughter where she had been the previous day. The daughter replied that she had gone to her friend's house. The mother said that she should have told her. The daughter replied that she had gone out and added that she would tell her in advance before going out. She would remember it for the next time. Write the above passage in the form of dialogue.
Or
You are Harshit of Model School, Aligarh. Recently your school held Annual Sports Day. Write a report for the same.
Ans: RYAN PUBLIC SCHOOL, GHAZIABAD
April 5th, 20XX NOTICE
Cultural Programme
This is to inform the students of Std. VI to XII that our school is organising a cultural programme to raise the funds for orphanage. It will be held on 20th April. Students should participate enthusiastically. For more details, contact the undersigned.
Rachit Sharma
(Head boy)
OR
Annual Sports Day
By-Harshit,
(Sports Captain)
Aligarh,
21st November, 20XX
Our school held its Annual Sports Day on 21st November, 20XX. The school was beautifully decorated with coloured papers and flags. It was a mixture of sports and a few dance performances.
The Chief Guest was a National Hockey player Mr. I, K. Iyyer who declared the sports meet open at 10 a.m. The programmes began with the March past and the Oath Ceremony. It was followed by a few races, gymnastic events and drills. The students had put in their best efforts. The participants and nonparticipants sat in their pavilions, where they were given refreshments.
The Head Boy Armaan Banerjee gave Vote of Thanks and the Chief Guest appreciated and motivated everyone with his valuable words.

Ques 6: Read the outlines of a story given below. Write it in full using these outlines and your own ideas.
Assign a suitable title to it.
Outlines:- Hot June-crow thirsty - search for water- no water around - saw a jug of water - tried to drink - level very low - beak couldn't reach water - sad - thought a plan - put pebbles one by one into jug - raised the level - very happy - hard work leads to success.
OR
Complete the story on the basis of the beginning given below:
Away from the crowds of cities, in a far flung village, lived a boy named Ravi. Ravi became an orphan when he was still a baby. One day an old woman came to his hut and said............
Ans: A Thirsty Crow
It was the month of June. It was very hot. A crow felt very thirsty. He flew from place to place in search of water, but found no water. As the crow was flying over a house, he saw a jug of water. As he was thirsty, he flew to it. The crow tried to drink water from the jug, but the level of the water in the jug was very low and his beak couldn't reach the water. The crow became sad. But he was a clever crow.
He saw some pebbles lying here and there on the roof. He thought of a plan. He put those pebbles one by one into the jug, thus raising the level of the water. The crow felt very happy. He drank water and flew away. His hard work and patience led him to success.  
OR
That you come along with me and I will change your life. As Ravi was living all alone and their was no one to take care of him, he agreed to go along with the old woman. She took him to her house. She asked him to have his bath and then gave him something to eat. Since her husband was the Principal of a school, she spoke to him about Ravi. She got the boy admitted in the school. And after school Ravi would come over to the old woman's house and helped her in the household chores. Ravi was good at studies and also was very good in athletics.
The school encouraged his desire and he became a national level athletics champion. The old woman had seen his potential in running and this was the reason she had got him to her house. It was because of the old lady that Ravi talent was encouraged and that it did not go waste.

Ques 7: Complete the following passage by choosing the correct options:
Confucius laid great stress (i) ___ good character. He preached (ii) ___ people should respect (iii) ____ parents. He held a prominent place (vi) ___ philosophers and religious reformers. The syllabus (v) ___ his teaching was a wide one which (vi) ____ morals, family duties, social reforms and personal relationship. He knew (vii) ____ languages and arts. He has written about his experiences in life in a book (viii) ____ Chin Chinking.
(i).
(a) on              
(b) at
(c) into
(d) upon
Ans: (a)

Ques 8: Complete the following passage by choosing the correct options:
Confucius laid great stress (i) ___ good character. He preached (ii) ___ people should respect (iii) ____ parents. He held a prominent place (vi) ___ philosophers and religious reformers. The syllabus (v) ___ his teaching was a wide one which (vi) ____ morals, family duties, social reforms and personal relationship. He knew (vii) ____ languages and arts. He has written about his experiences in life in a book (viii) ____ Chin Chinking.
(ii).
(a) because
(b) since
(c) that
(d) which
Ans: (b)

Ques 9: Complete the following passage by choosing the correct options:
Confucius laid great stress (i) ___ good character. He preached (ii) ___ people should respect (iii) ____ parents. He held a prominent place (vi) ___ philosophers and religious reformers. The syllabus (v) ___ his teaching was a wide one which (vi) ____ morals, family duties, social reforms and personal relationship. He knew (vii) ____ languages and arts. He has written about his experiences in life in a book (viii) ____ Chin Chinking.
(iii).
(a) his                                
(b) our
(c) their
(d) your
Ans: (b)

Ques 10: Complete the following passage by choosing the correct options:
Confucius laid great stress (i) ___ good character. He preached (ii) ___ people should respect (iii) ____ parents. He held a prominent place (vi) ___ philosophers and religious reformers. The syllabus (v) ___ his teaching was a wide one which (vi) ____ morals, family duties, social reforms and personal relationship. He knew (vii) ____ languages and arts. He has written about his experiences in life in a book (viii) ____ Chin Chinking.
(iv). 
(a) in                                  
(b) within
(c) amidst
(d) amongst
Ans: (c)

Ques 11: Complete the following passage by choosing the correct options:
Confucius laid great stress (i) ___ good character. He preached (ii) ___ people should respect (iii) ____ parents. He held a prominent place (vi) ___ philosophers and religious reformers. The syllabus (v) ___ his teaching was a wide one which (vi) ____ morals, family duties, social reforms and personal relationship. He knew (vii) ____ languages and arts. He has written about his experiences in life in a book (viii) ____ Chin Chinking.

(v).
(a) of                  
(b) on
(c) from
(d) for
Ans: (a)

Ques 12: Complete the following passage by choosing the correct options:
Confucius laid great stress (i) ___ good character. He preached (ii) ___ people should respect (iii) ____ parents. He held a prominent place (vi) ___ philosophers and religious reformers. The syllabus (v) ___ his teaching was a wide one which (vi) ____ morals, family duties, social reforms and personal relationship. He knew (vii) ____ languages and arts. He has written about his experiences in life in a book (viii) ____ Chin Chinking.

(vi).
(a) included
(b) include
(c) including
(d) includes
Ans: (a)

Ques 13: Complete the following passage by choosing the correct options:
Confucius laid great stress (i) ___ good character. He preached (ii) ___ people should respect (iii) ____ parents. He held a prominent place (vi) ___ philosophers and religious reformers. The syllabus (v) ___ his teaching was a wide one which (vi) ____ morals, family duties, social reforms and personal relationship. He knew (vii) ____ languages and arts. He has written about his experiences in life in a book (viii) ____ Chin Chinking.

(vii).
(a) many          
(b) more
(c) much
(d) most
Ans: (a)

Ques 14: Complete the following passage by choosing the correct options:
Confucius laid great stress (i) ___ good character. He preached (ii) ___ people should respect (iii) ____ parents. He held a prominent place (vi) ___ philosophers and religious reformers. The syllabus (v) ___ his teaching was a wide one which (vi) ____ morals, family duties, social reforms and personal relationship. He knew (vii) ____ languages and arts. He has written about his experiences in life in a book (viii) ____ Chin Chinking.

(viii).
(a) title                            
(b) titled
(c) titles
(d) titling
Ans: (a)

Ques 15: In the following passage. There is one error in each line. Write the incorrect word and the correction as given in the example against the correct blank number. Also underline the correction:

Ques 16: Change the following sentences into reported speech;
(i) Diya said to Maya, "\ am going to the park now".
(ii) My friend said to me, "Go for morning walk".
(iii) 'Oh! It is so hot here', said Meena.
(iv) Sohan said, "What a beautiful dress!"
Ans: (i) Diya told Maya that she was going to the park then.
(ii) My friend advised me to go for morning walk.
(iii) Meena exclaimed that is was very hot there.
(iv) Sohan exclaimed that the dress was very beautiful.

Ques 17: Read the following stanza carefully and answer the questions given below:
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) Whom does T and 'You' refer to in line 4?
(ii) Why were the houses with the door shut?
(iii) What did the old man bring out?
(iv) How did the speaker react to the old man's offer?
Ans: (i) I refers to the old man and 'you' refers to the narrator.
(ii) The houses had the doors shut because of the heat of the mid-day.
(iii) The old man brought out a bag of gold to hire the man.
(iv) Speaker turned down the old man's offer.

Ques 18: Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
Of all the emotions which surged through me as I stood on the Summit of Everest, looking over miles of panorama below us, the dominant one I think was of humility. The physical in me seemed to say, "Thank God ifs all over!" However, instead of being jubilant there was a tinge of sadness. Was it because I had already done the 'ultimate' in climbing and there would be nothing higher to climb and all roads hereafter would lead down?
(i) Who is the narrator?
(ii) What was the dominant emotion of the narrator?
(iii) "Thank God it's all over?" What was all over?
(iv) Why would all roads lead down hereafter?
Ans: (i) The narrator is Major H. P. S. Ahluwalia.
(ii) The dominant emotion of the narrator was of humility.
(iii) Climbing the Summit of Mount Everest was over.
(iv) All roads would lead down as there was nothing higher than Everest to climb.

Ques 19: Answer any four of the following questions:
(i) Why does he compare himself with a bird in a cage or a plant that withers? (The School Boy).
(ii) Who was Gather gold?
(iii) Why did Ernest think the poet was like the stone face?
(iv) Jody didn't want Mill-wheel with him for two reasons. What were they?
(v) Why did Bepin Babu change his mind about meeting Chunni? What was the result of this meeting?
Ans: (i) He compares himself with a bird in a cage or a plant that withers because he is not happy with his school life and he is unable to enjoy his freedom to play during school time.
(ii) Gather gold was a man who belonged to this valley but had settled somewhere else and set up as a shopkeeper being sharp in business matters. He had become very rich and now he thought of spending his end days in his native valley.
(iii) The songs of the poet found their way to Ernest. He read them after his day?s work and found them worthy. So he began to think that the poet was like the Stone Face.
(iv) Jody didn't want Mill-wheel with him for two reasons. If he did not find the fawn then he would be disappointed, and if the fawn would be there then he did not want to share his happiest expression with any one.
(v) Bepin Babu changed his mind about meeting Chunni because he wanted to know about his trip to Ranchi from Chunni. Bepin Babu sighed and shook his head after this meeting because Chunni also confirmed that he had gone to Ranchi.

Ques 20: Answer any four of the following questions:-                                    
(i) Immediate action was needed, the scientists decided. Give one example each of "defensive" and "offensive" action mentioned in the text.
(ii) He offers to play a game with Allah Miyan. What is the game?
(iii) What is the King's opinion about his councillors. Why did he form that opinion?
(iii) What did the scientists at the conference say about Jame's 'sums'?
(iv) Hafeez Contractor wanted to join the police force. Why didn't he?
Ans: (i) Defensive Action: Like living in bunkers (underground ones). Offensive Action: Comet Dutta could be marginally deflected from its path by giving it a push.
(ii) He decided to play a game with Allah Miyan. He used to form a starting place to touch the signal.
Allah Miyan was supposed to put four rupees under the big rock. The boy would touch the signal and come back. It would be fun if he found four rupees underneath the rock.
(iii) The king found the little bird's song as unique and pleasing. He was tired of listening the same old repetitions of the parrot. God save the King and Pretty Polly each day. They reminded him of his councillors who spoke the same words in seven different ways but it was just flattery. They did not mean what they recited and did not offer any sincere advice.
(iv) The scientists at the conference checked and rechecked James Forsyth's calculations with the latest observations of Comet Dutta and found that his sums were right.
(v) Hafeez Contractor desperately wanted to join the police force but his mother did not agree to this idea. She wanted him to do his graduation. So he had to take admission in Jaihind College in Bombay.