Class 8 English: Sample Question Paper with Solutions - 1 | Sample Papers For Class 8 PDF Download

Q.1. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
"Most of us take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually, we picture that one day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. So we go about our pretty task, hardly aware of our listless attitude towards life.
The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight.
This observation applies to those who have never suffered an impairment of sight or hearing. They seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration, and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound."

(a) On the basis of your reading of the above passage answer the following questions:
(i) Death is unimaginable when ______
(ii) We know that one day we must die, but_______
(iii) Give the meaning: lethargy, buoyant
(iv) State the word class of 'stricken'.
Ans.
(i) We are in buoyant health.
(ii) We usually picture that one day as for in the future.
(iii) lethargy - fatigue, lack of energy, and enthusiasm.
buoyant - happy, cheerful, light-hearted.
(iv) Adjective

(b) Change the voice:
(i) We seldom think of it.
(ii) The same lethargy characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses.
Ans. 
(i) It is seldom thought of by us.
(ii) The use of all our faculties and senses is characterized by the same lethargy.

(c) What does the writer mean by 'most of us take life for granted?
Ans. It means that we really take our life very easy without bothered about certain important aspects of life like our health, our faculties, senses, etc. We accept our poor body performance take in sights and sounds hazily without concentration or appreciation.

Q.2. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow.
"One of the greatest advances in modern technology has been the invention of computers. They are widely used in industries and in universities. Now there is hardly any sphere of human life where computers have not been pressed into service of man. We are heading fast towards the day when a computer will be as much part of man's daily life as a telephone or a calculator.
Computers are capable of doing extremely complicated work in all branches of learning. They can solve the most complex mathematical problems or put thousands of unrelated facts in order. These machines can be put to varied uses. For instance, they can provide information on the best way to prevent traffic jams. This whole process by which machines can be used to work for us has been called 'automation'. In the future, automation may enable human beings to enjoy more leisure than they do today. The coming of automation is bound to have important social consequences. Some years ago an expert in automation. Sir Leon Bagrit, pointed out that it was a mistake to believe that these machines could 'think'. There is no possibility that human beings will be 'controlled by machines'.
Though computers are capable of learning from their mistakes and improving on their performance, they need detailed instructions from human beings to operate. They can never, as it were, lead independent lives or "rule of world" by making decisions of their own. Sir Leon said that in future, computers would be developed which would be small enough to carry in the pocket. Ordinary people would then be able to use them to obtain valuable information. Computers could be plugged into a national network and be used like radios. For instance, people going on holiday could be informed about weather conditions. Car drivers can be given alternative routes when there are traffic jams. It will also be possible to make tiny translating machines. This will enable people who do not share a common language to talk to each other without any difficulty or to read foreign publications."
(a) Answer any four of the following questions:                                  
(i) Why can't computers lead independent lives or rule the world?
(ii) What complicated works are computers capable of doing?
(iii) Write one use of a computer.
(iv) How would computers as translating machines help people?
Ans. 
(i) Computers cannot lead independent lives or rule the world because they are incapable of thinking on their own. They need detailed instructions from human beings on how to operate.
(ii) Computers can do complicated work in all branches of learning, viz., they can solve complex mathematical problems, put thousands of unrelated facts in order, they can provide information on the best route to take during traffic jams, etc.
(iii) Computers can be used to solve mathematical problems/they can provide information on the best route to take during a traffic jam/give information on weather conditions, etc.
(iv) Computers would be able to help travelers translate written or spoken language in a foreign country whose language is not known to a traveler.

(b) Find out the antonyms of the following from the passage:
(i) Ancient
(ii) Impossible
Ans.
(i) Modern
(ii) Possible

(c) Pick the word from the passage which means the same as:
(i) Example
(ii) Common
Ans.
(i) Instance
(ii) Ordinary

Q.3. Imagine that you are N.C. Jain, the President of Friends Apartments Society. The water reservoir of the colony is to be cleaned on 28th Aug 20XX, therefore the water supply will be affected on 28th & 29th August, inform the residents of your colony about the same.
Ans.
Q.4. Write a paragraph in about 100-200 words on the given topic: Fashion Among Students.

Or

You are Preeti of St. Columbus School, Nainital. You have to speak on the topic 'Modernisation does not mean aping westernization'. 
Write the same in about 150 words.

Ans. 
Fashion Among Students:
To be in fashion is a craze all over the world. Students in India also are very particular about fashion. Every student, whether a boy or a girl likes to wear dresses of the latest fashion. They want to look smart, up-to-date, and attractive. They imitate actors and actresses. Tailors and fashion designers also keep on introducing new designs regularly. In fact, tailoring shops today are the temples of fashion.
Even shoe shops are offering the latest varieties of footwear. Fashion also includes going to clubs, hotels, or restaurants, drinking, smoking, reading film magazines, making friends with members of the other sex. Girls like to expose their bodies more and more, prefer to look like dolls, and move about like butterflies. Girls go in for haircuts, while boys are growing long hair. Students, in fact, do not realize that they are wasting their precious time as well as the hard-earned money of their parents. It is essential to take proper care of the body but not artificially.

Or

Speech on the topic 'Modernisation does not mean aping westernization'
Good Morning Respected Principal, Teachers, and My Dear Friends.
Today, I, Preeti would like to express my thoughts on 'Modernisation does not mean Aping Westernisation'.
Today, we believe that if we follow western culture we become modern. Modernization has become synonymous with westernization. India is famous for its rich culture but we are obsessed with the views that if we dress up like western country people, eat their food, and talk like them, we are modernized, forgetting that our culture is being ruined.
Modernization means being open to modern developments, techniques, achieving a good education, coming out of superstitious beliefs, and being liberal in our views. Medical sciences should be enhanced to make our life comfortable and life should be lived happily with contentment. If we have all this, we are modernized.
Wearing short dresses, enjoying pizza and burgers but with no love and respect for each other does not make us modern. Modernization and Westernisation are two different aspects.
Thank You.

Q.5. 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:
Two friends when small were very closely attached to each other ? one rich? one poor? after Class X? separate. Meet after 10 years? poor as the boss and rich as an employee.

Or

The following story had been left unfinished by its writer. Complete the same in about 150-200 words.
A stag was proud of his horns but treated his legs inferior. "How ugly and thin they are", he often said. One day some hunters came to the forest. They wanted to kill the stag. He ran for life...........
Ans.
Hard Work Pays
There were two boys Baljeet and Kuldeep. They were best friends. Baljeet belonged to a rich family and could afford to buy whatever he wanted to, but Kuldeep belonged to a poor family. When sometimes Kuldeep was unable to pay his tuition fee Baljeet would help him in that. They both loved each other and were ready to help each other. There was only one main difference that Baljeet was not good at studies. Kuldeep used to help him in his studies and always asked him to study hard as he himself was quite good.
They studied together till grade X and after that Baljeet's parents sent him to Shimla for further studies. He completed his Management course but with average marks whereas Kuldeep stayed in the same city, completed his Management course from there itself but with flying colours. He got a placement in Delhi in a big company as Senior Manager directly. When he joined the company and was introduced to his subordinates, he was surprised to see Baljeet working as a Junior Manager under him. He was happy and excited but controlled himself. Later they met with each other, hugged, and enjoyed.
In the office they were serious and after that their friendship continued.

Or

A stag was proud of his horns but treated his legs inferior. "How ugly and thin they are", he often said. One day some hunters came to the forest. They wanted to kill the stag. He ran for life as he was scared of the gunshots. The stag knew that the hunters had come to shoot him for its horns. The stag who always felt proud of its horns and treated his legs inferior repented for it. The stag knew the hunters had come for his horns which would fetch them a lot's money.
The stag ran very fast towards the center of the jungle which was full of dense trees. It was his ugly and thin legs that carried him safely. While running his horns got stuck in the bushes. The stag pulled and pushed himself and with great difficulty, he pulled his horns outside. The stag felt repentant of his attitude towards his legs and never felt proud of his which nearly took his life.

Q.6. Re-arrange the following words and phrases to make meaningful sentences:
(a) are not/citizens/respected/senior/or cared for
(b) ill-equipped/are not only/insufficient/old age homes/also/but
(c) must/anyone else's/place them/the society/before/interest
(d) giving them/very much needed/is important/they are/an impression/that
Ans. 
(a) Senior citizens are not respected or cared for.
(b) Old age homes are not only insufficient but also ill-equipped.
(c) The society must place them before anyone else's interest.
(d) Giving them an impression that they are very much needed is important.

Q.7. The following passage has not been edited. There is an error in each line. Write the incorrect word and the correction as given in the example against the correct blank number.
Poetry open our eyes to new ways of looks at events and emotions. The poet took the readers in voyages with poetic device and shares ideas of them. Poetry is often sees as a special subject of an educated person, poets, however, feel this poetry is for all.

Ans.

Q.8. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.
When the jet reached ten thousand feet,
It was clear why the country
Had cities where the rivers ran
And why the valleys were populated.
The logic of geography
That land and water attracted man?
Was clearly delineated
When the jet reached ten thousand feet.

(a) At what height did the jet reach?
Ans. The jet reached the height of ten thousand feet.

(b) What was clear from that height?
Ans. From that height it was clear that there were cities where there were rivers and why were the valleys populated.

(c) What was the logic of geography?
Ans. The logic of geography was that the land and water attracted man.

(d) Name the Poem.
Ans. 'Geography Lesson'

Q.9. Read the following extract and answer the question that follows.
And yet the man knew a great deal about him. How? He even seemed to know some intimate details.
The Bag of books, wife's death, brother's insanity................... The only mistake was about his having gone to Ranchi. Not a mistake, a deliberate lie. In '58, during the Pujas, he was in Kanpur at his friend Haridas Bagchi's place.

(a) Who knew a great deal about whom?
Ans. Parimal Ghose knew a great deal about Bepin Choudhury.

(b) What intimate details did the man know?
Ans. The man knew about the bag of books, his wife's death, his brother's insanity, etc.

(c) What was the only mistake the man was making? Why was it a mistake?
Ans. The only mistake the man was making was telling that Bepin Choudhury had been to Ranchi.

(d) Why was it a mistake?
Ans. It was a mistake because Bepin Choudhury had never been there.

Q.10. Answer any four of the following questions.
(a) What message does the poet want to convey through the poem 'The School Bag'?
Ans. The poet wants to convey a very practical lesson through this poem. He wants that we should not bury the childhood of a child under the burden of heavy bags and books as a child loves to be closer to nature, stars, flowers than to this materialistic world.

(b) On his return from the parish what two things did people notice about him? (When I set out for Lyonnesse)
Ans. On his return from the parish, people noticed two things about him: a new glow in his eyes and a piece of paper sticking out of his coat pocket.

(c) How can we say that animals have a sixth sense? (The Tsunami)
Ans. Animals have a sixth sense which alarms them about a natural calamity about to occur. They behave strangely, run to a safer place, and do not come out.

(d) Mention the various ways in which the British and the German soldiers become friends and find things in common at Christmas.
Ans. The British and the German soldiers became friends by sharing smoking, laughing, talking, drinking, and eating and by sharing Christmas cake. All these things were common between them. 

(e) Why did the poet himself say about his thoughts and poems? (The Create Stone Face II)
Ans. The poet admitted that his songs were heavenly, and his dreams had been grand. But his life did not agree with his great thought. He lacked sincere faith in his own thoughts. His dreams were mere hollow dreams.

Q.11. Answer any four of the following questions.
(a) Why did the interviewer say that "giftedness and learning disabilities go hand in hand".
Ans. Hafeez Contractor told Ms. Bela Raja, Editor of Newsletter and his interviewer that there were many students of his class who always stood first or second but in the present day are doing very ordinary jobs.

(b) She is complaining and smiling. Why is she smiling?
Ans. She is complaining and smiling because she knew fully well how utterly oblivious her husband was of the practical problems of living. He would not care about wearing the sweater even if it was (near him) lying on the bedside chair.

(c) On one occasion the children said, "How happy we are here!" Later they said; "How happy we were there!" What are they referring to in both cases?

Ans. The children were accustomed to playing freely every afternoon in the Giant's garden during his absence. This made them very happy. Unfortunately, they were all driven out when the Giant returned to his castle. So in both cases, the children are referring to the garden where they were later prohibited to enter.

(d) Describe the appearance of Jaya.
Ans. She wore a long banian that came down to her knees. Her hair was stiff brown and she had a huge sack on her one shoulder. She was picking up dirty plastic cups from the floor and stuffing them into her sack.

(e) "I am not buying any Christmas presents till December 15." What did Sir John mean by that?
Ans. Sir John said that he won't buy any Christmas presents till December 15 because on this day the comet would the earth. If the operation succeeded, the comet would pass by at a near but safe distance some close.

Q.12. Answer any one of the following.
Do you think ours is a traditional society? What are some of the things we do to be called traditional? Do you find these things interesting or useful?
Or
Christy's mother played a vital role in making him a successful man. Explain.
Ans. Yes, our society can be termed as a traditional society. We perform religious ceremonies such as yajnas puja, katha, observe fast, go to the temples and rivers after prayers for the ancestors, etc.
Yes, these things are useful at times as well as sounds/seem interesting because they bring peace/solace to our mind. They also help us in achieving our aim/goal in life. Religion has always been our torch bearer at least in Hindu mythology. These things teach us to respect different religions. They also teach us discipline and patience. Fasting on various occasions increases our stamina.
Or
Christy's mother proved to be a great mother. She inspired him to a great extend. She never lost courage and belief in Christy. Her loving behaviour made him a successful person and a great author. She always gave him a feeling of contentment. She inspired him and gave him courage. When he was almost beaten, she filled him with new strength and will-power to lift himself. She proved everyone wrong. Her faith in Christy was rewarded and he became a successful person. It was only because of his mother that Christy Brown could live a life of dignity.