Subject: English Topic: Revision Question Bank

Grade: VIII Div: _________ Roll No: _________ Date: ____________

Section A : Reading
Q1 Read the following passage carefully
1. The penguin is a bird, but it does not fly. Penguins are not like other birds. They
are unique birds, and although they do have feathers, even their feathers are
unusual. Other birds have rows of feathers that grow in a specific pattern. A
penguin’s feathers grow all over, like hair on a mammal. They have solid bones,
while other birds have bones that are not solid.
2. You will not see penguins in the air, and you will not see them in trees. You will
see them in the water; in fact you will see them below the surface of the water if
you have an underwater video camera. The penguin is an ocean bird, living in and
near the ocean.
3. The penguin spends much time in the ocean; so much of its life is unknown.
People only get to know penguins well when they are on land, and the penguin
can be at sea for months at a time. While the penguin is not a great flier as the
eagle is, the penguin can out-swim most birds and probably out-swims some
other aquatic animals. The penguin has thick strong wings and flippers instead of
feet that it uses to push through the water.
4. When the penguin is on land, it walks along slowly, and this limited mobility may
be one reason the penguin spends more time in the water. The penguin’s food
source is in the water, the fish it catches.
1.1 Now answer the following questions by choosing the correct options given
below.
(a) Where can one usually see penguins?
i.below the surface of the iii. near the igloos
water iv. in the aquariums
ii. above the surface of the water
(b) How are penguins different from others birds?
i. Penguins have feathers that iii. Penguins have solid bones.
grow in a specific pattern. iv. Penguins eat worms.
ii. Penguins stay awake at night.

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 (c) For how long can a penguin be at sea?
i. for a few days together at a iii. for years together at a time
time iv. for three weeks together at a time
ii. for months together at a time
(d) What helps a penguin to push through water?
i. beak iii. feet
ii. wings and flippers iv. stomach
(e) Why does a penguin spend more time in water?
i. Because they have limited mobility
ii. Because they like swimming
iii. Because it is cooler in the water
iv. Because it likes to eat the fishes from the water
(f) Where is the penguin’s food source?
i. land ii. sun iii. air iv. water
(g) What is a penguin?
i. sea bird ii. earth bird iii. ocean bird iv. continent bird
(h) Which word from paragraph 3 means the same as ‘marine’?
i. unknown ii. aquatic iii. flier iv. flippers

Q2 Read the passage given below.

1. For many people who live in cities, parks are an important part of the
landscape. They provide a place for people to relax and play sports, as well as a
refuge from the often harsh environment of a city. What people often overlook
is that parks also provide considerable environmental benefits.
2. One benefit of parks is that plants absorb carbon dioxide—a key pollutant—
and emit oxygen, which humans need to breathe. According to one study, an
acre of trees can absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide that a typical car
emits in 11,000 miles of driving. Parks also make cities cooler. Scientists have
long noted what is called the Urban Heat Island Effect: building materials
such as metal, concrete, and asphalt absorb much more of the sun’s heat and
release it much more quickly than organic surfaces like trees and grass.
Because city landscapes contain so much of these building materials, cities
are usually warmer than surrounding rural areas. Parks and other green
spaces help to mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect.
3. Unfortunately, many cities cannot easily create more parks because most land
is already being used for buildings, roads, parking lots, and other essential

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 parts of the urban environment. However, cities could benefit from many of
the positive effects of parks by encouraging citizens to create another type of
green space: rooftop gardens. While most people would not think of starting
a garden on their roof, human beings have been planting gardens on
rooftops for thousands of years. Some rooftop gardens are very complex and
require complicated engineering, but others are simple container gardens
that anyone can create with the investment of a few hundred rupees and a
few hours of work.
2.1 Answer the following questions.
(a) Why are parks an important part of the landscape for many people who live in the
cities?
Parks an important part of the landscape for many people who live in the cities
because they provide a place for people to relax and play sports, as well as a
refuge from the often harsh environment of a city.
(b) Mention any two benefits of parks on the environment.
The two benefits of parks are:
i. Plants absorb carbon dioxide—a key pollutant—and emit oxygen, which
humans need to breathe.
ii. Parks also make cities cooler.
(c) Explain the term the ‘Urban Heat Island Effect’.
Building materials such as metal, concrete, and asphalt absorb much more of
the sun’s heat and release it much more quickly than organic surfaces like trees
and grass. This is known as the ‘Urban Heat Island Effect’.
(d) Describe the types of rooftops gardens that can be created.
Some rooftop gardens are very complex and require complicated engineering,
but others are simple container gardens that anyone can create with the
investment of a few hundred rupees and a few hours of work.

2.2 Complete the following sentences:

i. For many people who live in cities, parks are an important part of the
landscape.
ii. According to one study, an acre of trees can absorb the same amount of
carbon dioxide that a typical car emits in 11,000 miles of driving.

2.3 Find out the words that mean the same as under.
a) ‘reduce’ (paragraph 2)

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 i. mitigate ii. pollutant iii. asphalt iv. emit
b) ‘funding’ (paragraph 3)
i. investment ii. engineering iii. urban iv. complex

Section B: Writing and Grammar

Student specific
Q3 Study the graph given below, which is based on a survey done on students of the
tenth grade in three different types of schools in Ahmedabad. The graph depicts the
number of students speaking English and Hindi. On the basis of the details given in
the bar-graph, analyse and interpret the data.

Q4 You are Rahul/Riya. Write a diary in 100-120 words entry expressing your thoughts
and feelings before the exams begin.
Q5 Complete the following paragraph by filling in the blanks with the help of the given
options.
The thief (a) _________ trying to sneak into the house but the policeman
(b) ____________ him red-handed. The family (c) ___________ relieved.

(a) (i) is (ii) am (iii) would (iv) was

(b) (i) catches (ii) caught (iii) catch (iv) catching
(c) (i) was (ii) were (iii) have (iv) has
Finite Verbs, Tenses, Subject Verb Agreement

Q6 The following paragraph has not been edited. There is one error in each line. Write

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 the error and its correction in your answer paper as shown in the example.
Error Correction
Educationist today were overwhelmingly e.g. were are
concern about the future of the youngsters. concern concerned
The common complaint are that students don’t are is
study; they are not interested. Some blaming blaming blamed
exposure to society networking sites, others feel society social
that the presence generation is not serious presence present
enough. The CBSE express its concern about express expressed
reviewing the syllabuses for time to time. The ideas ideas idea
is to built a complete personality of an individual. built build

Tenses, Subject Verb Agreement, Adjectives, Finite Verbs, Non Finite Verbs,
Nouns

Q7 Rearrange the following words/phrases to form meaningful sentences. The first one
has been done as an example.
think/why/preferred/ the/ you/ to land ?/ dinosaurs/water/do
Why do you think the dinosaurs preferred water to land?
(a) were/ heavy/ the/very/dinosaurs
The dinosaurs were very heavy.
(b) support them/ their legs/ on land/ could not
Their legs could not support them on land.
(c) was/ water/a/ alternative/ fine
Water was a fine alternative.

Section C: Literature
Q8 Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
The Lady with the Lamp
(a) Unlike most children of her times, she preferred to engage in serious discussions
about politics and society with her father. From an early age, Florence loved to tend
to the sick and the poor in the village.
i. Which languages did Florence know?
Florence was able to read and write French, German, Italian, Greek and Latin.

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 ii. How was Florence different from most children of her times?
Unlike most children of her times, Florence preferred to engage in serious
discussions about politics and society with her father.
iii. Why did nursing seem to be the most appropriate way to serve mankind according to
Florence?
At the age of 16, Florence experienced one of several ‘calls from God’ and took
it as a message to alleviate human serving. Hence, nursing seemed to be the
most appropriate way to serve mankind according to Florence.
iv. Find a word from the extract which means the same as ‘liked’.
preferred

The Lady with the Lamp

(b) Nightingale became a symbol of women’s empowerment. Poems, and songs and
plays were composed in her honour. Nursing was no longer looked down upon.
i Who is referred to as ‘her’ in the above lines?
Florence Nightingale is referred to as ‘her’ in the above lines.
ii How was nursing regarded after the work done by Florence Nightingale?
Nursing came to be regarded as a respectable and viable option for women who
wished to work outside the home.
iii How did people look at nursing as a profession in the earlier days?
The people did not consider nursing as a respectable profession in earlier days.
iv Explain the meaning of the phrase – ‘ to look down upon’
The phrase ‘to look down upon’ means to consider someone or something
inferior in some way.

The Flying Sikh

(c) This alarmed his brother, Milkhan Singh, who suggested that he should use his skills
for the better and not for the worse. He motivated Milkha Singh to try his luck with
the army. After three unsuccessful attempts, he finally got selected.
i Why was Milkhan Singh alarmed?
Milkhan Singh was alarmed because his brother Milkha Singh had lost all hopes
of a better future and was thinking of becoming a dacoit.
ii Where was Milkha Singh stationed?
Milkha Singh was stationed at the Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Center at
Secunderabad.

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 iii According to Milkha Singh , what helped him to get into the army?
Milkha emphasized during the interview that being persistent helped him join
the army.
iv Give the synonym of the word ‘attempts’.
trials

Up-Hill
(d) A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
i. Who is speaker and to whom is she asking the question?
The traveller or Chistina Rossetti is the speaker. She is asking the question to
the guide.
ii What does the speaker want to know?
The traveller/ speaker wants to know if she will get a resting place for the night.
iii How does the person answer the question asked in the above extract?
The guide answers the question by assuring the traveller/ speaker that she will
not be able to miss the inn.
iv What does the poem symbolize?
The poem symbolizes the journey of life from birth to death.

(e) Ozymandias
‘I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: ‘Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert, near them, on the sand,’
i Which land is the poet referring to when the poet speaks of an antique land?
The poet is referring to Egypt as an antique land.
ii How many speakers are there in the poem?
There are three speakers in the poem- the poet, the traveller, Ozymandias.
iii What does poet mean when he says ‘trunkless legs’?
The poet means the statue was broken. Only its legs remained and the face
which lay half buried in sand.
iv Who was Ozymandias?
Ozymandias was an Egyptian pharaoh, Ramses II who vainly believed that he
was powerful and his empire would last forever.

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 Ozymandias
(f) ‘Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read.’
i Who is referred to as ‘them’?
The two legs of the statue are referred to as ‘them’.
ii. What lies near ‘them’?
The half-shattered face of the statue lies near them.
iii What expression did the face have?
The face had a stern expression like that of a powerful commander, who must
have been very cruel and quite arrogant.
iv Whose expression did the sculptor read well?
The sculptor read the expression on the face of Ozymandias and created the
same expression on his statue.

Q9 Answer the following questions in 30 to 40 words each.

The Lady with the Lamp
(a) Why were the Nightingales upset with Florence?
Florence’s family was not pleased with her decision to become a nurse because
in those days nursing was not considered a respectable profession. Nurses were
often drunk, uneducated and untrained and hospitals were also considered a
breeding ground for infection.
(b) What was the pie chart developed by Florence called? What is it used for?
Nightingale developed a form of the pie chart now called the polar area
diagram or the Nightingale rose diagram. It was used to illustrate sources of
patient mortality in the military hospital that she managed.
(c) Why did Sidney Herbert request Nightingale to go to Crimea?
The soldiers injured in the Crimean war did not have access to basic medical
care and the available resources were ineffective for their treatment. Hence,
Sidney Herbert requested Nightingale to lead a group of nurses to Scutari to
provide proper treatment.
(d) What was the strict Victorian social code that the women of Florence’s class had to
follow?
(e) Under the strict Victorian code, a woman of Florence’s class was expected to

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 marry a man of affluence. Working was regarded as menial labour by the upper
classes.

The Flying Sikh

(f) What is Milkha Singh’s advice to the younger generation?
According to Milkha Singh the young athletes nowadays, want to get famous
quickly. They resort to drugs to speed things up. He advises the younger
generation not to take short cuts.
(g) Which international race proved to be the turning point of Milkha Singh’s career and
why?
The 1956 Melbourne Olympics Games proved to be the turning point in Milkha
Singh’s career as he had the privilege of meeting Charles Jenkins, who gave him
insights on effective training methods and inspiration to become the world’s
best athlete.
(h) Why was Milkha Singh in sharp contrast with the younger athletes?
Milkha Singh was in sharp contrast with the younger athletes because unlike
Milkha Singh the younger athletes wanted to become famous quickly and in
doing so they resorted to drugs to speed things up.
(i) Why did Milkha Singhs’s win at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff come as a
surprise?
Milkha Singh’s win at the Commonwealth Games in Cardiff came as a surprise
because he was a young Indian boy from a village who ran bare foot with no
scientific training for competition with world class athletes.

Up-Hill
(j) What does the traveller ask the guide in the first stanza of the poem ‘Up-Hill’?
The traveller asks the guide in the first stanza of the poem ‘Up-Hill’ whether the
road is difficult and up-hill all the way and if the journey would take all day
long.
(k) What are the poet’s views on life and death?
The poet’s views on life and death are that life is like a difficult up-hill road and
death is the final resting place where the traveller finds comfort after the
difficult journey of life.
(l) Explain ‘Of labour you shall find the sum.’
Rossetti asks if there will be rest and finality in heaven after a tiring journey.

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 The guide answers that everyone receives this rest and there would be reward
based upon their endeavours on the Earth.

Ozymandias
(m) What did the inscription on the pedestal below the statue indicate?
The inscription on the pedestal below the statue indicated the arrogance,
conceit of king Ozymandias. The king appeared to sneer at people who were
weak and helpless.
(n) What is the main theme of the poem ‘Ozymandias’?
The main theme of the poem is nothing lasts forever. No king or his power can
defeat time. All the achievement, in the end, leads to grave. So, the pride and
the showcase of power are useless.
(o) In what condition was the statue found?
The1. statue of Ozymandias was found in a distant desert. Two vast legs of stone
stood on a pedestal. The head of the statue was broken and lay half sunk in the
sand.
(p) How does the poet describe the expression on Ozymandias’ face?
The shattered face of Ozymandias’ statue lay half-buried in the sand. It had a
frown on its brow. It had wrinkled lips. It had a sneering look showing cold
command in his eyes.

SR: In Times of Adversity, Feathered Friend

(q) What did the writer’s father and other survivors do to keep themselves alive till help
arrived?
The writer’s father and the four other survivors communicated with each other
by touch, afraid to make any sound and waited in their lying position for more
than twelve hours. They held on. The terrorists returned and filmed them
thinking they were dead. Once they left, they moved to a large HVAC plant
room that they discovered and took shelter there till help arrived. Till then they
survived on sips of dirty water from the Air Conditioning unit.
(r) Who was Claribel and how did the narrator come across her?
Claribel was a small yellow canary and astronaut Sven Olsen’s pet. One day
when the narrator was sitting in his cubbyhole, he heard a musical whistle
beside his ear. At first, he thought it was the sound of the intercom before an
announcement but a long pattern of melody made him look up with a start and
there he saw Claribel for the first time.

Q10 Answer the following questions in 80 to 100 words each.

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 The Lady with the Lamp
(a) Why was Florence known as a statistical pioneer and innovator?
Florence prepared a detailed statistical study on sanitation in Indian rural life to
improve the medical care and public health care service in rural India. She
developed a form of the pie chart now called the polar diagram or the
Nightingale rose diagram to illustrate sources of patient mortality in the
military hospital that she managed. The information gathered from the
statistical tools that she developed, convinced her of the importance of hygiene
in hospitals and the importance of connecting households to drainage mains to
promote sanitation. Hence, Florence was known as a statistical pioneer and
innovator.
(b) What was Florence’s biggest challenge in her career?
In October 1853, the Crimean war broke out between Britain and Russia for
control of the Ottoman Empire. The state of the soldiers was reported by
Howard Russell, the first modern war correspondent for the London Times. The
soldiers injured in the Crimean war did not have access to basic medical care
and the available resources were ineffective for their treatment. Hence, Sidney
Herbert requested Nightingale to lead a group of nurses to Scutari to provide
proper treatment.
(c) Why is Nightingale regarded as the founder of modern nursing?
Nightingale wrote ‘Notes on Matters affecting the Health, Efficiency and
Hospital Administration of the British Army’ and proposed reforms in military
hospitals. She also wrote ‘Notes on Nursing’ for those nursing at home which
formed the basis of the curriculum for the Nightingale School and other nursing
schools. She prepared a detailed statistical study on sanitation in Indian rural
life for the improvement of medical care and public health service in rural India.
Due to her efforts, nursing became a viable option for women who wished to
work outside the home. Hence, Florence is regarded as the founder of modern
nursing.

The Flying Sikh

(d) What is the story behind Milkha Singh being given the title of ‘The Flying Sikh’?
It was an epic race between Milkha Singh and ace sprinter from Pakistan Abdul
Khaliq. Abdul Khaliq was a favourite of The Pakistani Prime Minister, General
Ayub. The stadium was packed with 60,000 spectators that day who had flocked
from different parts of the country. They didn’t see Milkha Singh run that day,

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 they saw him fly, setting a new world record of 20.7 secs. General Ayub came up
to Milkha Singh and honoured him with the name ‘The Flying Sikh.’
(e) Why couldn’t Milkha Singh bag the gold medal in the Rome Olympics?
Milkha Singh was leading most of the race. The nation had high hopes from him
since he had already won 77 races out of 80 in the world. It was a closed deal.
His plan was to run fast but steadily. He ran so fast that he thought he would
trip and fall which made him slow down. Just 250 m away from the finish line,
he made the grave mistake of glancing back at other competitors. It was a bad
move which costed him a gold medal.
(f) What happened when Milkha Singh participated in the first international race?
Milkha Singh participated in the 200 m and 400m races of the 1956 Melbourne
Olympic Games. He was inexperienced; therefore he could not qualify for the
finals. However, this proved to be the turning point of his career as a sprinter.
He had the privilege of meeting Charles Jenkins, the 400 m Champion, who
gave him insights on effective training methods and necessary inspiration to
become the world’s best athlete. After that he never turned back.

Up-Hill
(g) Why did Rosetti name the poem ‘Up-Hill’?
Rossetti named the poem Up-Hill because the climb up the hill is very difficult
like the journey of life from birth to death which is also full of hardships. One
has to take a lot of effort to climb a hill to reach the top. Similarly, one has to
undertake the journey of life in which one has to face many problems and
finally reach heaven where one can finally rest after overcoming the struggles
of life.
(h) What is the main theme of the poem ‘Up-Hill’?
The main theme of the poem, ‘Up-Hill’ is the journey of life from birth till death.
This poem is paralleled with life. Over the course of a journey, the narrator asks
her guide eight questions about the road ahead. The narrator asks if the road is
all up-hill and if the journey will take all day which metaphorically means that
whether the journey of life will be difficult and strenuous all the way. The guide
explains the length of the traveller’s journey or life using morning to represent
birth and night to represent death.

Ozymandias
(i) What does the narrator mean when he says ‘Nothing beside remains’?

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 The narrator, through the sentence ‘Nothing beside remains’ means that
Ozymandias, the king of kings, the mightiest ruler of his times had led the life
of a man perpetually in pursuit of power, might and worldly pleasures. He had
fought many battles and expanded his kingdom to an unthinkable vastness.
After his death, nothing remained, time had wiped every trace of his kingdom.
Only in a barren land, broke pieces of art lay surrounded by sand. In the broken
pieces of the statue one could read the face of the man. The expression on the
face revealed the nature of the man.
(j) In the poem ‘Ozymandias’, how does the poet show that art and language outlive the
other symbols of power?
In the poem ‘Ozymandias’ the words ‘which yet survive’ imply the immortality
of a work of art that the artist had created. The sculptor’s hands copied and
portrayed his subject’s passions and his heart felt those passions and the hand
inspired to make it possible. Even though the sculptor’s subject is now dead and
his glories, kingdom and statues have crumbled to dust and have not lasted, his
creation is still alive (stamped) on the otherwise lifeless stones. Through this the
poet has shown that art and language outlive the other symbols of power.

Q11 Answer the following question in about 100-150 words.

(a) What are the ideas behind every terror attack that the writer can recognize? Do you
agree with the writer’s views? Justify your answer.
The author recognizes, behind every terror attack there are cold blooded and
ruthless people. According to the author, these people who promote terrorism
have no respect for any other way of life but their own beliefs which are twisted
to suit their needs. In order to achieve them, they have declared war on every
other way of life. The author’s statement is right, though it is not just about
belief. The root cause of terrorism is lack of any kind of wisdom and
perspective. Though lack of good education has got a lot to do with it, it is not a
factor in itself. Other issues are narrow-mindedness and blind faith.
(b) Describe Claribel. What happened to her? How was she revived?
Claribel was a small yellow canary. She was Sven’s pet and lived in the space
station. One morning, the narrator got up with a nagging headache. He
sluggishly got out of the bunk and joined the rather quiet crew for breakfast.
He noticed that Sven was not there. The narrator was informed that Sven had
gone looking for Claribel, who was missing. Almost immediately Sven came in
through the doorway. He opened his hands and everyone saw that Claribel was
lying on her back with her two clenched claws sticking up in the air. When the

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 doctor, Jock Duncan looked at her, he couldn’t understand what was wrong.
Then someone suggested that she be given a shot of oxygen. To everyone’s
delight she revived when the oxygen mask was placed over her beak.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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