Text for Section A Extract from ‘End of the line’ by Alison Landall.

Name: ________________________________ Year 8 Section : ______ Date: ___________

Learning Objective: Infer and deduce meaning from the text.

English Year8 Reading Comprehension Practice Page 1

Read carefully the passage, ‘Sea Crossing’ and then answer all questions using your own words as
far as possible.
(a) Which feature of the landscape tells you that the summer in Gibraltar had been a hot one
(paragraph 1, ‘The Three Brothers was soon…’)?

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(b) State two things, noticed by Bresciano, that tell you that the ship was still close to the shore
(paragraph 1 lines 4–6).
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(c) Using your own words, explain why the dolphins stop following the boat (lines 8–9).

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(d) From paragraph 2 (lines 10–14) explain in your own words: (i) one thing that Bresciano

wanted to do

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(ii) two things about which he was concerned.

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English Year8 Reading Comprehension Practice Page 2

 (d) Why is Bresciano not concerned about the change in sea conditions (paragraph 4, ‘As the

boat…’)?

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(f) State two things that you learn about Lempriere when he was younger (paragraphs 5

and 6, ‘ ‘How long will… he said.’) •

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English Year8 Reading Comprehension Practice Page 3

 Passage A. Moorland Lesson

English Year8 Reading Comprehension Practice Page 4

Question 1

(a) State two features of city life that the narrator’s brother and sister enjoy, in preference to living on

the moor (paragraph 1, ‘Although I have lived happily…’).

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(b) In paragraph 2 (‘We were emerging…from my passengers.’), the narrator explains that the
weather had recently improved. Which two-word phrase in paragraph 2 tells you that the atmosphere
was cheerful?
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(c) Using your own words, describe the behaviour of the narrator’s brother and sister and their

feelings as they prepare to go to the party (paragraph 2, ‘We were emerging…from my passengers.’).

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(f) Explain why the narrator is ‘a little warmer and definitely much wiser’ at the end of the

passage (lines 38–39).

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English Year8 Reading Comprehension Practice Page 5