Practice Worksheet 1

Subject: English Class 8 Name: ________________ Sec: ____ Date: _______

Carefully read the following story and answers the questions below:
Meerfus the Wand-Making Magician had a new commission. He had to make a new wand
that could make fireworks for celebrations. This was going to be an interesting and exciting
piece of work, and even his apprentice, the indubitable Duncan, was excited to help gather
the required materials.
After some consideration, Meerfus decided that he would need the following things to make
the wand: lightning bugs, black powder, crushed gemstones, and a stick from a black walnut
tree. Most of these were not too hard to obtain, but the crushed gemstones would be
expensive. Thankfully, his rich client could pay for the materials.
First, he set Duncan to collecting fireflies or lightning bugs. He gave the boy a net and a
small mesh cage to keep them in. The boy ran himself dizzy, darting to and fro, gathering the
dozens of bugs required for the magic. It was a fine summer evening, and it was a fun way to
pass the time.
The next day they went to find black powder. There was a mine the next town over, so they
went there. Demolitions were used to clear parts of the mountain to get the gold out more
easily, so it really just took some talking and a bit of coin to convince the foreman to part
with a sack full of black powder.
The crushed gemstones came from a jeweler’s market in the next county. It was a long ride
and a pricy thing, all made up of green emerald dust, red ruby dust, and blue sapphire dust.
There was a bit of garnet, tourmaline, and amethyst in there, too, adding the blood red,
greenish-yellows, and purples that would really round out the fireworks.
Finally, the black walnut branch came from a grove that Meerfus himself was growing. He
had learned long ago that he would save much time if he had his own grove of trees. He had
many different trees growing, all in different sizes, shapes, and ages. He never knew when he
might need a branch or a twig from one of them, so it paid to keep gathering seeds and
saplings to grow his collection. With all the ingredients assembled, it was time for the magic!
He squeezed the glowing but guts out, stirred it into the mortar full of gemstone dust, and
carefully added spoonfuls of black powder. He mixed it around and then stuck the black
walnut twig he’d cut into the mix. He shaped the goopy mixture into a ball and said the magic
words: ‘ Explodicus Beautificus Skywardimus’
Meerfus didn’t get excited often, but testing out that new wand was something he certainly
enjoyed. The magic had caused the wand to harden into a sparkly, glittering orb atop the
polished black walnut stick. Flicks of the wrist sent bursts of flowering light into the night
sky, snapping, sizzling, and popping in a rainbow of colors.
Magic was fun. He loved his job, and his apprentice Duncan loved the fireworks. Meerfus
knew that this wand was bound to make one happy customer!

1. Which of the following is not an ingredient required for the wand-making process?
A. crushed gemstones B. black powder
C. a steel rod D. lightning bugs
2. Which ingredient does he gather first?
A. crushed gemstones B. black powder
C. black walnut stick D. lightning bugs
3. Which ingredient does he gather last?
A. crushed gemstones B. black powder
C. black walnut stick D. lightning bugs
4. By growing his own trees for use in his wand-making, how would you describe
Meerfus?
A. showing foresight and planning B. thoughtful and careful
C. unorganized and haphazard D. careless, but lucky
5. Meerfus seems successful at his job because of all of the following except which one?
A. He likes what he does. B. He has a good assistant.
C. He works quickly and carelessly. D. He seems knowledgeable in his field.
6. If you get a chance to acquire a magic wand how will you use it?
(word limit 80-100 words)
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7 ‫۔‬Pick out 4 determiners from the story. _____________________________________

8‫ ۔‬Add prefixes: _____ logical, _____ moral, _____ connect, _____ convenient. [1]

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Practice Worksheet 2

Subject: English Class 6 Name: ________________ Sec: ____ Date: _______

What’s Wild About African Wild Dogs?

Use the information in the story to answer the questions below.

What’s the difference between African wild dogs and the dogs we know as pets? For one
thing, African wild dogs, which live in Africa, south of the Sahara desert, only have four toes,
while domestic dogs and wolves have five. But you wouldn’t want to count for yourself,
because these are truly wild animals. Wild dogs are not somebody's domestic dogs that ran
away and didn't come back, although some people used to think that," explains Dr. "Tico"
McNutt, who studies these animals at Wild Dog Research Camp in the African country of
Botswana. "They are actually Africa's wolf, and just like wolves, they do not make good pets.
They need to be out in the wild doing what they are supposed to be doing - ranging many
miles every day and hunting to find the food they need to survive and feed pups." In fact,
they travel so far that researchers use radio collars to keep track of them. The collars send
out radio signals that tell people where the dogs are. African wild dogs are a separate
species from domestic dogs: Lycaon pictus, which means painted, wolf-like animal. No two
wild dogs have the same pattern to their coats, so it is easy to tell them apart. Roaming
through grasslands, savannas, and wooded areas, they hunt gazelles and other antelopes,
baby wildebeests, warthogs, birds, and rats. Incredible hunters, they can run up to 35 miles
per hour (56 kilometers per hour).

African wild dogs are smart and sociable, like pet dogs. They enjoy each others' company
and live in packs of about six to 20 animals. Both males and females look out for young dogs
and make sure they have food. Dr. McNutt was surprised to learn that they like pups so
much, they will even take care of orphans that don’t belong to them. African wild dogs talk
to each other with two common types of calls, says Dr. McNutt. "The 'hoo' call is a call that
they make when lost or when a pack member is missing. It sounds almost like an owl." The
dogs can hear the call two or three miles away and easily find each other. On the other
hand, says Dr. McNutt, "The twitter calls are intended to carry only very short distances, and
are used to wake up the pack members and rally them to go hunting. They are very high
pitched and sound almost like songbird calls." There's one huge difference between
domestic or pet dogs and African wild dogs. Millions of domestic dogs live on the planet, but
there are probably fewer than 6,000 African wild dogs left. Lions and hyenas eat them, but
most of all, African wild dogs are threatened by people. Humans hunt them, and ranchers
and farmers who don’t want them going after cows and sheep poison them. Humans are
also destroying the wild, natural habitat they need to survive. Researchers like Dr. McNutt
are working to help people understand how rare and special these animals are. Today more
ranchers are finding other ways to protect their cows and sheep from African wild dogs
instead of killing the rare and special animals.

1. In the sentence, “Wild dogs are not somebody's domestic dogs that ran away and didn't
come back,” what does the word, “domestic” mean?

A. Wild B. Circus C. Home D. Hot

2. How do researchers keep track of how far wild dogs travel?

A. They hunt them B. They use radio collars

C. They use infrared goggles D. They live with them

3. “Lycaon pictus” is the scientific name for the African wild dog, which means:

A. The spotted bearded lady B. The queen of the hunt

C. Painted, wolf-like animal D. The queen thought the princess looked

tired

4. What is the purpose of the twitter call?

A. To wake up the pack to go hunting B. To chat online with 140 characters or

less

C. When they are lost or a dog is missing D. Something bad is about to happen

5. Other than lions and hyenas, what is the biggest threat to African wild dogs?

A. Starvation B. Not getting enough sleep

C. Tigers, Leopards, and Wolves D. Humans and habitat destruction

6. what is the main purpose of the given text?

a. provide entertainment b. give information c. create awareness

6. Imagine you have a pet dog. How do you spend your time with it?

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7. Write a folk tale. Portray a ‘dog’ as the protagonist of your story. Your story should be
based on an ethical value. In the end write the moral of the story. (word limit: 150-200
words)

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