MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

FIJI YEAR 8 EXAMINATION 2017

ENGLISH

Time Allowed: 1½ hours

(An extra 10 minutes is allowed for reading this paper.)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Write your Index Number in the space provided in the Answer Booklet.

2. All answers are to be written in the Answer Booklet with either blue
or black ink. Do not use red ink.

3. Do not spend too much time on any one question. Do not start writing
until you are told to do so.

4. Write neatly and clearly.

5. If you use extra sheets of paper, be sure to show clearly the question
number(s) being answered and to tie each sheet in your Answer Booklet
at the appropriate places. Ensure that your Index Number is written on
the extra sheets.

6. There are two sections in this paper. Both Sections A and B are
compulsory. Note the choices in Section B – Part V.

SUMMARY OF QUESTIONS
SECTION QUESTION TYPE MARK SUGGESTED
TIME
A Part I – Comprehension 20 marks 15 minutes
Part II – Grammar 20 marks 10 minutes
B Part I – Dictionary, Library and Mass Media 5 marks 5 minutes
Part II – Usage 5 marks 5 minutes
Part III – Literature 25 marks 20 minutes
Part IV – Letter Writing 10 marks 15 minutes
Part V - Composition 15 marks 20 minutes
TOTAL 100 90 minutes

COPYRIGHT: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FIJI, 2017.

 2.

INSTRUCTIONS

The following shows how to answer multiple-choice questions in Section A –

Parts I and II on page 2 of the Answer Booklet.

(a) In your Answer Booklet, circle the letter of the best answer.
If you change your mind, put a line through your first
circle and draw a circle round the letter of your next choice.

For example: 12 A B C D

(b) If you change your mind again and like your first answer
better, put a line through your second circle and tick ()
your first answer.

For example: 12 A B C D

(c) No mark will be given if you circle more than one letter as
the answer for a question.

SECTION A [40 marks]

PART I COMPREHENSION (20 marks)
Read the two passages given below and answer the questions at the end of each
passage.

Passage I World Water Day

It’s a sad but true fact that 783 million people around the world still do
not have the right to use clean water. Over 2.5 million people still do not
have proper use of acceptable sanitation facilities. This sad lack of such
basic human need is bad luck as people around the world would like to
5 change and improve.

This is also why the United Nations (UN) has set up World Water Day – a
day where people can focus on the many ways ordinary people can get
involved in helping people get back some dignity, and improve their long-
term health through the use of clean and safe water. Other water issues
10 such as safeguarding aquatic eco-systems are also brought up every year
on this day.

We need our water in all its forms! It is a precious commodity many

take for granted. World Water Day is a chance to think about people and
places where water needs are still the top priority and to work together to
15 find a solution.

Adapted from: https://www.daysoftheyear.com

© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FY8E 2017: ENGLISH.

 3.

Circle the letter of the best answer in your Answer Booklet.

1. The first sentence of the passage means that

A. people use clean water.

B. people use unclean water.
C. millions of people use clean water.
D. millions of people still use unclean water.

2. People around the world are working towards changing

and improving

A. 2.5 million people.

B. daily water consumption.
C. access to water needs only.
D. access to sanitation facilities.

3. The words set up (line 6) can be replaced by the word

A. given.
B. marked.
C. constructed.
D. communicated.

4. On World Water Day, one important target is to

A. produce water for use.

B. manage people’s health.
C. save all coastal shorelines.
D. protect people’s health through clean water.

5. The passage ends with the thought that

A. water is bad luck.

B. the UN has set up World Water Day.
C. water needs can be assisted with a united solution.
D. water is at all not needed in all its forms everywhere.

Turn Over
© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FY8E 2017: ENGLISH.
 4.

Section A (continued)

Passage II Teaching Children Money Habits for Life

The life-long benefits of exposing children to good money habits make it

well worth the effort. Parents should take their time to teach children
about money regardless of income and should start when children are
young. When children learn about money, it is more than preparing
5 themselves for employment or saving if they earn. It includes
understanding the positive and negative meanings of money because
there are strong feelings and opinions based on childhood experiences,
values and beliefs of families.

10 Children and parents should talk about their feelings, values,attitudes

and beliefs about money. Parents also need to think in children’s terms
to match their stages of growth, not always their actual age when
teaching them about money. This helps to understand conflicts about
money.

Adapted from: http://www.extension.umn.edu

6. When children are taught money habits, it

A. has long term benefits.

B. has short term benefits.
C. does not have any benefit.
D. does not have many advantages.

7. According to the passage, which statement is true?

Parents should teach about money

A. when children have left high school.

B. if children have left primary school years.
C. whichever income level they are based on.
D. if they themselves are earning high incomes.

8. Knowing about money means

A. already earning for a while.

B. being ready for employment.
C. creating some conflicts about income.
D. more than having a job or earning an income.

9. One source of strong feelings about money is

A. beliefs of citizens.
B. adult experiences.
C. childhood experiences.
D. values of communities.

© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FY8E 2017: ENGLISH.

 5.

10. Parents should think in children’s terms to match up to their

A. age.
B. parents’ age.
C. children’s stages of growth.
D. children’s stages of growth and age.

PART II GRAMMAR (20 marks)

Circle the letter of the best answer to each question on Page 2

of the Answer Booklet.

1. Tom usually____________ to school daily but today, he went

by bus.

A. walk
B. walks
C. walking
D. walked

2. The dog wagged _____________ tail when Dad filled the container
with food.

A. its
B. it’s
C. their
D. there

3. We all _____________ how young she is.

A. tell
B. told
C. know
D. knows

4. Which word is spelt correctly?

A. mision
B. athelete
C. mordern
D. sincerely

5. “It was a lovely day for swimming, ____________? said the teacher.

A. is it
B. was it
C. isn’t it
D. wasn’t it

Turn Over

© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FY8E 2017: ENGLISH.

 6.

Section A (continued)

6. “Three Little Pigs” _____________ a favourite bedtime-story for children.

A. is
B. am
C. were
D. barking

7. Sereana could not ___________ the cheque from her teacher.

A. leave
B. accept
C. expect
D. return

8. Harry said that he was cleaning the yard. In Direct Speech,

this would be written as:

Harry said,
A. “I am cleaning the yard”
B. “I am cleaning the yard.”
C. “If I could clean the yard.”
D. “that I could clean the yard”

9. Put the following words into the correct order and how they will
appear in a dictionary.
1. fill 2. face 3. fall 4. feel
A. 1,2,3,4
B. 4,3,1,2
C. 2,3,4,1
D. 3,4,2,1

1 2 3 4
10. for the room / The expensive mirror / big / was very

The correct order of these words so that it forms a correct sentence is

A. 4, 1, 3, 2
B. 2, 3, 1, 4
C. 2, 1, 3, 4
D. 2, 4, 3, 1

© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FY8E 2017: ENGLISH.

 7.

SECTION B [60 marks]

PART I DICTIONARY, LIBRARY AND MASS MEDIA (5 marks)

Read the questions given below and write your answers in the
Answer Booklet.

Study the dictionary entry given below to answer Question 1.

A. DICTIONARY

different adj 1. not the same as somebody or something;

not like somebody or something else.
differently adv

Adapted from: http://www.google.com.au

1. Name the part of speech of the word differently. (1 mark)

B. LIBRARY

1. What is the name given to the outside edge of the book

where all the pages are gathered or pasted together? (1 mark)

2. Reference Books are not taken out of the library because

_________________________________________________________ (1 mark)

C. MASS MEDIA

1. Why is the radio a useful form of mass media? (1 mark)

2. State one disadvantage of your favourite form of mass

media. (1 mark)

Turn Over

© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FY8E 2017: ENGLISH.

 8.

SECTION B (continued)

PART II USAGE (5 marks)

Write your answers to Questions 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the spaces provided

in your Answer Booklet.

1. Rewrite the following sentences using the instructions given

in the brackets.

(i) (Join the sentences below beginning with: If …)

Ben missed the bus. He started crying. (1 mark)

(ii) (Rewrite as one sentence without using a conjunction

and begin with : Rita…)

Rita was happy. She won the match. (1 mark)

2. Rewrite in Direct Speech.

Tina said she liked ice-cream. (1 mark)

3. (Rewrite beginning with: The roof…)

We need to paint the roof. (1 mark)

4. Change the question given below into a statement.

“Will you go home?” (1 mark)

© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FY8E 2017: ENGLISH.

 9.

PART III LITERATURE (25 marks)

Answer all the questions in this section in your Answer Booklet.

A. NOVEL - Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss (5 marks)

Use the extract below and your knowledge of the story to

answer the questions that follow.

I prepared the explosion and then hurried back to Safety Bay.

There we waited for the ship to blow up. Suddenly, there was a
terrible explosion. Fire and smoke rose from the ship.

We watched in silence till the fire died down and the ship sank.
There were tears in the eyes of all of us. We were all thinking that
now we were quite cut off from our old home and country. We could
not help feeling sad.

Source: Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss, 1992.

(i) Who is the I mentioned in the extract? (1 mark)

(ii) Why was a place named Safety Bay in the story? (1 mark)

(iii) Explain one reason it was necessary to blow up the ship. (2 marks)

(iv) What is decided after this explosion? (1 mark)

B. SHORT STORIES (7 marks)

LIST OF STORIES

The Shark God

Suna who was greedy
The Prawns of Vatulele
Three Presents for the Chief’s Daughter

(a) Write the title of one story from the list given above and
answer the questions that follow.

(i) Name the place where the story is set. (1 mark)

(ii) Explain an important lesson you have learnt from this story. (2 marks)

Turn Over

© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FY8E 2017: ENGLISH.

 10.

SECTION B (continued)

(b) From the same list given on page 9, choose another story.

Write down its title and answer the questions given below.

(i) Name a character you liked in the story. (1 mark)

(ii) Explain one reason for liking the character. (2 marks)

(iii) What happened at the end of the story? (1 mark)

C. POETRY (7 marks)

Answer both parts (a) and (b) in your Answer Booklet.

(a) Read the extract given below and answer the questions
that follow.

We are not owls

who see by night;
nor some nocturnal cat.

Our eyes are dim

we cannot see
we’re blinded, like the bat.

Our dorms are dark

no work is done
in classrooms without light.

We only ask
that we might see
to do our prep at night

Source: Leaves - Poems for Years 7 & 8, USP, 2012

(i) What is the title of the above poem? (1 mark)

(ii) Who is we referring to? (1 mark)

(iii) Explain what the poem is about. (2 marks)

© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FY8E 2017: ENGLISH.

 11.

(b) LIST OF POEMS

The Eagle - Lord Alfred Tennyson

My Future - Sarah Pene
How to eat a poem - Eve Merriam
Bush Medicine - Konai Helu Thaman

From the list given above, choose a poem.

Write down its title and answer the questions given below.

(i) Explain the main message of this poem. (2 marks)

(ii) How do you feel after reading this poem? (1 mark)

D. DRAMA TREASURE ISLAND (6 marks)

A play adapted from R.L. Stevenson’s novel by Malcolm Morgan.

(a) Match the characters in List A with their roles in List B. (2 marks)

List A List B
1 Smollet A. A former pirate marooned
on the island.
2 Jim Hawkins B. Captain of the ship
3 Ben Gunn C. A local Bristol nobleman
4 Squire D. The narrator of the story
E The Cook on the voyage to
Treasure Island
F A local businessman

(b) Write complete sentences to answer the questions given

below.

(i) Explain one quality of your favourite character in the

drama. (2 marks)

(ii) What did you learn after reading the ending?

(2 marks)

Turn Over
© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FY8E 2017: ENGLISH.
 12.

SECTION B (continued)

PART IV LETTER WRITING (10 marks)

Write a letter of 60 – 80 words and include a plan in the space

provided in your Answer Booklet.

Your name is Simione Komai if you are a boy or Grace Singh if

you are a girl. You attend Delainabu Primary School, Vimada.

Your class is planning a visit to the Parliament of Fiji in Suva as

part of your Social Science field trip. As the class prefect, you are
required to write to the Secretary General, Parliament of Fiji,
Government Building, Suva, informing her of the planned field trip
visit.

In your letter, include the following details:

(i) the reason for your visit
(ii) the date and time of your visit
(iii) the number of students and teachers visiting
(iv) any other information your class will need to know before the trip.

© MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FY8E 2017: ENGLISH.

 13.

PART V COMPOSITION (15 marks)

Choose one of the following topics. Write a composition on the topic

you have chosen in the Answer Booklet. Write about 120 – 150
words in the spaces provided in your Answer Booklet. Give your
story a suitable title.

EITHER

1. The importance of having a balanced diet.

OR

2. Use the sentence given below anywhere in your story.

We lost everything after the fire but we were glad that
we all survived.

OR

3. The disadvantages of Internet on students.

OR

4. Use the picture given below to write a story.

Source: http://www.fijisun.com.fj

THE END

___________________________
COPYRIGHT: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, FIJI, 2017.