Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English

136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

Name _____________________________ Date______________________________

Comprehension Revision

Q. In the story, The Cave, George had chosen to withdraw from “the morass of humanity” but
Charley chose to challenge it. Discuss.
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Q. What similarities can you find between Miyax and the woman in the story, Island of the Blue
Dolphins? Give evidence from the text.
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Q. Do you think George would have wanted Charley to join the River Rats? Explain why or why
not?
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Q. In the story, Two Vipers it says: “the glimmering began to get muddled in Eytan’s mind, but
he grasped the main point.” Explain the meaning of this sentence in your own words.
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Q. Why do you think the lone woman was unable to survive for long in Santa Barbara? Give
evidence from the text to support your answer.
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 Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

Q. Island of the Blue Dolphins is a fictional story Scott O dell wrote about what might have
happened to a real Indian woman stranded on San Nicolas island. Why do you think he wrote a
fictional account rather than a biography, like George Nidever?
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Q. The following sentences state some of the major themes or ideas found in the stories of Out
on our own. Find events which illustrate each theme.

a. “People learn to understand each other when they share a common problem.”
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b. “Out of evil comes some good.”

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c. “One never knows how a person would react in a given situation.”

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Figures of Speech

Identify the following figures of speech:

1. “grief held her in a vice-like clamp.”

2. “Eytan took his courage in both hands.”

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 Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

3. “the taste of fear like acid in his mouth.”

4. “he would have snuffed out her life while she slept.”

5. “a boom that sounded like a pistol shot.”

6. “snow billowing up from their strides like smoke.”

7. “The sea exploded in his face.”

8. “The radio talked importantly to itself.”

9. “Florida thrusts its green thumb deep into the tropics.”

10. Summer’s head hand lying heavy on the land.”

11. “Lights of a causeway made a yellow necklace across the sky.”

12. “A monstrous survival from the dawn of time.”

Unseen Passage

To practice unseen passages, do the following from your book secondary English:

The Target. Secondary English, page 185

The Big Cat Attacks. Secondary English, page 138

Grammar Revision Part I

Verbs
The basic rule is that a singular subject takes a singular verb while a plural subject takes a plural
verb.

Directions: Read each sentence and choose the correct verb in parenthesis.
Example: John (is, are) going to the mall after school today. Answer: is

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 Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

1. The players (are, is) going to the pizza restaurant after today’s game.
2. Jane (was, were) going to go with the team but she had chores to do.
3. Stephen (is, are) one of the best players of the team.
4. The coach (was, were) very excited that the team won the tournament.
5. They (is, are) one of the highest scoring teams in the league.
6. My best friend (were, was) there when I arrived.

Adverbs

An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs fall into three
categories; When, Where and How.
Many adverbs are formed by adding ly to another word.

Directions: Read each sentence. Change the adjective in parenthesis to an adverb by

adding ly. Complete each sentence correctly.
Example: I _______________ completed all my school work. (happy)
Answer: happily

1. My dad ___________________ ran around the yard when he got his paycheck. (excited)
2. I ____________________ snuggled into bed at night. (cozy)
3. The boy ___________________ ran to class. (swift)
4. My friend _________________ returned her birthday present. (unhappy)
5. I am ___________________ excited about going to the basketball game. (awful)
6. The student _______________________ awaited his report card in the mail. (eager)
7. The teacher ______________________ dealt with the difficult situation. (calm)
8. My mother ______________________ saved money on buying groceries. (smart)
9. The boy _____________________ won the spelling competition. (brilliant)
10. He ___________________ walked outside the classroom. (defiant)

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 Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

Synonyms

Directions: In the following exercise you see TWO words at the side of each word. Decide
which of the two is the synonym for the word stated on the left.

Immediately now, instantly

mysterious evil, strange
halted stop, stopped
hardly scarcely, smoothly
hinder obstruct, disagree
illegal legal, unlawful
imitate copy, mock
interior inside, into
mad insane, upset
mariner captain, sailor
marsh stride, swamp
odour perfume, smell

Grammar Revision Part II

Prefixes
A Prefix is a letter or group of letters that is added to the beginning of a word.

Directions: Look at the prefixes and their meanings below. Write one word with each
prefix. Then write a sentence with that word.
Example: under
Answer: Underestimate – you should not underestimate my talents.

1. Inter: between or among - ____________________________

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 Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

2. Anti: against - _________________________

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3. Over: extra, beyond, above - _____________________________
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4. Semi: half, party - _________________________
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5. Bi: two, twice - ____________________________
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6. Ex: out - ___________________________
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Directions: Circle the word with the prefix in each sentence given below.
Example: My favourite team made it to the semi-finals.
Answer: semi-finals
1. I made sure to take the pre-test so I could pass my exam.
2. I had to re-organize my backpack before coming back to school.
3. We learned about the postmodern era in history class.
4. My parents bought a new automobile this past Sunday.
5. We went shopping for food in the supermarket.

Directions: Write three words with each prefix given below:

Example: super
Answer: supermarket, superman, superfluous
1. Under - __________________ _____________________ _____________________
2. Over - __________________ _____________________ _____________________
3. Pre - __________________ _____________________ _____________________
4. Post - __________________ _____________________ _____________________
5. Tri - __________________ _____________________ _____________________
6. Extra - __________________ _____________________ _____________________

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 Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

Suffixes
A suffix is a letter or group of letters that is added to the end of a word.

Directions: Change the following words by adding suffixes:

1. Contest ________________________
2. Reduce ________________________
3. Travel _________________________
4. Accompany ________________________
5. Remove _______________________

Directions: Fill in the blanks by adding suffixes to the word in parenthesis. Use er, or, ness,
ment, ion, ist, ance or ence.

Example: Jeremy had an ______________________ of different gifts. (assort)

Answer: assortment
1. David is a great ______________________. (drum)
2. Magic Johnson was a fabulous basketball ______________________. (play)
3. The _____________________ of the sun made me put on my baseball cap. (bright)
4. My baseball card ____________________ is very extensive. (collect)
5. I received an ______________________ letter from the academy of arts. (accept)

Grammar Revision Part III

Idioms
Directions: Write down the meanings of the following idioms:

1. To let the cat out of the bag _________________________________________________

2. To rain cats and dogs ______________________________________________________
3. To bury the hatchet _______________________________________________________

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 Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

4. To lead a dog’s life _______________________________________________________

5. To have other fish to fry ____________________________________________________

Proverbs
Directions: Complete the following proverbs:

1. A drowning man________________________________________________________
2. Birds of a feather________________________________________________________
3. Familiarity______________________________________________________________

Similes:
Directions: Complete the following similes:

1. As brittle as __________________________________________________
2. As sober as __________________________________________________
3. As meek as __________________________________________________
4. A happy as a _________________________________________________
5. As light as a __________________________________________________

Grammar Revision Part IV

Figurative Language
Metaphor or Simile? Which is it?
Directions: Below are sentences that contain a metaphor or simile. Identify next to the
sentence which on is used by writing “metaphor” or “simile”.

1. The sky was the colour of the Pacific thousands of miles from land.
2. I am as hungry as a bear recently awakened from hibernation.
3. She was a kite, floating above the confusion around her.
4. My thought fluttered from subject to subject like a butterfly visiting flowers in a field.

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 Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

5. The dark, cold and silent room was a tomb.

6. The child’s tears were cold raindrops from a tiny cloud.

Grammar Revision Part V

Letter Writing

Write an informal letter to a friend

Inviting her to a themed garden party
OR
Congratulating her on winning an inter-school swimming competition
(Remember to focus on the correct format of an informal letter)

Creative Writing Revision

Brainstorm ideas for topics in the given revision worksheets.

• Narrative Writing
• Descriptive Writing
• Discursive Writing

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Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

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Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

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 Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

A detective has been called to a crime scene to

investigate. Write a story about how the mystery
gets solved.

Introduction Rising Action Climax Falling Action

Outcome

Introduction (Describe how the story begins, how the plot is revealed and how the characters are
revealed.)

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Rising Actions (Describe the events that happen that lead to the climax.)

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Climax (What is the turning point, the most exciting part of the school, when the plot changes for
better or for worse.)

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Falling Action (Events that lead to the conclusion of the story, what happens that leads to the
resolution.)

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Outcome (How the story wraps up to leave the reader satisfied.)

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Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

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Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

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 Lahore Grammar School, Defence Grade VIII - English
136 – E, Phase I, DHA, Lahore

Discursive Essay
A lot of places in the world rely on tourism as a main
source of income. Unfortunately, tourism can also be a
source of problems if it is not managed correctly.

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of tourism in the modern world.

Do you think that benefits of tourism outweigh its drawbacks?

Pros Cons

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