International School

British Department

Weekly assignment 8
English 0861
Date: 16 / 11 /2023

Name :…………………………………………………….

Year 8
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Text for Section A, an extract from The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell.

Vita’s grandfather lives in another country. He has a problem, and Vita and her
mother have come to help.

Vita set her jaw and nodded at the city in greeting, as a boxer greets an
opponent before a fight. She stood alone on the deck of the ship. The sea was 5
wild and stormy, casting salt spray thirty feet into the air, and all the other
passengers on the ocean liner, including her mother, had taken sensible refuge
in their cabins.

But it is not always sensible to be sensible.

Vita had slipped away and stood out in the open, gripping the rail with both hands 10
as the boat crested a wave the size of an opera house. So it was that she alone
had the first sight of the city.

‘There she is!’ called a deck hand*.

New York climbed out of the mist, tall and grey-blue and beautiful; so beautiful
that it pulled Vita forwards to the bow of the boat to stare. 15

******

They took a cab from the docks. Vita’s mother carefully counted out a handful of
coins, and gave the driver the address. ‘As close as we can get for that, please,’
she said, and he took in her carefully mended hems* and nodded.

When the money ran out, they walked. They went as fast as Vita could go,
suitcases in hand. 20

‘There!’ said Vita’s mother. ‘That’s Grandpa’s flat.’

‘It all looks very … smart,’ said Vita. ‘Are you sure this is the place?’

‘I’m sure,’ said her mother. ‘He’s on the top floor, right under the roof. It’ll be a
squeeze, but it’s not for long.’ Their return ticket was booked for three weeks’
time. 25

‘Come on!’ Her mother’s voice sounded unnaturally bright. ‘Let’s go and find him.’

The lift was broken, so Vita half ran up the stairs to Grandpa’s apartment, jerkily,
ignoring the pain in her left foot. She came to rest, breathless, outside the door.

******

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Vita’s mother came, panting, up the final flight of stairs. She opened the door,
and Vita went tearing down the hall. 30

‘Grandpa!’

‘Rapscallion!’ He stood and Vita hurled herself into his arms, and he laughed,
winded by the impact.

‘Julia,’ he said, as Vita’s mother came in, ‘I only got your telegram three days
ago, or I would have stopped you–’ 35

Vita’s mother shook her head. ‘Just try to hold us back, Dad.’

‘It’s good to see you. But there was no need.’

Julia pushed Vita towards the door. ‘Go and find your room, darling,’ she said.

‘It’s the one at the end of the corridor,’ said Grandpa. ‘More of a cupboard than a
room, I’m afraid,’ he said, ‘but the view is very fine.’ 40

Vita went slowly down the corridor, her suitcase in hand. She noticed how the
floorboards squeaked; how the paint peeled from the wall. She pushed at the
door. It stuck; she kicked it with her stronger foot. It flew open scattering thin
shards of plaster.

The room was so small she could practically touch all four walls at once, but it 45
had a window looking out over the street. Vita sat on the bed and tried to think.

Glossary:
*deck hand: sailor
*hem: the bottom edge of a skirt or dress

DO NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACE

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Section A: Reading

Spend 30 minutes on this section.

Read the Text in the insert, and answer Questions 1–17.

Look at the first section (lines 4–15).

1 Vita is on a boat. Where is the boat going?

[1]

2 Look at the first sentence. How does Vita feel about arriving at her destination?
Tick () one box.

excited

relieved

annoyed

determined

[1]

3 Why are there no passengers on deck?

[1]

4 Look at line 9.
How does the structure of this sentence grab the reader’s attention? Give two
ways.
•

[2]

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5 (a) Look at lines 10–15.

Give a short phrase which means ‘left quietly, without being noticed’.

[1]

(b) Give one example of personification from this section.

[1]

Look at the second section (lines 16–28).

6 Why is a new section started here?

Tick () two boxes.

To show a change of…

topic

setting

viewpoint

character

time

[2]

7 Do you think the cab driver is a kind man? Tick () one box.

Yes

No

Give evidence from the text to support your answer.

[1]

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8 Look at the first sentence in line 19.

Give the main clause.

[1]

9 Look at lines 21–22.

(a) Why is an ellipsis ( … ) used?

[1]

(b) What does this tell us about how Vita is feeling?

[1]

10 Look at line 26.

What does the phrase ‘unnaturally bright’ tell us about how Vita’s mother was
feeling?

[1]

11 Look at lines 29–33. Vita is excited to see her Grandpa.

Give two pieces of evidence from the text that show us this.

Evidence 1:

Evidence 2:
[2]

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12 Look at line 36.

What does Vita’s mother mean?
Tick () one box.

‘You can’t prevent us, Dad.’

‘You can make more effort, Dad.’

‘You shouldn’t hide things from us, Dad.’

‘You should show your emotions, Dad.’

[1]

13 Look at lines 34–40. Why does mum tell Vita to go and find her room?
Tick () one box.

She thought Vita was tired and wanted to rest.

She wanted to talk to her dad without Vita around.

She thought Vita would want to see round the flat.

She wanted Vita to enjoy the view from her window.

[1]

14 Look at lines 41–46. This story is told from Vita’s viewpoint. Give one example of
how the writer shows her viewpoint.

[1]

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15 Would you want to live in a flat like Grandpa’s? Tick () one box.

Yes

No

Give one reason and one piece of evidence from the text to support your answer.

Reason:

Evidence:
[2]

16 The writer gradually lets us know that Vita has a problem walking. Find evidence
from the text to support this statement.

Give one piece of evidence from the second section (lines 16–28):

Give one piece of evidence from the third section (lines 29–46):

[2]

17 Give two ways we know this story is set several years ago.
•

[2]

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Section B: Writing

Spend 30 minutes on this section.

18 Write the opening of a story about a character or characters that have come a long
way to help someone solve a problem.

Think about:

• The main characters: Who is in the story? What is their relationship? Is anyone
else involved?
• The setting: Where are they? How did they get there?
• The plot: What is the problem? Have the characters any ideas about solving
it?
• Where will you choose to stop? Will you leave it on a cliff-hanger? Will they
make a start on solving the problem?

Space for your plan:

Write your story on the next page. [25 marks]

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 Section A: Reading
Spend 30 minutes on this section.
Read the text then answer the questions:

10

15

20

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1. What genre is this text ?
..................................................................................................................

2. Is the author for or against this topic? How do you know?

………….…………………………...............................................................................
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3. What reasons does the author give to support their opinion?

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4. Who could the author be writing this text to?

………….…………………………...............................................................................
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5. What connectives (words or phrases) has the author used to express the start
of a new argument?
………….…………………………...............................................................................
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6. What connectives (words or phrases) has the author used to sequence the text?
………….…………………………...............................................................................
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7. List two skills that can be developed by sports mentioned by the author in his
third argument .
………….…………………………....................

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8. Do you agree to extend sport time? Why or why not?

………….…………………………...............................................................................
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9. This text is …………………………………..

 Instructive

 persuasive

 descriptive

10. What is the title of the text? What literacy technique is shown in it ?

………….…………………………...............................................................................
......................................................................................................................

11.Why does the author writes the word fitness in different cursive font ?
………….…………………………...............................................................................
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12.''Don’t you want to give your child the best chance to live a happy,
healthy successful life ?''

Why do you think the author asked the readers this question in the last
paragraph?
………….…………………………..............................................................................
......................................................................................................................
.
13. Who is the target audience ?

………….…………………………...............................................................................

14. From lines 1-3. Get a synonym for advantages

………….…………………………...............................................................................

15. From lines 3-6. Get an antonym for increase.

………….…………………………...............................................................................

16. From lines 7-9. Get a word that means essential .

………….…………………………...............................................................................

17. From lines10-12. Get a quantifier.

………….…………………………...............................................................................

18. From lines 10-11. Get an adverbial phrase .

………….…………………………...............................................................................
19. List three body parts that are mentioned in lines 12-14.

………….…………………………...................
………….…………………………...................
............................................................

20.'' You are less likely to become weak and frail .''

What do you think the underlined word mean? Use your dictionary to
look up the word .
………….…………………………...............................................................................

21. From lines14-17. Get a connective .what does it show?

………….…………………………...............................................................................

22. In line 19 , what do you think the word crucial means? Tick one box.

Impossible

Important

Implacable

23. From lines 20-22. Get a synonym for grow.

………….…………………………...............................................................................
 24. From lines 25-29. Get an adverb .

………….…………………………...............................................................................

25.In the first paragraph , Why do you think the author used tremendously?

………….…………………………...............................................................................
………….…………………………...............................................................................

26. What is the purpose of this text ?

………….…………………………...............................................................................

27 .What is your opinion of sports ? Express your opinion using simile alliteration
and personification .

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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28. Match each word with its class:

a. Sports is vital to health as it builds our bodies. Adverb

b. They practice sports early every day. Adjective

Preposition
c. Sports can save our bodies in an early stage.
Conjunction
d. Sam go jogging with his classmate.
 29. Change this sentence from present simple to present continuous:

a. James rides his bike .

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
.

30.Change this sentence from past simple to present simple:

a. Pete did much yoga last night.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
.

31.Change this sentence from present simple to past simple:

a. He loves being a goal keeper because he catches all the balls.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

32. Correct the mistake:

a. Beatrice is amazed by how her favourite team won , because they scored in
the last ten seconds.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

33. Link these sentences with a suitable subordinating conjunction :

Sandra fell over the horse .

Sandra broke her arm.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
34. Link these sentences with a suitable coordinating conjunction :
I don't play basketball.
My brother plays football.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

35. Complete the following sentence with a suitable conjunction :

a.She is so hungry , she didn't have her lunch ……………. her breakfast.

36. Read the sentences then tick (√) the box that shows the type of each sentence :

Sentence Simple Compound Complex

a. The children wore their dirty boots.

b. It was time for bed, yet it was still light outside.

c. The front door was locked, so she entered through the backdoo

d. They took a lot of pictures when they visited Montana.

e. After the show began, he sat very quietly.

f. The girl was wearing a red dress.

37. Punctuate the following sentence:

i took my umbrella for it was raining

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 Section B: Writing
Spend 25 minutes on this section.

38. As a student who doesn't like doing homework, Write your own persuasive text
to persuade your teacher not to give you homework.

Remember:

  To show the introduction and conclusion.

  To use sequencers.
  To use persuasive strong language.
  To use adverbs .
 To use figurative language .

PLANNING:

Spend up to five minutes making notes in the box to plan your writing.
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