MAHARISHI VIDYA MANDIR GROUP OF SCHOOLS

PREPARATORY EXAMINATION 2023 – 2024

ENGLISH
CLASS: VIII MARKS: 80
DATE : 05.02.2024 TIME : 2 HRS. 30 MINS.

General Instructions:
 The question paper contains THREE sections- READING, WRITING &
GRAMMAR, LITERATURE & NON-DETAIL.
 Attempt all the questions.
SECTION A- READING (20 MARKS)
I. a. Read the passage given below:
Miniature animals are a sight to behold and some of them have become popular pets
too. Let us take a look at some of them.
Pygmy goats
Pygmy goats are 16 to 20 inches tall. They are friendly, social and
fun-loving. They are commonly called Cameroon dwarf goats
because they originated in Cameroon, Africa. They are intelligent
and capable of surviving in varied climatic conditions. Pygmy goats
have short legs and their bodies are stocky. They are great climbers
and love to jump over rocks and logs. Their diet comprises grass,
leaves, twigs, shrubs and vines. They occasionally eat fruits,
vegetables and hay.
Falabella
The Falabella is a small horse seldom taller than 32 inches and
weighing about 32 kilograms. This miniature horse originated in
Argentina and is one of the smallest breeds of horses in the
world. It can survive in severe weather conditions and has a
long life. The body of a Falabella is small and compact
compared to a horse. It has sturdier bones and a thicker coat of
hair than a pony. Usually, Falabella horses are black or dark
brown. They prefer grass and grain as their diet. They are
friendly horses and make excellent companions to those with
physical challenges. They adjust to new situations, and provide
protection and support.
Pygmy marmoset
Pygmy marmosets are the smallest living monkeys in the world,
being only about 6 inches in size. They live in the Amazon region
of Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and northern Bolivia, in dense
rainforests where there are many hiding places. They move very
fast and can leap several feet up lest they become prey to animals
such as cats, eagles or snakes. They make their homes in trees or
in bamboo thickets near rivers because Sap is their favourite food.
They scamper up and down trees, make holes in the bark with
their sharp teeth and lap up Sap with their tongues. They also feed on fruits and nectar.
Pygmy marmosets communicate by chattering in high-pitched voices - sounds humans
cannot hear!
Babydoll sheep
Babydoll sheep are small and only about 18 to 24 inches tall when
they are fully grown. They can be found in the UK, the US and
Canada. They are gentle and hardy creatures. They are white or
off-white and do not have horns. Their diet consists mainly of grass
and grain. They are curious and intelligent but anxious around new
people. They are flock animals.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given

below:
1. What does 'a sight to behold' mean?
a. something that can be held.
c. a sight that is not impressive.
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(10x1=10)
b. something that is worth seeing.
d. a sight that is better avoided.
2. Which of these is NOT true about pygmy goats?
a. The goats are friendly and fun-loving.
b. They have short legs and stocky bodies.
c. They originated in Nigeria, Africa.
d. The goats eat twigs, shrubs and vines.

3. The Falabella horse is _________ in the world.

a. the smallest breed of horse b. the largest breed of horse
c. one of the largest horse breeds d. one of the smallest horse breeds

4. Pygmy marmosets move very quickly in order to _________.

a. escape from their predators. b. hunt for their food.
c. play with one another. d. make holes in the bark of trees.

5. Pygmy marmosets live in trees or bamboo thickets because they_______.

a. do not like to live on the ground.
b. enjoy the darkness of the trees and bushes.
c. get their favourite food there.
d. like to live near rivers.

6. The high-pitched voices of pygmy marmosets can_________ be heard by

humans.
a. always b. sometimes
c. never d. mostly

7. Grass and grain are the diet of_________.

a. only pygmy goats. b. only Falabella.
c. both babydoll sheep and pygmy marmosets. d. both Falabella and babydoll sheep.

8. Which of these is TRUE about babydoll sheep?

a. They are tall and huge. b. They are not gentle creatures.
c. They have long horns. d. They are nervous around new people.

9. 'Flock animals' are animals that prefer to be in the company of______.

a. other sheep. b. their own kind.
c. other animals. d. pygmy goats.

10. Which of these is TRUE according to the passage?

a. The Babydoll sheep is an intelligent animal and a great climber.
b. The Falabella horse can survive in severe weather conditions.
c. The pygmy goat lives in the dense rainforests of the Amazon.
d. The pygmy marmoset is usually white or off-white.

b. Read the passage given below:

The fields of Punjab have, over the years, been dominated
by paddy and wheat. Since these crops consume a lot of
water, groundwater levels have been falling, which is a
reason for concern for farmers across the state. However, if
a recent development is anything to go by, we could well
have a reason for hope. Guided by horticulture experts,
children in the Mansa district of Punjab are learning to grow
their own organic, chemical-free vegetables in kitchen
gardens at government schools.
The students are part of the 'Edible Gardens' programme initiated by the government
recently to help them stay connected with their roots. And these days, their mid-day
meals include fresh, green vegetables that are grown by the children themselves. The
children grow not just traditional vegetables but also oyster mushrooms and broccoli.
They use green waste for composting, and straw, which their parents would otherwise
burn in the fields, for mulching the gardens and growing oyster mushrooms.

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According to officials and teachers, the kitchen gardens have become a part of their
science practical sessions and will help the children develop skills that will improve their
chance of finding jobs in the future. "The results have been encouraging," says Suhail
Rehman, Horticulture Development Officer (HDO), Budhlada (Mansa district). "Of the
eighty-seven villages in Budhlada, kitchen gardens have been set up in at least thirty-
two, and more are in line. We have trained at least 500 students to grow mushrooms
using crop stubble," he says. "The idea is not just to teach children to grow organic
vegetables and make their mid-day meals nutritious, but also to enlighten them about
the environmental cost of stubble-burning and divert them towards horticulture to break
the wheat-paddy cycle."
At the government senior secondary school for boys in the village Boha, a garden has
been set up using straw bales as chairs; the design won the first prize under 'Sustainable
Agricultural Practices' at the district science competition.The Central Ground Water Board
(CGWB), in its latest assessment, says that Budhlada is among the five blocks in Mansa
that fall in the 'over-exploited' category, which means that groundwater extraction has
grossly surpassed the net availability with a significant long-term decline in levels. The
report also notes that the groundwater quality is alkaline, saline and not fit for irrigation!
"This is a critical issue and we have to make people aware from an early age.
Our emphasis is on garden designs that use less water, and encourage the use of paddy
and wheat straw," says Rehman. However, he acknowledges that the programme, which
is being promoted under the Punjab Tandrust Mission, is not free from challenges. "There
is a dearth of trained and motivated staff in the Horticulture Department to regularly
visit schools. We try to provide mushroom seeds free of cost, but lack of funding is an
issue," he adds.

Based on your understanding of the passage, answer the questions given

below: (10x1=10)
1. The farmers in Punjab are worried because ________.
a. they grow mostly paddy and wheat.
b. they do not engage in organic farming.
c. the groundwater levels have gone down drastically.
d. there is not enough scope for organic farming.

2. The project of engaging school children in organic farming is expected

to________.
i. reduce the dominance of wheat and paddy in agriculture.
ii. help children eat healthy, chemical-free vegetables.
iii. ensure that the students do not forget their culture or tradition.
iv. reduce the problem of groundwater depletion.

a. i and ii b. ii and iv c. only iii d. all the above

3. According to the passage, which of these is NOT a benefit of having kitchen
gardens in schools?
a. It can be helpful in reducing air pollution.
b. It teaches children a practical use of science.
c. It can help check the problem of unemployment.
d. It helps students do well in academics.

4. According to Suhail Rehman, the project of organic farming has ________.

a. been a great success. b. shown encouraging results.
c. been a disappointment. d. been marginally successful.
5. The students have been trained to grow_________ using crop stubble.
a. mushrooms b. beans c. sugarcane d. broccoli
6. According to the latest assessment of the Central Ground Water Board
(CGWB), Budhlada falls under the _________category.

a. moderately-used b. overused c. average use d. underused

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7. The CGWB report found the groundwater in Budhlada to be alkaline,
_________ and not fit for irrigation.
a. acidic b. hard c. salty d. mineral-deficient

8. According to the passage, which of these is NOT a challenge that the organic
farming project faces?
a. The staff in the Horticulture Department lack sufficient training.
b. The staff in the Horticulture Department do not visit schools regularly.
c. There is a lack of sufficient funding.
d. The government is planning to discontinue the project.

9. This passage is an/a ________.

a. article. b. report. c. essay. d. speech.

10. Read these statements and choose the correct options.

ASSERTION (A): The problem mentioned in the passage is a vicious cycle.
REASON (R): Low groundwater levels make agriculture difficult, and agriculture
depletes groundwater.

a. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

b. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
c. A is true but R is false.
d. A is false but R is true.

SECTION- B WRITING & GRAMMAR (30 MARKS)

II. a. You have recently visited a hill station during winter vacation. Write a letter to
your friend about your experience in about 100 words. You are Manu/Manavi.
(1x7=7)
b. You are Akash. During your holidays you went to Lucknow to visit your cousin. You
took part in a hiking expedition, to Nainital, with your cousin and his friends. Write
a postcard to your friend Gaurav, B-21, Pandav Nagar, Delhi, about your expedition, in
not more than 50 words. (1x7=7)
c. The following passage has not been edited. There is an error in each line
against which a blank is given. Write the incorrect word and the correct word
in the space provided. (8X½=4)
INCORRECT CORRECT
The city of Delhi is a capital of e.g. a the
India. It is an big, bustling city. (a) _______ _______
Summers in Delhi are extreme hot. (b) _______ _______
Hot dry winds, know as ‘loo’ (c) _______ _______
blow over the capital. Monsoon (d) _______ _______
showers of the month of July (e) _______ _______
and August makes the city look (f) _______ _______
green or beautiful. Delhi is full of (g) _______ _______
historically importance buildings. (h) _______ _______

d. Do as directed: (12x1=12)
1. The teacher asked the students to _______ their homework. ( Fill in the blank with
an appropriate phrasal verb)
(a) hand out (b) hand in (c) hand over (d) hand off
2. Which conditional is used to express general truths or facts?
(a) Zero (b) First (c) Second (d) Third

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 3. Which of the following is an example of a prepositional phrase?
(a) swimming in the ocean (b) the running water
(c) happily dancing (d) in the restaurant
4. The luggage was missing when she arrived at the airport. (Identify the dependent
clause)
(a) The luggage was missing (b) when she arrived at the airport
(c) she arrived at the airport (d) The luggage was missing when

5. Sheetal said to Neeta,”I was out of town last week.” (Change into indirect speech)
(a) Sheetal told Neeta that she was out of town last week.
(b) Sheetal told Neeta that she was going to be out of town last week.
(c) Sheetal told Neeta that she is out of town the previous week.
(d) Sheetal told Neeta that she had been out of town the previous week.

6. Were the clothes dried in the lawn by mother? (Change into active voice)
(a) Did mother dry the clothes in the lawn?
(b) Did mother dried the clothes in the lawn?
(c) Does mother dry the clothes in the lawn?
(d) Had mother dried the clothes in the lawn?

7. She is _______a talented musician, ________ an excellent writer. (Choose the

correct option)
(a) both--and (b) whether---or
(c) not only---but also (d) option ‘a’ & ‘c’

8. When I arrived _____the airport, it was late so I decided to stay____ a hotel.

(Choose the prepositions and fill in the blanks)
(a) at, in (b) in, at (c) in, on (d) at, on

9. Please drive ______ on this slippery road. (Fill in the blank with an appropriate
adverb)
(a) fast (b) carefully (c) quickly (d) happily

10. Ann ________ that she ______ the visitor before.(Choose the correct form of the
verbs and fill in the blanks)
(a) thought, saw (b) thinks, sees (c) thinking, sees (d) thought, had seen

11. Which modal verb is used for habitual actions in the past.
(a) Dare not (b) Used to (c) Should (d) Need

12. Which of the following adjectives means ‘capable of being heard’?

(a) Audible (b) Inaudible (c) Audacious (d) Auditory

SECTION C- LITERATURE & NON-DETAIL (30 MARKS)

III. a. Read the extract and answer the questions given below: (4x1=4)
Though our smoke may hide the Heavens from your eyes,
It will vanish and the stars will shine again,
Because for all our power and weight and size,
We are nothing more than children of your brain!

1. Who is the speaker of these lines?

(a)The poet (b) Machines (c) Children (d) both ‘b’ & ‘c’
2. The machines give out _______when they run.

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 3. The rhyme scheme of the above lines is _________.
4. What ¡s the figure of speech employed in the last line?
(a) Metaphor (b) Simile (c) Personification (d) Alliteration
b. Read the extract and answer the questions given below: (4x1=4)

Cat, if you go outdoors, you must walk in the snow.

You will come back with little white shoes on your feet,
little white shoes of snow that have heels of sleet.
Stay by the fire, my Cat. Lie still, do not go.

1. What is the mood of the speaker in the above lines?

(a) comforting (b) pleading (c) threatening (d) rebuking
2. Which of the following best describes the speaker in the above lines?
(a) protective (b) carefree (c) forceful (d) understanding
3. Who is the speaker of these lines?
(a) The poet (b) The mistress (c) The cat (d) The neighbour
4. The speaker is trying to ________ the cat.
c. Read the extract and answer the questions given below: (4x1=4)

I noticed two little boys playing in the garden of the more modest cottages. The bigger
of the two was a sturdy youngster, very dark, with a mat of coarse hair on his head and
coal-black eyes. The other little fellow was smaller, but also sturdy- he was white, with
hazel eyes and light brown hair. Both were dressed in blue shirts and khaki pants.
1. The two boys in the story are _________.
(a) good friends (b) brothers (c) neighbours (d) classmates
2. The black boy had a mat of coarse hair on his head. ‘Coarse’ means__________.
(a) rough (b) beautiful (c) nice (d) long
3. The white boy had hazel eyes. ‘Hazel’ means _______.
(a) reddish brown (b) pale brown (c) yellowish brown (d) bluish brown
4. The two boys were not dressed alike. (True/False)

d. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words each: (4x2=8)

1. What was Mrs Parker’s real name and why had she taken a cottage near the prison in
the story, ”The Unexpected”?
2. Why did the nightingale stop singing in the evening in the poem, “from The
Nightingale and the Glow-worm”?
3. How did Bob and Millie convince their mother to attend the party in the lesson,
“Her First Party”?
4. Are machines humble to accept the evolution of the human brain in the poem,
“The Secret of the Machines”? Why?

e. Answer the following questions in about 100-120 words each: (2x5=10)

1. Adela Pingsford is a self-centred person who is not really concerned about others. Do
you agree? Give two instances from the story, “The Stalled Ox”?
2. Explain in detail how Madame Defarge dies in the story, "A Tale of Two Cities".

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