DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, SUSHANT LOK

B-Block, Sushant Lok, Phase-1, (Behind Max Hospital) Gurugram,

Haryana-122002
website :http://www.dpssl.net/ Phone : 0124-4041221/4041441

English Model Test Paper

CLASS : VIII SUBJECT : ENGLISH
Time(Minutes) : 0 Total Marks :80

Question: 1) SECTION A – READING (20 Marks) [80]

Q1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow: (1x10=10)

Do you know that November 24 is Evolution Day? Charles Darwin, an English naturalist,
established that all species have life, and have descended over time from common ancestry and
proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process
that he called Natural Selection. Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire,
England on February 12, 1809, at his family home, the Mount. He was the fifth of six children of a
wealthy society doctor and financier Robert Darwin and Susannah Darwin.

Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species was published on November 24, 1859, which is why this
day is celebrated as Evolution Day. It is the work of scientific literature which is considered to be
the foundation of evolutionary biology. Its full title was On the Origin of Species using Natural
Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. For the sixth edition of
1872, the short title was changed to, On the Origin of Species.

Darwin's book introduced the scientific theory that populations evolve throughout generations
through a process of natural selection. It presented evidence that the diversity of life arose by
common descent through a branching pattern of evolution. Before developing his theories and
writing this book, Darwin spent five years on HMS Beagle. The Beagle sailed across the Atlantic
Ocean, and then carried out detailed hydrographical surveys around the coast of the southern
part of South America, returning via Tahiti and Australia after having circumnavigated the Earth.
Darwin spent most of the time on land investigating geology and making natural history
collections, while the Beagle surveyed and charted coasts. Puzzled by the geographical
distribution of wildlife and fossil, he collected on the voyage. Darwin began detailed
investigations and in 1838 conceived his theory of natural selection. His work established him as
an eminent geologist and the publication of his journal of the voyage made him famous as a
popular author.

A. Which day is celebrated as Evolution Day and why?

B. What did his work establish him as?

a) popular author

b) publisher of his journal

c) eminent geologist

d) All of the above

C. What did Charles Darwin prove?

D. Where did Darwin spend most of his time during his five-year stay on HMS Beagle?

a. investigating geology
b. making natural history collections
c. writing the theory of natural selection
d. Both (a) and (b)
E. How does the population evolve?

F. Find words from the passage which mean "famous".

a. voyage

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 b. eminent
c. Evolution
d. Both (a) and (b)
G. The study of rocks, and of the way they are formed is known as __________

a) Geography

b) Geology

c) Physiography

d) Sociology

H. Complete the sentence:

For the sixth edition of 1872, the short title was changed to ___________________

I. Give a suitable title to the above passage.

J. Why is November 24, 1859, celebrated as Evolution Day?

Q2. Read the following poem carefully and answer the questions that follow: (2x5=10)

I once had a sweet little doll, dears,

The prettiest doll in the world;

Her cheeks were so red and so white, dears,

And her hair was so charmingly curled.

But I lost my poor little doll, dears,

As I played in the heath one day;

And I cried for her more than a week, dears,

But I never could find where she lay.

I found my poor little doll, dears,

As I played in the heath one day;

Folks say she is horribly changed, dears,

For her paint is all washed away.

And her arm trodden off by the cows, dears,

And her hair, not the least bit curled:

Yet for old sake, she is still, dears,

The prettiest doll in the world.

On the basis of the reading of the above poem, answer the following questions:

1. How did the poet lose the doll?

2. What was so special about the doll that the little girl was so fascinated with her?

3. Where did the poet find the doll?

4. What were the changes observed by the poet when he found the doll?

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 5. How do you know that the poet was sad when the doll was lost?

SECTION B – WRITING AND GRAMMAR (25 Marks)

WRITING

Q3. (A) You were a part of an organising committee for an inter-school event which was very
successful. You and the other committee members were congratulated and praised at the school
assembly by the Principal. Write a letter to your grandmother telling her about the event and your
feelings about being recognised and praised in front of the school. (5)

OR

( (B) You are Kanika / Karan. Your school’s Fitness Club hosted a workshop called “Art of
Living for Students.” Write a letter to the editor of the local daily newspaper, giving
your thoughts on the matter.

Q4. (A)You lost your wallet containing your valuable documents (ATM card, and driver's license)
while traveling in Rajdhani Express from Delhi to Pune. Write an advertisement to be published in
‘The Hindustan Times’ under the column “Lost and Found”.(word limit: 50 words). (5)

OR

(B) Write a story in 100 to 120 words with the following beginning. Also, give a suitable title
for the story.

It was 2001. I was about to leave the city for my village by train. I saw some policemen coming
towards me. At first, I got scared seeing them, but when one of them asked me, where are you
going son? I felt very good…

GRAMMAR

Q5. Do as directed: (1x6=6)

a)He hates _________. (dance-Fill nonfinite
verb, gerund)

b) He is a __________ army officer. . (retire- Fill Finite verb, participle)

c)We read __________ the intellectual world.. (survive-Fill non-finite , infinitive)

d) Nandhu, Vishnu, and Arjun like going on road trips. ( Underline the phrase)

e)We could not wait to go outside because it had just started snowing. (Identify the independent
clause)

f)You have to finish your vegetables before you can eat dessert. (Determine whether the
underlined word groups are dependent clause or independent clause)

Q6. Change the speech in the following sentences: (1x3=3)

a)He said, “We will discuss this tomorrow”.

b) He will say, “I will reform all the system.”

c) The policeman says to the man, “Have you seen the burglars?

Q8. The following passages have not been edited. There is an error in each line against which a
blank has been provided. Identify the error and write it along with the
correction. (1x3=3)

Incorrect correct

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 It is truth that parents are a) ______ _______

more valuable then any other b) _______ _______

things in the world for a child. c) _______ _______

Q9. State whether the following sentences are simple, compound, or complex. (1x3=3)

a) I waited for the bus, but it was late.

b) Although I broke my arm, I still cheered for my team from the sidelines.

c)The train was late.

SECTION C – LITERATURE (35 Marks)

Q9. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: (1x4=4)

What do you make O ye goldsmiths?

Wristlet and anklet and ring,

Bells for the feet of blue pigeons,

Frail as a dragonfly's wing, Girdles of gold for dancers,

Scabbards of gold for the king.

a. Name the poem.

b. What do the goldsmiths make for women and for the king?
c. What do the goldsmiths make for the feet of blue pigeon?
d. Write the meaning of the word, 'Scabbard' and frame a sentence with it.
Q10. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow: (1x4=4)

How’s my coal getting on?

I set as much aside for you as I could.

Don’t use it all up at once.

It might come in handy one day.

a. Name the poet.

b. Give a synonym for the word ‘separately’ from the above lines.
c. Who is the speaker of the poem?
d. What is the poet urging us to do?

Q11. Answer the following in 20-30 words each: (2x6=12)

a. How does the poet highlight the occupation of local people who put up in the poem,' In the
Bazaars of Hyderabad ?’
b. In the lesson,’ For a Greener Tomorrow’ What did Koki's grandmother find when she came
back after twenty years?
c. What was unusual about M Hamel’s dress on his last day in the school?
d. In Sarojini Naidu’s poem “In the Bazaars of Hyderabad”, the objects sold by the
goldsmiths indicate the immense wealth of the city. Discuss.
e. Highlight the central idea of the poem 'A Prayer for All'.

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 f. What did the French teacher tell his students in his last French lesson? What impact did it
have on them?

Q12. Answer the following in 50-60 words each: (5x3=15)

a. How do you think Tenali Raman managed to change a curse into a boon in the lesson
‘Boon of Words’?
b. Which issue does the poem, 'How's my Coal' highlight?
c. What words did M.Hamel write on the blackboard before dismissing the last class? What
did they mean?

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