Grade: VIII English- Practice Sheet 6

1. Composition

(a) Write a letter to the chairman of The Emerald Country Club, requesting
permission to hold an art exhibition and sale of art materials in their
premises. You are the secretary of the student‟s association of The Canvas
School for Art. Enquire about the facilities like - use of the lift, charges for
valet parking, use of the canteen/restaurant, one day rental charges, etc.

(b) Write an article in not more than 100-120 words on (any one)
i. Reasons for potholes in roads.
ii. Ways to save water in homes.
iii. How can I keep my neighbourhood clean?

(c) Write a short story in about 200-250 words, with any one set of the cues
given below. Give a suitable title to the story.
Gehna, Chandu and Danny had been closely observing varieties of cacti
and didn‟t realize that were left behind as the other children and teachers
walked away to another part of the national park. They came out and
pondered which way to go when they heard a soft whimper behind a huge
apple chestnut near the glass house....

OR

Recently, I attended a distant cousin‟s wedding. I didn‟t want to go, but was
dragged along with nagging aunts and stern uncles to a remote village .....

2. Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate option from the ones given
below. Write the answers in your answer sheet against the correct
blank numbers.

1. I saw a snake crawling (a) ____________ the path. Although I was scared,
(b) ____________ I was fascinated by its actions. Just then, it stopped
beside a rock. Overcome (c) ___________ curiosity, I stood aside and
watched it, (d) __________ it sunned itself quietly.

(a) (i) with (ii) along (iii) among (iv) after
(b) (i) but (ii) so (iii) and (iv) yet
(c) (i) with (ii) about (iii) in (iv) above
(d) (i) after (ii) till (iii) before (iv) while


2. You can achieve anything (a) ______ hard work. It gives (b) _____ success
(b) ______ confidence to the person. Such a person differs (c) ________ a
quitter. A confident person understands that he cannot do everything by
himself (a) _________ asks for help when he needs it.

(a) (i) through (ii) by (iii) in (iv) at
(b) (ii) whether...or (ii) both...and (iii) neither...nor (iv) either...or
(c) (i) to (ii) with (iii) from (iv) by
(d) (i) for (ii) yet (iii) or (iv) and

3. Do as directed.

(a) Combine the sentences using „hardly... when‟:
The train had passed the tunnel. Lightning struck the tunnel.
Hardly had the train passed the tunnel, when lightning struck the
tunnel.

(b) Identify the subordinate conjunction in the following sentence.
I will come to play with you provided you help me with my homework.
provided

(c) Identify the coordinating conjunction in the following sentence:
He is very busy yet he attended the function at her insistence.
yet

(d) Identify the preposition in the following sentence:
There is a beautiful tree behind our house.
behind

(e) Identify the connector in the following sentence:
He came very late to the class; however the teacher let him inside.
however

(f) Varun sat amongst a bunch of pilgrims and ate his lunch.
Identify the preposition in the above sentence.
amongst

(g) Rewrite in indirect speech.
“Please wait for me here,” the lady said to her husband.
The lady requested her husband to wait for her there.

(h) Rewrite in direct speech.
The boy claimed that he could speak Sinhalese fluently.
The boy said/claimed, “I can speak Sinhalese fluently.”

4. Rearrange the following words and phrases into meaningful
sentences. The first one has been done as an example.

(a) in / own/ boss/ Tahir‟s / right/ his /is / way
Tahir‟s boss is right in his own way.

(b) cannot/ new/ be/ treated/ the/ casually/ project
The new project cannot be treated casually.

(c) to/ on/ it/ furthermore/ time/ has/ delivered/ be
Furthermore, it has to be delivered on time.

(d) to/ shall/ half day‟s/ granted/ only/ be/ Tahir/ leave
Only half day‟s leave shall be granted to Tahir.

5. In the following passage, one word has been omitted in each line. Write the
missing word in each of the sentences along with the word that comes before and
after it in the space provided.

                       

6. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. 'Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair
He cursed himself in his despair
The waves rushed in on every side,
The ship is sinking beneath the side.

(a) Why was Sir Ralph in despair?
Sir Ralph was in despair because his ship was sinking and he could do
nothing about it.
(b) Why was the ship sinking?
The ship was sinking because it had struck against the Inchcape Rock.
(c) What do you make out of the Abbot of Aberbrothok‟s character?
Abbot of Aberbrothok was a kind-hearted, humane person who wished
well for everyone. That is why he had placed the bell at the Inchcape
Rock‟s buoy.
(d) What is the meaning of the word „despair‟ from the above verse?
The meaning of the word despair from the above verse is misery.

7. Answer the following questions in 30 to 40 words each.

(a) What was the wicked deed done by Ralph? Why did he do so?
The Rover cut off the bell that warned the sailors of the Inchcape rock.
This bell was placed by the Abbot of Aberbrothok. The Rover did so
because he was jealous of the popularity of Abbot of Aberbrothok or
simply wanted to make life difficult for him.

(b) How was Ralph, the Rover responsible for his own fate?
Sir Ralph was a wicked man who cut off the bell that warned people
against the Inchcape Rock. Once during a storm in the sea, his ship
crashed against the same rock. Thus, he was very well responsible for
his own fate.

(c) What did the sailors wish for and why?
The child asked the poet to write down his merry poems in book so
that all children can read them. The child then disappeared. The poet
made a pen out of a reed and used it to write his merry poems so that
all children to read and listen to them and be joyful.

(d) What does the phrase-„the breakers roar‟ tell you about the weather?
The words „the breakers roar‟ mean the roaring of the sea waves, i.e.,
the sound made when the sea waves break on the shore. The breakers
roar normally signifies a high tide when the sea waves surge up and
down with a great force.

8. Answer the following questions in about 100-120 words.

(a) Compare the character of Ralph the Rover with that of the Abbot of
Aberbrothok.
The Abbot was a really kind hearted, good man who placed the bell on
the Inchcape Rock so that whenever there was a storm with surging
waves, the bell rang which made sailors realise that there was a danger
ahead. Rover was a jealous, wicked robber who cut off the bell from
the rock so that no one could bless the good Abbot of Aberbrothok for
his great deed. Rover was selfish. Little did he know that he had dug
his own pit and not one for others to fall into it.