PODAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (CBSE)
Question Bank Cycle Test – 3 (2015-16)
Std: VIII
Subject: English
1. Read the following passage carefully.
You may not think about how the appliances in your home contribute to
your family’s monthly energy bill but policy makers who look at the
nation’s energy needs have. For example, researchers at the Lawrence
Berkeley National Labs found that computer and Internet equipment
consume two percent of all the electricity generated for use in the United
States. The U.S. Department of Energy says that turning off computers
when they are not being used can save seventy-five percent of computer
energy bills. The U.S. Department of Energy also says that your home
appliances, including computers and entertainment equipment, add up
to about twenty percent of your energy bills.
Switching to energy efficient home appliances even before you need
new ones can save money in the long run. The lower cost of running the
appliance can repay the purchase price over time. For example,
replacing an old refrigerator that was manufactured before
improvements in insulation and refrigerator motors can possibly save 30
dollar a month in electric costs; that’s 360 dollars per year. The U.S.
Department of Energy has two ways to inform consumers about the
energy efficiency of an electric appliance: the Energy Guide label and an
ENERGY STAR logo.
The Energy Guide label is a deep yellow information sheet that is attached
to an appliance. It gives an estimate of the product's energy usage or
energy efficiency compared to other similar appliances. Refrigerators,
freezers, clothes washers and dryers, water heaters, dishwashers and
home electronics have an Energy Guide label.
The U.S. Department of Energy has another program called ENERGY STAR.
The ENERGY STAR logo is placed on products that meet strict energy
efficiency standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. Look for the ENERGY STAR logo on
home electronics and appliances. You know that you are buying an
efficient product when it displays an ENERGY STAR approval label.
1.1 On the basis of your reading of the above passage, complete the
following sentences with appropriate words/phrases
a. The policy makers who look at nation’s energy have_________________
b. Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Labs found
that________________
c. Switching to energy efficient appliances can ______________
d. The lower cost of running the appliances can__________________
e. Energy Guide label is a______________
f. The Energy Guide label gives________________
g.The Energy label Star is placed on products that_____________
h. You know you are buying an efficient product when__________________
2. Read the following passage carefully.
2.
Another name for the bald eagle is American eagle because the bald
eagle is the national symbol for The United States of America. Bald eagle is
raptor and raptor is a bird of prey. Raptors or bird of prey such as eagles,
owls and hawks catch and eat small animals or other birds.
Early American pioneers felt that birds of prey needed to be destroyed
because they ate birds, fish and animals that were food for the settlers.
Unfortunately the idea that raptors need to be destroyed continued into
the twentieth century.
During World War II, the pesticide DDT saved thousands of human lives by
killing lice that carried the disease typhus and mosquitoes that carried
malaria. In the 1940s, farmers across the United States began spraying DDT
on vast acres of crops to kill insects and raptors were seriously affected.
DDT caused the shells of bald eagle eggs to be too thin for baby eaglets
to hatch, causing eagle numbers to decline. Eagles were eventually
placed on the endangered species list. Since DDT was banned in
1972because of its negative impact on the environment, the number of
eagles and other birds is finally increasing but has not yet reached the
pre-World War II levels.
The American Eagle Foundation is one group that is working towards
increasing the number of bald eagles. Since 1985 the American Eagle
Foundation has worked from the Dollywood theme park at Pigeon Forge,
Tennessee. The Foundation is dedicated to restoring the eagle population
and protecting wild eagles.
Dollywood and the American Eagle Foundation rehabilitate raptors that
have been injured and provide a permanent home for those that cannot
be safely released into their natural surroundings. The American Eagle
Foundation’s facility at Dollywood sponsors a successful breeding
program. To date the program has released nearly ninety eaglets at a
special release site in Tennessee. All released eagles are tagged and one
was spotted living in Canada.
2.1 Answer the following questions briefly:
a. What is another name for the bald eagle, why is it given?
b. Why is the Eagle called a raptor?
c. Why did the Early American pioneers feel that the birds of prey needed
to be destroyed?
d. How did the pesticide DDT save thousands of human lives during World
War II?
e. Why is the American Eagle Foundation group an important group?
2.2 Choose the most appropriate meanings of the given words from the
options provided:
1. symbol ( para1)
a. story
b. warning
c. emblem
d. force
2. pioneers ( para2)
a. admirer
b. leader
c. devotee
d. servant
3. decline ( para3)
a. increase
b.growth
c. slump
d. rise
4. permanent( para5)
a.changing
b.temporary
c. durable
d. limited
Writing
1. Formal Letter
You exercise regularly and have been a member of many different gyms.
Recently, you moved into a new neighborhood and joined a new gym.
You have noticed that people at this gym do not bother to wipe down the
machines after use and often leave dirty towels on the benches in the
change rooms. Write to Mr. Khanna, the manager. In your letter:
explain who you are
describe the problem exactly
make suggestions to improve the gym
Begin your letter as follows: Dear Mr. Khanna,
You should write at least 150 words.
2. Dialogue Writing
The Principal of the School and your friend Rohit are conversing about why
Rohit is late to school. Complete the following dialogue between the
School Principal and Rohit.
Principal: Why have you come so late to the school?
Rohit:__________________________________________________________
Principal: Why did you miss the bus?
Rohit: Sir I woke up late.
Principal:_____________________________________________________
Rohit:_______________________________________________________
Principal:____________________________________________________
Rohit:________________________________________________________
Principal:______________________________________________________
Rohit:_________________________________________________________
OR
Two friends are having a conversation regarding the importance of
following traffic rules. Create a conversation between them by framing
dialogues of four sentences each.
3. E-mail Writing
Write an E-mail to your sister informing her about your annual school
exhibition.
Grammar
1. Fill in the blanks the correct adverb from those given in the bracket.
a. He knew he had a ______ (well/good) chance of winning the election.
b. Radhika ________ (quick/quickly) ate her lunch.
c. Sakshi seemed more________ (uncomfortable/uncomfortably) than
relaxed.
d. The entrance exam is ________ (extreme/extremely) challenging.
e. The young girl sings _______ (amazing/amazingly) well for someone her
age.
2. From the given alternatives choose the most appropriate preposition to fill
in the blanks in each of the following sentence:
a. The shopkeeper cannot part ___________his wealth
1. from 2. with 3. off 4. away
b. I did not expect such treatment __________your hands.
1. in 2. with 3. by 4. at
c. The man is blind _____one eye.
1. in 2. by 3. at 4. of
d. I have yet to come _______a man like him.
1. upon 2. across 3. near 4. aside
e. The boys were fighting _______one another.
1. with 2. on 3. of 4. On
3. Underline the conjunctions in the following sentences and state whether
they are coordinating or subordinating.
a. You will succeed if you work hard.
b. I don’t know whether she will come.
c. Though she is poor, she is honest.
d. He must be asleep for there is no light in his room.
e. Because I liked him I tried to help him.
4. Rewrite the following paragraph punctuating it, and using the capital
letters wherever necessary.
my heart leapt up when I behold a rainbow in the skywrote William
wordsworth the famous poet and most of us share his feelings when we
are lucky enough to see a rainbow there is an old saying that a pot of
gold is buried at the end of the rainbow but have you ever tried to reach
a rainbow end of course it is impossible because a rainbow is really just the
result of raindrops refracting and reflecting light from our sun there are
seven colours in the rainbow red orange yellow green blue indigo and
violet
5. Choose the idiom from the options given here and put it in its correct
place.
Feeling blue , cold shoulder, early bird, dog tired, hanging out
a. Heera is always up before the sun, she is __________.
b. Veena wouldn’t speak to her friend Maya, she gave her___________.
c. Madan was ___________at the park with Raju
d. Jayati was _____________feeling blue when his best friend moved away.
e. After a long day at work Shyam was feeling__________.
6. Choose the correct word from the option, and fill in the blank.
a. Camels travel well on the ______ (desert, dessert).
b. Stormy______ (whether, weather) is due tomorrow.
c. We signal our dog to stay______ (quite, quiet) by touching her collar.
d. The inspector knew _______(whose, who’s) keys they were.
e. Did you walk _______(to, too, two) school today?
7. Rewrite the sentences following the instructions given:
a. As soon as the train arrived at the station the passengers rushed
towards it. (Rewrite using no sooner…….than)
b. The war caused destruction and generations of hatred between the
two communities. (Rewrite using not only……but also)
c. He was very rude. (Change into a negative sentence without
changing its meaning)
d. Silver is more plentiful than gold. (Begin Gold is…..)
e. Akbar was one of the greatest of Indian Kings. (Begin Very few…)
8. Choose the correct tense of the verb to complete the sentences below.
a. Jim and Susan _________________________ (went/will go) to school
tomorrow.
b. Sam sits down and ______________________ (writes/wrote) in his
notebook.
c. The energetic puppy ________________ (is/was) happy yesterday.
d. Mrs. Smith _________________(sang/will sing) a song in the talent show
next month.
e. They ___________________ (talk, talked) on the phone for three hours last
night.
Literature
1. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
“The name Milkha Singh is synonymous with exceptional running. What
made you run so fast?”
a. Who is saying this to whom?
b. What is the significance of this statement?
c. Give synonym of the word ‘exceptional’.
Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
2. “What is your success mantra which you would like to share with budding
athletes?”
a. Who said it to whom?
b. What is the success mantra of Milkha Singh?
c. Make a sentence with the word ‘success’.
3. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
“Dear Father if this terrible storm came about because of your magic
powers then you can also stop the storm.”
a.Who is the speaker? Why is the speaker sounding worried?
b. Do you think that the magic powers can bring about terrible storm?
c. Use the word ‘magic’ in a sentence.
4. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
“No harm was done! Whatever I have done has been only for you.”
a. Who is mentioned in the extract given above?
b. Discuss few efforts made by the mentioned person in the lesson to
make a wrong right.
c. Give the antonym of the word ‘harm’.
5. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
‘PIPING down the valleys wild,
piping songs of pleasant glee,
On a cloud I saw a child,
And he laughing said to me:
a. Who is speaking these lines?
b. What is the significance of the child in the cloud?
c. Give a word that is opposite of the word ‘pleasant’.
6. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
Drop thy pipe, thy happy pipe;
Sing thy songs of happy cheer!
So I sung the same again,
while he wept with joy to hear
a. Who is speaking this to whom?
b. Who is ‘he’ and why did he cry?
c. Give another word closest to the meaning of ‘happy’.
7. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
“Yes; quaint and curious war is!
You shoot a fellow down
You’d treat if met where any bar is,
or help to half-a-crown.”
a. Name the poem and the poet of the given extract.
b. Explain the phrase “or help to half a crown”
c. Give another rhyming word for the word ‘curious’
8. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.
I shot him dead becausebecause
he was my foe,
Just so: my foe of course he was
That’s clear enough; although
a. How would you describe a soldier’s life?
b. Explain the meaning of the phrase, “That’s clear enough although”
c. Mention the rhyme scheme given in this stanza.
Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:
1. The Flying Sikh
a. Why Milkha singh was called ‘Flying Sikh?’
b. Are you inspired by Milkha Singh’s story? If yes then why?
c. Who inspired Milkha Singh?
d. What grave mistake did Milkha Singh do in Rome Olympics?
e. Why did Milkha Singh join army?
2. The Tempest
a. What is the role of Antonio in the play?
b. Did Prospero really mean harm for the people on board the ship?
c. How would you describe Miranda?
d. Did Miranda remember all the incidents of her childhood?
e. Was Prospero a good ruler? Justify your answer with examples
3. The Song Of Innocence
a. What was the child’s reaction after meeting the piper?
b. Is the poem thought provoking? Justify your answer.
c. Why did the child ask poet to pen his thoughts?
d. Is this poem a pastoral poem? Explain why.
e. Explain the expression, ‘strain the water clear’.
4. The Man He Killed
a. What is the setting of the poem?
b. Do you think that narrator is regretting his action? Justify your answer.
c. Is war unnecessary? Justify.
d. Do you think that the man killed was really the narrator’s enemy?
e. What are the two things the speaker would have done for the man
had they not been at the war?
Answer the following questions in about 60 -80 words.
1. What was the Esmeralda in the novel ‘The Lost World’?
2. Why did Professor Summerlee apologize to Professor Challenger in the
novel ‘The Lost World’?
3. Describe the ape- man the narrator encountered in the novel ‘The Lost
World’.
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