Blossom Class 8 First Summative Examination (Mock Test) 9 -

Section A: Reading Comprehension (Seen)

1. Read the following passage from “The Man Who Planted Trees” and answer the questions below:

About forty years ago I went on a long hike, through hills absolutely unknown to tourists, in that very old region where the Alps penetrate into Provence. It consisted of barren and monotonous lands. Nothing grew there except wild lavender.

I was crossing this country at its widest part, and after walking for three days, I found myself in the most complete desolation. I was camped next to an abandoned village. I had used the last of my water the day before and I needed to find more. These ruined houses of the village made me think that there must, at one time, have been a spring or a well there. There was indeed a spring, but it was dry. All life had disappeared.

A. Choose the correct answer from the given alternatives: [1 x 2 = 2]

i) The region consisted of: lush green forests
barren and monotonous lands
many villages

ii) After walking for three days, the narrator found himself in: complete desolation
a bustling town
a thick forest

B. Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements. Give supporting statements for your answers: [2 x 2 = 4]

i) The only thing that grew in the land was wild lavender. Supporting Statement:

ii) The narrator found a working spring in the abandoned village. Supporting Statement:

C. Answer the following question: [2]

Why did the narrator need to find water?

Section B: Reading Comprehension (Unseen)

2. Read the following passage and answer the questions below:

Elara lived in a small cottage at the edge of a quiet village. Every night, she would sit by her window and watch the stars. She loved the sky. She often wondered where the stars went during the day. “Perhaps they are like lost children,” she thought, “and the sun is their mother looking for them.” One night, a bright star seemed to fall from the sky. It landed in the forest nearby. Elara, being a brave and curious girl, decided to find it. She took a lantern and walked into the dark woods, her heart beating with a mix of fear and excitement. She searched for hours but found nothing. Disappointed, she returned home, only to see the brightest star of all twinkling right above her cottage, as if it was winking at her.

A. Choose the correct answer from the given alternatives: [1 x 2 = 2]

i) Elara wondered where the stars went during the: night
day
evening

ii) Elara went into the woods with a: candle
torch
lantern

B. Answer the following questions: [2 x 3 = 6]

i) What did Elara think the stars were like?

ii) Why did Elara go into the forest?

iii) Was Elara successful in her search? What did she see when she returned?

Section C: Grammar & Vocabulary

3. Do as directed:

[1 x 6 = 6]

i) The captain ordered his men to bring Jon before him. (Identify the infinitive)

ii) Our ____________ (friend) will remain forever. (Add a suitable suffix)

iii) The baby ____________ (sleep) all day. (Use the Present Perfect Continuous Tense)

iv) An old man sat on a wall ____________ the Persian wheel. (Fill in with a suitable preposition)

v) He drew a picture. (Change the voice)

vi) I remember the house where I was born. (Identify the underlined clause)

4. Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B:

[1 x 4 = 4]

Column A

Hike
Penetrate
Barren
Desolation

Column B

An empty and fruitless piece of land
Loneliness
Walking lengthy distances
To enter into the interior of

i) Hike –

ii) Penetrate –

iii) Barren –

iv) Desolation –

Section D: Writing Skill

5. Answer any ONE of the following:

[10]

a) Paragraph Writing

Write a paragraph in about 80 words on the lesson you learn from the life of Elzéard Bouffier, “The Man Who Planted Trees”.

b) Diary Entry

Imagine you are Roald Dahl. Write a diary entry in about 80 words describing your feelings about your father, Harold Dahl, and his job as a shipbroker. (Based on “Tales of Childhood”)

First Summative Examination (Mock Test)

Class: VIII

Subject: English

Section A: Reading Comprehension (Seen)

Section B: Reading Comprehension (Unseen)

Section C: Grammar & Vocabulary

Section D: Writing Skill