INTERNATIONAL INDIAN SCHOOL, RIYADH

VI – VIII SECTION
Academic Year 2022 – 2023

WORK SHEET - MID TERM EXAMINATION

CLASS :- VIII
SUBJECT :- ENGLISH

TOPIC :- READING
Q.1. Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that
follows :-
THE ART OF READING RIGHT
1. Reading Comprehension (RC, as it is normally called) is the most peculiar section in
almost all scholastic, entrance and employment tests. One should master the
skill in RC as it makes a lot of difference to one’s chances of scoring good grades
or in the selection process.
2. Most students find it difficult to tackle topics that are diverse from the field
they are interested in or they are comfortable with. So, one needs to develop a
taste for even the most obscure and boring topic on this planet. For success in
RC, one should be able to understand. And even with an average speed one can
succeed if one implements the strategies.
3. Broadly speaking, RC passages can be classified in a few categories. Fact based
RC is the simplest form of RC. These types of passages have lot of information
in the form of names, numbers etc. In this type of passages, one should read
very fast. Don’t try to memorize any facts, numbers or names etc. Just make
yourself familiar with the structure of the passage and in which paragraph the
author is talking about what. Then when you go to the questions, identify the
paragraph regarding the question mentioned, read the numbers, names etc. and
answer the question.
4. Inference based RC is the toughest form of RC. Here the passage is fairly tough
to understand as it includes passages on abstract topics like religion, spirituality,
philosophy, etc. The reading speed is fairly slow in this type of passages. The
way to master this type of passage is to read them again and again while
practicing.

Page 1 of 13
 5. Topic based RC includes passages on any particular topic like economics, astrology,
medical science, etc. Generally, what makes these passages tough is usage of
technical terms. If a topic is new to us then presence of technical term scares
us even if they are defined in the passage. For success in this type of passages,
we need to have a fair understanding of the definition of the term if it is
defined in the passage. Read that definition twice if you need to. Key principle
in these passages is that don’t go to the next line unless the previous line is
clear.
6. Reading passage first and then questions is the most popular strategy for
answering RC. While answering the question you may come back to the passage
to find answer as you have just read. The key to success for this strategy is
that you should understand the passage very well. We will suggest students to
follow this strategy or technique from the beginning and work upon this.

Q.1.1. On the basis of your reading of the above passage, answer the
following questions by choosing the most appropriate options:
1. The secret to success in Reading Comprehension (RC) is that ….
(a) one should read with the optimal speed
(b) one should be able to understand what they read
(c) one should remember each and every word in the comprehension
(d) one should have a genuine interest in the topic

2. Most students find Reading Comprehension (RC) difficult because ....

(a) the language is quite tough (c) the topics are unrelated to their
interest
(b) the style is too involved (d) the vocabulary is difficult and
unfamiliar

3. Fact based RC is the easiest because ….

(a) it is written in simple language (c) there are no allusions in it
(b) it can be memorized easily (d) it contains information which need
not be memorized
4. Mastering the skill in RC is essential for ….
(a) answering difficult questions (c) scoring good grades and selection
(b) saving time and effort (d) selective identification of relevant
parts
5. Topic based RC is tough as ….
(a) it contains technical terms (c) it is based on different topics
(b) one can’t read them fast enough (d) it demands instant understanding

6. The word ‘diverse’ in Para 2 means ….

(a) similar (c) complicated
(b) same (d) different
Page 2 of 13
Q.1.2. On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the
following questions as briefly as possible:-
Q.1. Which of the categories of RC is considered to be the toughest form and
give two reasons for it?
Q.2. What is the most popular strategy suggested to students for answering
RC?
Q.3. Which is the simplest form of RC and why?
Q.4. Why should one master the skill in RC?

Q.2. Read the following poem carefully and answer the questions that
follow :-
MY MOTHER
Sea waves, golden sand, pilgrims faith,
Rameswaram Mosque Street, all merge into one.
My Mother!
You come to me like heaven’s caring arms.
I remember the war days when life was challenged and toil
Miles to walk, hours before sunrise,
Walking to take lessons from the saintly teacher near the temple.
Again miles to the Arab teaching school,
Climb sandy hills to Railway Station Road.
Collect, distribute newspaper to temple city citizens,
Few hours after sunrise, going to school.
Evening business times before study at night.
All this pain of young boy, My Mother, you transformed into pious strength.
With kneeling and bowing five times.
For the grace of the Almighty only,
My Mother. Your strong piety is your children’s strength
You always shared your best with whoever needed the most,
You always gave, and gave with faith in Him …
- Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Q.2.1. On the basis of your reading of the poem, answer the following
questions as briefly as possible:-
Q.1. What is ‘My Mother’ referred to in the poem?
Q.2. What did the poet do before going to school?
Q.3. In the poem, ‘temple city’ refers to ________________________.
Q.4. The poet is ___________________ and was the former ____________________.

Page 3 of 13
 Q.5. Pick out the word used in the poem that has the same meaning as the
ones given:- ‘piousness, goodness, faithfulness’

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOPIC :- WRITING TASK

I. WORKBOOK :- THEME – 2 : (WRITING AN ARTICLE FOR

SCHOOL MAGAZINE)
Q.1. (a) Imagine that an Indian Forest Service officer from the
Forest Department had recently visited your city and you had the
opportunity to attend the talk given by the officer. The talk was to
enlighten the public about the measures taken by the department
to change the outlook of your city by planting trees and
immeasurable advantages of it. The talk was followed by the
general public expressing their gratitude and delight to see the city
‘green’ again and appreciating the Department for their timely
action. Write an article for your school magazine in about 150 –
180 words using the hints given below and your own ideas
describing your experience of attending the above.
Hints :-
• Innumerable programmes undertaken by the Forest Department to change the
outlook of city
• trees, a new outlook for the city and residents of the locality
• breathe fresh air, healthy surrounding amidst the busy urban life style
• trees around sanctify, source of serenity, and inspire people
• public to be encouraged in conserving nature, to educate them about the
advantages of trees with respect to our lives
• Government to initiate more programmes, like “Each one plant one” to grow
trees
• Felling of trees, to be taken seriously and made as a punishable act
• Government to continue its services with the best interest of public
• create awareness in general public to grow more trees, go green and save the
planet

Q.1. (b) Imagine that you are the student of our school and has
decided to write an article on the occasion of “World Food Day”
regarding the problems faced by children all around the world.
Write the article for the school magazine on the topic ‘Unfortunate
Children’ in three paragraphs. Use the clue given below and
develop the article in around 150 – 200 words.
Page 4 of 13
 Hints :-
• Have a catch title for your article that captures its main idea. It can be an
important phrase or sentence from the article itself.
• Begin your article with an anecdote or an example. You could start by describing
a poor orphan child you know or have read about. Describe his experiences.
• In all the paragraphs, give examples from real-life situations. Use an informal
style and make your article chatty and reader-friendly.
• In Paragraph 1 : discuss the condition of the children in under developed and poor
countries – orphan – homeless – left alone to survive – face all kinds of difficulties
– struggles to find one meal a day – malnourished - pathetic situation –
unhygienic life style – fall sick often – not given medication or treatment
• In Paragraph 2 : Discuss the need to provide home and food to these children –
important role of healthy diet for growth and intelligence – proper growth very
crucial for their brighter future – live healthy and hence will definitely be wealthy
tomorrow
• In Paragraph 3 : Suggest steps that students in different schools can take to help
provide one meal a day to the needy children – important role of NGO’s – role of
Government – to uplift these less privileged children

II. WORKBOOK :- THEME – 2: (INFORMAL LETTER)

Q.2. (a) You are Sam / Sara living at 101, Lake View Apartments,
Bengaluru. Write a letter to your uncle sharing the information regarding
your experience of online classes since the start of pandemic and your
current enthusiasm of attending offline classes at school. Also inform
him about your delight to be in the school premises and to meet your
teachers and friends in person. Also tell about your personal preference
between opting online classes and offline classes. Word limit (150 – 180
words)

Q.2. (b) You are Yaswant/Yasmine, living at 156, Kirti Nagar,

Bangalore. You have received an unsatisfactory report of your younger
brother, Anukul, studying in a public school at Dehradun. Write a letter
to him advising him to give up bad company and devote more time to his
studies and to improve his academic grades. Word limit (150 – 180
words)

III. TEXTBOOK & WORKBOOK :- THEME – 7 : (NOTICE WRITING)

Page 5 of 13
Q.3. (a) You are Rimi / Riyas, Secretary of the Literary Club in your
school. As part of the International Literacy Day celebrations, the school
has invited a renowned educationist to give a lecture on ‘Importance of
Literacy’ to raise pupils’ awareness and concern for literacy issues in the
world. Write a notice for your school notice board inviting everybody to
attend the lecture. Remember to add the date, venue, time and duration.
Put the notice in a box. (Word limit : 50 words)

Q.3. (b) You are Sheeja/Shah, the Secretary of the Science Club of
your school. Write a notice giving all relevant details in not more than 50
words for the School Notice Board, informing the students about the
Science Exhibition to be held and requesting them to participate in it
whole-heartedly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOPIC :- GRAMMAR
I. UNIT – 5 : ARTICLES

Q.1. Fill in the blanks in the following short passage using ‘a’, ‘an’ or
‘the’ where necessary. Mark ‘X’ where no article is required :-
(1) My sister is (a) __________ architect. After graduating, she took up (b)
___________ job with (c) ____________ multinational company. (d) ___________
job takes her all over (e) ____________ country and is extremely interesting. At
the moment, however, she is looking for (f) ____________ new job, because (g)
_____________ travelling is getting very tired. She is looking for (h)
_____________ unique job which is equally interesting and challenging.
(2) Tom is (a) _________ friend of mine. He is (b) __________ good fellow and
believes in the principle of (c) __________ honesty. He is of (d) __________
idea that (e) __________ honest man is (f) _________ most respectable
man in (g) __________ world. He is also (h) _________ knowledgeable
person.

Q.2. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate articles (a/an/the) wherever
necessary. Put a cross (x) wherever they are not required :-
1) ___________ humming bird is __________ smallest bird.
2) My mother will return in ___________ hour.
3) ___________ ICC cricket tournament was held in __________ West Indies.
4) I saw _________ elephant carrying _________ large family on its back at
__________ temple.
5) __________ Japanese live in wooden houses.
Page 6 of 13
6) _________ diamond is the _________ hardest material on __________ Earth.
7) We will travel to __________ America by ________ ship.
8) Annie speaks _________ German. But _________ German she speaks is not
fluent.
9) __________ Simran I know holds ___________ umbrella in her hands, works in
___________ university and is from ____________ United Kingdom.
10) Can you see __________ group of men near the gate. ___________ one in pink
shirt is _________ actor.

II. UNIT – 11 : SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

Q.1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate form of verb (Subject-Verb

Concord) in each blank from the options given below.
1) Gold, as well as silver _________________ risen in price.
2) One of the debators _________________ very interesting.
3) Every one of her friends _________________ visited her in the hospital.
4) Both the rooms ________________ whitewashed.
1) a) are b) were c) has d) have
2) a) were b) was c) are d) has
3) a) have b) was c) are d) has
4) a) has b) is c) are d) have

Q.2. Fill in the blanks with appropriate verbs:-

1. Hari and his brother _________ together. (works / work)
2. The quality of the apples __________ not good. (were / was)
3. No news ________ good news. (are/ is)
4. The committee ________ divide in their decision. (was / were)
5. Most of the voters _________ illiterate. (is / are)
6. Ten miles ________ a long way to walk. (are / is)
7. Economics ________ his favourite subject. (are / is)
8. The United States ________ a big army. (have / has)
9. One of the students in our school _______ a car. (own / owns)
10. Gulliver’s Travels ________ written by Swift. (was /were)

Q.3. Complete the following conversation with a suitable word in each of

the blanks:-
"May I know who (a) ……………… speaking. My sister (b) ……………… gone out. I
(c) …………………. her brother, Rakesh."
"Rakesh, tell Tina that Anju (d) …………….. met with an accident, and (e)
…………….. admitted in St. Mary's hospital. A number of her friends (f) …………….
already gone to see her. My friends as well as I (g) …………….. leaving just now. We
are to cover ten kilometers which (h) …………….. not a short distance.
Page 7 of 13
Q.4. The following passage has not been edited. There is one error in
each line. Write the incorrect word and the correction against the
correct black number. Ensure that the word that forms your answer is
underlined. The first one has been done for you as an example :-
A list of articles lost by railway travellers have a) …have… has
been published, and many people who reads b) …………. …………...
it has been astonished. However, it is the c) …………. …………...
efficiency of human mind that compel my d) …………. …………...
wonder. Few of us has lost much property e) …………. …………...
through forgetfulness. One of my clients say f) …………. …………...
that he have never lost anything. Each g) …………. …………...
one of us are, however, prone to forget h) …………. …………...
something or the other, but that do not i) …………. …………...
amount much.

III. UNIT – 15 : PREPOSITIONS

Q.1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions:-
(1.) I live __________ Lajpat Nagar __________ New Delhi __________ childhood.
(2.) Several people have died _______________ dengue fever.
(3.) Mr. Sam is popular _______________ his students.
(4.) One must raise voice ________________ injustice.
(5.) Some people always boast _______________ their knowledge.
(6.) _____________ being intelligent, she is gentle too.
(7.) I am anxious _______________ my results.
(8.) This spray is a protection __________________ termites.
(9.) This is a secret _________________ you and me.
(10.) I walked _____________ the Chief Guest to greet him.
(11.) My bunch of keys fell ______________ the drain.
(12.) The public library is _______________ the main road.
(13.) We stay ___________ Patparganj ___________ East Delhi.
(14.) She is carrying the chair up the stairs ____________ the top floor.
(15.) The cake was distributed ________________ the children in the class.
(16.) They had dessert ________________ the main dish.
Q.2. Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions from the options
given below:-
Jimmy, the chef was near the working table (1) _________ his kitchen. He took all
the ingredients and started preparing doughnuts. He put some flour (2) _________ a
big bowl and added eggs also. Then he melted some butter and poured it (3)
_________ the mixture and also added some baking powder. He mixed everything (4)
_________ a churner. He rolled the dough (5) _________ animal shapes and spread
them (6) _________ a baking tray before putting in into the over. He waited till they
Page 8 of 13
were fluffy and golden brown. Soon he was (7) _________ his way (8) _________ the
Children’s Home where little ones waited for their Sunday treat.
1) a) within b) in c) to d) by
2) a) to b) in c) over d) into
3) a) over b) at c) among d) with
4) a) by b) from c) with d) in
5) a) from b) into c) between d) in
6) a) towards b) with c) in d) on
7) a) to b) by c) on d) in
8) a) for b) to c) onto d) by

Q.3. Choose the correct alternatives to complete the sentences :-

1. He boasted _______________ his accomplishments. (of/about)
2. She died _____________ fever. (of/from)
3. Someone is knocking _______________ the door. (at/on)
4. That edition is very different ____________ the other. (to/from)
5. The train is ____________ time. (in/on)
6. Your statement does not correspond ____________ hers. (to/with)
7. He hates to part _____________ his money. (from/with)
8. What is the time ____________ your watch? (in/by)
9. She came and sat ____________ her husband. (beside/besides)
10. We are sorry ____________ your mother’s illness. (about/for)
11. I differ ___________ you on this point. (from/with)
12. Health is preferable ____________ wealth. (than/to)
13. He was born ___________ a small village ___________ a Sunday. (in/on)
14. My brother is afraid ____________ dogs. (of/from)
15. She is far superior ____________ her husband in intelligence. (to/than)

IV. REORDERING THE SENTENCES:

Q.1. Look at the following words and phrases given below. Rearrange
them to form meaningful sentences:-
(1.) Example : the watermelon/thirst quenchers /in summer /is /one of the best
One of the best thirst quenchers in summer is the watermelon.
a) around / it is / 96 countries / cultivated in / the world
b) in Africa / about 5000 years / grown / ago / it was / first
c) say that / at the / it was grown / some researchers / same time / in India
d) the travellers / across a desert / it was / when they / used by / travelled
e) the fruit / China and Japan / by the / was grown in / 10th century
f) very popular / it is / the African slaves / took it / to the / where / USA

(2.) Example : friends / I / my / were / grandmother / and / good

My grandmother and I were good friends.

Page 9 of 13
 a) left me / my / city / parents / her / with / they / in / went / live / when/
to / the
b) morning / to / wake / used / up / the / in / she / me
c) said / in a / prayers / singsong / monotonous / morning / she / her
d) listened / I / loved / I / voice / because / her
e) always / with / school / she / me / to / went
f) school / together / after / walk / always / we / would / back

(3.) really / games and sports / true education / are / for / essential
(4.) academics / are / important / and / games / as / sports / equally / that of
(5.) fit and /the body, / games / active / and / develop / keep it / make a
person
(6.) evening / dullness / all / an hour’s / removes / play / in the
(7.) in players / develop / and / games / co-operation / a team-spirit

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOPIC :- LITERATURE

TOPICS COVERED FROM TEXTBOOK:-

1. Theme-1 : Prose : GEORGE’S SECRET KEY TO THE UNIVERSE
2. Theme-2 : Poem : THE LISTENERS
3. Theme-6 : Poem : GRANDMA CLIMBS A TREE
TOPICS COVERED FROM SUPPLEMENTARY READER:-
4. Prose-5 : THE STATION

I. Read the extracts given below and answer the following questions
by choosing the correct option given below:-

Q.1. “Otherwise he’ll get offended.”

1) Who said the above sentence and to whom?
a) The above sentence was said by the predecessor to the new official.
b) The above sentence was said by Eric to George.
c) The above sentence was said by Grandma to her family.
2) Whom does ‘he’ refer to and what does the speaker want the other person
to do?
d) ‘He’ refers to Cosmos, Eric’s computer and Eric wants George to greet his
computer.
e) ‘He’ refers to the poet and wants to please the readers.
f) ‘He’ refers to the traveller and he wants to please the host of phantom
listeners.
3) Name the prose/poem and the author/poet.
a) ‘Grandma Climbs a Tree’ and the poet is Ruskin Bond.
Page 10 of 13
 b) ‘George’s Secret Key to the Universe’ and the author is Lucy and Stephen
Hawking.
c) ‘The Listeners’ and the poet is Walter De La Mare.

Q.2. “A gentle push would open the door and he was completely unarmed! There
was only a wooden ruler on the table.”
1) Who was unarmed?
a) The traveller was unarmed.
b) The new railway station master, Shankar was unarmed.
c) The computer Cosmos was unarmed.
2) What was the reason he had to be armed?
a) There was a huge lion with its muzzle against the glass door and he had to
be armed.
b) The house had the presence of host of phantom listeners and so the
traveller had to be armed.
d) The computer Cosmos wanted to share his knowledge only to a person who
uses his scientific knowledge and so he had to be armed.
3) What happened next in the above context?
a) The computer Cosmos played a little computerized fanfare to welcome the
person to the Universe.
b) The traveller had to protect himself and so he went away on his horse back.
c) The lion stood there silently for a short while and walked away as if
disinterested in what it saw.

Q.3. “He said, ‘That’s all right-

You will have what you want dear. I’ll start work tonight.’”
1) Who is ‘he’ in the above lines?
a) ‘He’ refers to the speaker’s father.
b) ‘He’ refers to Eric.
c) ‘He’ refers to Shankar’s predecessor.
2) What put forth the demand and what was the demand of the other
person?
a) Shankar demanded and he wanted to know about the barbed-wire fence.
b) George demanded and wanted to know all about Eric’s computer.
c) Grandma demanded and it was for a house on a treetop to live there.
3) Was the demand fulfilled and what was the result?
a) Yes. Grandma got to live happily in the tree house.
b) Yes. Eric shared all the details of his computer to George.
c) No. Shankar’s predecessor did not share all the details about the place.

Q.4. “Stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight

To that voice from the world of men.”

Page 11 of 13
 1) Who stood listening and where?
a) Shankar stood listening in the dark of his room.
b) The host of phantom listeners stood listening inside the dark empty house.
c) The traveller stood listening in front of the door.

2) What was being listened to in the above context?

a) To the voice of the traveller.
b) To the responses of the host of phantom listeners.
c) To the unusual sound heard in the room at night.

3) What does it mean by ‘the world of men’?

a) It refers to the sound of the snake, black mamba.
b) It refers to the sound of the traveller, who is the only living person there.
c) It refers to the sound made by the host of phantom listeners.

II. Read the following extracts given below and answer the questions
that follow :-

Q.1. “Science can be a force for good but it can also do great harm.”
1) Who is the speaker and to whom is it spoken to?
2) What does the speaker want the other person to do?
3) How did the other person feel when he did what he was asked to do?

Q.2. “In these parts, it is the same story everywhere.”

1) Who said the above sentence and to whom?
2) What was ‘the same story’ mentioned in the above context?
3) Name the lesson/poem and the author/poet.

Q.3. “’I can do it better,’ and we had to agree”

1) Who could do it and what could the person do better?
2) When had the person learned to do the above?
3) Who had taught the person to do the above activity?

Q.4. “And how the silence surged softly backward,

When the plunging hoofs were gone.”
1) Why was there the silence again?
2) What sound was heard last?
3) Name the prose/poem and the author/poet.

Q.5. “How long does it take for a star to be born?”

1) Who questioned the above and to whom?
2) What was the answer to the above question?
3) Name the prose/poem and the author/poet.

Page 12 of 13
Q.6. “But the gentleman warned him that he should never go out alone into these
grasslands”
1) Who was warned and by whom?
2) Why was the warning given to the person?
3) Name the prose/poem and the author/poet.

III. Write the character sketch of ‘George, Eric, Cosmos’ from the lesson
“George’s Secret Key to the Universe” and ‘Shankar, Shankar’s predecessor’
from the lesson “The Station’ by using two or three suitable adjectives.

IV. Write the summary of the poems “The Listeners” and “Grandma Climbs a
Tree” in about 80-100 words.

V. Q.1. Imagine yourself as ‘George’ in the lesson “George’s Secret Key

to the Universe”. Write a diary entry about your experience and guidance
given by Cosmos, Eric’s computer in about 80 - 100 words.

Q.2. Imagine yourself as ‘Shankar’ in the lesson “The Station”. Write a

diary entry about your acquaintance with the earlier station master, the stories
he shared and the information provided by him about the place which made
you suspicious in about 80 - 100 words.

VI. Learn the question and answers given from all the four topics of Literature.

*****************************************
Prepared by :-
MRS. REJI.S.
VI – VIII (BOYS SECTION)
IISR

Page 13 of 13