Hooghly Branch (Govt) School
English (Class VIII) - Ray & Martin Question Bank
Reading Skill (Seen)
One quiet afternoon, he lay fast asleep and fell to dreaming again. Unknown to him, the ship stood offshore from his old farm. In Jon's dream the seasons turned rapidly and as each turned, so did Jon in his bed. Consequently, the cap on his head twisted round and about. It called up a squall from the clear sky that hit the ship without a warning. The wind had been whirling about the boat tearing the sails and snapping the spars. "It's his fault," the sailors cried. They shouted in anger and fear and tried to rip the cap off his head. Well, they were unsuccessful, for it was a fairy cap. They pulled it and twisted it and so the squall became a storm, the mightiest they had ever seen. The captain ordered his men to bring Jon before him. In anger, he grabbed him by the tail of his striped cap, twisted him thrice and flung him out to the sea, But the winds called up by the cap spun the ship three times around. As Jon went under the waves, the cap came off his head. Soon the storm stopped, and Jon swam ashore. The cap followed him. When he got to the land, Jon picked up the cap and ran home to his mother and farm.
A. Complete the following sentences with information from the above text:
- As seasons changed rapidly in Jon's dream so did Jon in his bed.
- The sailors were unable to rip the cap off Jon's head because it was a fairy cap.
- Jon swam ashore and ran home to his mother and farm.
B. Answer the following questions:
- When did the squall turn into a storm?
Ans: When the sailors pulled and twisted the fairy cap on Jon's head, the squall turned into a mighty storm. - What made the ship spin three times?
Ans: The winds called up by the fairy cap made the ship spin three times around. - How did the storm stop? What happened next?
Ans: The storm stopped as soon as the cap came off Jon's head under the waves. Next, Jon swam ashore, picked up the cap that followed him, and ran home.
Reading Skill (Unseen)
The Amazon Rainforest is the world's largest tropical rainforest. It is located in northern South America. The ainforest covers some 2,300,000 square miles of land surrounding the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Suriname, Peru, Columbia, Bolivia, Guya Rainforest lies in parts of nine countries and French Guiana. However, most of the rainforest is in Brazil, where it makes up about 40 percent of the country's total area. The Amazon Rainforest has the richest and most varied plant and animal life in the world. It contains several million species of plants, insects, birds, other animals, and other living things, many of which are still unrecorded by science. The region has a wide variety of trees. They include many species of myrtle, laurel, palm, and acacia, as well as rosewood, Brazil nut, and rubber tree. The mahogany and the Amazonian cedar provide excellent timber. The rainforest is also home to many ferns, mosses, and woody ropelike vines called 'lianas'.The trees in the Amazon Rainforest teem with insects, snakes such as boas and anacondas, tree frogs, and several types of monkeys. Among them are howler monkeys, spider monkeys, woolly monkeys, capuchins, and marmosets. Other major wildlife includes jaguars, manatees, tapirs, red deer, and capybaras and other types of rodents. The Amazon Rainforest is especially rich in birdlife. Among the numerous species are parrots, macaws, parakeets, toucans, caciques, woodpeckers, nightjars, and various waterbirds. In the 20 century, Brazil's population grew rapidly. People began settling in major areas of the Amazon Rainforest. The size of the Amazon Rainforest shrank dramatically. The destruction of large sections of the rainforest generated worldwide concern. In the 1990s, the Brazilian Government began conservation efforts to protect parts of the forest. Various international bodies also joined them.
A. Complete the following sentences with information from the above passage:
- World's largest tropical rainforest is the Amazon Rainforest.
- Amazon Rainforest covers 40% of Brazil's total area because most of the rainforest lies within the borders of Brazil.
- 'Lianas' are woody ropelike vines found in the rainforest.
- The 3 types of monkeys that are found in the Amazon rainforest are howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and woolly monkeys.
- The 3 species of birds that are found in the Amazon rainforest are parrots, macaws, and toucans.
B. Answer the following question:
- What caused the shrinking of the Amazon Rainforest in the 20th century?
Ans: In the 20th century, the rapid growth of Brazil's population led people to settle in major areas of the rainforest, causing large-scale destruction and shrinking of the forest.
Grammar and Vocabulary
3. Do as directed:
- (i) He has been learning (has learned/ is learning/ has been learning) guitar for three years.
- (ii) No other park in the locality is as beautiful as this.
Ans (Superlative): This is the most beautiful park in the locality. - (iii) He wants to meet his parents. (Finite verb circled; Infinitive underlined)
- (iv) A barking dog seldom bites. (Participle adjective underlined)
4. Add a proper suffix: define + ition = Definition
5. Write the antonym using a prefix: In + definite = Indefinite
Writing Skill
6. Story Writing: The Lion and the Mouse
Kindness Never Goes Waste
Once a lion was asleep in a forest. A little mouse accidentally ran into its nose, waking him up. The lion, furious at being disturbed, caught the mouse and was about to kill it. The mouse begged for mercy, promising to help the lion one day. The lion laughed but allowed it to go. A few days later, the lion was caught in a hunter’s net. He roared in despair. Hearing the roar, the mouse arrived and cut the net with its sharp teeth, setting the lion free. They became friends forever.
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