VIBGYOR HIGH
Sample Paper
AY 2024-2025
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Grade: VIII Max. Marks: 80
Date: dd/mm/yyyy Time Allowed: 2 hours
Instructions
Answers to this paper must be written on the paper provided separately.
You will not be allowed to write during the first 15 minutes. This time is to be
spent in reading the question paper.
The time given at the head of this paper is the time allowed for writing the
answers.
Attempt all five questions.
The intended marks for the questions or parts of questions are given
alongside the questions.
This question paper comprises 8 printed pages.
Question 1 [20]
(Do not spend more than 30 minutes on this question.)
Write a composition (300 – 350 words) on any one of the following :
(a) Express your views either for or against the statement: ‘War should be
avoided at all costs.’
(b) Write a short story that concludes with the sentence, ‘Don’t count your
chickens before they hatch.’
(c) Narrate your experience when you were ill and confined to bed for a week
and had to miss an important competition for which you have been
preparing for a long time.
(d) Recently you have visited your village after a long time. Describe the
changes you have seen in your village.
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(e) Study the picture given below. Write a story or a description or an account
of what it suggests to you. Your composition may be about the subject of
the picture or you may take suggestions from it; however, there must be a
clear connection between the picture and your composition.
Question 2 [10]
(Do not spend more than 20 minutes on this question.)
Select any one of the following:
(a) Write a letter to the Editor of a newspaper expressing your concern on
price rise causing inconvenience to the common man.
(b) Your class was taken to visit an orphanage where you spent some time
with the inmates. Write a letter to a friend telling him/ her what you saw,
how you felt and in what way you have changed since the visit.
Question 3 [10]
(a) Your school is organising a Cultural Programme to celebrate the [5]
Founder’s Day of your school. Write a notice to be put up in your school
informing the students and asking them to register their names for various
events in the Cultural Programme.
(b) Your school is organising a friendly Hockey match with the hockey team of [5]
a neighbouring school. Write a notice to be put up in your school
informing the students about the match and requesting them to participate
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in it.
Question 4 [20]
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that
follow:
Vicomte inherited a large house from his uncle. He learned that populated
by tenants, the building was fetching huge revenues. “Too much, too
much entirely,’’ thought the generous Vicomte, “my uncle was too hard to
rent out the units at this exorbitant price. I will begin tomorrow to lower my
rents and my tenants will bless me.”
With this excellent purpose in view, Vicomte notified all the tenants that
their rents were lowered by one-third thereafter. The unheard of word
‘lower’ fell like a brick on the head of Bernard – the caretaker of the
building.
“Lower the rents!” he stammered. “Never was such a thing known. Truly.”
Vicomte interrupted Bernard and strictly commanded him to follow orders,
without any debate. Staggering, Bernard went out, all his ideas upset,
overthrown, confounded.
Next morning, Bernard, buttoning himself into his best coat, made the
rounds of the lodges to announce the great news. Ten minutes later the
whole house was in commotion. People were clustered together and
chatted eagerly. A few of them wrote to the proprietor to warn him that his
caretaker has wholly lost his mind. Vicomte responded, confirming what
Bernard had said. Now began a round of reflections and commentaries.
“An intelligent man, would never deprive himself of fat revenues. This kind
of conduct is surely forced by powerful or terrible circumstances.”
“This man must have committed a great and hidden crime; remorse
pushes him to charity.”
“The house, perhaps, was badly built?” questioned another anxiously.
“Perhaps, there is a press for printing counterfeit money in the cellar,”
added a basement lodger.
Another gentleman suggested that the proprietor proposed to set fire to
this house to draw huge sums from the insurance companies.
From worry it had come to fright; from fright it quickly passed to terror.
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Everybody left the place in a couple of weeks. From top to bottom, from
foundation to attic, the house lay empty of lodgers. After a few months,
following a more frightful nightmare even Bernard gave up his keys and
scampered away.
The accursed house now stands completely abandoned, so dismal is its
reputation that even the neighbouring houses on either side of it have also
depreciated in value. Dust thickens upon the closed gates, grass grows in
the courtyard. Lower the rent! Who would think of such a thing!
(a) Give the meaning of the following words or phrases as used in the
passage. One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.
(i) Confounded [1]
a) anticipated
b) confused
c) expected
(ii) Clustered [1]
a) cluttered
b) closed
c) assembled
(iii) Remorse [1]
a) regret
b) consolation
c) realisation
(b) Answer the questions given below in your own words:
(i) Why did Vicomte decide to lower the rent? [2]
(ii) What was Bernard’s reaction to the decision? [1]
(iii) How did the tenants react immediately after Bernard informed them of his [2]
decision?
(iv) Mention some of the reasons the tenants offered to explain the [2]
proprietor’s strange action.
(v) What happened to the house, eventually? [2]
(c) In not more than 50 words, narrate how a generous gesture by the [8]
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proprietor was mistaken by the tenants and how it had adverse
consequences.
Question 5 [20]
(a) Fill in each of the numbered blanks with the correct form of words [4]
given in brackets. Do not copy the passage, but write in correct
serial order the word or phrase appropriate to the blank space.
The story is (0) ______(tell) of a man in China who raised horses for a (1)
______(live) When one of his prized horses ran away, his friends (2)
______(gather) at his home to mourn the great loss. After they
(3)______(express) their concern, the man said: “How do I know whether
what (4)________ (happen) is bad or good? God knows what is best.”
A couple of days later the runaway horse returned with several wild
horses (5)______(follow) close behind. The same acquaintances came
again to his house, this time to celebrate his good fortune. “But how do I
know whether it’s good or bad? God knows what is best,” the old
gentleman told them. That very afternoon the horse kicked the owner’s
son and broke the young man’s leg. Once more the crowd assembled,
now (6)______(express) their sorrow over the incident. “But how do I
know if this is bad or good? God knows what is best,” the father said
again. Well, only a few days later, war broke out. The man’s son,
however, (7) _______ (exempt) from military services because of his (8)
______ (break) leg.
(b) Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word: [4]
(i) My uncle had passed _____in his sleep.
(ii) She bowed ____ the altar.
(iii) He gets ____ well with his companions.
(iv) Some students go to school___ foot.
(v) I haven’t met my uncle _____ 15th December, 2018.
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(vi) He has embarked _____ a new project.
(vii) The river water flows____ these two canals.
(viii) He promised to come but he never turned ______.
(c) Join the following sentences to make one complete sentence without [4]
using and, but or so.
(i) My suitcase is small. It cannot hold all my clothes.
a) My suitcase is so small that it can hold my clothes.
b) My suitcase is small and it cannot hold all my clothes.
c) My suitcase is small so it cannot hold all my clothes.
d) My suitcase is too small to hold all my clothes.
(ii) Mr. Liew has been sick. He has been so since he returned from Japan.
a) Mr. Liew has been so since he returned from Japan.
b) Mr. Liew has been sick since he has returned from Japan.
c) Mr. Liew has been sick since he returned from Japan.
d) Although Mr. Liew has returned from Japan, he has been sick
since.
(iii) This book was not cheap. It was not very useful.
a) This book was neither cheap nor very useful.
b) This book was not cheap nor useful.
c) This book is not useful nor cheap.
d) This book is cheap but useful.
(iv) I will come back soon. Do not go away till then.
a) I will come back before you go away.
b) Do not go away until I will come back.
c) I will come back, do not go before that.
d) I will come back soon, do not go before that.
(d) Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given [8]
in the brackets. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do
not change the meaning of each sentence.
(i) As soon as they had made their meagre breakfast, Clayton commenced
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work upon their house. (Begin: Hardly….)
a) Hardly when they had made their meagre breakfast did Clayton
commenced work upon their house.
b) Hardly did they make their meagre breakfast than Clayton
commenced work upon their house.
c) Hardly had they made their meagre breakfast when Clayton
commenced work upon their house.
d) Hardly had they made their meagre breakfast than Clayton
commenced work upon their house.
(ii) It is an old flute. (Add a question tag)
a) It is an old flute, isn’t it?
b) It is an old flute, wasn’t it?
c) It is an old flute, was it not?
d) It is an old flute, ist it?
(iii) Italy is the prettiest country I have been to. (Use: …..pretty…..)
a) Italy is pretty than any other country.
b) No other country I have been to is as pretty as Italy.
c) No country is as pretty as Italy.
d) Italy is the most pretty country.
(iv) It is a crazy way to lose one’s wicket. (Begin: What ….)
a) What crazy way it is to lose one’s wicket.
b) What a crazy way is it to lose one’s wicket.
c) What a crazy way to lose one’s wicket.
d) What a crazy way it is to lose one’s wicket.
(v) Nobody has behaved with us like this. (Begin: Never….)
a) Never had anybody behaved like this with us.
b) Never did anybody behaved like this with us.
c) Never has anybody behaved like this with us.
d) Never have anyone behaved like this with us.
(vi) That bridge is so low that the trucks cannot go under. (Use: too…..)
a) That bridge is too low that the trucks cannot go under.
b) That bridge is too low for the trucks to go under.
c) That bridge is too low for the trucks to go under it.
d) That is too low a bridge for the trucks to go under it.
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(vii) Parul sympathizes with the needy and the poor. (Use the noun form of
“sympathizes”)
a) Parul is sympathetic towards the needy and poor.
b) Parul treats the needy and the poor with sympathy.
c) Parul has sympathy for the poor and needy.
d) The needy and poor are sympathized by Parul.
(viii) What an idea it is to store water in bamboo canes! (Change it to
Assertive).
a) It may be a good idea to store water in bamboo canes.
b) It is a great idea to store water in bamboo canes.
c) It seems a wonderful idea to store water in bamboo canes.
d) How great an idea it is to store water in bamboo canes.
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