ST RUTH SCHOOL
Montessori Kindergarten and Primary;
Tel 0780 787 884
BRITISH NATIONAL CURRICULUM.
YEAR EIGHT RANDOM ASSESSMENT TEST.
ENGLISH. TIME; 1 hour.
NAME
DATE
CLASS
INSTRUCTIONS
Answer all questions
Write your answer to each question in the spaces provided
You should pay attention to punctuation, spelling and handwriting.
INFORMATION
The total mark for this paper is 50.
The number of marks for each question is shown in brackets.
Ensure you answer all the questions.
Section A : Reading and comprehension.
Treasure Island.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson was published in 1882.It tells the story of a boy who
finds himself sailing the seas looking for an island that is believed to contain buried treasure.
His shipmates are old ,strange pirates. They eventually find the Island.
Read the description of it.
Extract 1
Grey-coloured woods covered a large part of the surface. This even tint was indeed broken up
by streaks of yellow sand-break in the lower lands, and by many tall trees of the pine family,
out-topping the others -some singly, some in clumps; but the general colouring was uniform and
sad. The hills ran up clear above the vegetation in spires of naked rock. All were strangely
shaped, and the Spy-glass, which was by three or four hundred feet the tallest on the island, was
likewise the strangest in configuration, running up sheer from almost every side and then
suddenly cut off at the top like a pedestal to put a statue on.
Extract 2
‘Who are you?’ I asked.
‘Ben Gunn,’ he answered ,and his voice sounded hoarse and awkward, like a rusty lock. ‘I’m
poor Ben Gunn, I am ;and I haven’t spoke with a person three years.’
His skin ,wherever it was exposed ,was burnt by the sun ;even his lips were black, and his fair
eyes looked quite startling in so dark a face.
‘Three years !’ I cried. ‘Were you shipwrecked?’
‘Nay , mate ,’said he ;marooned.’
I had heard the word and I knew it stood for a horrible kind of punishment common enough
among the buccaneers, in which the offender is put ashore and left behind on some desolate and
distant island.
I had made my mind up in a moment, and by way of answer told him the whole story of our
voyage.
‘You’re a good lad, Jim, ‘he said; ‘and you just put your trust in Ben Gunn.’
‘Now, I’ll tell you what, ‘he went on. ‘So much I ‘ll tell you, and no more. I were in Flint’s ship
when he buried the treasure; he and six strong seamen. They was ashore nigh on a week. Well, I
was in another ship three years back, and we sighted the island. ‘Boys, ‘said I, ‘here’s Flint’s
treasure; let’s land and find it.’ Twelve days they looked for it, and every day they had the worse
word for me, until one fine morning all hands went aboard. ‘As for you, Benjamin Gunn ,’says
they, ‘here’s a musket; ‘they says, ‘and a spade, and pick-axe. You can stay here and find Flint’s
money for yourself, ‘they says.
Glossary.
Hoarse : Having a rough-sounding voice.
Buccaneers: Sailors-often ones who were lawless
Desolate: Empty, uninhabited
Nigh on: very nearly
Musket : an old type of gun.
Now answer the questions below:
1.Look at the introduction to the text. The paragraph has been written in italics. Suggest a reason
as to why this has been done.
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[2]
2.There are different strategies one can use to work out the meaning of unfamiliar words
(morphology, context and etymology) Use any of these strategies to work out the meanings of
the underlined words in extract one.
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[4]
3.How long has it been since Ben met another person? Give your answer using evidence from
the text.
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[1]
4.Describe Ben’s appearance.
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5.In your own words describe how and why Ben was left on the island.
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[2]
6. Look at the words and phrases in Ben’s direct speech. The writer uses particular features to
make the old pirate’s voice interesting. Find two examples of each of the following aspects of
Ben’s dialogue:
Non-standard English.
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Use of contractions.
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7.The words ‘Grey-coloured’ have been written in bold at the beginning of extract one. Which
part of speech do they fall under?
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[1]
8.Look at this sentence from the text .
All were strangely shaped, and the spyglass, which was by three or four hundred feet the tallest
on the island, was likewise the strangest in configuration.
a) Why have commas been used?
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b) What is the purpose of the connective ‘likewise’
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[2]
9.Look at the phrases below and identify the literary techniques used and their effect.
a) the hills ran up clear above the vegetation.
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b) cut off at the top like a pedestal.
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[4]
10. Imagine you are Ben Gunn. Write a short monologue as if you were talking to Jim. Tell him
about how you spent your first day and night alone. Include details about;
How you felt
What you did for food and shelter
What you thought would happen in weeks ahead.
Remember to use the same tone, language features and vocabulary as the writer uses for this
character to capture Ben Gunn’s voice. Use about 70-80 words.
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Section B; Writing.
Write a two- sided article under the following topic;
Should mobile phones be allowed in school?
Use the box below to plan for your writing. Remember to follow the conventions of this kind of
writing.
Write your article on the next page.
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[25mks]
