ACHIEVEMENT TEST

M.G.T.H.S Mukhathala, Kollam

ENGLISH

Standard:  VIII

Marks: 25                                                                                     Time: 1hr      

Read the excerpt from the story, “The Nightingale and the Rose” and answer the questions that follow:

The daughter of the professor was sitting in the doorway winding blue silk on a reel, and her little dog was lying at her feet.
"You said that you would dance with me if I brought you a red rose," cried the Student. "Here's the reddest rose in all the world. You'll wear it tonight next to your heart and as we dance together.”
 But the girl frowned.                                                                                  

"I'm afraid it won't go with my dress," she answered. "And besides the Chamberlain’s nephew has sent me some real jewels, and everybody knows the jewels cost far more than flowers."
"Well, upon my word, you are very ungrateful," said the Student angrily, and he threw the rose into the street, where it fell into the gutter, and a cart-wheel went over it.

1)    Who is referred as ‘ungrateful’?                                                   (1)

2)    Why did the Professor’s daughter reject the flower?                    (1)

3)    Why did he bring the red rose to Professor’s daughter?              (1)

4)    Pick out a word from the passage that means ‘in disapproval’ : (1)

Read the following lines from the poem, “First Showers” and answer the questions that follow:

As I returned from my workplace
Cool drops kissed my parched face. 
Soon the first showers caught me unawares
And soaked me, soothing my frayed nerves.
The weary lines did it promptly erase
Of daylong heat and fatigue from my visage.
Wet clothes clung to my body like an infant
To its mother bosom; unsteady my gait.

5)    What were those cool drops that kissed her dry face?                  (1)

6)    How does the rain soothes the poet’s nerves?                    (1)

7)    Pick out two rhyming words from the poem.                     (1)

8)    Write an example for simile from the poem.                      (1)

9) Prepare a profile of Khalil Gibran, using the hints given below:        (3)

Born                     :  1883

Nationality           :  Lebanese.

Famous as            :  Artist, Poet, Writer and Philosopher.

Work                    :  The Prophet (1923)

Death                    :   1931.

The following are some events from ‘A Day in the Country’ which are given in a jumbled order. Rearrange them into meaningful sentences:

10)   a cuckoo’s egg / the hole/ to get/ for me/ out of/ he wanted.     (1)

11)   a swarm / them to / you need / sprinkle water on/ if / settle / only/ is flying /make them.                                                                                          (1)

12)  Prepare a short speech that the Student had made in the condolence meeting mourning the death of Nightingale.                                    (3)

13)  Write a short paragraph on Uncle Terenty’s character.                  (2)

14)   Create a poster to be displayed in the notice board of your school based on the topic, “Water conservation.”                                        (2)

15)  Write an appreciation of the poem, ‘Song of the Flower.’     (3)

Fill in the blanks with the words opposite in meaning to those underlined:

16)  Fyokla is a wise girl but her brother is........................                        (1)

17) They thought that their journey would be difficult, but it was quite................                                                                                                                (1)