I. Reading

Easter originated as a Pagan tradition, celebrated by the Anglo-Saxons in honour of their goddess of birth and springtime—Eastre (also known as Oestre or Ostara). During the second century, when Christian missionaries were attempting to convert the population to Christianity, many Pagans who converted to Christianity still refused to give up their traditional religious celebrations.

“Easter” began to be celebrated as a Christian holiday, in order to allow former Pagans to celebrate Eastre without being offensive. It became a hybrid celebration of both the Pagan Eastre and the Christian observance of the Resurrection of Christ. Most Easter traditions originated from the Pagan festival of Eastre. For example the fertility goddess Eastre was associated with a sacred earth animal—the rabbit. The tradition of the Easter Bunny may have started in Germany where the goddess Eastre was known as Ostara. As one story goes, Ostara arrived late one spring, and many animals had been frozen by the snow. She saved a small bird whose wings had been frozen, and she transformed him into a white snow- hare so that he could run fast and survive the winters. However, she allowed the bird the ability to lay eggs one day a year. And every year during the Eastre or Ostara Festival the snow hare would lay colourful eggs and give them out to the children. Eggs have been long time symbols of rebirth and fertility, even as far back as ancient Greece and Rome. During the Festival of Eastre it was customary to exchange coloured eggs with one’s neighbours. Coloured and decorated eggs were given as a token of good fortune and wishes for a prosperous year. According to some, the tradition of Easter egg hunts began during the rise of Christianity in Europe. Since egg-giving was a Pagan tradition, some people were persecuted because of it. So people began hiding eggs instead of giving them as gifts, and soon it became a game for children to hunt for the hidden eggs.

On the basis of your reading of the above passage, complete the following sentences with appropriate words/phrases:-

a. Easter originated as a Pagan tradition and was celebrated by_________________

b. Many Pagans who converted to Christianity refused to give up ________________

c. The fertility goddess Eastre was associated with _____________

d. Most Eastre traditions originated from__________________

e. Every year the snow hare would lay colourful eggs and give them out to the children during ______________

f. During the Festival of Easter it was customary to ________________

g. Eggs have been long time symbols of _____________

h. Hunt for the hidden eggs became a game when some people __________________

II. It is easy to make a delicious-looking hamburger at home. But would this hamburger still look delicious after it sat on your kitchen table under very bright lights for six or seven hours? If someone took a picture or made a video of this hamburger after the seventh hour, would anyone want to eat it? More importantly, do you think you could get millions of people to pay money for this hamburger?

These are the questions that fast food companies worry about when they produce commercials or print ads for their products. Video and photo shoots often last many hours. The lights that the photographers use can be extremely hot. These conditions can cause the food to look quite unappealing to potential consumers. Because of this, the menu items that you see in fast food commercials are probably not actually edible. Let’s use the hamburger as an example. The first step towards building the perfect commercial hamburger is the bun. The food stylist—a person employed by the company to make sure the products look perfect— sorts through hundreds of buns until he or she finds one with no wrinkles. Next, the stylist carefully rearranges the sesame seeds on the bun using glue and tweezers for maximum visual appeal. The bun is then sprayed with a waterproofing solution so that it will not get soggy from contact with other ingredients, the lights, or the humidity in the room. Next, the food stylist shapes a meat patty into a perfect circle. Only the outside of the meat gets cooked—the inside is left raw so that the meat remains moist. The food stylist then paints the outside of the meat patty with a mixture of oil, molasses, and brown food colouring. Grill marks are either painted on or seared into the meat using hot metal skewers. Finally, the food stylist searches through dozens of tomatoes and heads of lettuce to find the best-looking produce. One leaf of the crispest lettuce and one centre slice of the reddest tomato are selected and then sprayed with glycerine to keep them looking fresh. So the next time you see a delectable hamburger in a fast food commercial, remember: you reactually looking at glue, paint, raw meat, and glycerine! Are you still hungry?

i) Answer the following questions briefly:

a. What worries the fast food companies the most when they plan commercials?

b. What is the job of a food stylist? Explain.

c. Explain how would you react the next time you see a delectable hamburger in a fast food commercial?

ii) Choose the most appropriate meanings of the given words from the options provided:

1. Delicious (line 2)

a. bad b. appetizing c. bland d. dull

2. potential (line 13)

a. possible b. lacking c. helpless d. unlikely

3. commercial (line 16)

a. natural b. cultural c. financial d. None of the above

4. ‘Soggy’ belongs to which words group?

a. arid b. soft c. dry d. hard

II Writing

1. Article Writing

The modern times are kind of an explosion in knowledge due to information technology. Consequently, teenagers today are more knowledgeable than their parents. Write an article on the topic:

‘Teenagers today are more knowledgeable than those of yester years ‘.

2. Speech Writing

You are the sports Captain of your school. You find that students almost have no interest in sports and games. They prefer sitting before TV, computer or enjoy playing video games. You decide to deliver a speech in the morning assembly of your school emphasizing the importance of sports in life. Using these ideas, together with your own ideas, write this speech.

3. Report Writing:

Write your own report, using your imagination and vocabulary based on the headline given below. Remember to follow the format of a newspaper report.

"A new 500 bed capacity hospital opened, for cancer patients in a village near Chennai."

4. Story writing:

Create a story based on the given outline. Remember to include all the components of a good story.

A double storey house on fire – smokes and flames billowing out- people at window- shouting- a child stuck alone- mother unconscious- firemen rescue child with the help of ladder- firemen- hosepipes- spraying water- noise- shouts of help.

5. Formal Letter:

Imagine you are the Principal of Tagore International School, Jaipur.

Write a letter to the traffic commissioner of your city to post traffic policemen outside your school to maintain traffic discipline.

Follow the format of a formal letter.

III. Grammar

1. Direct/Indirect Speech

Change the following sentences into indirect speech:

a. Sarla said, “My father has a roaring business in Mumbai. “

b. He said to me, “I am feeling unwell today.”

c. She said to them, “Who teaches you English? “

d. You said to her, “Show me your frock.”

e. Amit said, “What a beautiful day it is!

2. Active/Passive Voice

Change the Voice of the sentences given below:

1. The boy killed the spider.

2. The loud noise frightened the cows.

3. The cat drunk all the milk.

4. She opened the door.

5. A stone stuck me on the head.

6. I have just posted the letter.

3. Prefixes and suffixes

Complete the sentences given below by using appropriate prefixes and suffixes using the words given below.

[{( able, care, behave, help, hope )}]

1. Anita was very sad because she was ___________ to get the ticket for the movie.

2. She was very sick. Her condition was _____________.

3. Our teacher told us to not ______________ on the field trip.

4. Sheela was being _________________ when she did not tell the truth.

5. Amit was very ___________ when he made a blind man cross the road.

4. -ist and –ian words

Fill in the blanks with – ist and –ian words

1. The person who rides a bicycle is a __________________________.

2. The person who makes us laugh is a __________________________.

3. The person who types letters in the office is a __________________.

4. The person who issues books to us is a _________________.

5. The person who repairs our fans and bulbs is a ______________.

5. Preposition

Fill in the blanks in each of the following sentences using the most appropriate preposition.

a. The shopkeeper cannot part ________his wealth.

b. The access ___________ this house is blocked.

c. It has rained continuously _________two days.

d. I apologize __________ what I have done.

e. He went to Faridkot ___________ train.

6. Adverbs

Fill in the blanks with the correct adverbs from those given in the brackets.

1. He knew he had_________ (well, good) chance of winning the election.

2. Radhika ________ (quick, quickly) ate her lunch.

3. Sakshi seemed more ____________ (uncomfortable, uncomfortably) than relaxed.

4. The young girl sings ___________ (amazing, amazingly) well for someone her age.

5. I have __________ (just, always) seen a ghost.

7. Conjunctions

Join the two sentences using suitable conjunctions. .

1. I was tired. I managed to finish my homework late at night.

2. The novel in English class was long. It was very interesting.

3. Chitra didn't study for the test. She made a bad grade.

4. The way of progress was not swift. It was not easy.

5. I would like cake. I would like ice cream.

8. Transformation Of sentences

Follow the instructions given in the brackets and rewrite the sentences without changing their meanings.

1. While I was walking along the street, I saw a dead cobra. (begin with ‘walking’)

2. No other metal is as useful as iron. (use comparative degree)

3. This room is too small to play music in. (use so…that)

4. As soon as I reached the station the train arrived. (use ‘no sooner’)

5. He is so tired that he cannot walk. (use ‘too….to’)

IV Literature

1. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

“Come in, “he said, “and warm yourself a bit. I’m sure you must be cold.”

a. Who is saying this to whom?

b. How did Martin look after the visitor??

c. Give a synonym of the word ‘warm’.

2. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

“Leaves on the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too.”

a. Who said it to whom?

b. What happened to the speaker?

c. Who ultimately saved the life of the speaker?

3. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

“I forgot to look at the newspaper today. Look and see whether the list of drawings is there?

a. Who is the speaker?

b. What is being talked about in these lines?

c. Use the word ‘forgot’ in a sentence.

4. Read the extract and answer the questions that follow.

“Does the road wind up-hill all the way?

Yes to the very end.”

a. Name the poem from where this extract is taken and also name the poet?

b. What is found at the very end? Discuss

c. Give the antonym of the word ‘Up-hill’.

Answer the following questions in 30 to 40 words each.

Where Love is God Is

a. Why apple woman was angry with the boy?

b. What did the voice tell Martin? How did he behave after that?

c. Why did Martin stop believing in God?

d. Why was the woman with the baby so thankful of Martin’s gesture?

e. Why was Martin considered a reliable worker?

The Last Leaf

a. Describe the little district of West Washington Square.

b. Where did Sue and Johnsy meet?

c. What was Johnsy’s state of mind when she was sick?

d. How would you describe Behrman’s masterpiece?

e. Do you think ‘The Last Leaf’ is a suitable title for the story?

The Lottery Ticket

a. Why was emphasis given to ‘power capital’ by Ivan?

b. How would you describe the feelings of Martha towards Ivan?

c. How does Ivan wish to spend his leisure time at the villa?

d. This story is a satire. How would you describe the irony at the end of the story?

e. What would you do if you won large amount of money? Write in two or three lines.

The Up-Hill

a. Justify the title ‘Up-Hill’ of the poem read by you.

b. How would you compare the road uphill to the journey of life?

c. What are poet’s views on life and death?

d. What lesson have you learnt from this allegory?

e. What is the state of mind of the traveller? Describe it.

VI. Answer the following questions in about 60 -80 words.

The Lost World (11-13)

1. Explain the scene at Lake Gladys from the point of view of the narrator.

2. How was the narrator rescued from the ape men?

3. How would you describe Mr Malone at the end of the story?

Class 8 A PIS Ahmd

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English question bank

I. Reading

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