NBSE Class 8 Question Paper 2019 English

Total number of printed pages: 2 NB-E/E/1 2019 CLASS - VIII ENGLISH Total marks : 80 Time : 3 hours General instructions: i) Approximately 23 minutes is allotted to read the question paper and revise the answers. ii) All questions are compulsory. iii) The question paper consists of 24 questions, divided into Sections A & B. iv) Marks allocated to every question are indicated against it. N.B : Check that all pages of the question paper is complete as indicated on the top left side. SECTION –A (Prose) 1. Choose the correct answer from the alternatives given: 5x1=5 i) The British and the German soldiers tried to resolve the war during Christmas by playing a a. Cricket match b. Hockey match c. Football match d. Handball match ii) In the 2004 tsunami about __________ people died. a. 15,000 b. 150,000 c. 1,500 d. 1,500,000 iii) Where did Bepin Babu say he went in October ‘58? a. Kanpur b. Ranchi c. Hudroo falls d. Kalicharan iv) The great stone face was a work of a. nature b. clouds c. human d. art v) Stephen Hawking was the most brilliant and completely paralysed ___________. a. astrophysicist b. chemist c. surgeon d. psychiatrist Answer the following questions in about 15-20 words: 7x2=14 2. What did the author find in the junk shop? (The Best Christmas Present in the World) 3. Where had Tilly seen the sea behaving in the same strange fashion? (The Tsunami) 4. What did Mr. Mukerji say ? Did it comfort Bepin Babu or add to his worries? 5. Who was Chunilal? What did he want from Bepin Babu? 6. What is the scientist’s message for the disabled? (A Visit to Cambridge) 7. Did Ernest believe that the old prophecy had come true? What did he say about it? (The Great Stone Face) 8. What did young Ernest wish when he gazed at the stone Face? Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words: 4x4=16 9. Why did Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts? 10. Why was Dr. Chanda puzzled? What was unusual about Bepin Babu’s loss of memory? 11. Stephen Hawking said, “I’ve had no choice.” Does the writer think there was a choice? What was it? 12. “They are usually excited to go on this outing”, said the speaker, who lives on the coast near Galle. a. Who is the speaker? (1) b. Who are ‘they’ referred to here? (1) c. What is ‘this outing’ the speaker is talking about? (2)

-2- NB-E/E/1 Answer the following questions in about 40-50 words: 3x5=15 13. What did the poet himself say about his thoughts and poems? (The Great Stone Face) 14. The writer expresses his great gratitude to Stephen Hawking. What is the gratitude for? 15. “You told me you’d come home by Christmas, dearest,” she said. “And here you are, the best Christmas present in the world”. a. Who is the speaker here? (1) b. Who is ‘you’ referred to here? (1) c. What was the best Christmas present in the world for the speaker? (3) SECTION –B (Poetry) 16. Choose the correct answer from the alternatives given: 5x1=5 i) In the poem, “The Ant and the Cricket”, the ant a. worked hard all summer b. did not work at all c. helped the Cricket d. sang day and night with the Cricket ii) Macavity: ‘The Mystery Cat’, a. is well dressed, smart and bright b. does not have supernatural powers c. is not an ordinary cat d. is always at the crime scene iii) The old man offered the poet a. a bag of silver b. a bag of coins c. a bag of gold d. a bag of shells iv) What does ‘a cruel eye outworn’ in the poem, ‘The School Boy’ refer to? a. the classroom which is shabby/noisy b. the lessons which are difficult/uninteresting c. the dull/uninspiring life at school with lots of work and no play d. uninteresting and strict teachers v) The Duck and the Kangaroo hopped the whole world __________. a. five times b. one time c. two times d. three times Answer the following questions in about 15-20 words: 4x2=8 17. In the poem, “The Ant and the Cricket”, find the lines that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a lender be”. 18. “A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through.” What law is Macavity breaking in the light of the comment above? 19. What makes the school boy unhappy? 20. Find four words/phrases from the poem “The School Boy” that reflects the child’s happiness and joy. Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words: 3x4=12 21. In the poem ‘Macavity: The Mystery Cat’, describe Macavity in two or three sentences of your own. 22. What is your opinion of the ant’s principles? (The Ant and the Cricket) 23. How did the speaker feel after talking to the child on the beach? (The Last Bargain) Answer the following questions in about 40-50 words: 5x1=5 24. “My life is a bore in this nasty pond, And I long to go out in the world beyond! I wish I could hop like you!” a. Who is the speaker here? (1) b. Who is ‘you’ referred to here? (1) c. Why does the speaker want to hop like him? (3) **************************************