NBSE Class 8 Question Paper 2020 English

Total number of printed pages: 3 NB-E/E/1
2020
CLASS - VIII
ENGLISH
Total marks : 80 Time : 3 hours

General instructions:
i) The question paper consists of 24 questions, divided into Sections A & B.
ii) 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) Hans Wolf was an officer in the
a. British army b. German army
c. French army d. U.S army
ii) When does Bepin Choudhury drop in at Kalicharan’s in New Market to buy books?
a. Every month b. Twice on Monday
c. Every Monday d. During Holidays
iii) In which station did Bepin Babu fall down and cut his leg?
a. Hudroo b. Kolkata
c. Delhi d. Mumbai
iv) Gathergold returned to his village in a carriage which was drawn by
a. two horses b. three horses
c. four horses d. five horses
v) What kind of fulfilment was Ernest waiting for when he read the poems?
a. Prophecy b. Dream
c. Destiny d. Desire

Answer the following questions in about 15-20 words: 7x2=14

2. What did the dogs in Galle do? (The Tsunami)
3. Where did the Smith family and the others on the beach go to escape from the tsunami?
4. Why did the man stare at Bepin Babu in disbelief?
5. What was the story attributed to the Stone Face?
6. What made people believe General Blood -and- Thunder was their man?
7. What did the poet himself say about his thoughts and poems? (The Great Stone Face)
8. What made the poet proclaim Ernest was the Stone Face?

Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words: 4x4=16

9. Do you think the soldiers of the two armies are like each other, or different from each other? Find
evidence from the story to support your answer. (The best Christmas present in the world)
10. Why do Jim and Hans think that games or sports are good ways of resolving conflicts? Do you
agree?
11. How are Meghna and Alma’s story similar? (The Tsunami)
12. How was Ernest different from others in the valley? (The Great Stone Face)

-2- NB-E/E/1
Answer the following questions in about 40-50 words: 3x5=15

13. The author describes Bepin Babu as a serious and hard working man. What evidence can you find
in the story to support this?
14. Did Ernest see in Gathergold the likeness of the stone face? Who did he confide in and how was
he proved right?
15. ‘The water was swelling and kept coming in. The beach was getting smaller and smaller. I didn’t
know what was happening’.
a. Who is the speaker? (1)
b. Why do you think the beach was getting smaller and smaller? (2)
c. Where were the speaker and the family at when the incident occurred? (2)

SECTION –B (Poetry)
16. Choose the correct answer from the alternatives given: 5x1=5

i) The cricket wishes to borrow from the ant a
a. handful of grain b. mouthful of grain
c. basket of grain d. morsel of grain
ii) The child on the beach sat playing with
a. sand b. shells
c. water d. his friends
iii) ‘The king, sword in hand’ suggests
a. wealth b. power
c. more power than wealth d. weapon
iv) ‘ Nor sit in learning’s bower
worn thro’ with the dreary shower’
Which of the following is a close paraphrase of the lines above?
a. Nor can I sit in a roofless classroom when it is raining.
b. Nor can I learn anything at school though teachers go on lecturing and explaining.
c. Nor can I sit in the school garden for fear of getting wet in the rain.
d. Nor can I play my favourite games.
v) In the poem, ‘The School Boy’, the words ‘ sighing and dismay’ means
a. the boy is happy b. the boy is unhappy
c. the boy is excited d. the teacher is unhappy

Answer the following questions in about 15-20 words: 4x2=8

17. The cricket says, ‘Oh! What will become of me?’ When does he say so and why?
18. The old man offered the speaker a lot of money. Why did he turn down the offer? (The Last
Bargain)
19. What does the line, ‘A cruel eye outworn’ refer to? (The School Boy)
20. In the poem, ‘The School Boy’ the mood changes in stanza 2. Which words/phrases reflect the
changed mood?

Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words: 3x4=12

21. The ant tells the cricket to ‘dance the winter away’. Do you think the word ‘dance’ is appropriate
here? If so, why?
22. What is your opinion of the ant’s principles in the poem ‘The Ant and the cricket’?
23. Why does the child dislike going to school?

-3- NB-E/E/1

Answer the following questions in about 40 - 50 words: 5

24. ‘He raised his head and seemed to know me and said, ‘I hire you with nothing’.
a. Who said these words and to whom? (2)
b. How did the speaker feel after talking to the child on the beach? (3)

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