Prepared by: Deepika Kagliwal
Day/Date: ***** Subject: English Class: 8thA
Time allotted: 60 min Max Marks: 40
Section A – Reading
Q1. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. [12 marks]
The Venus flytrap is an insect-eating plant that lives mostly on the East Coast. Found primarily in swampy parts of the United States, like North and South Carolina, the Venus flytrap has colourful pink and green hues. Like most other plants, Venus flytraps get some nutrients from the soil, but since swampy areas tend to have soil that is nutrient-poor, it is hard for the plant to get nutrients from there. As a result, the flytrap has evolved to not only rely on the soil to survive. The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant because it catches insects and eats them to get the nutrients that it can’t get from the soil.
The Venus flytrap has leaves that open to catch prey and then snap shut once it’s ready to eat. On the inside of each leaf there are short, stiff hairs called trigger hairs. When an insect touches one of the three trigger hairs on either side of the leaf twice in a row, it signals to the flytrap that dinner is here. The leaves then snap shut, trapping the insect inside. Of course, some insects are able to escape, but many don’t. And if they try and struggle to get out, the trap closes even tighter! The trap doesn’t close all the way, though. It stays open for a few seconds, so smaller insects that might be trapped inside with the main meal can crawl out. Venus flytraps don’t like to eat small insects because they don’t provide a lot of nutritional value. If it’s not an insect that is trapped, rather a nut or a stone, the trap will open after about 12 hours and spit it out. The inside of a flytrap has finger-like tentacles that help keep the insect from escaping. If you fold your hands together and lace your fingers on the inside, you’ll get an idea of what the trap looks like.
In order to digest or eat the insect, the flytrap must squeeze its prey very tightly, as digestive juices dissolve the inside of the insect. At the end of this process, which takes anywhere from 5 to 12 days, the trap opens up again, and either rain or wind will carry the insect’s remaining exoskeleton away. If the flytrap has caught an insect that is too big, and, say, the legs of the bug are sticking out of the trap, the digestion process might not happen the way it should. The trap will grow mould and once that happens, it will continue to get sicker and sicker, with the trap eventually turning black and falling off.
The exact amount of time it takes for the trap to open back up again depends on a variety of factors. These factors include the size of the insect, temperature, how old the trap is, and how many times the plant has gone through this process. In fact, the trap can only catch about three of its prey before it turns black, dies, and falls off. The trap can only open and close about seven times; that is why it is important to not go around touching the trap in order to get them to close. So if you ever see one, don’t tease it!
(Questions 1-8 carry 1 mark each and questions 9 and 10 carry 2 marks each)
1. What is the Venus flytrap?
A. a plant-eating insect
B. an insect-eating plant
C. swampy, nutrient-poor soil
D. a plant that grows on Venus
2. What does the author describe in the passage?
A. the species of insects the Venus flytrap eats
B. plants that are similar to the Venus flytrap
C. the swampy regions of North and South Carolina
D. how the Venus flytrap catches and eats its prey
3. The trap of the Venus flytrap may not last long. What evidence from the passage supports this conclusion?
A. The trap opens up again 5-12 days after catching and eating an insect.
B. The trap stays open for a few seconds so that smaller insects can crawl out.
C. The trap must squeeze the prey very tightly in order to digest or eat the insect.
D. The trap can only catch about three of its prey before it dies and falls off.
4. What was the Venus flytrap forced to adapt to?
A. an environment without any other plants
B. an environment with nutrient-rich soil
C. an environment without nutrient-rich soil
D. an environment without any large animals
5. What is the passage mainly about?
A. different types of carnivorous plants that live in swamps
B. the Venus flytrap and how it catches its prey
C. the swampy areas where the Venus flytrap lives
D. why the trap of the Venus flytrap turns black and fall off
6. Read the following sentence: “The inside of a flytrap has finger-like tentacles that help keep the insect from escaping.”
The author compares tentacles to ……
A. insects
B. flytraps
C. insects
D. fingers
7. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.
The Venus flytrap cannot get enough nutrients from the soil in which it grows. ___________, the Venus flytrap evolved to get nutrients from an additional source.
A. Finally
B. Moreover
C. Although
D. Consequently
8. Where does the Venus flytrap get its nutrients?
9. Describe the process by which the Venus flytrap catches and digests its prey.
10. How has the trap of the Venus flytrap helped this plant to survive?
Q2. Read the poem given below and answer the questions that follow. [8 marks]
The Wind and the Leaves
“Come, little leaves,” said the wind one day,
“Come o’er the meadows with me, and play.
Put on your dresses of red and gold; -
Summer is gone, and the days grow cold.”
Soon as the leaves heard the wind’s low call,
Down they came fluttering, one and all;
Over the brown fields they danced and flew,
Singing the soft little songs they knew.
“Cricket, good-by, we’ve been friends so long!
Pretty brook, sing us your farewell song; -
Say you are sorry to see us go.
Oh! You will miss us, right well we know.
“Dear little lambs, in your fleecy fold,
Mother will keep you from harm and cold;
Fondly we’ve watched you in vale and glade:
Say, will you dream of our loving shade?”
Dancing and whirling, the little leaves went:
Winter had called them, and they were content.
Soon fast asleep in their earthly beds,
The snow laid a coverlet over their heads.
1. Complete the following sentences:
a. The rhyming scheme of the poem is ___________________
b. The speaker in the third stanza is __________________
c. The third line of the first stanza signifies _________________
d. The poet says that the leaves are fast asleep because _________________
2. Find any one example of Alliteration in the poem.
3. List the words used to show the movement of the leaves.
4. Name the various seasons mentioned in the poem.
5. Do you think the cricket and leaves were friends? Why?
3. List the words used to show the movement of the leaves.
4. Name the various seasons mentioned in the poem.
5. Do you think the cricket and leaves were friends? Why?
Section B – Writing
Q3. Write a bio sketch of Prakash Padukone based on the points given below [4 mks]
Birth: 10 June 1955, in Padukone village, Karnataka, India
Parents: Ramesh Padukone and Ahilya Padukone, father was the Secretary of the Mysore Badminton Association for many years.
Married: Ujjala Padukone.
Daughters: Deepika and Anisha
Achievement: badminton champion-won the state junior title in 1964. First Indian to win the All England Championship in 1980.
Awards: Arjuna Award in 1972, Padma Shri in 1982
Founded: Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA) in October 1994
Q4. Write a letter to the secretary of your Housing Society to call a meeting to discuss the issue of Garbage Management in your society. [4 marks]
Section C – Grammar
Q5. Do as directed [1 mk x 12 = 12 marks]
1. Anxiety ______ (grip, grips) the students whenever they have to sit for a test.
2. Some of the cake _______(was, were) left on the table.
3. He teaches English. (Begin the sentence with the underlined word)
4. They wear blue shoes. (Begin the sentence with the underlined words)
5. My grandmother is eighty-five, but she _______ (can, could) still read and write without glasses.
6. You _____ (would, should) look at me when I am talking to you.
7. I (earn) __________ a lot of money if I (get) _______ that job. (Complete the conditional sentence)
8. If he hadn’t been ill, he (run) ________ the marathon. (Complete the conditional sentence)
9. He wants to pass the test. He has to work harder. (Join the sentences using ‘if’)
10. Sarika is a sincere girl. (Add a question tag)
11. Mr Gupta has two cars. (Add a question tag)
12. The magic show in the fair was the most interesting of all. (Frame a question for the given statement)
**********All The Best**********
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