Apex Elite School

English Department

Grade Eight

Revision Worksheet for English Skills

Model Answer

“1st Quarter”
Objectives:

Topics that should be studied during this quarter:

- Vocabulary list Behavior
- Vocabulary list Liking and Disliking
- Prefixes “Semi-Hemi-curric-Peri”
- Hrw (collection one) including “Tell Tale Heart “ Vocabulary list
- Vocabulary in context (Unseen words)
- Connotation and denotation
- Applying words in sentences (simple, compound, complex)
- Commas
- Subject-verb agreement
- Indefinite pronouns
- Capitalization
- Clauses
- Phrases
- Combining sentences
- Making inference
- Theme
- Cite evidence
- Irony
- Figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification)
- Narrative writing tools

- Narrative & Descriptive essays

The following pages contain various exercises for practicing your skills.

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 Vocabulary Skills Practice

Getting Meaning from Context

That constant pacing to and fro, that never-ending restlessness, that incessant tread of
feet wearing the rough stones smooth and glossy—is it not a wonder how the dwellers in
narrows ways can bear to hear it! Think of a sick man in such a place as Saint Martin's
Court, listening to the footsteps, and in the midst of pain and weariness obliged, despite
himself (as though it were a task he must perform) to detect the child's step from the
man's, the slipshod beggar from the booted exquisite, the lounging from the busy, the dull
heel of the sauntering outcast from the quick tread of an expectant pleasure-seeker...think
of the hum and noise always being present to his sense, and of the stream of life that will
not stop, pouring on, on, on, through all his restless dreams, as if he were condemned to
lie, dead but conscious, in a noisy churchyard, and had no hope of rest for centuries to
come.

1. What does incessant mean?

a. annoying

b. quick

c. unending

2. A dweller is someone who _____ .

a. lives somewhere

b. thinks a lot

c. is stuck

3. What is a synonym for obliged?

a. forgotten

b. compelled

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c. unseen

4. Slipshod means:

a. messy

b. careless

c. late

5. What does it mean to saunter?

a. mope

b. walk slowly

c. ignore someone

6. Condemned means:

a. lost or doomed

b. imprisoned

c. disguised

7. Kim thinks she looked attractive, but everyone else thinks she looks emaciated. What
does it mean? Thin , bony ,skinny because of an illness

8. Fill in the blanks with the correct prefix to make the sentence meaningful.

“He was very ………………satisfied with the service.”

a-mis

b-dis

c-de

d-un

9. Mark won't be elected class president because of his slovenly appearance. What does it
mean?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
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10. The discussion revolved around intangible qualities like respect and self-confidence.

A. modern

B. abstract

C. tasty

11. Because he is so charismatic, Mr. Frederick was chosen to facilitate the exercise.

A. enable

B. plan

C. observe

12. We feel that those are two discrete functions which should not be considered together.

A. complicated

B. similar

C. distinct

13. Complete with a suitable prefix to make a meaningful sentence.

Soak the noodles in warm water until they are …………..-soft.

14. We would like to incorporate games into this year's firm picnic.

A. avoid

B. exclude

C. include

15. My family rarely thinks ahead; all of my best memories are of spontaneous outings.

A. unplanned

B. enjoyable

C. expected

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16-Apply the following words in meaningful context clues.

Repugnant_ disdain:

I find your attitude towards these women quite repugnant

She disdained his offer of help
Pejorative_ abhor:

You should know that "fat" is a pejorative word

I abhor the smell of burnt popcorn.

Demeanor_ ignoble :

His quiet demeanor had a calming effect on us

Grammar
__________ of the two sisters is married.

A. Both

B. Every

C. Each

D. Any

_________ man that we saw turned out to be a thief.

A. A
B. The
C. That
D. This

Despite looking for her ___________, I couldn’t find her.

A. somewhere
B. anywhere
C. everywhere
D. nowhere

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This is the dress……………………………..Princess Diana wore for her wedding.
A. when
B. which
C. who
D. whose

Neither you nor your sister should ___________ to them.

A. talk
B. talks
C. talked
D. talking

Twenty years _________ the minimum age to fill this form.

A. are
B. is
C. has
D. have

Much ____________ been said in the news reports.

A. were
B. have
C. has
D. was

Each and every member __________ to vote.

A. has
B. have
C. having
D. are

A large number of soldiers ___________ died for the country.

A. has
B. is

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C. are
D. have

One of the girls or their mother ………………………….making noise in the kitchen.

A. were
B. are
C. have
D. is

Either you or I should ___________ the lead.

A. takes
B. take
C. taking
D. took

Sandra and I ………………………..working on the project all yesterday.

A. am

B. was

C. were

D. has been

Is the group of words in bold a phrase or a clause?

Humans have unique fingerprints, and this holds true even for identical twins.

A.phrase

B.clause

As she watched.............get in the car and drive away, Miranda knew that………....life
would never be the same again.

A) he / herself

B) it / hers
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c) his / she

D) him / her

The man......briefcase is currently on fire is the same man......I argued with at the post
office last week.

A) whom / when

B) that/which

C) what / whose

D) whose / who

E) which / whom

I …………………... did my homework …………………….went to bed. I wasted much time today.

A) Either/ or

B) The more /the less

C) Neither/ nor

D) Both / and

Anna has been interested in learning how to sail a boat ……. she went sailing with her
friends a few years ago.

A) by the time

B) the moment

C) just after

D) ever since

Choose the best word to fill in the blank.

The girls’ school in our neighborhood ……………………….in various community sevice

activities.

a. participates

b. have participated
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c. participate

d.are participating

Which choice correctly punctuates and capitalizes the words in the following sentence?

a) shell never get her own room if she cant keep it clean
b) Shell never get her own room if she can't keep it clean.
c) She'll never get her own Room if she can't keep it clean.
d) She'll never get her own room if she can't keep it clean.
e) she'll never get her own room if she cant keep it clean.

Identify the two capitalization errors in the following statement.

Edward R. Marow was a famous American journalist who became a house hold name
during World War II when his series of Radio News broadcasts were followed by millions of
listeners.

A. American journalist
B. World War II
C. Radio News
D. house hold

Is the group of words in bold a phrase or a clause?

The champion didn't expect the challenger to be such a formidable opponent, but despite
his small size, the challenger possessed brute strength. (Clause)

Choose the sentence with the correct comma placement.

a.She finished her work, and then took a long lunch.
b.She finished her work, and then, took a long lunch.
c.She finished her work and then took a long lunch.

Choose the sentence that is punctuated correctly.

a.On April 14 1985, our community held its bicentennial.
b.On April 14, 1985, our community held its bicentennial.
d.On April 14, 1985 our community held its bicentennial.
e.On April 14, 1985 our community, held its bicentennial.

Which of the following is grammatically correct?

a.Peter walk to school with his brother every day.
b.Dorothy and Viv lives at the white house with green shutters.

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c.Dorothy, Viv, and their sisters travels for most of the year.
d.Peter runs home ahead of his brother every day.

According to the museum curator , the one-day reception for the opening of the exhibit
will take place on ……………………….Monady …………………….Tuesday.

a) Neither - nor
b) Either – or
c) Both - of
d) Not only – but also

The reason Connor has never had an accident is because he drives____________________

than everyone else.

A. Careful

B. Carefully

C. More carefully

D. Carefuller

Genes are the microscopic parts of a living organism that _____ _____ structure and
functions.

a) determines /its
b) determine /their
c) determine /its
d) determines/ their

The effects of Dissociative Identity Disorder on ____ victims _____ catastrophic.

a) its, are
b) their, is
c) its, is
d) their, are

The committee members …………………………… on the best presentation and

give…………………..opinion by the end of the round.

a) decides, its
b) decide, their

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 c) has decided, their
d) deciding, his

Underline the independent clause.

Visit our shop today in order to find the best prices on all the sportswear.

After we remodeled our house, we moved to Hawaii.

A. Adjective Clause

B. Adverb Clause

The route, which I take to school every day, is very scenic.

A. Adjective Clause

B. Adverb Clause

Add commas in accurate position to give a meaningful sentence

You will have to remember that , John, no one wants to work on this problem.

_____ the large number of requests we have received, we are going to extend the sale to
the end of the month.
a) Due to
b) Due of
c) Due from
d) Due

Identify the adjective phrase in the following sentence:

Stella enjoys reading articles about early space exploration.
a) Stella enjoys reading articles
b) about early
c) about early space exploration
d) enjoys reading articles

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To celebrate their arrival at the villa, they all enjoyed a glass of Mallorcan wine on the
terrace overlooking the sea.
A) Infinitive phrase
B) Adverb phrase
C) Adjective phrase
D) Gerund phrase
Patricia would have gone for a walk to explore the surroundings had others been
interested.
A) Infinitive phrase
B) Adverb phrase
C) Adjective phrase
D) Gerund phrase

What is the correct way to write sentences 8 and 9?

(8) In Africa they were prized by their owners. (9) Because of their hunting skills.
a) In Africa they were prized by their owners because of their hunting skills.
b) Because of their hunting skills in Africa they were prized by their owners.
c) In Africa, they were prized by their owners because, of their hunting skills.
d) Their hunting skills, prized by their owners, were in Africa.

Which way is the best way to combine these sentences? We saw a movie during our
vacation. The movie was interesting.

A. We saw a movie during our interesting vacation.

B.Interesting, we saw a movie during our vacation.

C.We saw an interesting movie during our vacation.

D.none of the above

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Which option correctly combines the following two simple sentences to create a
compound sentence?

Marisol plays the harp.

She is not very good.
a) Marisol plays the harp, but she is not very good.

b) Marisol is not very good at playing the harp.

c) When she plays the harp, Marisol is not very good.
d) Although she is not very good, Marisol plays the harp.
Which is the BEST way to combine the following sentences?

Chandra bought the puzzle. She wrapped the puzzle.

a) Chandra bought the puzzle, and wrapped the puzzle.

b) Chandra bought and wrapped the puzzle.
c) Chandra wrapped the puzzle after she bought the puzzle.
d) Wrapping the puzzle, Chandra bought it.
Combine the sentences.

The boys play ball. The girls play ball.

A. The boys and girls play ball.

B. The boys play ball and the girls play ball.
C. The boys play ball and the girls.

You need to attend school every day. You will succeed in your learning. Which is the best
way to combine these sentences?

a. Succeed in your learning and attend school.

b. You will succeed in your learning so attend school every day.
c.You need to attend school every day and then you will succeed in your learning.
d.You will succeed in your learning and you attend school every day.

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 Martin is not tall. His father is not tall.
A. Neither Martin nor his father is tall.
B. Either Martin or his father is tall.
C. Neither Martin or his father is tall.
D. Either Martin nor his father is tall.

Literary devices
Which literary device includes the use of words to express something different or
opposite from their literal meaning, totally beyond our expectations?

a. Hyperbole
b. Irony
c. Simile

“Water water every, but not a drop to drink”, is an example of which figurative
language?
a. Verbal irony
b. Dramatic irony
c. Situational irony
A literary device or figure of speech in which human qualities are given to a non-human
subject is termed as:

a. hyperbole
b. personification
c. simile

“Her eyes were diamonds”, is a best example of which literary device?

a. Simile
b. Metaphor
c. Irony

The example of hyperbole includes:

a. He’s running faster than the wind.

b. Your skin is softer than silk.
c. Both a and b
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“The snakes are hissing and the bees are buzzing” is an example of

a) Onomatopoeia

b) metaphor

c) Alliteration

Reading skills

Jess tried to steady his trembling legs. It wasn’t easy to do with the strangers in the house.
They were searching every room and surrounding Ma, who stood there bravely.

“A slave?” she was saying. “We have no slaves on our farm.”

“We’re looking for a runaway named Orion,” said a bearded man. “If you’re hiding my slave
. . .”

Jess didn’t wait to hear more. Ma had helped many slaves on their way to freedom; she was
an expert at handling men like these. Jess slipped outdoors. In the distance, the river roared
in the night. A light flickered on its bank. Jess ran toward it and gasped, “Orry, they’re
searching for you!”

In the glow of the fi re, Jess saw Orry wince.

Then, with his good arm, Orry grabbed a pail of water and put out the flames.

“Their search won’t be easy.”

“The men won’t find you,” Jess said firmly. “Ma told me what to do. I’ll row you across the
river. Then, you go to the farm Ma told you about. They’ll help you from there.”

Orry shook his head. “Taking the boat wouldn’t be safe. The men will probably look here
soon. They’d spot us in the water.”

Orry crawled into the pit that he had dug, where he had slept the past few nights. He came
out with a bundle and tied it to his belt with a bandanna. He stuck a hunting knife in his
sheath, then took a step toward the river.

Jess went cold as he looked across the raging river’s expanse. “Swimming’s too dangerous.”
Orry chuckled softly. “I’m not afraid of the river. I’ll be fine.”

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Jess gulped. How could Orry swim with a wounded arm? Six days ago, Orry had staggered
into their yard, hurt from his journey. Ma had treated his arm, but it still hadn’t healed
completely.

“Even if you make it across, will you be able to find the farm in the dark?” asked Jess.

“Look at the sky,” Orry said gently. “All the stars are out. I reckon they’ll guide me safely.”

Jess tilted his head to the stars he and Orry had loved studying during their brief friendship.
Jess had told Orry their names and drawn the constellations for him. But it was Orry who
had brought the stars to life. He had made up stories about the dancing Seven Sisters, the
rumbling Big Bear, the laughing Little Bear. . . .

“The stars will guide me,” Orry repeated. “When I make it to the opposite bank, I’ll leave a
sign for you. Then you’ll know I’m safe.”

“What kind of sign?”

“Why, I’ll—”

Orry stopped at the sound of a shout. “They’re on their way,” he whispered.

Jess felt a warm hand on his shoulder. Seconds later, Orry was gone. Orry had been his
friend for six days of his life; he would miss him all the rest of it. “You’ve got to be safe,
Orry,” he thought. “If you can just swim the river, you can make it to the North, too.”

The roaring river filled Jess’s dreams that night. He slept fitfully. But in the morning, the
river had quieted. Ma followed Jess to the boat. Together they rowed across the water.

“The men might come back,” said Ma.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Jess. “Orry must be far away by now. When we see his sign on the
bank, at least we’ll know that he made it across the river.”

But as they docked, Ma gasped. Tangled in some riverbank weeds was a bandanna.

Jess gritted his teeth. “Orry’s all right. The sign has to be here.”

Jess stumbled through the brush, searching everywhere. He paused at a tree to study some
marks on its trunk. Had Orry made them with his knife?

But Ma shook her head. “It’s just woodpeckers, Jess.”

Ma was blinking back tears as they rowed home. Jess stared silently at the shoreline ahead.
He tried not to look at the mighty river; he tried not to think of Orry lost in its depths. When

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they got to the farm, Jess went to work in the yard. He chopped wood until his hands were
blistered and burning. Then he dropped to the ground for a rest.

The sky above Jess was blue. But in his mind, it was night again, with the stars shining.
Orry’s words came back: “The stars will guide me. . . . I’ll leave a sign. . . .” A terrible sadness
filled Jess. But as he stared upward, a pattern came to mind. Like pieces of a puzzle, the
pattern clicked into place.

“Ma!” shouted Jess. Trembling with joy, he jumped up and ran into the house.

“Orry’s name, Ma. Remember what it’s short for?”

Ma said softly, “Orion.”

Jess grabbed his slate and drew a pattern on it. “Those marks on the tree weren’t from
woodpeckers. They’re the shape of a constellation.” Jess held out the slate. “The stars of
Orion, Ma. Orry made them. He’s safe!”

Ma gave a happy cry and hugged Jess. From the open door came the sound of the rushing
river. To Jess, it sounded just like Orry’s soft chuckle.

1. This story is told from the point of view of

A. Orry
B. Jess’s mother
C. Jess
D. an outside narrator

2. Ma’s actions in the story are best described as

A. convenient and practical

B. peculiar and disturbing

C. sympathetic and daring

D. negligent and mischievous

3. Read this sentence from the story.

Like pieces of a puzzle, the pattern clicked into place.

The author uses this description to indicate that Jess understands

A. the message Orry left and knows he is safe

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B. why Orry left his bandanna behind in the weeds

C. the reason Orry studied stars and made up stories

D. why Orry uses a shorter version of his full name

4. Which statement best describes the theme of “The Sign”?

A. You never miss friends until they are gone.

B. Memories of special friendships last forever.

C. Staying alone is better than hiding among others.

D. Never take on more responsibility than you can handle.

5. Read these sentences from the story.

The roaring river filled Jess’s dreams that night. He slept fitfully.

The word “fitfully” most likely means

A. easily

B. heavily

C. noisily

D. restlessly

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