ASSIGNMENT CLASS: 8

SUBJECT: ENGLISH
Section A
Read the following passage and answer the questions given below:
Floods are second only to fire as the most common of all natural disasters. They occur almost everywhere in the
world, resulting in widespread damage and even death. Consequently, scientists have long tried to perfect their
ability to predict floods. So far, the best that scientists can do is to recognize the potential for flooding in certain
conditions. There are a number of conditions, from deep snow on the ground to human error, that cause
flooding.
When deep snow melts, it creates a large amount of water. Although deep snow alone rarely causes floods,
when it occurs together with heavy rain and sudden warmer weather, it can lead to serious flooding. If there is a
fast snow melt on top of frozen or very wet ground, flooding is very likely to occur than when the ground is not
frozen. Frozen ground or ground that is very wet and already saturated with water cannot absorb the additional
water created by the melting snow. Melting snow also contributes to high water levels in rivers and streams.
Whenever rivers are already at their full capacity of water, heavy rains will result in the rivers overflowing and
flooding the surrounding land.
Rivers that are covered in ice can also lead to flooding. When ice begins to melt, the surface of the ice cracks
and breaks into large pieces. These pieces of ice move and float down the river. They can form a dam in the
river, causing the water behind the dam to rise and flood the land upstream. If the dam breaks suddenly, then the
large amount of water held behind the dam can flood the areas downstream too.
Broken ice dams are not the only dam problems that can cause flooding. When a large human-made dam breaks
or fails to hold the water collected behind it, the results can be devastating. Dams contain such huge amounts of
water behind them that when sudden breaks occur, the destructive force of the water is like a great tidal wave.
Unleashed dam waters can travel tens of kilometres, cover the ground in metres of mud and debris, and drown
and crush everything and creature in their path.
Although scientists cannot always predict exactly when floods will occur, they do know a great deal about when
floods are likely, or probably, going to occur. Deep snow, ice-covered rivers, and weak dams are all strong
conditions for potential flooding. Hopefully, this knowledge of why floods happen can help us reduce the
damage they cause.
Questions:
1. Which of the following words is not a natural disaster?
a) Flood
b) Earthquake
c) Airplane crash
d) Typhoon
2. Which of the following is included as a cause for floods in the reading passage?
a) Droughts
b) Large lakes
c) Poorly built roads
d) Melting snow
3. How does deep snow cause flooding?

a) Melting snow causes flooding

b) Too much rain causes flooding
c) Sudden warm temperatures combined with heavy rain causes flooding
d) Freezing water causes flooding
4. What is a broken human-made dam compared to?
a) A tsunami
b) A tidal wave
c) A broken ice dam
d) Overflowing
5. Which of the following describes best how a frozen river can cause a dam?
a) The ice in the river melts too quickly and causes a flood
b) The ice in the river cracks causing the water to overflow
c) The ice in the river cracks into pieces that eventually create a dam causing the water to overflow
d) The water behind the ice dam collects and when the dam breaks, it causes flooding upstream
6. How far can dam water travel when it is unleashed from a broken dam?
a) Less than 10 kilometres
b) Tens of kilometres
c) Thousands of kilometres
d) Tens of thousands of kilometre
7. Why does saturated ground contribute to flooding problems?
a) The ground cannot absorb more moisture
b) The ground is too hard, so the water runs off
c) The ground forms a kind of dam
d) It remains frozen
8. What kind of problems can floods cause?
a) Death
b) Widespread damage
c) Destruction of plants and animals
d) All of the above
9. What is the most common natural disaster?
a) Flood
b) Fire
c) Wind damage
d) Rain
10. How does melting snow cause problems related to flooding?
a) It makes the rivers run too fast
b) It makes the water too cold
c) It causes pieces of ice to block the river
d) It makes the level of the river rise
Section B
1. You are the student editor of Saagar International School, Jaipur. Write a notice inviting names of
those who would like to give articles, stories, cartoons, crossword, puzzles, jokes, etc. for the school
magazine. Write the notice in not more than 50 words.
2. Write an article on The value of discipline in academic life.
Section C
1. Choose the most suitable modal verb:

1. I have no time. I _________ (should / may / must) leave now or I ______ (would / will / shall) miss the
bus.
2. I wish I _______ (could / would /can) buy a new phone but I dont have enough money.
3. She looks tired; she _________ (shouldnt / should / might) take some time off.
4. Judy is not at home. She _______ (might / could / will) have gone to Madrid, I dont know.
5. Tom _________ (can / could / must) play tennis very well. I usually play with him every weekend.
2. Insert a suitable modal verb:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

We _________ pay the fees at the fixed time.

You __________ clean your room more often.
Jane _________ not play the violin when she was young, but now she _______ play it very well.
You _________ not be so nervous. I think it ________ be very easy.
_______ you speak German? No, I _________.

3. Choose the answer that best expresses the future:

1. My cousin is in town for a few days. _________ him to dinner?
a) Must I to invite
b) Will we to invite
c) Shall I invite
d) I am going to invite
2. Look at all those dark clouds. It looks like it _______ soon.
a) Will rain
b) Is raining
c) Will be rain
d) Is going to rain
3. I expect the company president ___________ us of his decision at the meeting.
a) Will be inform
b) Will to informing
c) Does inform
d) Will inform
4. That bag of groceries looks heavy. I __________ it for you.
a) Am going to carry
b) Will be carry
c) Will carry
d) Am carrying
5. You must be hungry. I _________ you a sandwich.
a) Must to make
b) Will make
c) Make
d) Am making
4. Fill in the blanks with correct prepositions:
The first McDonalds restaurant was opened __1___ Dick and Mac McDonald __2___ the 15 th __3__ May
1940. The best selling products __4___ their restaurants were hamburgers. So the McDonald brothers thought
__5__ a way to produce hamburgers more quickly. This was introduced __6__ 1948 and became known __7___
the Speedee Service System. The first franchised McDonalds restaurant was opened ______ 1953 and today
you can find McDonalds restaurants __8____ more than 100 countries. The meat __9__ the burgers varies
__10___ the culture __11__ the country. Future managers __12___ McDonalds restaurants are trained __13__

Hamburger University, which is located __14___ Oak Brook, a suburb _15___ Chicago. McDonalds is also
known __16___ its sponsorship __17___ various international sport events.
5. Choose the correct form of the verb that agrees with the subject:
1. Emily and Greg ________ (come / comes) to my house every Friday for lunch.
2. There _______ (is / are) time to watch the movie.
3. My friends who are in the band _______ (want / wants) me to play the musical instrument.
4. My father or my brothers _____ (is /are) coming with me to the ball game.
5. Everyone _______ (needs / need) time to relax.
6. That bag of oranges ______ (looks / look) fresh.
7. The team ______ (hopes / hope) to win the tournament next week.
8. Your trousers ________ (needs / need) to be cleaned.
9. Some of the books on the shelf ______ (is / are) dusty.
10. Even though the students like the class, a few ______ (thinks / think) that it is too complicated.
6. Rewrite the sentence using the adverb in the bracket in its proper position:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Did you enjoy the flight? (both)

Our friends must write the test. (also)
We go swimming. (never)
The children dont come home before evening. (usually)
We think about you. (often)
Section D

7. Read the following lines and answer the questions given below:
Macavity, Macavity, theres no one like Macavity
Hes broken every human law
He breaks the law of gravity
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare
And when you reach the scene of crime Macavitys not there!
1. How has Macavity broken the law of gravity?
2. Hes broken every human law. Explain the figure of speech in this line.
8. Read the following lines and answer the questions given below:
Come and hire me, I cried, while in the morning I was walking on the stone-paved road
Sword in hand, the King came in his chariot.
He held my hand and said, I will hire you with my power.
But his power counted for nought, and he went away in his chariot.
1. Name the poem and the poet of the above lines.
2. Why couldnt the King hire the poet?
9. Answer the questions given below:
1. In the chapter, Bepin Chaudharys lapse of memory why did the author go to Ranchi? What was the
result?
2. Comment on the irony of the title of the chapter, Bepin Chaudharys lapse of memory.