GRADE 8

PRELIMINARY EXAM

I.

Recognizing Elements of a Story. Choose the correct answer to the question.

1. The feeling or atmosphere created when reading a story is called the
a. Mood
b. Conflict
c. Climax
d. Setting
2. The plot of a story starts off with a
a. Climax
b. Rising action
c. Conflict
d. Theme
3. The most exciting part of a story is called the
a. Conflict
b. Falling action
c. Resolution
d. Climax
4. The moral or lesson to be learned in a story is called the
a. Conflict
b. Mood
c. Sequencing
d. Theme

II.

Please Read the Following Selection and Answer the Questions

Although Sherri was only seven years old, people always wanted to know what she wanted to be
when she grew up. Her response was easy, a teacher. She had the perfect picture in her mind what her
classes would look like and how they would behave. The only problem was that she didn't have any
worksheets or materials to give to her imaginary class.
In class she watched the teacher walk over to her file cabinet and throw mounds of unused
worksheets in the trash. "What a waste!" Sherri murmured to herself. An idea suddenly blossomed in her
head. She would use the worksheets that had ended up in the trash. After school, when the halls were
clear of students and teachers, she sneaked into Mrs. Smith's class, her first grade classroom and grabbed
the discarded worksheets. Feeling confident that she had accomplished her mission, she walked around
the corner with her new teaching materials under her arms. A loud, booming voice startled her as the
janitor yelled, "What are you doing here? Go home!"
Sherri didn't wait to respond to his questions as she ran out of the school's front doors. As she
walked home, she kept looking behind her to see if the janitor had followed her. Safely home, she closed
her bedroom door and announced to her imaginary students, "Good morning, students. Today you are
going to learn about nouns and verbs. I am going to pass out a few worksheets and explain the
assignment to you."
5. Sherri searched in the trash for

a.
b.
c.
d.

Her homework.
Her lunch.
Money.
Unused worksheets.

6. Sherri can be best described as

a. Goal orientated (she knows what she would like to do).
b. Shy
c. Angry
d. Moody
7. Sherri's imaginary class is located in the
a. Dining room.
b. School.
c. Library.
d. Her bedroom.
8. What was the last event of the story?
a. The janitor yelled at her.
b. She ran out of the school.
c. She walked home.
d. She greeted her imaginary class.
9. Sherri's conflict at the beginning of the story is
a. She doesn't have any teaching material.
b. She doesn't know what she wants to do when she grows up.
c. That the janitor catches her sneaking into the trash.
d. That her teacher doesn't recycle.
10. Which one of the following is a major character?
a. Mrs. Smith
b. Sherri
c. imaginary class
d. janitor

III.

Complete the sentences using the Past Tense of the verbs given in brackets.
11. The sun
brilliantly today. (shine)
12. His father
the unruly son with a belt. (beat)
13. My mother always
us to be friendly with others. (teach)
14. Today I
six glasses of water. (drink)
15. Cholera
to many parts of the country. (spreads)
16. We
at the table with our teachers. (sit)
17. This shirt
me thirty-five dollars. (cost)
18. When the bell
9ring) we all
(run) to the classroom.
19. I
many of my friends at the concert. (meet)
20. Today I
(sit) and
(eat) a lot of fruits.

IV.

Give the appropriate degrees of comparison for the following:

21. Gillivers Travels is (little, less, least) exciting than Jane Eyre.
22. This route to the town is (long, longer, longest) but I know a (short, shorter, shortest) way.
23. Of all the players in the football team, Terry performed (good, better, best)
24. Who is the (fast, faster, fastest) athlete in your school?
25. He is one of the (clever, cleverer, cleverest) students I have met.
V.

Give the correct homophone to complete each sentence.

26. After (sewing, sowing) the seeds the rain fell.
27. The members of the (council, counsel) are ready to meet us.
28. The (principal, principle) reason for this occasion has not been mentioned.
29. Will you buy some (stationery, stationary) at the bookshop.
30. The guests were seated on each side of the (aisle, isle).
31. This (coarse, course) material will make her uncomfortable.
32. How (pale, pail) she looks!
33. If you are in (pain, pane) please call the doctor.
34. I hope Tom does not (altar, alter) his plans today.
35. I love the (sea, see) because of its color.

VI.

Write the correct word to complete each sentence.

36. Everyone of the assignments (was, were) hurriedly done.
37. Someone (know, knows) the solution to the problem.
38. Each of the workers (is, are) responsible for the breakdown of law and order in the
factory.
39. No one (receive, receives) the highest award without hard work.
40. Each of the ladies (has, have) to abandon domestic obligations.
41. I shall give up my position when anyone (decide, decides) to relieve me of it.

VII.

Underline the simple subject once and the simple predicate twice in each sentence.
42. The deepest gold mines are found in South Africa.
43. Do you know the Golden Rule?
44. Soft and easy to shape, gold has been highly prized for thousands of years.
45. The biggest nugget of pure gold ever discovered was found in Australia in 1869.
46. Mineral crystals in different shapes and sizes form valuable gems.
47. Gold can be hammered very thin, and never rusts nor tarnishes.
48. Most gems are extra-hard and can be cut and polished to produce gemstones.
49. Gold and silver are about ten times better than steel at conducting heat.
50. Precious metals sometimes turn up as pure lumps, called nuggets.

VIII.

Underline the misspelled words in the following groups and write their correct spellings
above them.

1. conceive
2. centenial
3. programer

embarrass
conscience
rhytm

strick
February
salient

nuemonia
inditement
tomorrow

4. percieve
5. winning
6. desireable
7. plentyful
8. pronounce
9. literate
10. equipped

IX.

reciept
cleaness
loveable
grayish
necessary
recognizable
criticism

belive
omitted
wholly
flyer
perseptible
mispelled
occurred

grieve
parallelism
ninety
dutiful
discreet
ascertain
committee

Identify whether each group of words is a complete sentence, fragment, or a run-on. Write S
for Sentence, F for Fragment, and R for Run-on on the underline before the sentence.

____F______ 1. Which was built in 1950.

_____F_____ 2. Needed the materials for the science project.
______S____ 3. Bertha gave me a computer game for my birthday last week.
_______S___ 4. Talking on the phone for a couple of hours last night, i forgot to do my homework.
________F__ 5. When we adopted the cutest puppy at the animal shelter.
_________R_ 6. The little boy's toy car was yellow, his sister had a red and white toy truck.
S__________ 7. Carlos is the team captain on the football team, and he plays defensive tackle.
_S_________ 8. Lifting the heavy boxes, I hurt my back.
__S________ 9. After I dribbled the ball down the court.
___R_______ 10. She won the spelling contest, she will go to the regional level next month.

X.

Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunctions

A. Identifying the correct Coordinating Conjunctions
For, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
What Coordinating Conjunctions should you use to connect these clauses?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

It was raining. We went out.

It was a warm day. We took off our coats.
He was an extravagant person. He did not spend all his money.
He was an extravagant person. He spent his money foolishly.
Tell the truth. I will punish you.

6. Tell the truth. Ill not punish you.

7. She lost her book. She didnt look for it.
8. You will hand in your theme on time. Ill give a deduction.
9. He studied hard for the test. He got a good grade.
10. You are not paying attention. The teacher will scold you.
B. Supplying the Appropriate Subordinating Conjunctions.
What, that/ so that, because, how, though/ although, if/ as if, unless, where and
whether.
What Subordinating Conjunctions should connect these clauses?
1. She could not go out. She felt ill.
2. We went out. The rain stopped.
3. She did not know. She lost her watch.
4. The child is crying. He has been punished.
5. She was not sure. She could go.
6. She didnt wear her new shoes. Her mother told her to.
7. It was growing dark. She reached home.
8. Ill attend your party. You invite me.
9. Ill buy that picture. It is very pretty.
10. She has a lot of books. She doesnt read them.