CBSE Questions for Class 8 English Reading Comprehension Quiz 12 - MCQExams.com

From the description of this passage, one can make out the person to be a ______.
  • Snake Charmer
  • Footpath vendor
  • Astrologer
  • Priest
The tone of the description is _______.
  • sad
  • neutral
  • ironic
  • sympathetic
Liberal education enables a person to _______.
  • Mad with more discernment than others
  • apply general principles to resolve issues
  • gain prestige
  • develop a clearer understanding of history than others
Which of the following is/are indicated by the description in the passage?
Time before sunrise
Time after sunset
Clouds
Birds 
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
  • 2 and 3 only
  • 2 only
  • 2, 3 and 4 only
  • 1 and 4 only
The most important 'trick' of the jackdaw to win his female is ________.
  • displaying his head and neck
  • to be like a human being
  • to become embroiled with other birds
  • to possess a place for building a nest
Which of the phrases best helps to bring out the precise meaning of 'consciously strained'?
  • Proudly reared and exhibited
  • Permanently in a state of display
  • Purposefully put in a state of display
  • Possession of nesting sight
Which of the following statements best describes the central theme of the passage?
  • The courtship behaviour of birds
  • The similarities between the courtship behaviour of birds and man
  • The astonishing facts about the jackdaw's love life
  • The scientific study of the jackdaw's life
In this passage, the author stresses the importance of _______.
  • education for living
  • technological advances
  • increased interest in the study of history
  • satisfying the desire for security
On the basis of the passage which of the following statements may be said to be correct? 
  • The speaker is encouraging his men for the conquest of France.
  • The speaker is aggressive and maniacal war-monger.
  • The speaker is not satisfied with the conquest of the island.
  • The speaker is a patriot urging the defence of his mother-land.
What do the words "great deal of painting" imply?
Jean was too weak to walk.
Jean's house was on a hill. 
Jean was too tired to walk after swimming. 
Jean's house was too far away from the shore. 
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
  • 1 and 2
  • 2 only
  • 2, 3 and 4
  • 1 and 4
Lorimer was a good editor because _______________________.
  • his reply to the angry writer was polite
  • be apologized for rejecting the story without reading it
  • he could find the worth of a story with a little effort
  • he was prompt in writing letters
According to the author of the above passage, the old form of education, based on the study of the classics and of the Bible, has ________________________.
  • succeeded in creating interest in history
  • laid the basis of human civilization
  • had a gradual decline in our time
  • been rejuvenated in the context of modern education
Which of the following statements best reflects the underlying tone of the passage? 
  • Literature and history are mutually exclusive.
  • Literature and history are complementary to each other.
  • The study of literature is meaningless without any knowledge of history.
  • Literature and history are inseparably linked together in the classics and the Bible.
The author of the above passage says that in the past the basis of education for all people, irrespective of their intellectual caliber, was _______.
  • Greek and Roman classics
  • The Bible
  • A correct knowledge of history
  • A wider range of literature
The author of the above passage fears that the greater part of the vacuum created by lack of interest in the classics and the Bible has been filled up by ___________________.
  • a richer sense of history
  • a wider range of literature
  • worthless ideas
  • a new philosophy of life
The author of the above passage says that the classics and the Bible were read by his ancestors ______.
  • methodically and with discretion
  • in a manner that broadened their view of life
  • with great emphasis on their literary values
  • without critical discrimination but in the light of their humanistic culture
The passage consists of repetitive patterns in syntax and vocabulary. The effect of this style is that it _______.
  • reveals the speaker's defects in giving a speech.
  • produces the impression of bad poetry.
  • conveys the speaker's helpless situation.
  • reinforces the speaker's basic intention.
Which of the following pairs of the phrases helps best to bring out the intention of the speaker?
  • "go on to the end"; "shall never surrender".
  • "growing confidence"; "subjugated and starving."
  • "subjugated and starving"; "fight on the landing ground".
  • "fight ;tithe streets"; "subjugated and starving."
The speaker in the passage wants to go on fighting because ______.
  • he is a raving lunatic
  • he is in a state of utter despair
  • he expects help from other quarters
  • he is the leader of a suicide squad
Lorimer did much reading of the stories _______.
  • if they were the solicited ones
  • when they appeared to be bad
  • when they were from women writers
  • when they came unsolicited
Lorimer read the stories ______.
  • because he enjoyed reading them
  • in order to publish them
  • only to find fault with them
  • in order to review them
The situation with respect to accommodation ________________.
  • is less than satisfactory
  • is quite satisfactory
  • is improving rapidly
  • is the result of total neglect
Which of the following statements may be assumed to reflect the central theme of the passage?
  • Good thoughts lead to the control of the sense organs.
  • Control of the sense organs leads to good thoughts.
  • Character, though established, may be disturbed by outside forces.
  • No man can achieve success in destroying the inner forces.
The purpose of Mandela's talks was to help people _______.
  • court arrests
  • oppose oppression
  • join him in his campaign tours
  • get small town facilities
Which of the following statements would illustrate the metaphor in the passage?
  • Man is slow-moving and slow-witted.
  • A man of character refuses to be influenced by outside compulsions against his will.
  • Man confines himself to a life of isolation.
  • Man cannot have a good character or strong will.
The present satisfactory position with regard to food and cloth is due to ________________.
  • the fact that the population has been controlled
  • our good luck
  • good rainfall
  • our economic planning
If the population of India continues to increase at this rate, the situation in regard to food and cloth _______________.
  • is likely to remain the same
  • is likely to become less satisfactory
  • is likely to improve
  • is likely to vary up and down
"It is at the root of many other problems" means that _______.
  • it is found along with many other problems
  • it is caused by many other problems
  • it gives rise to many other problems
  • it is buried under many other problems
At present Indians have _______.
  • more provision for cloth than accommodation
  • more provision for accommodation than cloth
  • abundance of cloth and accommodation
  • scarcity of accommodation and just enough cloth
Lorimer's reply was ______________.
  • irrelevant
  • rude
  • witty
  • funny
When did Mr. Sharma's friend go to see what was wrong?
  • When he saw the tigress attacking his friend
  • Just before the tigress was knocked down
  • When the friend was knocked down
  • When he heard something unusual
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. 

Some people think that Silence is golden. Words they must use, but they have no love for them. Speech is to them a danger, a device for entangling men. They feel that all may be understood so long as nothing is said; that only in silence can one reach out to the mind and the heart be known. In the exchange of words their personalities do not expand but contract; they see the lovely procession of thought and feeling turn into a dusty and disorderly crowd of words and phrases. They see the talkers with mingled fear and contempt, stripping themselves in public, like exhibitionists. The talkers cannot understand the silent; nor can the silent explain their attitude, except in speech. This illuminates the weakness of their belief, that they must convince us of the uselessness of speech by means of speech.

The special merit of silence according to the silent is _______. 
  • Silence preserves energy.
  • Silence contracts personality.
  • Silence is natural.
  • There can be communion between mind and heart only when a person is silent.
The son was writing a letter because he _________.
  • wanted to write to his mother about his father's brave deeds in battle
  • loved his mother so much that he had to write to her
  • was eager to tell his mother about his own deeds
  • did not care for orders since his father was the commander
The plate camera ________.
  • was the only artefact made by Father and Jack
  • was the only artefact Jack had made for himself
  • was only one of Jack's many such artefacts
  • was borrowed by Jack from his friend for taking half a dozen photographs
During the hot summer days the author and Jack _______.
  • were taking adventurous steps into the unknown
  • went visiting several churches in Ropley
  • were busy repairing a camera
  • were passing their time in idleness
They were planning ________.
  • to move out to Ropley
  • a trekking expedition to Alresford
  • to do some photography
  • to make some artefacts
It is clear from the passage that the black Africans ______.
  • enjoyed small town facilities
  • were helped by Gandhi in their freedom struggle
  • had an unfavourable government
  • liked visiting homes in townships
Fill in the blank with a suitable option:
When Mr. Sharma saw the tigress, he was ___________.
  • surprised
  • afraid
  • nervous
  • angry
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. 

Some people think that Silence is golden. Words they must use, but they have no love for them. Speech is to them a danger, a device for entangling men. They feel that all may be understood so long as nothing is said; that only in silence can one reach out to the mind and the heart be known. In the exchange of words their personalities do not expand but contract; they see the lovely procession of thought and feeling turn into a dusty and disorderly crowd of words and phrases. They see the talkers with mingled fear and contempt, stripping themselves in public, like exhibitionists. The talkers cannot understand the silent; nor can the silent explain their attitude, except in speech. This illuminates the weakness of their belief, that they must convince us of the uselessness of speech by means of speech.

The central idea of the passage is _______.
  • Silence is golden.
  • The silent do not like talkers.
  • Speech is dangerous.
  • The silent wrongly believe that speech is dangerous
Father and Jack had been to Ropley one week-end __________________________.
  • to take photographs of the church that leaned backwards
  • because Ropley was unreal
  • to take some adventurous step into the unknown
  • to see and rent a cottage there
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow. 
Smoking is dangerous. The nitrogen dioxide in the smoke of a cigarette can produce a solution of acid capable of burning holes in a nylon stocking. And this gas is the agent in cigarette smoke that scientists think may cause emphysema, in which whole clusters of alveoli are gradually destroyed. Only the recovery period between each cigarette and the remarkable mechanism of the lungs and the body enzymes in detoxifying and eliminating poisonous substances show its destructiveness. But Dr. Hurst Hatch flatly declares that anyone who regularly smokes two packets a day will eventually develop emphysema; may die of it if smoking continues.
In prolonged, excessive smoking, the cilia are eventually destroyed. Deposits of tars and volatile condensates in cigarette smoke can then accumulate on the unprotected bronchial surfaces, directly attacking the naked cells. When these cells develop damaged nuclei and become disordered, the result is the first stage of lung cancer.

The first state of lung cancer results from _____. 
  • damage to the unprotected cells on the bronchial surface
  • destruction of the cilia
  • nitrogen dioxide burning holes in nylon stockings
  • the progressive development of emphysema
Read the passage and accordingly, fill in the blank:

Here are a couple of generalizations about England that would be accepted by almost all observers. One is that the English are not gifted artistically. They are not as musical as the Germans or Italians. Painting and sculpture have never flourished in England as they have in France. Another is that as Europeans go, the English are not intellectual. They have a horror of abstract thought, they feel no need for any philosophy or systematic 'world-view'. Nor is this because they are 'practical', as they are so fond of claiming for themselves. One has only to look at their methods of town planning and water supply. Their obstinate clinging to everything that is out of date and a nuisance, a selling system that defies analysis and a system of weights and measures that is intelligible only to the compiler of arithmetic books, to see how little they care about mere efficiency. But they have a certain power of acting without taking thought. Their word-famed hypocrisy - their double-faced attitude towards the Empire, for instance - is bound up with this. Also, in moments of supreme crisis, the whole nation can suddenly draw together and act upon a species of instinct, really a code of conduct which is understood almost by everyone, though never formulated.

The English _________________.
  • stick fanatically to outdated things
  • cling to everything
  • are obstinate
  • are old fashioned 
The harmful effects of cigarette smoke are caused by _______.
  • nitrogen dioxide
  • acid solution
  • tars and volatile condensates
  • A and C above combined
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. 

Here are a couple of generalizations about England that would be accepted by almost all observers. One is that the English are not gifted artistically. They are not as musical as the Germans or Italians. Painting and sculpture have never flourished in England as they have in France. Another is that as Europeans go, the English are not intellectual. They have a horror of abstract thought, they feel no need for any philosophy or systematic 'world-view'. Nor is this because they are 'practical', as they are so fond of claiming for themselves. One has only to look at their methods of town planning and water supply. Their obstinate clinging to everything that is out of date and a nuisance, a selling system that defies analysis and a system of weights and measures that is intelligible only to the compiler of arithmetic books, to see how little they care about mere efficiency. But they have a certain power of acting without taking thought. Their word-famed hypocrisy - their double-faced attitude towards the Empire, for instance - is bound up with this. Also, in moments of supreme crisis, the whole nation can suddenly draw together and act upon a species of instinct, really a code of conduct which is understood almost by everyone, though never formulated.

'Horror of abstract thought' means ________.
  • fear of philosophical ideas
  • fear of systematised thought
  • horror of mystical thought
  • fear of people who think
Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows. 
Smoking is dangerous. The nitrogen dioxide in the smoke of a cigarette can produce a solution of acid capable of burning holes in a nylon stocking. And this gas is the agent in cigarette smoke that scientists think may cause emphysema, in which whole clusters of alveoli are gradually destroyed. Only the recovery period between each cigarette and the remarkable mechanism of the lungs and the body enzymes in detoxifying and eliminating poisonous substances show its destructiveness. But Dr. Hurst Hatch flatly declares that anyone who regularly smokes two packets a day will eventually develop emphysema; may die of it if smoking continues.
In prolonged, excessive smoking, the cilia are eventually destroyed. Deposits of tars and volatile condensates in cigarette smoke can then accumulate on the unprotected bronchial surfaces, directly attacking the naked cells. When these cells develop damaged nuclei and become disordered, the result is the first stage of lung cancer.

The writer's opinion about smoking is ______.
  • that it is relatively harmless.
  • that it causes instant and severe damage.
  • that it inevitably causes cancer.
  • that it tends to be destructive.
Read the passage and answer the question given below.

There stood at the edge of the road an oak. Probably ten times the age of the birches that formed the bulk of the forest. It was ten times as thick and twice as tall as they are. It was an enormous tree, double a man's span with ancient scars where branches had long ago been lopped off and bark stripped away. With huge limbs sprawling unsymmetrically, with gnarled hands and fingers, it stood, an aged monster angry and scornful, among the smiling birch trees. This oak alone refused to yield to the season's spell, spurning both spring and sunshine.
"Spring, and love, and happiness", this oak seemed to say, "Are you not weary of the same stupid, meaningless late? Always the same old delusion. There is no spring, no happiness! Look at those strangled lifeless fir trees, everlastingly the same and look at me too sticking out broken excoriated fingers, from my back and my sides, where they grew, just as they grew; here I stand, and have no faith in your hopes and illusions".

The oak is ____________________.
  • double the age of the birches
  • three times as thick as the birches
  • twice as tall as the birches
  • five times as strong as the fir trees
Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows. 
Smoking is dangerous. The nitrogen dioxide in the smoke of a cigarette can produce a solution of acid capable of burning holes in a nylon stocking. And this gas is the agent in cigarette smoke that scientists think may cause emphysema, in which whole clusters of alveoli are gradually destroyed. Only the recovery period between each cigarette and the remarkable mechanism of the lungs and the body enzymes in detoxifying and eliminating poisonous substances show its destructiveness. But Dr. Hurst Hatch flatly declares that anyone who regularly smokes two packets a day will eventually develop emphysema; may die of it if smoking continues.
In prolonged, excessive smoking, the cilia are eventually destroyed. Deposits of tars and volatile condensates in cigarette smoke can then accumulate on the unprotected bronchial surfaces, directly attacking the naked cells. When these cells develop damaged nuclei and become disordered, the result is the first stage of lung cancer.

According to Dr. Hurst Hatch _______
  • anyone smoking two packs a day will die of cancer.
  • anyone smoking heavily at any time will develop emphysema.
  • regular smoking eventually leads to emphysema.
  • non-smokers never have lung trouble.
Read the passage and answer the question given below.

It must be realized to make compulsory education a success, it is absolutely necessary to make it entirely free. India is a poor country and we cannot expect our people to pay directly for the education of their children. Even in rich countries like England and U.S.A. mas education is not only free but there are many additional facilities like mid-day meal for children, free medical service, and scholarship on a generous scale. Since education is a fundamental civil and human right and basic to the health of the body politics, funds must be found for the purpose whatever the cost of the scheme. If we consider educational and cultural activities to be important, funds will be forthcoming. What we have to do is to rearrange our priority. With this in view, we have to adopt a many-sided programme of national planning and economic and industrial reconstruction. If not there will always be arguments and statistics to prove that it is impossible to introduce free, compulsory and universal education in India.

Why should compulsory education be free in India?
  • Otherwise compulsory education will not be a success.
  • Funds will be forthcoming.
  • Industrial construction is possible.
  • None of these
Read the passage and accordingly, fill in the blank:

Here are a couple of generalizations about England that would be accepted by almost all observers. One is that the English are not gifted artistically. They are not as musical as the Germans or Italians. Painting and sculpture have never flourished in England as they have in France. Another is that as Europeans go, the English are not intellectual. They have a horror of abstract thought, they feel no need for any philosophy or systematic 'world-view'. Nor is this because they are 'practical', as they are so fond of claiming for themselves. One has only to look at their methods of town planning and water supply. Their obstinate clinging to everything that is out of date and a nuisance, a spelling system that defies analysis and a system of weights and measures that is intelligible only to the compiler of arithmetic books, to see how little they care about mere efficiency. But they have a certain power of acting without taking thought. Their word-famed hypocrisy - their double-faced attitude towards the Empire, for instance - is bound up with this. Also, in moments of supreme crisis, the whole nation can suddenly draw together and act upon a species of instinct, really a code of conduct which is understood almost by everyone, though never formulated.

Their spelling system _______________. 
  • cannot be analysed
  • cannot be understood
  • cannot be found
  • none of the above
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow. 

Here are a couple of generalizations about England that would be accepted by almost all observers. One is that the English are not gifted artistically. They are not as musical as the Germans or Italians. Painting and sculpture have never flourished in England as they have in France. Another is that as Europeans go, the English are not intellectual. They have a horror of abstract thought, they feel no need for any philosophy or systematic 'world-view'. Nor is this because they are 'practical', as they are so fond of claiming for themselves. One has only to look at their methods of town planning and water supply. Their obstinate clinging to everything that is out of date and a nuisance, a selling system that defies analysis and a system of weights and measures that is intelligible only to the compiler of arithmetic books, to see how little they care about mere efficiency. But they have a certain power of acting without taking thought. Their word-famed hypocrisy - their double-faced attitude towards the Empire, for instance - is bound up with this. Also, in moments of supreme crisis, the whole nation can suddenly draw together and act upon a species of instinct, really a code of conduct which is understood almost by everyone, though never formulated.

Mere efficiency has __________________.
  • no value for them
  • little importance
  • importance
  • none of the above
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