Grade 8 English Language Arts Exam Review

) Name:

Grade 8 English Language Arts
Exam Review

Orion and the Sisters

In the old days, the gods and goddesses sometimes w e n t travelling about on Earth, visiting
human beings. On one such occasion, Zeus, his messenger Hermes, and the ocean god,
Poseidon, stayed for awhile with King Hyrieus of Boeotia.

The king entertained these important guests so lavishly that when it came time for t h e m to
leave, Zeus said to Hyrieus, 'To reward your gracious hospitality, I will grant you any one thing
you wish/'

"I have always w a n t e d a s o n / ' a n s w e r e d t h e king. "A g r e a t big, s t r o n g s o n ! "

"Easily done!" said Zeus. He threw a cowhide onto the ground. "Bury the hide, my friend/' he
said t o Hyrieus. "In nine m o n t h s it will emerge f r o m t h e ground as t h e very son you wished
for!"

Hyrieus did n o t question these directions. He did as Zeus t o l d h i m , w a i t e d patiently, and was
r e w a r d e d in due t i m e w h e n a son p u s h e d his w a y t o t h e surface. A n d t h e son e m e r g e d n o t as
an i n f a n t , b u t as a f u l l - g r o w n m a n , and t a l l e r a n d s t r o n g e r t h a n any o t h e r h u m a n o n e a r t h . So
tall was Orion that he could walk on the b o t t o m of the sea without wetting his head. This was
indeed much more than Hyrieus had asked for.

The son announced that his name was Orion and that he was leaving immediately to go
hunting, for hunting was what he loved best to do. He strapped a huge bow and quiver of
a r r o w s over his m i g h t y shoulders. Then he w h i s t l e d . " H e r e , S i n u s ! " he c o m m a n d e d . A n d as if by
magic, a huge dog appeared at Orion's side and was never to leave i t

Orion proceeded to stride through the lands and isles of Greece, hunting and killing animals
with abandon. On the island of Chios, Orion met the princess Merope. "I will impress her with
my prowess as a hunter," t h o u g h t Orion t o himself, and he slew all t h e animals of t h e island.

So horrified by this was M e r o p e ' s f a t h e r t h a t he had a magician cast Orion into a deep sleep
and remove him from Chios.

Orion awoke, having learned nothing at all from his experience. He proceeded to the island of
Crete to continue his ravaging of the wildlife. But he had not figured on meeting a powerful

goddess there. She was Artemis, the goddess of hunters, and t h o u g h she liked to use her b o w
and arrow to bring down a deer or a boar, she only did this when she needed food.

"Be warned, Orion/' she said to the giant hunter. "I will not tolerate your killing of animals
solely for sport!"

But Orion only laughed at her. Roaming the island, he soon had killed all the animals there, too.

Artemis's fury knew no bounds. "Look here, mighty hunter!" she said, and she pointed to a
scorpion, knowing that this was the only animal Orion feared. "This scorpion shall pursue you to
the ends of the Earth and deliver you its fatal sting if you ever shoot another animal."

For awhile, the frightened Orion put his bow and arrows d o w n . But the desire to hunt was
strong in him, and he soon thought of a way to indulge it. "Artemis said I must not hunt wild
a n i m a l s , " he t h o u g h t , " b u t she said n o t h i n g a b o u t h u n t i n g people"

Returning to his homeland of Boetia, Orion looked around for human quarries. It was not long
before he saw seven lovely sisters running and playing in the hills. They were called the
Pleiades, and they w e r e t h e daughters of t h e g o d Atlas and a h u m a n m o t h e r n a m e d Pleione. So
graceful and kindly w e r e t h e Pleiades t h a t t h e y w e r e a d m i r e d and loved by all t h e deities as
w e l l as by every h u m a n t h e y m e t . So it was a great shock t o t h e sisters w h e n t h e y saw t h e giant
Orion pursuing them and sending out deadly arrows in their direction.

As the thunderous footsteps of t h e hunter and the howling of his dog Sirius drew closer and
closer, the sisters realized they could never escape on their own. Weeping with fear, they
prayed to the god Zeus to rescue them. Zeus answered their prayer by transforming the sisters
into seven beautiful white doves.

In this f o r m , the Pleiades flew high enough to escape Orion's arrows. And w h e n the doves
reached the top of the sky, they in turn became seven stars.

By this t i m e , the deities w e r e t h o r o u g h l y angry w i t h Orion for his incessant mischief and cruelty
that Zeus transformed the hunter and his dog into stars, too, so that they could do no more
damage on Earth. In t h e night sky, people ever after pointed t o Orion and Sirius, w h o seem still
to be pursuing the little cluster of Pleiades. Of course, Orion will never catch them. And to make
sure that he must remember this, Artemis has turned the deadly scorpion into stars and set the
animal hot on the heels of Orion.

The Seven Crucial Questions

L Who is the protagonist? Antagonist? (2)

2. Describe the setting. (2)

3. What type of conflict (man vs. ?) is the protagonist facing in the story and
describe it. (2)

4. The character's personality traits will be revealed in the following ways;
a) What the writer says about the character
b) What the character says
c) What the character does
d) What others say about the characters

Choose one way the character's personality is revealed and give an
example. (2)

5. Describe the mood/atmosphere, give an example from the story. (2)

6. What is the theme or message of the story? (What does the author want
you to learn from reading the story?) (3)

7. Plot line (10) - Please complete answers on the backside

• Intro/Initial Incident
• Rise in Action
• Climax
• Fall in Action
• Conclusion



Poetry Terms Review Example
* ...
Tarm Definition
Sim He

Metaphor

! Onomatopoeia 1 !
!;
i
!
i j

; Hyperbole !

! i

i1 t
I Personification
\
j Alliteration Definition \ |
?
• i
i i
i
! I
Essays *'
Term i
Example
Thesis Statement ! i

'

Topic Sentence j

Poetry Analysis

Identify t h e f o l l o w i n g lines as one (or perhaps t w o ) of the f o l l o w i n g poetic devices used in
writing poetry:

A = Alliteration
M ~ Metaphor
S ~ Simile
P - Personification

_ _ _ _ 1. The w h i s p e r i n g w i l l o w s w h i n e d as t h e y w e r e w h i p p e d a r o u n d by t h e w i n d .

2. The child was like a raging bull dashing through his grandmother's house.

3. The old car whimpered and crawled toward t h e garage.

4. The sea slowly settled upon the sandy shore.

5. The g r a n d m o t h e r was as p r o u d as a peacock at her grandchild's recital.

6. The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple hills.

7. The oak tree proudly displayed its colours for one last m o m e n t and t h e n d r o p p e d its

multi-cotoured coat one leaf at a time.

8. The book was a treasure map, X marked the spot to adventure and intrigue,

9. Her m i n d was as concise as a c o m p u t e r filing a w a y i n f o r m a t i o n w i t h incredible speed
and accuracy.

10. The trees bow down their heads in respect to the angry wind.

From the Sea

The sea is a h u n g r y d o g ,
Giant and gray.
He rolls on the beach all day.
With his clashing teeth and shaggy jaws
Hour upon hour he gnaws
The rumbling, tumbling stones,
And, "Bones, bones, bones!"
The giant sea-dog moans,
Licking his greasy paws.

James Reeves

Find an example of a metaphor m

Find an example of alliteration.

Find three examples of personification.

Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem.

Within the context, the w o r d "gnaws" in line 5 means

a) climbs
b) chews on
c) spits o u t
d) gulps

The poet's a t t i t u d e t o w a r d t h e sea is o n e of

a) admiration
b) hate
c) fear
d) sadness

Dust of S n o w

The way a crow
Shook clown on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Robert Frost
Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem,
Find one example of personification.

W h a t s i t u a t i o n is being described in t h e first stanza o f this p o e m ?

W h a t is t h e author saying in t h e second stanza?

Fall

The chilly weather settles into your bones.
Those once green leaves turn
Red, yellow, orange, and brown.
CRRUNCH! go the leaves
Beneath your feet.
The birds fly in a victory "V" formation,
To where the sun rules the skies.
The days of winter are lurking around
Waiting to be free falling.

Label the lines of the poem that use one of the following poetic devices: simile, metaphor,
personification, alliteration, or onomatopoeia.

Underline t h e w o r d s t h a t create imagery in this p o e m .

Describe t h e m e n t a l image (sight) in y o u r head as y o u read this p o e m . You can also include a
description of your other senses - sound, taste, touch, and smell - if the poem sparked any of
them for you.

Sentences Types

There are four sentences types. Each type has a different purpose. imperative sentences can De
exclamatory if they express
• declarative: makes a statement: The teachers arrived strong feelings and end in an
at the meeting. exclamation mark.

• interrogative: asks a question: When will the teachers arrive
at the meeting?

• imperative: gives a command (the subject You is understood): Be at the meeting on time.

• exclamatory: expresses a strong feeling: We must get to the meeting!

1. Identify what types of sentences these are. \
(a) The teacher handed out the test papers to the students.
(b) I haven't finished my test yet!
(c) Give me all of your papers.
(d) When did we know this was going to be the test day?

2. Write sentences of the following types using your own words.
(a) declarative:
(b) interrogative:
(c) imperative:
(d) imperative with an exclamation mark:
(e) exclamatory:

E n d punctuation tells you how to say the sentence.
• period: Say it with a calm, formal voice.
• question mark: Say it with a questioning voice, where the voice rises slightly at the end.
• exclamation mark: Say it with a forceful or excited voice.

3. Read these sentences out loud. Use the proper way of saying the sentence based on the
end punctuation.
(a) We went to the fairground to ride the roller coaster.
(b) It was incredible!
(c) Why do we have to go on the kiddie rides?
(d) Come over to the Monster ride.
(e) Come over to the Monster ride!

4. Write a sentence of your own. using one of the four types of sentences. Read it out loud,
using the end punctuation to help you say it correctly.

• • Use only one type of sentence in an entire paragraph. Is H possible?

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Parts of Speech Nouns

i j. i ^, . _ m *- Nouns identify. If you asked

A noun i s a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. Nouns -what's that?i the answer m

can be common (boat, city, river) or proper {Seabreeze, Regina). usually a noun; a bail, a bat, a
dog, a constellation.

1. Write a proper noun for each of these common nouns.

avenue: bird: ^ singer:

team: . car:. jeans:

m_ , -. , .• r. Compound nouns can be joined

Nouns can be compound. A compound noun is made up of two or a s o n e tney can be

more words. For example, these are compound nouns: keyboard, joined by hyphens, or they can

yo-yo, elementary school. Use these compound nouns in -b e s e p a r a t e w o r d s

sentences.

(a) brother-in-law: ^^

(b) goldfish:

(c) Bare Naked Ladies:

Nouns can be singular (one) or plural (more than one). Noun plurals are formed like this:
• Most plural nouns end in s. If a singular noun ends in ch, sf sh, x, or z, add -es.

• If a noun ends in y: if a vowel comes before y, add -s; if a consonant comes before y, change
the y to i and add -es;

• If a noun ends i n / o r Je, change the f or fe to u and add -es (exceptions: chefs, chleii).

3. Give plurals for these singular nouns.

avenue: church: baby:,
fish:
calf:, ; city:,

4. Nouns can be possessive. For example: Lainie's bike, a child's Using possessive nouns can
, -- „ .. ,, , r. ^
lunch box. Rewrite these phrases using possessive nouns. smooth the flow of the words.
For example, the book of John
j S better said as John's book.

the skateboard of Maria:

the gardens of the neighbours:

the homework of Matt:

Nouns can be collective. For example, these are collective nouns: collective nouns name things,

school of fish, herd of cattle, people, audience, family. °! 9 e e °Prou so fe |e o r a n , m a , s

r* * ^ a t ta c together.
Use these collective nouns in sentences to show their meanings.

(a) cast:

(b) colony:

(c) team: _

w w Make a list of interesting nouns you find in everyday writing. Use some of these in your own
~ ~ writing.

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Parts of Speech Pronouns

* ,r The word that a pronoun replaces is
called an antecedent. For example,
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun or other

pronoun. Look at this example: Sylvia looked everywhere for S y M s is the antecedent of h e ^

her sandals {her replaces Sylvia). Here is a bank of pronouns: """"" ~~~

myself, herself. Itself, themselves, who, whom, whomever, whose, what, this, that,

these, those, another, anyone, each, either, neither, no one, somebody, few, all, any,

most, none.

1. Write a pronoun for each of these.

William: Callie: lynx:,
girls:
Vancouver: Raoul and Kyle:

2. Rewrite these sentences replacing the boldfaced words with pronouns.
(a) Jeremy called on Martin, but Martin was too busy to talk to Jeremy.

(b) The boulder rolled down the hill and the boulder nearly hit a car.

(c) Tracey, Joanne, and Myla decided to buy Tracey, Joanne, and Myla's clothes at that
store.

3. Pronouns can show ownership or possession. Look at these possessive pronouns: his
CD, her calculator, their clothes, its engine. Rewrite these phrases using possessive
pronouns.

Jake's carton: the crew's ship:

Melanie's party: the dog's dish:

the snake's tongue: the family's dinner: _

4. Write a sentence that uses at least one possessive pronoun.

5. Write a short paragraph and use at least six of the pronouns listed above.

^ )• Try writing a poem that uses pronouns instead of nouns.

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Parts of Speech Verbs

A verb is a word that shows action or being. Look at these examples: ~he verb tells what happens
scramble: shows action: I scramble to the finish line: aim shows a to the noun cr subject of the
state of being: I am fine. sentence.

1. Underline the verbs In these sentences. Indicate whether each verb shows action or being.
(a) We jumped into the lake.
(b) The car swerved along the road.
(c) He feels better now.
(d) We were going to the fair.

2. Action verbs can be active (Joel hit the ball) or passive (The ball was hit by Joel).
Indicate whether the verb in each sentence is active or passive.

(a) The moose ran into the street.

(b) The bus was struck by the moose.

(c) The moose stood up after a few minutes. ^

(d) It walked slowly away from the scene.

3. Verb tense is used to show the time of the action. There are three main verb tenses:

present: The tree falls. past: The tree feE. future: The tree will fall.

Indicate whether the verb tense i n each sentence is present, past, or future.

(a) The shipment will arrive next week.

(b) We play the game seriously.

(c) The baby wailed all night.

(d) Our tests will be i n three days.

4. Verbs need to agree with their subjects. Circle the correct verb in parentheses for each
sentence.
(a) Miguel (talk, talks) all the time on his cell phone.

(b) The tanker (fuel, fuels) the jet before take-off.
(c) Everyone (try, tries) to work very hard during the holiday season.

5. Write a sentence that uses an action verb, then one that uses a verb of being.
(a) ;
(b)

^ w Read some advertisements. What types of verbs are used most often: action? being? active?
^ ^ passive? Make a list of what you discover.

49

Parts of Speech Adjectives

.- # t . Adjectives can create a better nrnnd
p : c t u r e for the reader. They answer
An adjective is a word that describes a noun, pronoun, or other
»t n questions HOW many? Which
adjective. For example, the following adjectives could be used to cne7and What kind?

,J , f. ^ - ° w

describe a tiger: large, snarling, hungry, young*

1. Write at least three adjectives that could describe each of these.

train: ,

mountain:

star:

friend:

2. Adjectives can be comparative (er) and superlative (est): quick, quicker, quickest.

Write comparative and superlative adjectives for these words. Be sure to check your

spelling when you add er and est.

happy: ,

slow: ,

big: .

3. Use at least two of your comparative or superlative adjectives in a sentence.

4. The following words are also adjectives: the, a, an; this, that, those. Proper adjectives
are formed from proper nouns: Canadian winter, Asian countries. Write two sentences
that use at least four of these adjectives.
(a)

(b)

5. Rewrite these sentences adding adjectives to improve the descriptions,
(a) The singer recorded her first CD at a concert.
(b) The audience listened to her singing.
(c) People started to leave the theatre after the show.

^ ^ Use adjectives in a description of your room,

50

Parts of Speech Adverbs

An adverb is a word that describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb Adverbs answer tre questions
Adverbs describe actions or qualities. For example, look at these ricwF When? and Where?
adverbs: Many adverbs are formed by
adding -ly to an adjective: s'.ow:
flew quickly (how) flew today (when flew overhead (where) slowly.

1. Add at least three more adverbs that answer each of these questions.
How?: slowly, well,
When?: today, yesterday,
Where?: there, overhead,.

2. Adverbs have comparative (er) and superlative (est) forms: early, earlier, earliest; often,
more often, most often; well, better, best. Write sentences that use the adverbs given.

(a) earlier

(b) better:

(c) most often:

3 . Read these sentences. Circle any adveibs. (NOTE: Adverbs sometimes come in phrases:
talked for an hour: walked behind the fence.)
(a) The ball flew quickly over the crowd.
(b) A small wren landed softly on the branch.
(c) Many players tried to get the puck as it slid toward the goal.
(d) 1 jumped better and higher than I did yesterday.
(e) The rehearsal will take place tomorrow at three o'clock.

4. Write a short paragraph on a topic of your choice. Use adverbs to help make your
descriptions more vivid.

Write a character description of the best qualities of your favourite singer or singing group. For
example,Msings loudly", "plays the guitar poorly/'

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