Grade 8 Pre-Test Text A: Excerpt From Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

GRADE 8 PRE-TEST
TEXT A
My infatuation with the study of animate nature grew rapidly into a full-
fledged love affair. I found that even the human beings with whom the study
brought me into contact could be fascinating too. My first mentor was a middle-
aged Scotsman who gained his livelihood delivering ice, but who was in fact an
ardent amateur mammologist. At a tender age he had developed mange, or
leprosy, or some other such infantile disease, and had lost all his hair, never to
recover it - a tragedy which may have had a bearing on the fact that, when I
knew him, he had already devoted fifteen years of his life to a study of the
relationship between summer molt and incipient narcissism in pocket gophers.
This man had become so intimate with gophers that he could charm them with
sibilant whistles until they would emerge from their underground retreats and
passively allow him to examine the hair on their backs.
Nor were the professional biologists with whom I later came into contact
one whit less interesting. When I was eighteen I spent a summer doing field
work in the company of another mammologist, seventy years of age, who was
replete with degrees and whose towering stature in the world of science had
been earned largely by an exhaustive study of uterine scars in shrews. This
man, a revered professor at a large American university, knew more about the
uteri of shrews than any other man has ever known. Furthermore, he could talk
about his subject with real enthusiasm. Death will find me long before I tire of
contemplating an evening spent in his company during which he enthralled a
mixed audience consisting of a fur trader, a Cree Indian matron, and an
Anglican missionary, with an hour-long monologue on sexual aberrations in
female pygmy shrews. (The trader misconstrued the tenor of the discourse; but
the missionary, inured by years of humorless dissertations, soon put him right.)
My early years as a naturalist were free and fascinating, but as I entered

manhood and found that my avocation must now become my vocation, the
walls began to close in. The happy days of the universal scholar who was able
to take a keen interest in all phases of natural history were at an end, and I was
forced to recognize the unpalatable necessity of specializing, if I was to
succeed as a professional biologist. Nevertheless, as I began my academic
training at the university, I found it difficult to choose the narrow path.
Excerpt from Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
1. What is the author’s present situation?

A. He is a biologist.
B. He is an intern.
C. He is a researcher.
D. He is a university student.
2. Which of the following explains the type of the text used in the excerpt?
A. It informs the readers about the different types of scientists.
B. It narrates a realistic event.
C. It presents an argument on career decision making.
D. It raises a problem on how to advance one’s profession.
3. What might be the next action the author has to make?

A. Choosing a specialization in his vocation
B. Having second thoughts if he will continue his degree
C. Informing his family about his change of plans
D. Seeking advice from his friends on what’s best for him
4. What does the author want to impart to his readers?

A. Grown-ups at some point in life must make a crucial decision.
B. Passion can drive the person to work hard.
C. Small sacrifices must be made along the way as one reaches his goals.
D. People’s preference in life such likes and dislikes change as they mature.
5. Which detail will best support the possible decision that the author has to make in
the future?
A. His passion in general science
B. His peers whom he considered mentors
C. His blissful childhood
D. His scholarship
TEXT B
Margie even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed May
17, 2157, she wrote, "Today, Tommy found a real book!"
It was a very old book. Margie's grandfather once said that when he was a
little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were
printed on paper.
They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully
funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were
supposed to--on a screen, you know. And then, when they turned back to
the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read
it the first time.
"Gee," said Tommy, "what a waste. When you're through with the book, you
just throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million
books on it and it's good for plenty more. I wouldn't throw it away."
"Same with mine," said Margie. She was eleven and hadn't seen as many
telebooks as Tommy had. He was thirteen. She said, "Where did you find
it?"
"In my house." He pointed without looking, because he was busy reading.

"In the attic." "What's it about?" "School."
Margie was scornful. "School? What's there to write about school? I hate
school."
[…]
The screen was lit up, and it said: "Today's arithmetic lesson is on the
addition of proper fractions. Please insert yesterday's homework in the
proper slot."
Excerpt from The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov
6. What present reality does the author want to share to his readers?
A. Old generations are wiser and happier than the present one.
B. Schooling begins at home.
C. Technology continues to evolve and affects people’s lives.
D. What once indispensable may become useless like books.
7. What might be the reason for Margie’s negative attitude towards schooling?
A. Teachers have been replaced by machines.

B. Television screen has resulted in boredom.
C. Traditional books will be used again in schooling.
D. Students are given homework.
8. Margie was scornful. What is the meaning of the underlined word?
A. annoyed and clueless

B. doubtful and worried
C. strong dislike and disrespect
D. surprised and confused
9. What might one conclude about the education system described in the story?
A. Children learn through robots and machines.

B. Home becomes the primary source of information.
C. Schools are controlled by the government.
D. Parents decide for the future of their children.
10. What is the title of the story?
A. The Diary
B. The Fun They Had
C. The School
D. Past and Present Generations

Grade 8 Pre-Test Text A: Excerpt From Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Grade 8 Pre-Test Text A: Excerpt From Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Grade 8 Pre-Test Text A: Excerpt From Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

GRADE 8 PRE-TEST

My early years as a naturalist were free and fascinating, but as I entered

Excerpt from Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

1. What is the author’s present situation?

3. What might be the next action the author has to make?

4. What does the author want to impart to his readers?

"In my house." He pointed without looking, because he was busy reading.

A. Teachers have been replaced by machines.

8. Margie was scornful. What is the meaning of the underlined word?

A. annoyed and clueless

A. Children learn through robots and machines.

10. What is the title of the story?

You might also like