STEM WORLD SCHOOL

ASSIGNMENT (5)
CLASS: VIII
SUBJECT: ENGLISH I
TOPICS-Simile, Alliteration, Personification, Onomatopoeia, Comprehension Passage

What is Simile?

Simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things.

The simile is usually in a phrase that begins with the words "as" or
"like."

Examples—

I am as busy as a bee.

My hair is as black as coal.

A) Make sentences with the similes given below—

1. as tough as nails
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2. as cool as a cucumber
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_3. as sweet as sugar
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_4. as brave as a lion
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5. as cute as a kitten
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6. as dry as dust
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_ 7. as blind as a bat
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_8. as light as a feather
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What is Alliteration?

Alliteration is the repetition of initial constant sounds of nearby words.

Examples—

Betty Botter bought some butter.

She sells seashells by the seashore.

I saw Susie sitting in a shoeshine shop.

B) Underline the Alliterative letters in the poem—

I saw an ol' gnome

Take a gknock at a gnat
Who was gnibbling the gnose of his gnu.
I said, "Gnasty gnome,
Gnow, stop doing that.
That gnat ain't done gnothing to you."
He gnodded his gnarled ol' head and said,
"'Til gnow I gnever gnew
That gknocking a gnat
In the gnoodle like that
Was gnot a gnice thing to do."
What is Personification?
Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing – an idea or
an animal – is given human attributes.
Examples-
*The sky weeps.

The wind whispered through dry grass.

The flowers danced in the gentle breeze.

Time and tide wait for none.

*When we say, “The sky weeps,” we are giving the sky the ability to cry,
which is a human quality. Thus, we can say that the sky has been
personified in the given sentence.
C) In each sentence, an object or idea is personified. Identify the
object or idea that is being personified and explain which human trait
or action is applied to the object or idea.
1. “Your little voice
Over the wires came leaping
And I felt suddenly dizzy.”
What is being personified?
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Which human trait or quality is given?
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2. “While through the windows, steel-barred, stern and tall,
Pale daylight greets us like a plaintive song.”
What is being personified?
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Which human trait or quality is given?
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3. “And, as of old, in the horizon-sky,
The sun can find a lovely place to die.”
What is being personified?
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Which human trait or quality is given?
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4. “The nights went by like the moaning wind
And the days like drifting snow.”
What is being personified?
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Which human trait or quality is given?
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5. “ Then you came with flowers crowned and sun-kissed hair.”
What is being personified?
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Which human trait or quality is given?
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6. “Over the snow my creaking feet
Disturbed the slumbering village street.”
What is being personified?
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Which human trait or quality is given?
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7. “They danced until the shy moon looking down
Deemed herself lost above some Grecian glade;”
What is being personified?
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Which human trait or quality is given?
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8. “Beyond the cliffs brown fishing boats go by
Under the reach of the wide laughing sky.”
What is being personified?
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Which human trait or quality is given?
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What is Onomatopoeia?
Onomatopoeia refers to words whose pronunciations imitate the
sounds they describe.

Examples—

Rain pitter-patters, drip-drops, and rat-a-tats on the tin roof. Creeks

babble and churn. Lakes ripple. Rivers rush. Oceans crash, roar, and
thunder against the shore.
D) Read each sentence and circle the onomatopoeic word. Also
explain what makes this noise--

1. Tommy made me laugh so hard in the lunchroom that I snorted milk

out of my nose.

What made the noise?

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2. The shelf in the hallway fell and the thump made us jump.

What made the noise?

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3. Shaun knew that the shot had been successful when he heard the
swish of the basketball net.

What made the noise?

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4. When the host asked the audience if they wanted the red team to
win, everyone clapped their hands.

What made the noise?

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5. While sleeping in her tent, Janie was frightened by the wolves

howling at the moon.

What made the noise?

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6. John heard the water running and the toilet flush, so he knew that
the bathroom was occupied.

What made the noise?

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7. As Tom got closer to where Vanessa was lying on the couch, the dog
began growling.

What made the noise?

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8. Our peaceful dinner ended when the phone began ringing and Mom
got up to answer it.

What made the noise?

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E) Read the passage and answer the questions that follow—

Garbage cans are not magical portals. Trash does not disappear when
you toss it in a can. Yet, the average American throws away an
estimated 1,600 pounds of waste each year. If there are no magic
garbage fairies, where does all that trash go? There are four methods to
managing waste: recycling, land filling, composting and incinerating.
Each method has its strengths and weaknesses. Let's take a quick look
at each.

Recycling is the process of turning waste into new materials. For

example, used paper can be turned into paperboard, which can be used
to make book covers. Recycling can reduce pollution, save materials
and lower energy use. Yet, some argue that recycling wastes energy.
They believe that collecting, processing and converting waste uses
more energy than it saves. Still, most people agree that recycling is
better for the planet than land filling.

Land filling is the oldest method of managing waste. In its simplest

form, land filling is when people bury garbage in a hole. Over time the
practice of land filling has advanced. Garbage is compacted before it is
thrown into the hole. In this way more garbage can fit in each landfill.
Large liners are placed in the bottom of landfills so that toxic garbage
juice doesn't get into the ground water. Sadly, these liners don't always
work. Landfills may pollute the local water supply. Not to mention that
all of that garbage stinks. Nobody wants to live next to a landfill. This
makes it hard to find new locations for landfills.

As landfill space increases, interest in composting grows. Compositing is

when people pile up organic matter, such as food waste and allow it to
decompose. The product of this decomposition is compost. Compost
can be added to the soil to make the soil richer and better for growing
crops. While composting is easy to do onsite somewhere, like home or
school, it's hard to do after the garbage gets all mixed up. This is
because plastic and other inorganic materials must be removed from
the compost pile or they will pollute the soil. There's a lot of plastic in
garbage, which makes it hard to compost on a large scale.

One thing that is easier to do is burning garbage. There are two main
ways to incinerate waste. The first is to create or harvest a fuel from
the waste, such as methane gas, and burn the fuel. The second is to
burn the waste directly. The heat from the incineration process can boil
water, which can power steam generators. Unfortunately, burning
garbage pollutes the air. Also, some critics worry that incinerators
destroy valuable resources that could be recycled.

Usually, the community in which you live manages waste. Once you put
your garbage in that can, what happens to it is beyond your control. But
you can make choices while it is still in your possession. You can choose
to recycle, you can choose to compost, or you can choose to let
someone else deal with it. The choice is yours.

1. Which best explains why the author begins the text by talking about
magical garbage fairies?

a. He is putting a common misconception to rest.

b. He is trying to get the reader's attention.

c. He is addressing his concern in a serious way.

d. He is supporting his argument with evidence.

2. Which best defines the meaning of incineration as it is used in the

text?

a. To bury waste materials in a large hole

b. To allow waste products to decompose and become fertilizer

c. To burn waste materials and harvest the energy

d. To turn waste materials into products like book covers

3. Which was not cited in the third paragraph as an issue with land
filling?

a. Landfills are smelly.

b. Usable materials are wasted in landfills.

c. Landfills may pollute the water supply.

d. It is difficult to find locations for landfills.

4. Which conclusion could best be supported with text from the
passage?

a. Each method of waste management has its drawbacks.

b. Recycling is without a doubt the best way to handle waste.

c. Incineration is the best way to process waste.

d. All large cities should create massive compost piles.

5. Which best expresses the main idea of the fourth paragraph?

a. Landfills take up a lot of space.

b. Composting is good for the soil but it can be hard to do.

c. The process of composting is very complicated and scientific.

d. There is a lot of plastic garbage in landfills.

6. Which best expresses the meaning of the word compacted as it is

used in the third paragraph?

a. Garbage is burned before it is thrown in a hole.

b. Garbage is put in trucks before it is thrown in a hole.

c. Garbage is crushed smaller before it is thrown in a hole.

d. Garbage is put in a can before it is thrown in a hole.

7. Which best expresses the author's main purpose in writing this?

a. To convince readers to recycle and compost

b. To persuade readers that recycling is a waste of resources

c. To compare and contrast recycling and land filling

d. To inform readers of methods of waste management

8. Which is not included in this text?

a. A description of how trash is collected

b. A description of the uses of compost

c. A description of the two methods of incinerating trash

d. A description of how landfills have advanced over time

9. Which best explains why composting is not feasible on a large scale?

a. People wouldn't want to touch all of that gross rotting food.

b. It would smell too bad in densely populated cities.

c. It would attract rodents that would spread disease.

d. Plastic would get into the compost and turn it into a pollutant.

10. Which title best expresses the main idea of this text?

a. The Magic of Recycling: Bringing Back What Was Once Lost

b. Methods of Waste Management: Pros and Cons

c. Recycling, Land filling, or Composting: Which is Best For You?

d. Do Your Part: How to Save the Earth by Recycling and Composting

1. Which two methods of waste management do you believe are best
for society? Support your argument with text.
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2. Which two methods of waste management do you believe are worst

for society? Refer to the text in your argument.
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3. Summarize the article. Be sure to cover the pros and cons of the four
methods of waste management.
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