Students can Download KSEEB Class 8 English Comprehension Passages, KSEEB Solutions for Class 8 English helps you to revise the complete Karnataka State Board Syllabus and to clear all their doubts, score well in final exams.
Karnataka State Syllabus Class 8 English Comprehension Passages
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
There once lived two eagle brothers. They were born among the cliffs of the Himalayas. They used to mount the air, higher and higher. They often raced each other. One day they wanted to reach the sun. They went on and on, till the sun’s rays could not be borne. One of them, Jatayu, nearly fainted under the fierce heat. Sampathi, full of pity, spread his large wings between his brother and the fiery orb. Jatayu was saved, but Sampathi’s wings were burnt, and his eyes nearly lost their light. He could never fly again. Then he fell on the Vindhya mountains and lay there for a long time. When he came to his senses’, he dragged himself to the cave of a holy man. When he reached there, he told the holy man his story and asked for death. But the saint said, “Of what use is death? Wait in patience. The time will come for you to serve a nobler being than yourself”.
Questions:
Question 1.
How did Sampathi save his brother?
Answer:
Sampathi spread his large wings between his brother and the sun and saved Jatayu.
Question 2.
Where were the eagle brothers born?
Answer:
The eagle brothers were born among the cliffs of the Himalayas.
Question 3.
What were the names of the two brothers?
Answer:
Jatayu and Sampathi.
Question 4.
Why did Jatayu nearly faint?
Answer:
One day the eagle brothers wanted to reach the sun. They went on and on, till the sun’s rays could not be borne. Jatayu nearly fainted under the fierce heat.
Question 5.
What did the holy man say?
Answer:
The holy man said, “Of what use is death? Wait in patience. The time will come for you to serve a nobler being than yourself”.
Question 6.
Why couldn’t Sampathi fly?
Answer:
Sampathi spread his large wings between his brother and the sun and saved Jatayu. But, his wings were burnt, and his eyes nearly lost their light. He could never fly again.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Lokmanya Tilak was imprisoned by the English. He kept himself busy in studies while in jail. The jail was a quiet place, where even the birds wouldn’t chirp. Tilak started putting away some food for birds while having his meals. The food was untouched in the beginning. But, after some days a few birds started coming there. Slowly their number increased and they were all around Tilak. The birds would sit on his head and shoulders fearlessly. One day a jailor came to Tilak’s cell while on his rounds. On hearing the chirping of birds, he peeped in and he was totally surprised. “So many birds; where have they come from?”, he asked. Tilak replied, “Friend, I didn’t bring them from India. These are from here only”. The jailor was surprised. He said, “Everybody eats birds; hence the birds do not come here”. Tilak laughed and said, “the birds can also distinguish between friends and foes”.
Questions:
Question 1.
Why did the birds come to the prison?
Answer:
The birds came to the prison for food.
Question 2.
What did the jailor ask Tilak? What was Tilak’s reply?
Answer:
The jailor was surprised to see the birds. “So many birds where have they come from?”, he asked Tilak. Tilak replied, “Friend, I didn’t bring them from India. These are from here only”.
Question 3.
How did Tilak spend his days in jail?
Answer:
Tilak kept himself, busy in studies while in jail.
Question 4.
How was the jail?
Answer:
The jail was a quiet place, where even the birds wouldn’t chirp.
Question 5.
Why did the jailor peep into Tilak’s cell?
Answer:
One day the jailor came to Tilak’s cell while on his rounds. On hearing the chirping of birds, he peeped in and was surprised to find many birds inside.
Question 6.
How can you say that the birds were friendly with Tilak?
Answer:
The birds were all around Tilak. They would sit on his head and shoulders fearlessly.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Peter had two daughters. Once he asked them: “What is the sweetest thing in the world?”
“Honey!” said his elder daughter. “Salt”, replied the younger one. Peter got angry thinking that the younger daughter was making fun of him. A quarrel broke out between them and in a rage Peter drove her out of the house. As the pretty maiden was roaming about homeless, a young handsome prince saw her. Struck by her beauty he took her to his splendid palace and married her. The bride invited her father, Peter, to the wedding feast without disclosing her identity. Rich and delicious dishes were served, but they were all without salt. As the guests began to eat the tasteless food, they started to complain loudly. “Ah”, said Peter, the bride’s father, “Salt is truly the sweetest thing in the world. When my daughter said so, I turned her out of the house. Oh God! If only I could see her again and beg for forgiveness”.
The bride drew the veil from her face and went to greet her father. Soon, properly salted dishes were served and all the guests were satisfied.
Questions:
Question 1.
Why did Peter set angry with his younger daughter?
Answer:
Peter got angry with his younger daughter because she told him that salt was the sweetest thing in the world.
Question 2.
How did he punish her?
Answer:
He drove her out of the house.
Question 3.
Who married the young girl?
Answer:
The prince of the place married her.
Question 4.
The guests complained, but Peter was sad. Why?
Answer:
Peter had realised the depth of meaning of her daughter’s reply. He had realised his error.
Question 5.
When were the guests satisfied?
Answer:
Guests were satisfied when the dishes with salt were served.
Question 6.
Pick out the word from the passage which means ‘tasting very good’.
Answer:
Delicious.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Smoke started coming out of a block of flats. Within minutes the first two.floors were burning. Then women and children ran out of their flats. There were a lot of noise. A woman started screaming ‘My baby is in the house’.
She ran forward. She wanted to get into the house. But, before she could do so, a man caught hold of her and dragged her way. Just then the firemen came. They had brought with them their dog Hero. They had trained their dog. Weeping loudly the woman told the firemen ‘My baby is in the flat’. ‘Don’t worry’, they told her. Then they told Hero, ‘Go and bring the baby’.
Hero ran into the smoke-filled entrance. They heard him barking, a few times, but could not see him. Suddenly, the crowd cheered loudly. Hero was coming out of the house. He was half-carrying and half-dragging a bundle. The mother ran forward and picked up the bundle. The boy was in it. He was smiling. The mother hugged the baby and started crying.
‘Well done, Hero’, the firemen patted Hero and said everything was alright. But Hero kept barking and wanted to enter the block of flats again. The firemen thought there might be another baby inside. So, they let Hero enter the flat once more. A few minutes later Hero came running out. He was dragging another bundle. The crowd cheered and ran forward to look at the bundle. ‘Look’, said a woman, ‘he has saved another baby’. They opened the bundle and burst out laughing. Hero had rescued a big doll!
Questions:
Question 1.
Why did the people run out of the flats?
Answer:
Smoke started coming out of a block of flats.
Question 2.
What did the woman scream?
Answer:
‘My baby is in the house’.
Question 3.
Did she .want to set into the house?
Answer:
Yes, she did want to.
Question 4.
What was the name of the dog?
Answer:
Hero.
Question 5.
What was in the first bundle?
Answer:
A baby.
Question 6.
What was in the second bundle?
A big doll.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
A woodcutter was cutting down a tree. The axe flew down from his hand and fell into the river. The woodcutter called out to the God Mercury to help him to get the axe. Mercury put his hand into the river and took out an axe made of gold. “Is this your axe?” asked Mercury. The woodcutter said, “No”. Then Mercury pulled out an axe made of silver. “Is this your axe?” asked Mercury. “No”, said the woodcutter. Then Mercury drew out the woodcutter’s axe. The woodcutter thanked Mercury. Mercury gave the three axes to the woodcutter. The woodcutter was happy.
Questions:
Question 1.
Why did the woodcutter seek Mercury’s help?
Answer:
The woodcutter sought Mercury’s.help to get back his axe that had fallen into the river.
Question 2.
Why did the woodcutter refuse to take the first two axes?
Answer:
Because those two axes did not belong to him.
Question 3.
What did the woodcutter do with his axe?
Answer:
When the woodcutter was cutting a tree, the axe flew down from his hand and fell into the river.
Question 4.
Why did the woodcutter thank Mercury?
Answer:
Because, Mercury gave him all the three axes.
Question 5.
How many times did Mercury dive into the river?
Answer:
Three times.
Question 6.
What do you learn from this passage?
a) Truthfulness
b) Respect for God
c) Hard work
d) Try again.
Answer:
a) Truthfulness