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Comprehension Passage Grade 8

The passage describes an old, mysterious manor that has long been rumored to be haunted, which intrigues a skeptical young man named George. Upon exploring the manor, he experiences eerie sensations and strange occurrences that challenge his disbelief. Ultimately, George leaves the manor as a believer in its mysteries, haunted by the unsettling atmosphere he encountered.

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23 views

Comprehension Passage Grade 8

The passage describes an old, mysterious manor that has long been rumored to be haunted, which intrigues a skeptical young man named George. Upon exploring the manor, he experiences eerie sensations and strange occurrences that challenge his disbelief. Ultimately, George leaves the manor as a believer in its mysteries, haunted by the unsettling atmosphere he encountered.

Uploaded by

sahaanaa2011
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Comprehension Passage (450 words)

The Mystery of the Old Manor

There was a house at the edge of the town – an old manor, surrounded by tall, gnarled trees.
People spoke of it in hushed tones, but no one had lived there for years. The gate creaked in
the wind, and the windows, once grand, were now darkened by time. “It’s haunted,” they
said, but no one dared to investigate.

One rainy evening, a curious young man named George decided to visit the manor. He had
heard the stories his whole life but had always been skeptical. As he stood before the massive
door, his thoughts raced. Could the rumors be true? Would he find evidence of the strange
happenings that had kept the town’s attention for so long? With a deep breath, he pushed the
door open.

Inside, the air was musty. The floorboards creaked under his feet as he ventured deeper into
the heart of the house. Cobwebs filled the corners, and the distant sound of dripping water
echoed in the silence. As he walked through the long, dark hallways, George noticed
something strange. The paintings on the walls appeared to watch him as he passed, their eyes
following his every move. He shivered. Was it his imagination, or was there something more
sinister at play?

He continued exploring, his footsteps slower now. In the grand dining room, a large
chandelier hung from the ceiling – its once-bright crystals now dull and covered in dust.
George suddenly felt an odd sensation – as if he was being watched. He turned around
quickly, but no one was there. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the occasional
creak of the house settling. It was then that he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
A shadow moved past the doorframe.

With his heart racing, George stepped cautiously toward the shadow. The corridor was
empty, but the feeling of being watched grew stronger. Was it the house itself, or was there
someone else here? He turned to leave but was stopped by a sound – faint at first, then
growing louder: footsteps behind him.

George spun around, expecting to see someone, but the hallway was still deserted. He rubbed
his eyes and took a deep breath. "Maybe I imagined it," he muttered to himself. But as he
walked out the door, the faint sound of laughter echoed through the house.

The mystery of the old manor remained unsolved, but George, now a believer, would never
forget the eerie feeling that had crept over him that night.

Questions (30 Marks)

Data Interpretation (5 Marks)

1. What are the three key elements George notices about the manor when he enters it?
(2 Marks)
2. How does the author use sensory details to create suspense in the passage? Provide
two examples.
(3 Marks)

Impact of Different Sentence Lengths and Types (5 Marks)


3. Read the following sentence from the passage:

 "Inside, the air was musty."


 How does the short, simple sentence affect the tone of the passage?
(2 Marks)

4. The sentence "The silence was oppressive, broken only by the occasional creak of the
house settling" is a compound sentence. How does the length and structure of this
sentence affect the reader's perception of the setting?
(3 Marks)

Punctuation: Round and Square Brackets, Dashes, Hyphen, Ellipsis, Italics, Apostrophe
(5 Marks)
5. In the sentence "He turned to leave but was stopped by a sound – faint at first, then
growing louder," what does the dash indicate about the sound George hears?
(2 Marks)

6. Identify the use of an apostrophe in the passage and explain its purpose.
(1 Mark)
7. What effect does the use of italics have in the phrase "Maybe I imagined it"?
(2 Marks)

Conditional Clauses (5 Marks)


8. Consider the following sentence from the passage:

 "If he had known about the strange events in the house, he would have never entered."
 What is the conditional clause, and how does it affect the meaning of the sentence?
(2 Marks)

9. Write your own conditional sentence based on the events in the passage.
(3 Marks)

Synonyms and Time Adverbials (5 Marks)


10. Find a synonym in the passage for the word "strange" and explain how it contributes to
the atmosphere.
(2 Marks)
11. How does the use of time adverbials like "once" and "now" help in building the mood
in the passage?
(3 Marks)

Expository Writing (5 Marks)


12. Imagine you are writing an expository essay on the theme of mystery in literature. Write a
short paragraph (100 words) explaining how the author builds suspense in the passage.
(5 Marks)

Author’s Purpose and Point of View (5 Marks)


13. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage? Provide two pieces of evidence to
support your answer.
(3 Marks)

14. From whose point of view is the story told, and how do you know?
(2 Marks)

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