English Revision Worksheet- Term 3(2024-25)
NAME: DATE:
GRADE: 8 SECTION:
Question 1
Read the text below from Alone at Sea by Liam O’ Flynn. Answer the questions in
full sentences.
Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink. I am doomed. The wooden
planks of flotsam I cobbled together after the shipwreck, are coming loose. I am
sitting on a floating coffin with makeshift oars. It’s like a sauna out here in this big,
blue tomb. The emptiness in my soul matches the spiritless sky and the
featureless waterscape around me.
The days are the worst. The remorseless sun bends his full will against my survival,
and he is winning. I feel like I have been stabbed by a million sun spears. My blood
simmers, my brain stews, and even my bones seem to smoulder in their meaty
carcass. Dead man drifting. That’s who I am. I am floundering in a sea of divine-
blue quicklime and there’s no escape. My tongue feels like a slab of lead, cloven
to the roof of my mouth. My throat is parched, and my lips are chapped and flaky.
Below the surface, huge shapes glide. Their fins break the surface like steel
triangles, leaving barely a ripple. They circle and circle, constantly searching for
weakness. They have followed me for three days and nights, cruel and cunning as
they are. The knife fixed to the end of the oar can only keep them at bay for so long.
The haunting cheep-cheep of a passing tern reminds me how powerless I really am.
Even he can go home. The stink of a thousand seas surrounds me. It is a mix of
rotting kelp and dying fish. It assaults my nostrils and steals my hope.
But lo! There’s a huge magma-red light in the distance. I am rocked by a huge
wave which pushes me towards the light. My name is Lucius Andropedus. I am a
fisherman from Pompeii and I am lost at sea.
A Give synonyms for the bold words in the text. (5)
flotsam – floundering –
cobbled- cloven –
spiritless -
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C What does the writer compare the sea to in the first paragraph? ( 1)
D Give ONE simile from the first paragraph. Explain the meaning of this simile (2)
E Why is the seascape described as being ‘featureless’? (1)
F Why is there ‘no escape’ for the fisherman from the ‘divine-blue quicklime’? (2)
G Give ONE example of alliteration in the text. (1)
H) The ‘huge magma-red light in the distance’ is a volcanic eruption. Do you think the
fisherman has been saved? (2)
I Who is telling the story? Give an example from the text to support your answer. (2)
J Is the story written in the first or third person? ( 1)
K How can we tell that this text is set hundreds of years ago? (1)
Question 2
Grammar
A Name the parts of speech of the underlined words in the text below. Write your
answers in the table below the text. (4)
Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink. I am doomed. The wooden planks
of flotsam I cobbled together after the shipwreck are coming loose. I am sitting on a
floating coffi n with makeshift oars. It’s like a sauna out here in this big, blue tomb.
The emptiness in my soul matches the spiritless sky and the featureless
waterscape around me.
Word from text Part of speech
water
doomed
wooden
emptiness
B Identify the parts of speech of the underlined words in the sentences below. Only
write the answer. (4)
• The tern cheeped hauntingly.
• The sailor was a fisherman from Pompeii.
• A huge wave pushed the raft towards the Italian coast.
• The adventure happened many years ago.
C Punctuate the sentences below. Write the correct sentence on the line. (4)
D • It is important to check your boat before going out to sea
• The fishermans adventure was dangerous!
• Have you ever had a lucky escape
• Always pack extra food warm clothing and a flare.
_________________________________________________________________
• Write a sentence about the picture in active voice.
• Write a sentence about the picture in passive voice.
• Write an opinion about the picture.
• Write a fact about the picture.
E Change the words below into nouns. (4)
• describe
• confident
• fragrant
• musical
