ENGLISH DIAGNOSTIC TEST 8th GradeSkillsContents

Identify Complete Reading Comprehension Listening Comprehension Grammar: Simple Past Tense

Name / SurnameGradeDateTotal ScoreObtained Score

I. LISTENING SECTION: You are going to listen a recording twice. Answer the following sentences according to what you hear. 1. What is the recording about?a. It is about a competitionb. It is about a championshipc. It is about a marathon2. Who was the first marathon runner?a. Greek Manb. Pheiddipidesc. Athens Greece3. When did the story start?a. In 490 BCb. In 490 ACc. In 590 BC4. Where did Persian arrive? a. Plain of Marathonb. Planes of Marathonc. Plan of Marathon5. How many days did he run? a. He ran for twelve days.b. He ran for two daysc. He ran for two months6. When was the first marathon race? a. In 1996b. In 1886c. In 18987. Who was the first marathon winner?a. Greek runnerb. Pheidippidesc. Spiridon LouisII. SCHOOL OF THE AIRAustralia is an enormous country, but is has a population of only 20 million. Some families live on farms, hundreds of kilometers from a town or city. Children from these families cant travel to school every day, so many of them use a special school: the Australian School of the Air. There are twelve Schools of the Air in Australia and over 1,000 students use them. Students of the School of the Air havent got lessons in classrooms with other students. They study at home on their own. The teachers at the School of the Air prepare lessons and send them to the students by post or e-mail. The students have to work on these lessons for five or six hours a day, Monday to Friday. They send their work to the teachers once a week and discuss it by radio or over the internet. They can also borrow books from the school library. The books arrive by post. Once or twice a year, a teacher visits every student at home. The teacher spends a day with the students, helps them with their work and discusses problems. The teacher often has dinner with the family and stays for a night at the students house. Teachers and students can also meet at the Sports Carnival. This takes place once a year on playing fields in Alice Springs. Students dont have to go, but it is a great way for them to do sport together and to make friends.READING SECTION: Read the texts and answer the questions below:

1. Why didnt some students in Australia go to normal schools? a) Because their parents work on farms. b) Because they live hundreds of kilometers away from a school. c) Because their parents dont like to send their children to school. 2. How often do the students send their work to the teachers? a) Every day. b) Twice a week. c) Once a week. 3. How many students are there in the School of the Air? a) There are 100 students in the School of the Air. b) There are 1,000 students in the School of the Air. c) There are 11,000 students in the School of the Air. 4. How do the students discuss their work with a teacher? a) On the phone. b) By radio or on the internet. c) By e-mail. 5. When do the teacher and the student meet each other? a) When the student visits the teachers home. b) When the student goes to the school. c) When the teacher visits the students home.

THE FAMOUS SHIPWRECK TITANICThe Titanic was a passenger ship built in 1911. It was called the unsinkable ship because of its amazing design. No one believed it could sink. On April 10th 1912, the Titanic left England for New York city on its first voyage. Four days later, the ship hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship sank and over 1,000 people drowned. For a long time, underwater explorers searched for the shipwreck.In 1985, they discovered it. The wreck was broken and it was impossible to move, but they were able to bring back thousands of items, such as clothes and letters. These items have helped historians understand more about the people who sailed on the Titanic.

A. Answer and write TRUE (T) or FALSE (F): 1. _______ The Titanic was a passenger ship. 2. _______ The Titanic was built in 1811. 3. _______ It was called the unsinkable ship because it was enormous. 4. _______ On April 10th 1912, the Titanic left England for New York city on its second voyage.. 5. _______ The ship sank and over 100 people drowned. 6. _______ Four days later, the ship hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean. 7. _______ Underwater explorers discovered the Titanic in 1985.

B. Read the text again and match:A B_____ The Titanic was _____ The wreck was broken and _____ they brought back thousands of items _____ In 1985 _____ For a long timea. explorer searched for the titanicb. they discovered the Titanic.c. a passenger ship.d. it was impossible to move.e. such as clothes and letters.

III. GRAMMAR SECTION: A) Read the sentences and complete the blanks with the verbs in brackets:1. (you/see) ___________Martin yesterday?2. I (see) __________him two days ago.3. He (not/be) __________at the meeting on Monday because he was away on business.4.Where (she/go) __________for her holidays?5How long (take/you) ________to drive from Amsterdam to Paris?6.(you/enjoy)____________ your holiday in Italy?7.I (see)____________a great film on TV last night.8. I (not/eat) __________ the food because I wasn't hungry.9. Why (you/ wake) _____________up earlier? B) Complete the conversation with was, wasnt, were, or werent. Mary: _________ you in Miami last year, Charlie?Charlie: No, I _____________. I ______ in San Francisco the last year.Mary: ___________ you there with your family?Charlie: Yes, I _______________. What about you?Mary: Oh! I didn't travel. I _________ just at home. What did you do there?Charlie: I ________ on the beach and I visited many places. It ______ a great time.