SOUTH AFRICAN ENGLISH OLYMPIAD:

GRADE 8

DATE: 04 - 08 SEPTEMBER 2023

TIME: 75 MINUTES
Instructions:

1. This booklet has 8 questions.

2. Answer on the paper below.

3. Read the questions carefully before answering.

4. Visit the websites: www.saolympiads.co.za.

_______________________________________________________________________

NAME OF LEARNER:

SCHOOL: GRADE:
QUESTION ONE:
Read the following passage and then answer the questions that follow:
TEXT A:

From Sandals to Sneakers—Shoes Step Forward

Shoes - we wear them nearly every day. We walk, run, jump, climb, and stand in them for
hours on end. Yet we hardly think about them because they are such an ordinary part of
our daily lives. Shoes were not always an important part of people’s wardrobes. The
ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Persians made and wore sandals, but actually went
barefoot most of the time. These people lived in regions where the weather was
temperate, and shoes were not needed to keep their feet warm. Archaeologists have
found shoes in the ruins of these civilizations, but they seem to have been worn mainly by
royalty, who could afford to employ tailors and shoemakers.
As shoes became more common in ancient Egypt, the first ones were simple sandals
created mainly to protect the soles of the feet from rough surfaces. The easiest way to
make shoes in these ancient times was to use materials that were readily available,
including tree bark, leaves, and grasses. In ancient Egypt, sandals were made of rushes,
which are grassy plants with hollow stalks. Rushes are the same plants used today to
make chair bottoms, mats, and baskets. Among the ancient Greeks, sandals were woven
of similar plant materials, but the Greeks also varied the process by tying small pieces of
wood together with dried grass. In later years, they made sandals with leather from the
hides of animals. The first Greek shoes were purely functional, but over time most were
dyed and decorated to make fashion statements. Women began to wear soft, enclosed
leather shoes, and these grew increasingly fancy in the later years of Greek civilization.
The Romans wore sandals much like the Greeks did, but used more pieces of leather to
make them. Some Roman sandals had straps that wrapped around the ankles.
Shoemakers often dyed these sandals in bright colours that represented the different jobs
held by the people wearing them. The patricians, or privileged classes, wore red sandals
with moon-shaped ornaments on the back. Senators wore brown shoes with four black
leather straps wound around the lower leg. Consuls, or legal officers, wore white shoes,
and soldiers wore heavy leather sandals that were more like boots—but with bare toes!
Meanwhile, people who lived in cold northern climates were making their shoes from the
hides of furry animals, such as polar bears and yaks. The soles and tops of these shoes
were made from pieces of soft leather sewn together. This type of shoe—whether or not it
used fur—was called a moccasin. Some Native American groups made and wore
moccasins for thousands of years. Some moccasins were plain, and others were adorned
with beadwork.
As the centuries passed, the primary material for shoes continued to be leather, and the
process of making shoes did not change quickly. A wood and metal framework called a
“last” was wrapped with pieces of leather that were then sewn together. As late as the
mid-1800s, lasts were straight on both sides; this meant that there was no difference in
shape between left and right shoes. It also meant that shoes were uncomfortable and that
breaking them in was not easy. The lasts were made in different sizes, but for a long time
only two widths were available—thin and stout.
In Europe and North America during the seventeenth century, most people wore boots
because they were practical. Even in many large cities, dirt roads were common, and
people had to walk along muddy pathways and across streams. By the eighteenth
century, however, more city streets were paved with cobblestones, and it was easier to
keep shoes clean. Shoes became more decorative, and fancy buckles of gold and silver
were often used. Most shoes worn in the United States throughout the nineteenth century
were patterned after European styles. The major change in shoes over the last century
has been the use of materials other than leather. Humphrey O’Sullivan invented the first
rubber heel for shoes in 1898. Rubber heels were popular because they lasted much
longer than heels made of leather. The use of rubber soles came next. The first rubber-
soled shoes were called plimsolls, and they were manufactured in the United States in
the late 1800s. The first American shoes made without leather were invented in 1917.
The upper material was made of a flexible canvas. Those were the original “sneakers,” a
word that was used because the rubber sole made the shoe very quiet, unlike most
leather shoes, which often squeaked when people walked. Many people today choose
athletic shoes for casual wear, but not until the late 1970s were shoes designed with
amateur athletes in mind. Shoes made of rubber and canvas were worn by tennis,
volleyball, and basketball players. By the 1980s, companies began to design athletic
shoes for specific sports, helping athletes perform better while protecting their feet and
providing comfort. Shoes have come a long way since the ancient Egyptians created their
first sandals. Many more types of materials are used, and shoes have never been more
comfortable or supportive for feet. Even so, it is interesting that the basic sandal, crafted
by people years ago, still has many similarities to the shoes we wear today.

Choose the correct answer from the options below:

1. What was the purpose of the first shoe?

(a) fashionable
(b) functional
(c) comfortable
(d) popularity
(1)
2. What event happened first in the history of shoes?

(a) The making and wearing of moccasins.

(b) The making and wearing of sandals.
(c) The making and wearing of boots.
(d) The making and wearing of sneakers.
(1)

3. Which civilization was the first to wear shoes to make a fashion statement?

(a) Greek (c) Egyptian

(b) Roman (d) Persian
(1)
4. What is the correct hyphenated word?

(a) plim-soll (c) moon-shaped

(b) through-out (d) cobble-stones
(1)
5. “Some moccasins were plain, and others were adorned with Beadwork.”
What type of context clue is used to help you define the word adorned?

(a) Antonym (c) Example

(b) Synonym (d) Explanation
(1)
6. Which is the correct analogy?

(a) Thin is to stout as skinny is to long.

(b) Thin is to stout as narrow is to wide.
(c) Thin is to stout as short is to thin.
(d) Thin is to stout as tall is to fat.
(1)
7. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

(a) To inform about the first sneaker. (b) To inform about the history of
moccasins.
(c) To inform about the ancient Greeks. (d) To inform about the history of shoes.
(1)
8. An example of personification would be:

(a) Non-leather shoes (c) Paved with cobblestones

(b) Fancy buckles of gold (d) Squeaked when people walked
(1)
9. Give an antonym for the word “temperate” as used in the passage.

(a) harsh (c) stormy

(b) unpleasant (d) cold
(1)
10. What is an archaeologist?

(a) Someone who specialises in the science of life.

(b) Someone who specialises in how words change over time.
(c) Someone who specialises in the study of past cultures.
(d) Someone who specialises in the study of prehistoric people and human origins.

(1)

Total: 10
QUESTION TWO:

Choose the correct word in each sentence:

(a) Before Jess went to bed, she ____________ (lie/lay/laid) her clothes out for the
morning because she knew she would have to __________ (raise/rise/rose) early
the next day.
(2)
(b) Either Margaret or Jo __________ (are/is) the new head of the tutor group.
(1)
(c) When I get cold at night, I ____________ (lie/lay/laid) under_____________
(woollen/woolen) blankets.
(2)
QUESTION THREE:
From the following sentence name the PARTS OF SPEECH.
“We were chatting quietly in the kitchen.”
(a) We
(b) quietly
(c) in
(d) the

(4)

QUESTION FOUR:
Add a prefix to the following words to make their antonyms.

(a) permissible
(b) healthy
(2)

QUESTION FIVE:

Rewrite the following into DIRECT speech.

Kate asked which way is the London Underground. Mike replied it’s at the end of Smith
Street.

(3)
QUESTION SIX:
Match each of the following proverbs in Column A to its correct meaning in
Column B.
1. Absence makes the heart grow A. Someone who takes the earliest
fonder. opportunity to do something, will
gain the advantage over others.
2. Beggars can’t be choosers. B. This draws people together
because it triggers healthy physical
and emotional changes in the body.
3. Laughter is the best medicine. C. When we are away from someone
we love, we love them even more.
4. The early bird catches the worm. D. People basically do not alter their
basic personalities habits etc.
5. A leopard never changes its spots. E. People who have no other options,
must be content with what is
offered.

(5)
QUESTION SEVEN: LOGIC

1. The below statement is followed by two conclusions numbered I and II.

You have to assume everything in the statement to be true, then consider the
two conclusions together and decide which one of them logically follows beyond
a reasonable doubt from the information given in the statement.

Statements:
Some wins are trophies.
Some trophies are cups.
No cup is a prize.

Conclusion:
I. At least some cups are wins.
II. All prizes being trophies is a possibility.
III. Some cups are prizes.
IV. Cups and trophies can be prizes.
(2)
 2. Abigail, Oliver, Rosa and Blake all attend the same summer camp, where
they can cook, kayak, rock climb and zip-line. Each child has a different
favourite activity.

• Abigail’s favourite activity is not rock climbing.

• Oliver is afraid of heights.
• Rosa can’t do her favourite activity without a harness.
• Blake likes to keep his feet on the ground at all times.

Can you figure out who likes what?

(4)

QUESTION EIGHT: CROSSWORD: VOCABULARY

Read through the clues below and fill the answers in the relevant spaces.
CLUES:
Across: Down:
6. Break into parts in order to study closely. 1. A group’s refusal to have commercial
dealings with some organisation in
protest against its policies.
8. Examine thoroughly. 2. Ask a series of questions of a person
in order to gain information.
10.Grasp or reach knowledge with respect to 3 Desire to learn or know.
something.
11. Challenge the accuracy of; place in 4. Result of learning; awareness.
doubt.
14. Ask someone for information. 5. Find something hidden or previously
unknown, find out.
15. Study in depth in order to find or check 7. Test to determine a result.
something.
9. True information about a topic.
12. Judge or rate.
13. Travel through an unfamiliar area to
find out what it is like; thoroughly
discuss a topic.

Across: Down:
6. 1.

8. 2.

10. 3

11. 4.

14. 5.

15. 7.

9.

12.

13.

(15)
Total for paper: 50