Class 8 English: Tips and Tricks to Score Maximum in Literature

English lessons are often disregarded for being unimportant as it is a subject of art and literature. Students tend to forget that it’s the very same language that they are required to communicate in and use for other mainstream subjects. Your proficiency in the English language decides how strong your grip in other subjects will be. The earlier students gain command over the language, the better it is for them. 8th grade is a crucial time and is an opportunity for students to form a good base in the language. Class 8 NCERT English Textbook Honeydew is recommended for that very purpose. They are excellent study materials for developing reading and comprehension skills in the English language. The stories are thought-provoking and the questions after each lesson encourage students to form their own opinions on the characters and plot of the story. The textbook consists of stories and poems from great thinkers and writers from all over the world like Satyajit Ray, Thomas Hardy, and other renowned personalities. These lessons cultivate thinking skills and develop perspectives on otherworldly topics such as satire, selflessness, karma, commitment, passion, and everything else in between. 

English is for students to explore their creative sides and learn comprehensive literature. Learning English correctly also helps students in creative expression. Students with a strong command of the language are able to express their ideas in other subjects better as well. This guide will help grade 8 students learn English literature the right way from the resources provided to them and also enjoy learning along the way.

Understand the Syllabus

The literature section of English examinations is the highest scoring with the largest weightage. It is completely based on the NCERT English textbook Honeydew. Honeydew offers a wide variety of stories and poems written by renowned scholars teaching students values such as compassion and justice, care and concern for both human and animal life. Honeydew consists of 10 lessons and 8 poems, namely, 

• Lesson 1 The Best Christmas Present in the World,
• Lesson 2 The Tsunami,
• Lesson 3 Glimpses of the Past,
• Lesson 4 Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory,
• Lesson 5 The Summit Within,
• Lesson 6 This is Jody’s Fawn,
• Lesson 7 A Visit to Cambridge,
• Lesson 8 A short monsoon diary,
• Lesson 9 The Great Stone Face – I,
• Lesson 10 The Great Stone Face II.

Poems are as follows:

• Poem 1 The Ant and The Cricket,
• Poem 2 Geography Lesson,
• Poem 3 Macavity (The mystery Cat),
• Poem 4 The Last Bargain,
• Poem 5 The School Boy,
• Poem 6 The Duck and The Kangaroo,
• Poem 7 When I Set Out for Lyonnesse
• Poem 8 On the Grasshopper and the Cricket.

Every story is extremely engaging and students can even read them beforehand and discuss what they feel about the characters and plot with classmates and teachers alike. Poems are more difficult to grasp than lessons so students must pay attention during class. 

Answering Questions

English is a subject for students to explore their creative sides. Students should read every lesson for themselves and form their own opinion on the characters and plotline. The beauty in poetry is truly understood only when read by oneself. 

While writing answers, students are expected to be crisp and straightforward without going off-topic a lot. Students should explore their creative sides abundantly, at the same time validating their answers by referring to the specific text. Writing in short sentences, making paragraphs, using active voice, and some of the features that examiners look for in answers. 

Questions provided at the end of every lesson are the best resources for practice. And Vedantu NCERT solutions are the best resources for answers. Students should formulate their own answers according to their understanding of the lesson and then refer to solutions. 

Practice Practice Practice

To maximize their writing capacity, students should practice writing answers. This improves their grammar and also allows them to give their answers a proper structure. 

Students should also begin using a dictionary and refine their vocabulary. Learning a new word each day and applying it in your writing is essential. 

Teachers are a student’s best resources for guidance and mentorship. They should ask them to review their answers and mold them in a way that is required by CBSE.

Authors and Poets

It is essential for students to remember the authors and poets of each lesson. They can use this opportunity to gain further knowledge about the said author and poet. Such questions are usually asked as short answer-type questions in the exam paper. Furthermore, mentioning the author in the answers can help students fetch extra marks. 

Solve Previous Year Question Papers

The second best resource for acing the literature section is previous years’ question papers and question banks. You can avail these resources from Vedantu class 8 English solutions. As you scan through papers you will realize that the questions follow a similar pattern. You can then design an answer accordingly. English papers are known to be lengthy and many students fail to complete them on time. These papers that you solve should also be timed. No more than an hour should be spent on the Literature section. Practicing papers can help them increase their speed so that they don’t unnecessarily miss out on important questions. Students need to hone their writing skills along with writing speed to score maximum in the literature section. 

Presentation Skills

Presentation skills are of immense importance in English examinations. The better your presentation is, the more attractive your answer becomes, and the more likely are your chances to score well. Your answers should be neat, clean, organized, and pleasing to look at. Include proper margins and gaps between questions in your answer sheet. 

The literature section should always be the first section you solve in the paper. As it is mainly based on memory you can write everything fresh off your mind on the paper. With these tips and tricks and the right way to solve the paper students can score maximum in the literature section with ease.