CST English Language Arts - Grade 8

1. Murphy
from “Dogs That Have Known Me”
How I Got to Be Perfect
by Jean Kerr
1        The dog that gave us the most trouble was a beagle named Murphy. As far
as I’m concerned, the first thing he did wrong was to turn into a beagle. I had
seen him bounding around on the other side of a pet-shop window, and I went
in and asked the man, “How much is that adorable fox terrier in the window?”
Did he say, “That adorable fox terrier is a beagle”? No, he said, “Ten dollars,
lady.” Now, I don’t mean to say one word against beagles. They have rights
just like other people. But it is a bit of a shock when you bring home a small
ball of fluff in a shoebox, and three weeks later it’s as long as the sofa. 2        Murphy was the first dog I ever trained personally, and I was delighted at the enthusiasm with which he
took to the newspaper. It was sometime later that we discovered, to our horror, that—like so many dogs—he
had grasped the letter but not the spirit of the thing. Until the very end of his days he felt a real sense of
obligation whenever he saw a newspaper—any newspaper—and it didn’t matter where it was. I can’t bring
myself to go into the details, except to mention that we were finally compelled to keep all the papers in the
bottom of the icebox. 3        He had another habit that used to leave us open to a certain amount of criticism from our friends who were
not dogophiles. He never climbed up on beds or chairs or sofas. But he always sat on top of the piano. In the
beginning we used to try to pull him off of there. But after a few noisy scuffles in which he knocked a picture
off the wall, scratched the piano, and smashed a lamp, we just gave in—only to discover that, left to his own
devices, he hopped up and down as delicately as a ballet dancer. 4        It’s not just our own dogs that bother me. The dogs I meet at parties are even worse. I don’t know what
I’ve got that attracts them; it just doesn’t bear thought. My husband swears I rub chopped meat on my ankles.
But at every party it’s the same thing. I am sitting with a group in front of the fire when all of a sudden the
large mutt of the host appears in the archway. Then, without a single bark of warning, he hurls himself upon
me. He settles down peacefully on my lap. I blow out such quantities of hair as I haven’t swallowed and
glance at my host, expecting to be rescued. He murmurs, “Isn’t that wonderful? You know, Brucie is usually
so distant with strangers.” 5        At a dinner party last week, after I had been mugged by a large sheepdog, I announced quite piteously,
“Oh dear, he seems to have swallowed one of my earrings.” The hostess looked really distressed for a
moment, until she examined the remaining earring. Then she said, “Oh, I think it will be all right. It’s small
and round.” 6        Nowadays if I go anywhere I just ask if they have a dog. If they do, I say, “Maybe I’d better keep away
from him—I have this bad allergy.” This does not really charm the lady of the house. In fact, she behaves
rather as though she’d just discovered that I was back in analysis for my kleptomania. But it is safer. It
really is. In paragraph 3 of the essay, the setting is important because it helps the reader understand

The author’s attitude.

How people react to Murphy.

Murphy’s character.

Why Murphy’s owners love him.

In paragraph 3, the author describes Murphy's habit of sitting on top of the piano despite their attempts to pull him off. This behavior showcases Murphy's stubbornness and determination to do what he wants, highlighting his character. The author's tone in describing this situation also suggests their fondness for Murphy, further supporting the idea that the paragraph helps the reader understand Murphy's character.

Explanation

In paragraph 3, the author describes Murphy's habit of sitting on top of the piano despite their attempts to pull him off. This behavior showcases Murphy's stubbornness and determination to do what he wants, highlighting his character. The author's tone in describing this situation also suggests their fondness for Murphy, further supporting the idea that the paragraph helps the reader understand Murphy's character.

2. The Blind Men and the Elephant
by John Godfrey Saxe

It was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind), 5 That each by observation Might satisfy his mind. The First approached the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, 10 At once began to bawl: “God bless me! but the Elephant Is very like a wall!” The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried “Ho! what have we here 15 So very round and smooth and sharp? To me ’tis mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant Is very like a spear!” The Third approached the animal, 20 And happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is Overy like a snake!”

25 The Fourth reached out an eager hand, And felt about the knee. “What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain,” quoth he; “’Tis clear enough the Elephant 30 Is very like a tree!” The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: “E’en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can 35 This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!” The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Than, seizing on the swinging tail 40 That fell within his scope, “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is very like a rope!” And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, 45 Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong! [Public Domain]

My Fingers
by Mary O’Neill My fingers are antennae. Whatever they touch: Bud, rose, apple, Cellophane, crutch— 5 They race the feel Into my brain, Plant it there and Begin again. This is how I knew 10 Hot from cold Before I was even Two years old. This is how I can tell, Though years away 15 That elephant hide Feels leathery grey. My brain never loses A touch I bring: Frail of an eggshell, 20 Pull of a string, Beat of a pulse That tells me life Thumps in a person But not in a knife. 25 Signs that say: “Please do not touch,” Disappoint me Very much. Read these lines from “My Fingers.”

Frail of an eggshell,
Pull of a string,

These lines suggest that the speaker

Is a very small child.

Cannot see very well.

Appreciates life’s little details.

Is a painter or photographer.

The lines "Frail of an eggshell, Pull of a string" suggest that the speaker appreciates life's little details. The use of sensory language and the mention of delicate and small objects like an eggshell and a string indicate that the speaker pays attention to and finds beauty in the small and fragile aspects of life. This implies that they have a keen appreciation for the intricacies and nuances of the world around them.

Explanation

The lines "Frail of an eggshell, Pull of a string" suggest that the speaker appreciates life's little details. The use of sensory language and the mention of delicate and small objects like an eggshell and a string indicate that the speaker pays attention to and finds beauty in the small and fragile aspects of life. This implies that they have a keen appreciation for the intricacies and nuances of the world around them.

3. Reminiscing
by Ralph Cortez 1    Watermelons were so much sweeter then,
2    When boys were the stuff of super men,
3    And summers seemed so much longer too,
4    With nothing pending and nothing due.
5    We were swordsmen—swashbuckling heroes,
6    Eternal victors—never zeroes;
7    Second basemen and clean-up hitters;
8    Forever winners, never quitters.
9    Play was a ritual in those days,
10  To go on magical mind forays,
11  To play the game with aplomb and ease,
12  To venture forth when and where we’d please.
13  We would feign death, and then rise up again.
14  Watermelons were so much sweeter then. Piano
by D. H. Lawrence
1    Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me:
2    Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see
3    A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings
4    And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings. 5    In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song
6    Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong
7    To the old Sunday evenings at home, winter outside
8    And hymns in the cozy parlor, the tinkling piano our guide. 9    So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamor
10  With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour
11  Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast
12  Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past. In lines 11 and 12 of “Piano,” the words “my
manhood is cast down in the flood of
remembrance” mean that the speaker feels

Proud of what he has accomplished.

Strongly connected to his father.

That his mother relied on him when he was a child.

As if he were a child.

In lines 11 and 12 of the poem "Piano," the speaker expresses that his manhood is cast down in the flood of remembrance, indicating that he feels as if he were a child. This means that the speaker is overwhelmed with nostalgia and longing for the past, specifically his childhood. He is reminiscing about the innocence and simplicity of his younger days, and the emotions are so strong that he feels like a child again.

Explanation

In lines 11 and 12 of the poem "Piano," the speaker expresses that his manhood is cast down in the flood of remembrance, indicating that he feels as if he were a child. This means that the speaker is overwhelmed with nostalgia and longing for the past, specifically his childhood. He is reminiscing about the innocence and simplicity of his younger days, and the emotions are so strong that he feels like a child again.

4. The Blind Men and the Elephant
by John Godfrey Saxe

It was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind), 5 That each by observation Might satisfy his mind. The First approached the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, 10 At once began to bawl: “God bless me! but the Elephant Is very like a wall!” The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried “Ho! what have we here 15 So very round and smooth and sharp? To me ’tis mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant Is very like a spear!” The Third approached the animal, 20 And happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is Overy like a snake!”

25 The Fourth reached out an eager hand, And felt about the knee. “What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain,” quoth he; “’Tis clear enough the Elephant 30 Is very like a tree!” The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: “E’en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can 35 This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!” The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Than, seizing on the swinging tail 40 That fell within his scope, “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is very like a rope!” And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, 45 Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong! [Public Domain]

My Fingers
by Mary O’Neill My fingers are antennae. Whatever they touch: Bud, rose, apple, Cellophane, crutch— 5 They race the feel Into my brain, Plant it there and Begin again. This is how I knew 10 Hot from cold Before I was even Two years old. This is how I can tell, Though years away 15 That elephant hide Feels leathery grey. My brain never loses A touch I bring: Frail of an eggshell, 20 Pull of a string, Beat of a pulse That tells me life Thumps in a person But not in a knife. 25 Signs that say: “Please do not touch,” Disappoint me Very much.
The first stanza in “The Blind Men and the
Elephant” has which rhyming pattern?

Abcabc

Abbacc

Abcbdb

Aabbcc

The correct answer is abcbdb. In the first stanza of "The Blind Men and the Elephant," the rhyming pattern follows the sequence of ABCBDB, with the end words of each line rhyming with one another. The rhyme scheme helps to create a rhythmic flow and structure in the poem.

Explanation

The correct answer is abcbdb. In the first stanza of "The Blind Men and the Elephant," the rhyming pattern follows the sequence of ABCBDB, with the end words of each line rhyming with one another. The rhyme scheme helps to create a rhythmic flow and structure in the poem.

5. Murphy
from “Dogs That Have Known Me”
How I Got to Be Perfect
by Jean Kerr
1        The dog that gave us the most trouble was a beagle named Murphy. As far
as I’m concerned, the first thing he did wrong was to turn into a beagle. I had
seen him bounding around on the other side of a pet-shop window, and I went
in and asked the man, “How much is that adorable fox terrier in the window?”
Did he say, “That adorable fox terrier is a beagle”? No, he said, “Ten dollars,
lady.” Now, I don’t mean to say one word against beagles. They have rights
just like other people. But it is a bit of a shock when you bring home a small
ball of fluff in a shoebox, and three weeks later it’s as long as the sofa. 2        Murphy was the first dog I ever trained personally, and I was delighted at the enthusiasm with which he
took to the newspaper. It was sometime later that we discovered, to our horror, that—like so many dogs—he
had grasped the letter but not the spirit of the thing. Until the very end of his days he felt a real sense of
obligation whenever he saw a newspaper—any newspaper—and it didn’t matter where it was. I can’t bring
myself to go into the details, except to mention that we were finally compelled to keep all the papers in the
bottom of the icebox. 3        He had another habit that used to leave us open to a certain amount of criticism from our friends who were
not dogophiles. He never climbed up on beds or chairs or sofas. But he always sat on top of the piano. In the
beginning we used to try to pull him off of there. But after a few noisy scuffles in which he knocked a picture
off the wall, scratched the piano, and smashed a lamp, we just gave in—only to discover that, left to his own
devices, he hopped up and down as delicately as a ballet dancer. 4        It’s not just our own dogs that bother me. The dogs I meet at parties are even worse. I don’t know what
I’ve got that attracts them; it just doesn’t bear thought. My husband swears I rub chopped meat on my ankles.
But at every party it’s the same thing. I am sitting with a group in front of the fire when all of a sudden the
large mutt of the host appears in the archway. Then, without a single bark of warning, he hurls himself upon
me. He settles down peacefully on my lap. I blow out such quantities of hair as I haven’t swallowed and
glance at my host, expecting to be rescued. He murmurs, “Isn’t that wonderful? You know, Brucie is usually
so distant with strangers.” 5        At a dinner party last week, after I had been mugged by a large sheepdog, I announced quite piteously,
“Oh dear, he seems to have swallowed one of my earrings.” The hostess looked really distressed for a
moment, until she examined the remaining earring. Then she said, “Oh, I think it will be all right. It’s small
and round.” 6        Nowadays if I go anywhere I just ask if they have a dog. If they do, I say, “Maybe I’d better keep away
from him—I have this bad allergy.” This does not really charm the lady of the house. In fact, she behaves
rather as though she’d just discovered that I was back in analysis for my kleptomania. But it is safer. It
really is. In paragraph 6, why does the author avoid
contact with dogs?

Exposure to dogs causes her to sneeze.

Dogs cause mishaps to occur.

Hosts insist on saving her from their dogs.

She dislikes most types of dogs.

In paragraph 6, the author avoids contact with dogs because dogs cause mishaps to occur. This is evident from the author's statement that she has been mugged by a large sheepdog at a dinner party, and that dogs at parties often hurl themselves upon her without warning. The author's avoidance of dogs is a precautionary measure to prevent any further mishaps or uncomfortable situations.

Explanation

In paragraph 6, the author avoids contact with dogs because dogs cause mishaps to occur. This is evident from the author's statement that she has been mugged by a large sheepdog at a dinner party, and that dogs at parties often hurl themselves upon her without warning. The author's avoidance of dogs is a precautionary measure to prevent any further mishaps or uncomfortable situations.

6. The Blind Men and the Elephant
by John Godfrey Saxe

It was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind), 5 That each by observation Might satisfy his mind. The First approached the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, 10 At once began to bawl: “God bless me! but the Elephant Is very like a wall!” The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried “Ho! what have we here 15 So very round and smooth and sharp? To me ’tis mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant Is very like a spear!” The Third approached the animal, 20 And happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is Overy like a snake!”

25 The Fourth reached out an eager hand, And felt about the knee. “What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain,” quoth he; “’Tis clear enough the Elephant 30 Is very like a tree!” The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: “E’en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can 35 This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!” The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Than, seizing on the swinging tail 40 That fell within his scope, “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is very like a rope!” And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, 45 Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong! [Public Domain]

My Fingers
by Mary O’Neill My fingers are antennae. Whatever they touch: Bud, rose, apple, Cellophane, crutch— 5 They race the feel Into my brain, Plant it there and Begin again. This is how I knew 10 Hot from cold Before I was even Two years old. This is how I can tell, Though years away 15 That elephant hide Feels leathery grey. My brain never loses A touch I bring: Frail of an eggshell, 20 Pull of a string, Beat of a pulse That tells me life Thumps in a person But not in a knife. 25 Signs that say: “Please do not touch,” Disappoint me Very much.

How does the speaker in “My Fingers”
resemble the first man in “The Blind Men
and the Elephant”?

They both misunderstand what an elephant is like.

They have both felt the skin of an elephant.

They both know what an elephant looks like.

They both have strong opinions about the nature of an elephant.

The speaker in "My Fingers" and the first man in "The Blind Men and the Elephant" both have felt the skin of an elephant. In "My Fingers," the speaker mentions being able to feel and distinguish different textures, including the leathery grey feel of an elephant's hide. Similarly, in "The Blind Men and the Elephant," the first man feels the broad and sturdy side of the elephant and compares it to a wall. Both individuals have had a tactile experience with the elephant's skin, leading to their understanding and description of its texture.

Explanation

The speaker in "My Fingers" and the first man in "The Blind Men and the Elephant" both have felt the skin of an elephant. In "My Fingers," the speaker mentions being able to feel and distinguish different textures, including the leathery grey feel of an elephant's hide. Similarly, in "The Blind Men and the Elephant," the first man feels the broad and sturdy side of the elephant and compares it to a wall. Both individuals have had a tactile experience with the elephant's skin, leading to their understanding and description of its texture.

7. The Blind Men and the Elephant
by John Godfrey Saxe

It was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind), 5 That each by observation Might satisfy his mind. The First approached the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, 10 At once began to bawl: “God bless me! but the Elephant Is very like a wall!” The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried “Ho! what have we here 15 So very round and smooth and sharp? To me ’tis mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant Is very like a spear!” The Third approached the animal, 20 And happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is Overy like a snake!”

25 The Fourth reached out an eager hand, And felt about the knee. “What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain,” quoth he; “’Tis clear enough the Elephant 30 Is very like a tree!” The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: “E’en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can 35 This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!” The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Than, seizing on the swinging tail 40 That fell within his scope, “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is very like a rope!” And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, 45 Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong! [Public Domain]

My Fingers
by Mary O’Neill My fingers are antennae. Whatever they touch: Bud, rose, apple, Cellophane, crutch— 5 They race the feel Into my brain, Plant it there and Begin again. This is how I knew 10 Hot from cold Before I was even Two years old. This is how I can tell, Though years away 15 That elephant hide Feels leathery grey. My brain never loses A touch I bring: Frail of an eggshell, 20 Pull of a string, Beat of a pulse That tells me life Thumps in a person But not in a knife. 25 Signs that say: “Please do not touch,” Disappoint me Very much.
At the end of “The Blind Men and the Elephant,” the reader is left with the impression that

The men will never resolve their argument.

The men will decide to examine the elephant again.

Each man does not really mind that the others disagree with him.

Each man is willing to listen to the opinions of the others.

The poem "The Blind Men and the Elephant" portrays a situation where each blind man has only experienced a small part of the elephant and forms his own opinion based on that limited perspective. The ending of the poem suggests that the men will never resolve their argument because they are unable to see the full picture or understand each other's viewpoints. This is evident from the line "Each in his own opinion, Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong!" This implies that they are stubborn and unwilling to consider the possibility that their individual observations are incomplete. Therefore, the correct answer is that the men will never resolve their argument.

Explanation

The poem "The Blind Men and the Elephant" portrays a situation where each blind man has only experienced a small part of the elephant and forms his own opinion based on that limited perspective. The ending of the poem suggests that the men will never resolve their argument because they are unable to see the full picture or understand each other's viewpoints. This is evident from the line "Each in his own opinion, Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong!" This implies that they are stubborn and unwilling to consider the possibility that their individual observations are incomplete. Therefore, the correct answer is that the men will never resolve their argument.

8. The Blind Men and the Elephant
by John Godfrey Saxe

It was six men of Indostan To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant (Though all of them were blind), 5 That each by observation Might satisfy his mind. The First approached the Elephant, And happening to fall Against his broad and sturdy side, 10 At once began to bawl: “God bless me! but the Elephant Is very like a wall!” The Second, feeling of the tusk, Cried “Ho! what have we here 15 So very round and smooth and sharp? To me ’tis mighty clear This wonder of an Elephant Is very like a spear!” The Third approached the animal, 20 And happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands, Thus boldly up and spake: “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is Overy like a snake!”

25 The Fourth reached out an eager hand, And felt about the knee. “What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain,” quoth he; “’Tis clear enough the Elephant 30 Is very like a tree!” The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, Said: “E’en the blindest man Can tell what this resembles most; Deny the fact who can 35 This marvel of an Elephant Is very like a fan!” The Sixth no sooner had begun About the beast to grope, Than, seizing on the swinging tail 40 That fell within his scope, “I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant Is very like a rope!” And so these men of Indostan Disputed loud and long, 45 Each in his own opinion Exceeding stiff and strong, Though each was partly in the right, And all were in the wrong! [Public Domain]

My Fingers
by Mary O’Neill My fingers are antennae. Whatever they touch: Bud, rose, apple, Cellophane, crutch— 5 They race the feel Into my brain, Plant it there and Begin again. This is how I knew 10 Hot from cold Before I was even Two years old. This is how I can tell, Though years away 15 That elephant hide Feels leathery grey. My brain never loses A touch I bring: Frail of an eggshell, 20 Pull of a string, Beat of a pulse That tells me life Thumps in a person But not in a knife. 25 Signs that say: “Please do not touch,” Disappoint me Very much. The speaker in “My Fingers” and the men
in “The Blind Men and the Elephant” both
touch things

Because they don’t know what an elephant is.

Because it is the only way they can discover anything.

In order to remember what things feel like.

In order to learn things about their world.

The speaker in "My Fingers" and the men in "The Blind Men and the Elephant" both touch things in order to learn things about their world. In "The Blind Men and the Elephant," the men touch different parts of the elephant to try and understand what it is like. Similarly, in "My Fingers," the speaker touches various objects to gather information and learn about them. Touching allows them to gather sensory information and gain knowledge about their surroundings.

Explanation

The speaker in "My Fingers" and the men in "The Blind Men and the Elephant" both touch things in order to learn things about their world. In "The Blind Men and the Elephant," the men touch different parts of the elephant to try and understand what it is like. Similarly, in "My Fingers," the speaker touches various objects to gather information and learn about them. Touching allows them to gather sensory information and gain knowledge about their surroundings.