📝 Unit 8: Reading Is Fun
Articles · adjective order · book review · classic novels · 200-word reading essay
Task 1 — Articles fill-in (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Fill in each blank with a · an · the · or — (no article).
(1) My ........... van is parked in front.
(2) ........... iguana scampered across the fence.
(3) I love to pet ........... rabbits.
(4) Our neighbour has ........... cute baby.
(5) Does ........... music hurt your ears?
(6) ........... boy was lost in the forest.
(7) ........... strong wind blew from the west.
(8) Have you ever read ........... Robinson Crusoe?
(1) My ........... van is parked in front.
(2) ........... iguana scampered across the fence.
(3) I love to pet ........... rabbits.
(4) Our neighbour has ........... cute baby.
(5) Does ........... music hurt your ears?
(6) ........... boy was lost in the forest.
(7) ........... strong wind blew from the west.
(8) Have you ever read ........... Robinson Crusoe?
(1) — / new
(2) An
(3) — (or the if specific)
(4) a
(5) — (uncountable general)
(6) The
(7) A
(8) — (title; no article)
5 marks.
(2) An
(3) — (or the if specific)
(4) a
(5) — (uncountable general)
(6) The
(7) A
(8) — (title; no article)
5 marks.
Task 2 — Adjective order (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Arrange the adjectives in the correct order before each noun.
The order is: opinion · size · age · shape · colour · origin · material.
(1) (old · lovely · round · Japanese · wooden) table → ...........
(2) (red · small · brick) house → ...........
(3) (cold · long · winter) night → ...........
(4) (Italian · leather · brown · soft) sofa → ...........
(5) (square · ancient · stone · grey) tower → ...........
The order is: opinion · size · age · shape · colour · origin · material.
(1) (old · lovely · round · Japanese · wooden) table → ...........
(2) (red · small · brick) house → ...........
(3) (cold · long · winter) night → ...........
(4) (Italian · leather · brown · soft) sofa → ...........
(5) (square · ancient · stone · grey) tower → ...........
(1) a lovely old round Japanese wooden table
(2) a small red brick house
(3) a long cold winter night
(4) a soft brown Italian leather sofa
(5) an ancient grey square stone tower
5 marks.
(2) a small red brick house
(3) a long cold winter night
(4) a soft brown Italian leather sofa
(5) an ancient grey square stone tower
5 marks.
Task 3 — Reading interview grid (5 marks)
(5 marks)
You are the secretary of the Young Readers' Club. Interview a
classmate and fill in the grid.
Name : ...........
Age : ...........
Hometown : ...........
Hobby/Hobbies : ...........
Whether he/she likes reading : ...........
Favourite book : ...........
Favourite author : ...........
classmate and fill in the grid.
Name : ...........
Age : ...........
Hometown : ...........
Hobby/Hobbies : ...........
Whether he/she likes reading : ...........
Favourite book : ...........
Favourite author : ...........
Sample answer (acceptable when fields are complete and consistent):
Name : Tharindu Silva
Age : 16
Hometown : Maharagama
Hobbies : Reading, cricket
Likes reading : Yes
Favourite book : 'The Old Man and the Sea'
Favourite author : Ernest Hemingway
5 marks.
Name : Tharindu Silva
Age : 16
Hometown : Maharagama
Hobbies : Reading, cricket
Likes reading : Yes
Favourite book : 'The Old Man and the Sea'
Favourite author : Ernest Hemingway
5 marks.
Task 4 — Comprehension: Robinson Crusoe (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Read the passage on Robinson Crusoe (above) and answer the questions.
(1) Who is the author of Robinson Crusoe?
(2) In which year was Daniel Defoe born and in which year did he die?
(3) What was Defoe's main profession before he turned to writing?
(4) Why is Robinson Crusoe considered an important book?
(5) Underline the correct answer. The story is about ........... .
(a) a king who lost his throne.
(b) a merchant's troubled voyages and adventures at sea.
(c) a journalist who wrote pamphlets.
(1) Who is the author of Robinson Crusoe?
(2) In which year was Daniel Defoe born and in which year did he die?
(3) What was Defoe's main profession before he turned to writing?
(4) Why is Robinson Crusoe considered an important book?
(5) Underline the correct answer. The story is about ........... .
(a) a king who lost his throne.
(b) a merchant's troubled voyages and adventures at sea.
(c) a journalist who wrote pamphlets.
(1) Daniel Defoe.
(2) Born 1660 · died 1731.
(3) Merchant (and political pamphleteer).
(4) It is thought to be one of the first English novels and remains a timeless story of survival and adventure.
(5) (b) a merchant's troubled voyages and adventures at sea.
5 marks.
(2) Born 1660 · died 1731.
(3) Merchant (and political pamphleteer).
(4) It is thought to be one of the first English novels and remains a timeless story of survival and adventure.
(5) (b) a merchant's troubled voyages and adventures at sea.
5 marks.
Task 5 — Comprehension: A scream on the moor (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Read the Sherlock Holmes extract (above) and answer the questions.
(1) What broke the silence of the moor?
(2) Find a phrase that means 'made me very afraid'.
(3) Write the sentence that describes Holmes at the door of the hut.
(4) What did the cry sound like the second time?
(5) Underline the correct answer. The whisper of Holmes shows he was ........... .
(a) calm and unafraid.
(b) shaken to the soul despite his strength.
(c) tired and ready to give up.
(1) What broke the silence of the moor?
(2) Find a phrase that means 'made me very afraid'.
(3) Write the sentence that describes Holmes at the door of the hut.
(4) What did the cry sound like the second time?
(5) Underline the correct answer. The whisper of Holmes shows he was ........... .
(a) calm and unafraid.
(b) shaken to the soul despite his strength.
(c) tired and ready to give up.
(1) A terrible scream — a prolonged yell of horror and anguish.
(2) "turned the blood to ice in my veins".
(3) "I saw his dark, athletic outline at the door of the hut, his shoulders stooping, his head thrust forward, his face peering into the darkness."
(4) Nearer, louder, more urgent than before.
(5) (b) shaken to the soul despite his strength.
5 marks.
(2) "turned the blood to ice in my veins".
(3) "I saw his dark, athletic outline at the door of the hut, his shoulders stooping, his head thrust forward, his face peering into the darkness."
(4) Nearer, louder, more urgent than before.
(5) (b) shaken to the soul despite his strength.
5 marks.
Task 6 — Notice: a book exhibition (40–50 words)
(5 marks)
Write a notice inviting students to the school book exhibition.
Use 40–50 words.
Use 40–50 words.
LIBRARY UNIT — ANNUAL BOOK EXHIBITION
Grade 9 to 11 students are warmly invited to the annual book exhibition
'A Thousand Worlds in One Hall' on Friday, 22nd April 2027 from 9.00 a.m.
to 4.00 p.m. in the school auditorium. Free entry, ten free bookmarks for
the first 100 visitors. Register with Mrs. Anuradha by 20th April.
— Librarian.
50 words. 5 marks.
Grade 9 to 11 students are warmly invited to the annual book exhibition
'A Thousand Worlds in One Hall' on Friday, 22nd April 2027 from 9.00 a.m.
to 4.00 p.m. in the school auditorium. Free entry, ten free bookmarks for
the first 100 visitors. Register with Mrs. Anuradha by 20th April.
— Librarian.
50 words. 5 marks.
Task 7 — Short paragraph (50–60 words)
(5 marks)
Write a paragraph on ONE of the following. Use about 50–60 words.
(a) Why I love reading
(b) The book that changed my mind
(c) An author I want to meet
(a) Why I love reading
(b) The book that changed my mind
(c) An author I want to meet
MODEL — Why I love reading (60 words)
Reading is the cheapest holiday I will ever take. For 50 rupees and an old
library card I can dive a coral reef, climb the Himalayas, listen to a
murder mystery on the foggy English moor. It teaches me languages, history
and strangers' kindness. Best of all, no one can tell me to put it down.
5 marks.
Reading is the cheapest holiday I will ever take. For 50 rupees and an old
library card I can dive a coral reef, climb the Himalayas, listen to a
murder mystery on the foggy English moor. It teaches me languages, history
and strangers' kindness. Best of all, no one can tell me to put it down.
5 marks.
Task 8 — Letter / review (~100 words, 10 marks)
(10 marks)
Answer (a) OR (b). Use about 100 words.
(a) Write a letter to the librarian recommending three books the school
library should buy.
(b) Write a 100-word review of a book you have read recently.
(a) Write a letter to the librarian recommending three books the school
library should buy.
(b) Write a 100-word review of a book you have read recently.
(b) MODEL — Book review (108 words)
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA — A SMALL BOOK, A BIG OCEAN
Ernest Hemingway's slim novella tells of Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman
who has not caught a fish in 84 days. On day 85 he hooks the biggest
marlin of his life — and the real battle begins.
My favourite scene is the second night at sea, when the old man speaks to
his own hand as if it were a stranger. Hemingway's short sentences carry
more weight than any thick novel I have read this year.
Any student tired of long, flowery English should start here.
10 marks.
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA — A SMALL BOOK, A BIG OCEAN
Ernest Hemingway's slim novella tells of Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman
who has not caught a fish in 84 days. On day 85 he hooks the biggest
marlin of his life — and the real battle begins.
My favourite scene is the second night at sea, when the old man speaks to
his own hand as if it were a stranger. Hemingway's short sentences carry
more weight than any thick novel I have read this year.
Any student tired of long, flowery English should start here.
10 marks.
Task 9 — Article / speech (~200 words, 15 marks)
(15 marks)
Write on ONE of the following. Use about 200 words.
(a) An article: 'Value of Reading'.
(b) A speech on 'Why every Sri Lankan student should read 24 books a year'.
(c) An essay on 'The smartphone is killing reading'.
(a) An article: 'Value of Reading'.
(b) A speech on 'Why every Sri Lankan student should read 24 books a year'.
(c) An essay on 'The smartphone is killing reading'.
(a) MODEL — Value of Reading (215 words)
'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies,' wrote George R. R. Martin.
'The man who never reads lives only one.' For a Sri Lankan teenager today,
this is no longer a poetic line — it is a survival instruction.
Firstly, reading widens our vocabulary in a way no app can. A student who
reads 20 minutes a day picks up close to a million new words a year — far
beyond what a tuition class can deliver.
Secondly, reading slows us down. After three hours of swiping, the brain
is exhausted by 200 micro-decisions. Twenty minutes with a novel rests the
mind in a way sleep cannot.
Thirdly, reading teaches empathy. When I read Jane Eyre, I lived inside
the head of an orphan in 19th-century England. I came out of the book a
slightly kinder boy. That kind of education is not measured in any A or
B on an O/L paper.
Finally, reading is portable. A book costs less than a bowl of kottu and
lasts a hundred journeys longer.
Let us put the phone down tonight and pick up the book the postman left
three months ago. Our future selves will thank us.
15 marks.
'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies,' wrote George R. R. Martin.
'The man who never reads lives only one.' For a Sri Lankan teenager today,
this is no longer a poetic line — it is a survival instruction.
Firstly, reading widens our vocabulary in a way no app can. A student who
reads 20 minutes a day picks up close to a million new words a year — far
beyond what a tuition class can deliver.
Secondly, reading slows us down. After three hours of swiping, the brain
is exhausted by 200 micro-decisions. Twenty minutes with a novel rests the
mind in a way sleep cannot.
Thirdly, reading teaches empathy. When I read Jane Eyre, I lived inside
the head of an orphan in 19th-century England. I came out of the book a
slightly kinder boy. That kind of education is not measured in any A or
B on an O/L paper.
Finally, reading is portable. A book costs less than a bowl of kottu and
lasts a hundred journeys longer.
Let us put the phone down tonight and pick up the book the postman left
three months ago. Our future selves will thank us.
15 marks.