Discursive writing: expresses opinions. It can be argumentative, i.e. may give reasons, explanations, or explore cause and effect relationship. Passages of this kind are analytical. Sometimes the author presents his views with great depth of reasoning or force of argument with the intention of convincing the reader to his point of view. Such texts have great persuasive power.

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Unseen Passage For Class 8 Discursive CBSE With Answers

A discursive passage consists of articles that present an opinion or a reasoned argument on a topic.

Unseen Passage for Class 8 Discursive CBSE Solved Example With Answers

Economists have long recognized a persistent and unfounded belief among the population which has come to be known as the anti-foreign bias. As a result of this bias, most people systematically underestimate the economic benefits of interactions with foreign nations. Some psychologists believe that this bias is rooted in a natural distrust of the “other,” while others believe that a form of folk wisdom, seemingly in accord with common sense but nonetheless incorrect, explains the bias.

This wisdom asserts that in any transaction there is a winner and a loser and any foreign nation that wants to engage in trade must be doing so because it seeks its own advantage. But nothing could be further from truth. No less an authority than Adam Smith, one of the fathers of the modern free market system, spoke glowingly of foreign trade in his influential treatise Wealth of Nations. “What is prudence in the conduct of every private family, can scarce be folly in a great kingdom,” said Smith.

His point is simple. A baker trades his bread to the cobbler for shoes and both men benefit from the trade because of the value of specialization. The same principle works for nations. Even more startling, a basic economic theorem, the Law of Comparative Advantage, states that mutually beneficial trade is possible even if one nation is less productive than the other.

Suppose a citizen of Country X can produce either 10 computers or five bushels of wheat and a citizen of Country Y can produce either three computers or two bushels of wheat. If one citizen from Country X switches from producing wheat to computers and three citizens from Country Y switch from producing computers to wheat, there is a net gain of one computer and one bushel of wheat.

Questions
1. The passage is primarily concerned with which of the following?
(a) Arguing for an increase in trade with foreign nations.
(b) Providing a historical context for a long-standing belief.
(c) Demonstrating the fallacy of a particular way of thinking.
(d) Illustrating an economic principle through an example.
Answer:
(c) Demonstrating the fallacy of a particular way of thinking.

2. The author most likely mentions the “baker” and the “cobbler” in order to:
(a) provide a concrete illustration of an economic principle
(b) discuss the types of goods available during Adam Smith’s time
(c) evaluate an example used in Smith’s Wealth of Nations
(d) show that all trade is based on specialization
Answer:
(c) evaluate an example used in Smith’s Wealth of Nations

3. The author most probably uses the word “startling” in reference to the Law of Comparative Advantage because:
(a) it is puzzling that no one before Adam Smith thought of the Law
(b) the Law of Comparative Advantage holds even when there is an imbalance in the capabilities of the nations
(c) it is surprising that the general public is unaware of the Law of Comparative Advantage
(d) most countries do not consider the Law of Comparative Advantage when devising their trade policies
Answer:
(b) the Law of Comparative Advantage holds even when there is an imbalance in the capabilities of the nations

4. As it is described in the passage, which of the following most closely resembles “folk wisdom?”
(a) A farmer decides that it is going to rain after scanning the sky for dark clouds.
(b) A child asks his parents why the sky is blue and the parents reply
(c) A person spends 10 dollars on lottery tickets every week because he believes that
(d) A mother tells her child to put on a jacket so he won’t catch cold, even though colds are caused by viruses.
Answer:
(d) A mother tells her child to put on a jacket so he won’t catch cold, even though colds are caused by viruses.

Unseen Passage Practice Example for Class 8 Discursive CBSE

Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

I was the kid who sat on the sidelines and watched others having a good time splashing about in the sea, wishing I could swim. Eventually, I learned how to, the hard way. My brothers threw me into the water. As I floundered and nearly drowned, it didn’t occur to me then that my brothers had taught me two important skills: survival and independence. These skills were gifts that I relied on numerous times over as an adult. As a child, I was game for anything.

Nothing fascinated me more than the chance to try something new. If nothing else, my curiosity was fuelled by the desire to test my limits. I was sixteen when I climbed my first mountain. It was Gunung Ledang in Johor, Malaysia, in 1980. It was a horrible experience. I found the heat and thickness of the jungle overwhelming. The night spent on the summit was cold and lonely. As I lay in my tent, with my knees curled to my chin, I vowed that I would never climb another mountain.

And yet, ironically, I was one of the two climbers from the first Singapore Mount Everest Expedition who summitted Mount Everest in May 1998.

Questions
1. Why did the writer consider his childhood average?
(a) He learnt to swim the same way as everyone else.
(b) He played hide-and-seek near his house for many hours.
(c) He enjoyed watching other kids swim rather than joining them.
(d) He did not do anything that showed he would achieve great success in the future.
Answer:
(d) He did not do anything that showed he would achieve great success in the future.

2. Why did the writer say that ‘the ability to swim comes almost naturally to any kid growing up in Port Dickson (paragraph 2)?
(a) Port Dickson is located near the sea.
(b) The kids are thrown into the sea in order to learn swimming.
(c) Every kid enjoys playing near the boats moored in Port Dickson.
(d) Every kid learns to swim eventually if he wants to join the others in the water.
Answer:
(a) Port Dickson is located near the sea.

3. The writer learnt to appreciate the skills his brothers taught him that day at the sea when he _
(a) spent time watching other kids play in the sea
(b) almost died the day he was thrown into the sea
(c) became an adult and needed to use those skills
(d) climbed his first mountain at the age of sixteen
Answer:
(c) became an adult and needed to use those skills

4. What made the writer vow never to climb again after his Gunung Ledang trip?
(a) He wanted to try something new besides climbing a mountain.
(b) He had spent a miserable time climbing to the top of the mountain.
(c) He disliked trekking through thick jungle and having to sleep in the open.
(d) He had tested his limits and was satisfied that he had climbed Gunung Ledang.
Answer:
(b) He had spent a miserable time climbing to the top of the mountain.

5. The writer made it to the top of Mount Everest when he was
(a) 16
(b) 34
(c) 40
(d) 50
Answer:
(b) 34