RINGKASAN MATERI RECOUNT TEXTS UNTUK KELAS VIII

SUMMARY

1. A recount retells past events or experiences in the order they happened.

2. A recount consists of three main parts:

o Orientation
This part introduces the scene.

o Events
This part retells what happened.

o Re-orientation (optional)
This part tells the writer's comment about the events that happened.

3. An example of a recount:

o Orientation – introduces the scene
Yusuf went to Marina circuit in the morning to join a car race.

o Events – retells what happened
He arrived at seven and directly checked up his engine. The race started at eight. At first he led the race, but it wasn’t long because suddenly another car hit his car from behind. He lost the race and his car was broken.

o Re-orientation – tells the writer’s comment about the events that happened
He was very disappointed.

4. Past Tense is mostly used in a recount.

PRACTICE
Read the following text to answer questions 1–5.

Yusuf went to Marina circuit in the morning to join a car race.
He arrived at seven and directly checked up his engine. The race started at eight. At first he led the race, but it wasn’t long because suddenly another car hit his car from behind. He lost the race and his car was broken.
He was very disappointed.

1. Why did Yusuf go to the circuit?
A. To watch his friend racing.
B. To look at the car race.
C. To join a car race.
D. To look at other cars.

2. What was the first thing Yusuf did when he arrived at the circuit?
A. Leading the race.
B. Checking the engine.
C. Starting the race.
D. Losing the race.

3. Why did Yusuf lose the race?
A. Because he lost his car.
B. Because his car was hit by another car.
C. Because he was broken.
D. Because he was disappointed.

4. How did Yusuf feel?
A. Cheerful
B. Excited
C. Happy
D. Upset

5. What is the purpose of the writer writing the text?
A. To persuade the readers to go to Marina circuit.
B. To inform the readers about Yusuf.
C. To tell the past events happened to Yusuf.
D. To describe the Marina circuit.

Read the following text to answer questions 6–11.

On Saturday, October 23rd, I went to Sarah’s birthday party. I was very excited.
I went there with George and Tina. We wore costumes because it was a fancy dress party. I wore a ghost costume, Tina became Xena, the warrior princess, and George was a vampire.

The party started at 7. First, we sang “Happy Birthday”. Then, Sarah blew the candles. After that, we ate some food and drank Coke.

Later on, we did some games. Everybody joined them. I cheered so hard that I nearly lost my voice.

While we were playing "Hide and Seek", the lights suddently went out. Some girls screamed because they were afraid of the dark. Fortunately it didn't take long. In ten minutes, the lights went on again, and we continued the games.

Before the party was over, the MC announced the best costume of the party. George got the first prize. He looked so happy.

Finally, my Dad arrived to take me home. I was so tired, but happy.

6. Whom did the writer go to the party with?
A. Xena and the vampire
B. Sarah and her friends
C. George and Tina
D. His parents

7. When did the guests enjoy the games?
A. At the beginning of the party
B. Soon after they arrived
C. After having meals
D. After the announcement of the best costume

8. What happened to the lights when the guest were playing ‘Hide and Seek’?
A. It dimmed.
B. It went out.
C. It worked so well.
D. It shone brightly.

9. Who won the best costume?
A. The writer
B. Sarah
C. Tina
D. George

10. From the text, we know that a ‘fancy dress party’ is…
A. a party for rich people
B. a party in which the host looks very nice
C. a party in which the place is very fancy
D. a party in which the guests are wearing special costumes

11. “George got the first prize.” (Paragraph 4)
The underlined word means…
A. Gift
B. Price
C. Place
D. Fund

Read the following text to answer questions 12–15.

It was Saturday, August 23rd. Our school was holding a special event. It was called the “Performance Day”.
At 9 a.m., the event started. Every student was taking part in the event.
Some students were joining a chess competition and some others were taking part in face painting. I myself was working with my team. We were doing an experiment with some clay.
The “Performance Day” finished at 2 p.m. We were all happy. We had a good time.

12. What was the name of the event?
A. Special Event
B. Performance Day
C. Clay Work Day
D. Experiment Day

13. How long did the event last?
A. Nine hours
B. Seven hours
C. Five hours
D. Two hours

14. What was the writer doing?
A. He was playing chess.
B. He was painting his face.
C. He was working alone.
D. He was doing an experiment.

15. How did the writer feel?
A. Tired
B. Bored
C. Fatigue
D. Delighted

Read the following text to answer questions 16 – 20.

Last year, I went to a dance party. In the middle of the party, I saw a guy that I had a crush on. To get his attention, I went to the stage and started dancing. My friends at the time were cheering. I was so busy dancing that I didn’t pay attention to other things else. I didn’t realize that I got too close to the edge of the stage. The music stopped for a while and everyone laughed, including the guy that I had a crush on. It felt so hurt.
It was a dance party that I would never forget.

16. When did the writer go to the dance party?
A. Two years ago
B. This year
C. Last year
D. Next year

17. Why did she dance on stage?
A. To make a joke
B. To get the boy’s attention
C. To let her laugh
D. To make her embarrassed

18. Why didn’t she realize that she got too close to the edge of the stage?
A. Because she was nervous
B. Because she was busy dancing
C. Because the place was very dark
D. Because the boy was looking at her

19. What happened after she fell down the stage?
A. Everybody pitied her
B. Everybody laughed at her
C. The boy made her relax
D. The boy helped her

20. How did the writer feel?
A. Embarrassed
B. Proud
C. Happy
D. Regretful

Read the following text to answer questions 21 – 28.

Orville Wright

Orville Wright was a co-inventor of the airplane and the first person to fly a powered machine. Born on August 19, 1871 in Dayton, Ohio, Orville and his brother, Wilbur, were very interested in flying.

In 1900, they constructed a glider that could carry a pilot. In the next three years, they designed a wind tunnel and tested about 200 wings.

Orville became the first person to fly a powered aircraft. He stayed in the air for 12 seconds at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This experiment cost a lot of money, but he never gave up. He designed and sold bicycles for a living.

In 1905, Wright brothers offered the airplane to the US War Department, but it was declined. Nevertheless, Orville and Wilbur obtained a patent for the airplane in 1906. In 1907, Wilbur completed the first airplane for the US Army, but it crashed. A year later, however, a redesign was tested and accepted.

The same year, Wright brothers established the Wrights Company to manufacture airplanes.
After struggling for a long time to make his dream and many people’s dream to fly come true, Orville Wright finally gained success. On January 30, 1948, he died in peace.

21. When did Orville construct a glider that could carry a pilot?
A. In 1899
B. In 1900
C. In 1901
D. In 1903

22. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
A. Wright brothers tested less than a hundred of wing designs.
B. In an hour, Orville was on the air for experimenting.
C. Orville’s experiment was very expensive.
D. Wright brothers were the first persons to fly a powered aircraft.

23. Orville got money for his experiment by ...
A. asking some money from the US Army.
B. designing and selling bicycles.
C. selling the aircraft wings.
D. selling fruit.

24. What did the US War Department do to Wilbur’s airplane in 1905?
A. It was renewed.
B. It was sold.
C. It was accepted.
D. It was refused.

25. What happened to the first airplane Orville and Wilbur completed for the US Army?
A. It crashed.
B. It carried the president.
C. It was the safest airplane.
D. It was taken to the war.

26. When did Wrights establish the Wrights Company?
A. In 1908.
B. In 1900.
C. In 1906.
D. In 1903.

27. “... to manufacture airplanes.” (paragraph 5)
The underlined word has the similar meaning to ...
A. completed
B. compiled
C. established
D. produced

28. When did Wright brothers patent their invention?
A. In 1903
B. In 1905
C. In 1906
D. In 1908

Read the following text to answer questions 29–33.

One day, my English teacher asked me to demonstrate how to sharpen a pencil in front of the class. I walked quickly to the teacher. He handed me a sharpener and a pencil. Then, I was very nervous. I held the pencil in my right hand and tried to insert the pencil into the hole. But I missed the hole because my hands were trembling. My friends laughed at me. It made me more nervous.

Then, my teacher smiled and said, “Relax. Don’t be nervous.”
When I wanted to go back to my seat, my teacher gave her right hand to me. I shook her hand, but then she said, “No, Adi. I want you to give me back the pencil and the sharpener.” My face turned red. My friends could not stop laughing at me. I was so embarrassed.

(By: Adi, SMP 8 Semarang)

29. Where did the event take place?
A. In a living room.
B. In a classroom.
C. At a bookstore.
D. At a stationer’s.

30. What things did the writer get from his teacher?
A. A pencil, sharpener, and teacher’s hand.
B. A big smile and laugh.
C. A pencil and sharpener.
D. A sharpener.

31. Why did the writer fail to insert the pencil into the hole?
A. Because he could not find the hole.
B. Because the pencil was dull.
C. Because his hands were trembling.
D. Because he was sick.

32. “I quickly took it and …” (paragraph 2)
The underlined word refers to …
A. the pencil
B. the sharpener
C. the writer’s pen
D. the teacher’s hand

33. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?
A. The writer did the task nervously.
B. The writer missed his friends.
C. The writer felt embarrassed for the second time.
D. The writer’s friends are happy.

Read the following text to answer questions 34–36.

I had one unforgettable experience. It happened when I was in high school. One day, I was called to attend a meeting. All the teachers and my friends were frowning and asked me to stand on a chair with my eyes closed in the middle of the school yard. I had no idea why they were doing that. I was so sad that I couldn’t help my tears. Then suddenly, my teachers and friends sang “Happy Birthday”. After that, they showered me with water. Next, they took me to the classroom. My classmates congratulated me and gave me presents.
That was a very surprising moment. I’ll never forget that moment.

(Adapted from: C’nS Vol. 13 No. 17, 2003, by Koen Marsinah)

34. How did the teachers “punish” the writer?
A. By giving her a lot of tasks to do.
B. By asking her to stand on a chair with her eyes closed in the middle of the yard.
C. By asking her to run around the school yard.
D. By scolding her with bad names.

35. “... were scowling at me.” (paragraph 2)
The synonym of the underlined word is ...
A. frowning
B. looking
C. yelling
D. singing

36. “After that they showered me ...” (paragraph 2)
The underlined word refers to ...
A. the teachers
B. the writer’s friends
C. the writer’s classmates
D. the writer’s teachers and friends

Read the following text to answer questions 37–40.

FIRECRACKERS
When I was a kid, I had a friend who liked to play with firecrackers. His name was Bono.
One day, Bono and his friends were playing in the field. One of Bono’s friends brought an empty biscuit can. He then covered the firecracker with the can and lit the firecracker.
All the boys were excited and impressed. Bono got very excited. He wanted to impress his friends, too.
Not far from there, Bono saw a big piece of cow manure. He put the firecracker on which the manure looked like a birthday cake. When the firecracker exploded, the cow manure was splattered all around. His friends laughed at him.
When he turned around, his friends laughed at him so hard that he cried: the cow manure was all over his face.

(Adapted from: C’nS Vol. 13 No. 17, 2003, by Fenny Warih)

37. Who liked to play firecrackers?
A. Bono
B. The writer
C. Bono and the writer
D. The villagers

38. Who had the idea of covering the firecracker with an empty biscuit can?
A. Bono
B. The writer
C. Bono’s friend
D. The villagers

39. “... was splattered all around.” (paragraph 4)
What is the meaning of the underlined word?
A. Hit something or stopping
B. Moved without a clear direction
C. Landed in the sea
D. Landed onto a surface

40. Why did Bono put a firecracker on cow manure?
A. To cheat his friends
B. To impress his friends
C. To make his friends happy
D. To put his friends in troubles

Untuk kunci dari soal-soal ini, silahkan menghubungi nomor wa: 081331325379

Soal ini diarikan dari buku Practise Your English Competence, for SMP/MTs Class VIII