Unseen Passage for Class 5 – Festivals and Places

Reading comprehension lesson 18: Festivals and places of India · Set 298 · 12 questions

Reading tip (Facts by place and time): Find the place, the time of year and what people do. Answer from the passage, even if you know more about it. For word meanings, read the sentence around the word.

1. 1.Kaziranga National Park is in Assam, on the banks of the Brahmaputra river. It is famous for the one-horned rhinoceros. More than half of all one-horned rhinos in the world live here. The park has tall elephant grass, swamps and forests. Tigers, wild elephants and wild buffaloes also live in the park. Every year, floods cover parts of the park, and animals move to higher ground. Visitors can see the animals from an open jeep.
   
   Kaziranga is famous for which animal? (a) Asiatic lion (b) One-horned rhinoceros (c) Camel (d) Snow leopard
2. 2.Pongal is a harvest festival of Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated in the middle of January and lasts for four days. Families thank the Sun God for a good harvest. They boil fresh rice with milk and jaggery in a new clay pot. When the pot boils over, people shout, “Pongalo Pongal!” The overflowing pot is a sign of plenty. On the third day, cattle are washed and decorated with paint and bells. Houses are decorated with colourful kolams at the door.
   
   What does the overflowing pot stand for? (a) Danger (b) Sadness (c) Plenty (d) Rain
3. 3.Bihu is the main festival of Assam. There are three Bihus in a year, linked to the seasons of farming. Rongali Bihu, in April, marks the Assamese New Year and the start of spring. Young people perform the lively Bihu dance in bright clothes. The beat of the dhol and the sound of the pepa, a buffalo-horn pipe, fill the air. People give one another a gamosa, a white cloth with red borders. Homes make sweets called pitha from rice. Bihu is a time to welcome new crops and new hope.
   
   How many Bihus are there in a year? (a) Two (b) One (c) Four (d) Three
4. 4.Pongal is a harvest festival of Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated in the middle of January and lasts for four days. Families thank the Sun God for a good harvest. They boil fresh rice with milk and jaggery in a new clay pot. When the pot boils over, people shout, “Pongalo Pongal!” The overflowing pot is a sign of plenty. On the third day, cattle are washed and decorated with paint and bells. Houses are decorated with colourful kolams at the door.
   
   What is boiled with milk and jaggery? (a) Wheat (b) Bananas (c) Lentils (d) Fresh rice
5. 5.Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims at the end of Ramzan, the month of fasting. During Ramzan, people do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. Eid begins when the new moon is seen in the sky. On Eid morning, people wear new clothes and offer special prayers. Families give food and money to the poor. Friends hug one another and say “Eid Mubarak”. A sweet dish called sheer khurma is made with milk, vermicelli and dates. Children receive gifts called Eidi from elders.
   
   What is sheer khurma? (a) A new dress (b) A prayer (c) A sweet dish (d) A gift
6. 6.Baisakhi is a harvest festival celebrated mainly in Punjab. It falls on 13 or 14 April every year. By this time, the wheat crop is ripe and ready to be cut. Farmers thank God for a good harvest. For Sikhs, the day is also important because the Khalsa was founded on Baisakhi. People visit gurdwaras and share a free meal called langar. Men and women dance the bhangra and giddha to the beat of the dhol. Fairs with swings and food stalls are held in many villages.
   
   What is langar? (a) A dance (b) A drum (c) A fair (d) A free meal
7. 7.Meghalaya is a hilly state in north-east India. Its name means “the abode of clouds”. Some places in Meghalaya get more rain than almost anywhere else on Earth. In the villages near Cherrapunji, people have made living root bridges. They guide the roots of rubber fig trees across streams. Over many years, the roots grow thick and strong enough to walk on. Some bridges are hundreds of years old. Unlike wooden bridges, they grow stronger with time.
   
   Near which place are these villages? (a) Kohima (b) Shillong (c) Gangtok (d) Cherrapunji
8. 8.Diwali is called the festival of lights. It is celebrated in October or November, on the darkest night of the month. Before Diwali, people clean their homes and buy new clothes. In the evening, rows of small clay lamps called diyas are lit everywhere. Many families draw rangoli patterns with coloured powder at the door. People share sweets with neighbours and friends. Many people now choose green celebrations without loud crackers. The lights stand for the victory of good over evil.
   
   What is Diwali called? (a) The festival of colours (b) The harvest festival (c) The festival of kites (d) The festival of lights
9. 9.Kaziranga National Park is in Assam, on the banks of the Brahmaputra river. It is famous for the one-horned rhinoceros. More than half of all one-horned rhinos in the world live here. The park has tall elephant grass, swamps and forests. Tigers, wild elephants and wild buffaloes also live in the park. Every year, floods cover parts of the park, and animals move to higher ground. Visitors can see the animals from an open jeep.
   
   Kaziranga is in which state? (a) Bihar (b) Kerala (c) Gujarat (d) Assam
10. 10.Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala. It falls in August or September, after the monsoon. People believe that the kind King Mahabali visits his people at this time. To welcome him, families make pookalam, a carpet of flower petals, in front of their homes. A grand meal called sadya is served on a banana leaf. It has more than twenty dishes. Snake boat races are held on the rivers. Everyone wears new clothes, and the whole state is full of joy.
    
    Onam is the harvest festival of which state? (a) Odisha (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Kerala (d) Bihar
11. 11.In Goa, Christmas is a big festival celebrated on 25 December. Weeks before, families clean and paint their homes. They hang paper stars outside their windows. Many homes make a crib, a small model of the place where Jesus was born. On Christmas Eve, people go to church for midnight Mass. Families share special sweets like kulkuls and neureos with neighbours. Streets glow with lights, and choirs sing carols. Friends of all faiths join in the fun.
    
    When do people go for midnight Mass? (a) On Sunday morning (b) On Christmas noon (c) On New Year (d) On Christmas Eve
12. 12.Eid ul-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims at the end of Ramzan, the month of fasting. During Ramzan, people do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. Eid begins when the new moon is seen in the sky. On Eid morning, people wear new clothes and offer special prayers. Families give food and money to the poor. Friends hug one another and say “Eid Mubarak”. A sweet dish called sheer khurma is made with milk, vermicelli and dates. Children receive gifts called Eidi from elders.
    
    When does Eid begin? (a) At noon (b) At midnight (c) When it rains (d) When the new moon shows

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