Unseen Passage for Class 5 – Festivals and Places

Reading comprehension lesson 18: Festivals and places of India · Set 613 · 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.The Rann of Kutch is a huge salt desert in Gujarat. During the monsoon, it is flooded with sea water. When the water dries up in winter, a thick white layer of salt is left behind. On a full-moon night, the white land seems to glow. Every winter, a festival called Rann Utsav is held there. Visitors stay in tents and enjoy folk music and crafts. Flamingos come to the wetlands nearby to breed. Wild asses, found almost nowhere else, also live in this area.
   
   In which state is the Rann of Kutch? (a) Goa (b) Rajasthan (c) Maharashtra (d) Gujarat
2. 2.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 are the gifts from elders called? (a) Ramzan (b) Sadya (c) Kolam (d) Eidi
3. 3.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) Bananas (b) Fresh rice (c) Lentils (d) Wheat
4. 4.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) Bihar (c) Kerala (d) Tamil Nadu
5. 5.Ganesh Chaturthi is a ten-day festival, celebrated with great joy in Maharashtra. It usually falls in August or September. Families bring home clay idols of Lord Ganesha, who has the head of an elephant. The idol is decorated with flowers and worshipped every day. A sweet dumpling called modak is offered to him. Many neighbourhoods set up large public pandals. On the last day, the idols are taken in processions and immersed in water. Many families now choose clay idols that do not harm rivers.
   
   When are the idols immersed? (a) Every morning (b) Before the festival (c) On the last day (d) On the first day
6. 6.The backwaters of Kerala are a network of calm lakes, rivers and canals near the sea. Coconut palms line their banks. Many villages lie along the water, and people use boats to go to school, work and market. Houseboats called kettuvallams carry visitors slowly along the canals. Long ago, these boats carried rice and spices. Ducks swim beside the boats, and fishermen throw their nets. Alappuzha is one of the best places to see the backwaters. The quiet waters make it a peaceful place to visit.
   
   What are kettuvallams? (a) Coconut trees (b) Fishing nets (c) Houseboats (d) Rice fields
7. 7.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) When it rains (b) At noon (c) At midnight (d) When the new moon shows
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 do people do before Diwali? (a) Go to school (b) Clean their homes (c) Plant trees (d) Fly kites
9. 9.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 are diyas? (a) Coloured powders (b) New clothes (c) Sweets (d) Small clay lamps
10. 10.The Thar Desert lies mostly in Rajasthan, in the north-west of India. It is a land of sand dunes, thorny bushes and very little rain. Days in summer are extremely hot, but nights can be cool. Camels are useful here because they can walk on sand and go without water for days. That is why the camel is called the ship of the desert. People store rainwater in tanks and step-wells. Jaisalmer, a city of golden stone, stands in this desert.
    
    Where do people store rainwater? (a) In tanks and step-wells (b) In rivers (c) In clay lamps (d) In the sand
11. 11.Ladakh is a cold desert high in the Himalayas. It gets very little rain or snow, so the mountains are mostly bare and brown. Winters are freezing, and temperatures can drop far below zero. The air is thin at this height, so visitors must rest on their first day. People grow barley and apricots in the short summer. Yaks give milk, wool and help to carry loads. Buddhist monasteries, called gompas, stand on hilltops. Pangong Lake changes colour from blue to green during the day.
    
    Which crops do people grow? (a) Mangoes and bananas (b) Barley and apricots (c) Rice and tea (d) Wheat and cotton
12. 12.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.
    
    What are the living bridges made of? (a) Iron (b) Bamboo (c) Tree roots (d) Stone

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