Unseen Passage for Class 5 – Mixed

Reading comprehension lesson 20: Class 5 practice test · Set 105 · 12 questions

Reading tip (Scan, then read closely): Read the passage once for the main idea. Scan for the key word of the question. Read that sentence closely and choose the option it proves.

1. 1.Holi is the festival of colours, usually celebrated in March. It marks the end of winter and the coming of spring. On the night before Holi, people light a bonfire called Holika Dahan. The bonfire stands for good winning over evil. Next morning, friends throw coloured powder, called gulal, at one another. Children fill water guns, called pichkaris, with coloured water. Many people now use colours made from flowers, which are safe for the skin. Later, everyone washes up and shares sweets like gujiya.
   
   Why are colours made from flowers good? (a) They last for weeks (b) They smell bad (c) They are safe for skin (d) They are cheap
2. 2.Bhimrao was a farmer in a dry village in Maharashtra. For many years, his wells dried up before summer. He watched the rainwater rush away down the hill every monsoon. One year, he dug a small pond at the low end of his field. He also planted trees along the edges to hold the soil. The pond filled with rain and slowly soaked into the ground. The next summer, his well still had water. Soon, ten other farmers in the village dug ponds too.
   
   What happened the next summer? (a) His well dried up (b) His well had water (c) He sold his farm (d) His trees died
3. 3.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.
   
   What is a pookalam? (a) A boat race (b) A new dress (c) A big meal (d) A carpet of petals
4. 4.The Hornbill Festival is held in Nagaland every year from 1 to 10 December. It is named after the hornbill, a large bird with a big curved beak. The bird is important in the stories and songs of the Naga people. The festival takes place at a heritage village called Kisama, near Kohima. Many tribes of Nagaland come together to show their dances, songs and crafts. Visitors can watch traditional games and taste local food. The festival helps keep old traditions alive.
   
   In which state is the Hornbill Festival held? (a) Mizoram (b) Assam (c) Nagaland (d) Manipur
5. 5.The library in Kiran’s school had a dusty corner full of old books. Nobody went there. Kiran asked the librarian if she could tidy it. With two friends, she wiped the shelves and sorted the books by subject. They made colourful labels and a small reading mat. They named the corner “The Treasure Shelf”. Now younger children sit there every lunch break. The librarian says it is the busiest corner of the library.
   
   What was in the dusty corner? (a) Toys (b) Old maps (c) Broken chairs (d) Old books
6. 6.Grandma Sushila could not read the small letters in her newspaper. Her glasses had broken last week. Her grandson Dev had an idea. Every morning before school, he read the news aloud to her. Grandma listened and asked many questions. Dev learned new words and began to read faster. After a month, Grandma got new glasses. But she still asked Dev to read to her on Sundays.
   
   What happened after a month? (a) Dev went away (b) The paper stopped (c) Grandma moved (d) Grandma got new glasses
7. 7.Ammini Amma lived beside a river in Kerala but never learned to swim. When she was sixty, floods came to her village. She was scared and had to be rescued in a boat. After the floods, she decided to learn swimming. Every morning, she practised in the river with a young coach named Arun. Within three months, she could swim across the river. Now, at sixty-five, she teaches swimming to village children for free. She says it is never too late to learn.
   
   Where did Ammini Amma live? (a) In a big city (b) In a desert (c) Near a mountain (d) Beside a river
8. 8.The library in Kiran’s school had a dusty corner full of old books. Nobody went there. Kiran asked the librarian if she could tidy it. With two friends, she wiped the shelves and sorted the books by subject. They made colourful labels and a small reading mat. They named the corner “The Treasure Shelf”. Now younger children sit there every lunch break. The librarian says it is the busiest corner of the library.
   
   How did they sort the books? (a) By subject (b) By age (c) By colour (d) By size
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 is rangoli made with? (a) Oil (b) Coloured powder (c) Clay (d) Paper
10. 10.Dasan was a fisherman in a coastal village in Tamil Nadu. He knew the sea better than anyone in his village. One stormy night, a small boat with three young fishermen was caught in big waves. Everyone else was too scared to go out. Dasan tied a rope to his own boat and rowed into the storm. After an hour, he came back pulling the small boat behind him. All three young men were safe. Since then, Dasan has trained many villagers to swim and save lives at sea.
    
    What has Dasan trained villagers to do? (a) Sell fish (b) Make nets (c) Swim and save lives (d) Build boats
11. 11.Thangam lived in a village in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu. Her family grew vegetables, but the plants gave few beans. A visitor from the farm college told her that bees help plants make fruit and seeds. Thangam learned to keep bees in wooden boxes. She placed the boxes at the edge of the fields. That season, the plants gave many more beans. She also sold honey at the weekly market. Now many families in her village keep bees too.
    
    Where did Thangam live? (a) In the Nilgiri hills (b) In a big city (c) In the Thar desert (d) Near the sea
12. 12.Rahul’s family moved from a village to the big city of Mumbai. Everything felt fast and noisy. Trains rushed past every few minutes, and the roads were full of cars. Rahul missed the quiet fields and his old friends. In his new school, a boy named Sameer sat next to him. Sameer showed him the library and the playground. Soon they began to walk home together every day. Rahul started to like the busy city.
    
    Which word in the passage is the opposite of “quiet”? (a) Old (b) Fast (c) Noisy (d) Full

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