Unseen Passage for Class 5 – Mixed
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.
NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 12
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1.The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It lies where the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers meet the sea, in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Mangrove trees can grow in salty water. Their roots stick up out of the mud to breathe. The forest is home to the Royal Bengal tiger, which can swim well. Crocodiles, deer and many birds also live there. The mangroves protect the land from strong storms from the sea. People travel through the forest by boat.
Which big cat lives in the Sundarbans? (a) Royal Bengal tiger (b) Cheetah (c) Asiatic lion (d) Snow leopard -
2.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) Barley and apricots (b) Mangoes and bananas (c) Rice and tea (d) Wheat and cotton -
3.Ayesha’s cycle got a flat tyre on the way to school. She was far from home and the bell would ring soon. An old man at a small repair shop saw her worried face. He fixed the tyre in ten minutes. Ayesha had no money with her, but he said, “Pay me tomorrow.” She reached school just in time. The next day, she brought him the money and a box of sweets. He laughed and shared the sweets with her.
Did Ayesha reach school on time? (a) Yes, just in time (b) She did not go (c) No, she was late -
4.Rekha always loved fixing things. As a girl in Indore, she opened up old radios and clocks to see how they worked. After school, she joined a training course for motor mechanics. She was the only girl in a class of thirty. At first, some customers did not trust her to repair their scooters. Rekha did not give up and worked carefully. Slowly, people saw that her repairs lasted longest. Today she runs her own garage and trains other girls.
How many students were in her class? (a) Ten (b) Forty (c) Thirty (d) Twenty -
5.Priya’s grandfather grew mangoes in his orchard in Ratnagiri. In summer, Priya visited him during the holidays. Every morning, they walked between the trees to check the ripe fruit. Grandfather taught her to pick a mango gently with a long pole and a net. They packed the mangoes in boxes lined with hay. The hay kept the fruit from getting bruised. On the last day, Priya took a box home for her neighbours.
For whom did Priya take a box? (a) Her teacher (b) Her neighbours (c) Her cousins (d) Her friends -
6.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) Four (b) One (c) Two (d) Three -
7.The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It lies where the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers meet the sea, in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Mangrove trees can grow in salty water. Their roots stick up out of the mud to breathe. The forest is home to the Royal Bengal tiger, which can swim well. Crocodiles, deer and many birds also live there. The mangroves protect the land from strong storms from the sea. People travel through the forest by boat.
Why do mangrove roots stick out of the mud? (a) To drink rain (b) To hold boats (c) To catch fish (d) To breathe -
8.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) Near the sea (b) In the Thar desert (c) In the Nilgiri hills (d) In a big city -
9.Every evening, Mohan closed his tea stall near the railway station in Kanpur. Then he spread a mat under a street light. Children who could not go to school came there to learn. Mohan had studied only up to Class 10, but he taught them reading and simple maths. He bought chalk and slates with the money he earned from selling tea. Some of his students later joined the government school nearby. One of them, Ravi, is now a teacher himself. Mohan still runs his stall and his evening class.
Where was his stall? (a) Near a temple (b) Inside a school (c) At the bus stand (d) Near the railway station -
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.
What is a pookalam? (a) A boat race (b) A new dress (c) A carpet of petals (d) A big meal -
11.Lakshmi’s village had no bridge over the stream. In the rainy season, the water rose high and children could not reach school. One year, the villagers decided to build a bamboo bridge. The men cut bamboo, and the women tied it with strong ropes. The children carried water and food for the workers. In ten days, the bridge was ready. Now everyone could cross the stream even in the rains. Lakshmi called it the “Together Bridge”.
Why could children not reach school in the rainy season? (a) The school was shut (b) It was too cold (c) The water rose high (d) The road was closed -
12.Tashi lived in a village high in the mountains of Sikkim. The nearest school was across a cold, rushing river. A narrow wooden bridge hung over the water. One spring, the bridge was damaged in a landslide. For a week, Tashi studied at home by lamp light. Then the army built a strong new bridge. On his first day back, Tashi ran across it with a big smile. His teacher gave him extra lessons to catch up.
Where did Tashi live? (a) In Kerala (b) In Assam (c) In Sikkim (d) In Punjab
Answer key
- Royal Bengal tiger
- Barley and apricots
- Yes, just in time
- Thirty
- Her neighbours
- Three
- To breathe
- In the Nilgiri hills
- Near the railway station
- A carpet of petals
- The water rose high
- In Sikkim
Free reading comprehension lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/reading-comprehension