← Class 5 practice test lesson New set →

Unseen Passage for Class 5 – Mixed

Reading comprehension lesson 20: Class 5 practice test · Set 131 · 12 questions
TalentJR

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
  1. 1.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) On the last day (b) Before the festival (c) On the first day (d) Every morning
  2. 2.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) Paper (b) Coloured powder (c) Oil (d) Clay
  3. 3.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”.

    How long did the bridge take to build?
    (a) Two days (b) One year (c) Ten days (d) One month
  4. 4.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.

    Which word in the passage is the opposite of “cool”?
    (a) Thorny (b) Little (c) Hot (d) Golden
  5. 5.Riya and her brother found a lost puppy outside their building in Pune. It was wet and shivering after the rain. Riya wrapped it in an old towel. Her brother brought a bowl of warm milk. The puppy had a blue collar with a phone number on it. Their mother called the number. An hour later, a young girl came running to their door. She hugged the puppy and thanked them again and again.

    In which city did Riya live?
    (a) Kolkata (b) Pune (c) Delhi (d) Chennai
  6. 6.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 did they name the corner?
    (a) The Reading Room (b) The Treasure Shelf (c) The Dusty Corner (d) The Book Mat
  7. 7.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.

    What is a pepa?
    (a) A sweet (b) A buffalo-horn pipe (c) A cloth (d) A drum
  8. 8.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.

    Rongali Bihu marks the start of which season?
    (a) Winter (b) Autumn (c) Spring (d) Monsoon
  9. 9.Durga Puja is the biggest festival of West Bengal. It is held in autumn, usually in October. Artists spend months making clay idols of Goddess Durga. The idols are placed in large decorated tents called pandals. For five days, people visit pandals, pray and enjoy music and food. Many pandals are built to look like palaces or temples. On the last day, the idols are carried to a river and immersed in the water. People say goodbye and hope the goddess returns next year.

    Durga Puja is the biggest festival of which state?
    (a) Punjab (b) Gujarat (c) West Bengal (d) Kerala
  10. 10.Kamala Devi grew up in a village in Bihar where there were no books. She learned to read only after she got married, with help from her daughter. Reading made her feel she could see the whole world. In 2005, she cleared one room of her house and filled it with old books. She asked people in the town to give away books they did not need. Soon, children came every evening to read and do homework. Today the library has over three thousand books. The village calls her “Kitab Amma”.

    How did she get more books?
    (a) The school sent them (b) She wrote them (c) She bought new ones (d) People gave old books
  11. 11.Kabir lived in a small village near a river. One morning, he saw a calf stuck in the mud on the bank. The calf was crying loudly. Kabir ran to call his uncle, who brought a long rope. Together they tied the rope around the calf and pulled gently. Slowly, the calf came out of the mud. Its mother licked it happily. Kabir’s uncle said he was proud of him.

    In “Its mother licked it happily”, who does “it” mean?
    (a) The rope (b) The uncle (c) Kabir (d) The calf
  12. 12.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.

    What kind of desert is Ladakh?
    (a) A hot desert (b) A sandy desert (c) A salt desert (d) A cold desert

Answer key

  1. On the last day
  2. Coloured powder
  3. Ten days
  4. Hot
  5. Pune
  6. The Treasure Shelf
  7. A buffalo-horn pipe
  8. Spring
  9. West Bengal
  10. People gave old books
  11. The calf
  12. A cold desert

Free reading comprehension lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/reading-comprehension