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Unseen Passage for Class 5 – Mixed

Reading comprehension lesson 20: Class 5 practice test · Set 161 · 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.

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  1. 1.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) Small clay lamps (b) New clothes (c) Sweets (d) Coloured powders
  2. 2.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”.

    What did Lakshmi call the bridge?
    (a) The School Bridge (b) The Bamboo Bridge (c) The Rainy Bridge (d) The Together Bridge
  3. 3.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 Thar desert (b) Near the sea (c) In a big city (d) In the Nilgiri hills
  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.

    The festival is named after what?
    (a) A mountain (b) A king (c) A river (d) A bird
  5. 5.Lalita Ben lived at the foot of a bare, rocky hill in Gujarat. When she was young, the hill had many trees, but people had cut them for firewood. Lalita Ben decided to plant one sapling every week. She carried water up the hill in two pots every morning. Goats ate many of her young plants, so she built fences of thorny branches. After twenty years, a small forest covered the hill. Birds and rabbits came back to live there. Children now call it “Lalita’s Forest”.

    How long did it take for a forest to grow?
    (a) Twenty years (b) Five years (c) Two years (d) Fifty years
  6. 6.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.

    Who told her that bees help plants?
    (a) Her teacher (b) A visitor (c) Her mother (d) A neighbour
  7. 7.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 was the problem with his wells?
    (a) They dried up (b) They were dirty (c) They overflowed (d) They were too deep
  8. 8.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) Beside a river (b) In a desert (c) Near a mountain (d) In a big city
  9. 9.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.

    How did reading aloud help Dev?
    (a) He won a prize (b) He got new glasses (c) He began to read faster (d) He slept early
  10. 10.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 trees died (b) His well dried up (c) His well had water (d) He sold his farm
  11. 11.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) She did not go (b) No, she was late (c) Yes, just in time
  12. 12.Joseph loved flying kites on the terrace. On Makar Sankranti, the sky over Ahmedabad was full of colourful kites. Joseph’s kite was yellow with a green tail. It flew higher than all the others. Suddenly, the string broke and the kite drifted away. Joseph felt sad for a moment. Then his neighbour, Aunty Farida, gave him a new kite. Joseph smiled and flew it with her son till sunset.

    What does “drifted” mean in the passage?
    (a) Moved away slowly (b) Fell down fast (c) Was pulled back (d) Got torn

Answer key

  1. Small clay lamps
  2. The Together Bridge
  3. In the Nilgiri hills
  4. A bird
  5. Twenty years
  6. A visitor
  7. They dried up
  8. Beside a river
  9. He began to read faster
  10. His well had water
  11. Yes, just in time
  12. Moved away slowly

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