Unseen Passage for Class 5 – Mixed

Reading comprehension lesson 20: Class 5 practice test · Set 239 · 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.As a child in Kochi, Sherin loved watching the big blue buses go by. Her uncle was a bus driver, and he sometimes let her sit in the front seat. People laughed when she said she would drive a bus one day. Sherin learned to drive a scooter, then a car, and then a heavy vehicle. She practised for months and passed a difficult driving test. At twenty-four, she became the first woman bus driver in her depot. She says, “Never let anyone laugh away your dream.”
   
   How old was she when she became a bus driver? (a) Twenty (b) Eighteen (c) Twenty-four (d) Thirty
2. 2.Every winter, Sunil and his father go to the lake near their village in Rajasthan. Thousands of birds fly there from cold countries. Sunil counts the cranes and the ducks in his notebook. This year he saw a flamingo for the first time. Its legs were long and its feathers were pink. Sunil’s father told him never to throw stones at the birds. They watched quietly from behind the bushes. At sunset, the birds flew together across the orange sky.
   
   When do Sunil and his father go to the lake? (a) Every summer (b) Every winter (c) Every month (d) In the rains
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) Wheat (b) Bananas (c) Fresh rice (d) Lentils
4. 4.Deepa wanted to bake a cake for her mother’s birthday. She had never baked before. Her neighbour Aunty Rosa offered to help her. They mixed flour, sugar, butter and eggs in a big bowl. Deepa added some cocoa to make it a chocolate cake. The cake baked in the oven for forty minutes. The kitchen smelled wonderful. When Mother came home, Deepa shouted, “Surprise!” Mother was so happy that she hugged both of them.
   
   Who helped Deepa? (a) Her teacher (b) Aunty Rosa (c) Her mother (d) Her sister
5. 5.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.
   
   Why must visitors rest on the first day? (a) The air is thin (b) Roads are closed (c) It is too hot (d) Shops are shut
6. 6.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) Kerala (c) West Bengal (d) Gujarat
7. 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.
   
   How do the mangroves help the land? (a) Make it dry (b) Bring snow (c) Give it gold (d) Protect it from storms
8. 8.Fatima lived in a village in Rajasthan where the nearest doctor was forty kilometres away. When she was eleven, her little brother fell very sick. They had to travel all night to reach a hospital. That night, Fatima decided to become a doctor. She studied by a kerosene lamp and walked five kilometres to school. Her teachers helped her prepare for the medical exam. She became a doctor at twenty-six. Then she came back and opened a small clinic in her own village.
   
   How far away was the nearest doctor? (a) Five kilometres (b) Forty kilometres (c) Four kilometres (d) Ten kilometres
9. 9.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.
   
   How long did Tashi study at home? (a) A year (b) A month (c) A day (d) A week
10. 10.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.
    
    What are the idols made of? (a) Stone (b) Clay (c) Metal (d) Wood
11. 11.Joseph Pinto was the postman of a group of hill villages in Goa for thirty years. He walked about fifteen kilometres every day, because there were no roads for vehicles. In the rains, he wrapped the letters in plastic to keep them dry. Many old people could not read, so he read their letters aloud to them. He also wrote replies for them. When he retired, the villagers held a party under the big mango tree. They gave him a walking stick carved with all their names.
    
    What was Joseph Pinto’s job? (a) Postman (b) Teacher (c) Driver (d) Farmer
12. 12.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 the lights stand for? (a) The end of winter (b) A new school year (c) A good harvest (d) Good winning over evil

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