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Unseen Passage for Class 5 – Mixed

Reading comprehension lesson 20: Class 5 practice test · Set 251 · 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.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.

    Why did the teacher give extra lessons?
    (a) He was naughty (b) To help him catch up (c) He asked for them (d) For an exam
  2. 2.In Goa, Christmas is a big festival celebrated on 25 December. Weeks before, families clean and paint their homes. They hang paper stars outside their windows. Many homes make a crib, a small model of the place where Jesus was born. On Christmas Eve, people go to church for midnight Mass. Families share special sweets like kulkuls and neureos with neighbours. Streets glow with lights, and choirs sing carols. Friends of all faiths join in the fun.

    What do people hang outside their windows?
    (a) Kites (b) Clay lamps (c) Flower garlands (d) Paper stars
  3. 3.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) Kabir (c) The uncle (d) The calf
  4. 4.Meghalaya is a hilly state in north-east India. Its name means “the abode of clouds”. Some places in Meghalaya get more rain than almost anywhere else on Earth. In the villages near Cherrapunji, people have made living root bridges. They guide the roots of rubber fig trees across streams. Over many years, the roots grow thick and strong enough to walk on. Some bridges are hundreds of years old. Unlike wooden bridges, they grow stronger with time.

    Near which place are these villages?
    (a) Gangtok (b) Cherrapunji (c) Shillong (d) Kohima
  5. 5.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.

    What is gulal?
    (a) Coloured powder (b) A sweet (c) A water gun (d) A bonfire
  6. 6.The Rann of Kutch is a huge salt desert in Gujarat. During the monsoon, it is flooded with sea water. When the water dries up in winter, a thick white layer of salt is left behind. On a full-moon night, the white land seems to glow. Every winter, a festival called Rann Utsav is held there. Visitors stay in tents and enjoy folk music and crafts. Flamingos come to the wetlands nearby to breed. Wild asses, found almost nowhere else, also live in this area.

    What is left when the water dries up?
    (a) Green grass (b) Black mud (c) Sand dunes (d) A white layer of salt
  7. 7.Savitri sold vegetables from a cart in the lanes of Bhopal. She could not read, so she found it hard to keep accounts. Her granddaughter Komal taught her numbers and letters every night. Within a year, Savitri could read prices and write her own accounts. She started keeping a notebook of what she sold each day. With the money she saved, she bought a bigger cart with a shade on top. Now Savitri helps other sellers learn to count and write.

    Who taught her numbers and letters?
    (a) Komal (b) Another seller (c) A teacher (d) Her son
  8. 8.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.

    Where was the orchard?
    (a) In Nagpur (b) In Shimla (c) In Ratnagiri (d) In Surat
  9. 9.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.”

    What did Sherin learn to drive first?
    (a) A bus (b) A car (c) A truck (d) A scooter
  10. 10.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) It was too cold (b) The water rose high (c) The school was shut (d) The road was closed
  11. 11.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.”

    What did people do when she spoke of her dream?
    (a) They helped (b) They clapped (c) They laughed (d) They cried
  12. 12.Ananya and her friends went trekking in the hills near Shimla. Their guide, Bhola, walked in front with a stick. After two hours, thick fog covered the path. Bhola told everyone to hold hands and walk slowly. He knew the path by the sound of a small waterfall. Soon the fog cleared, and they saw snowy peaks far away. Ananya took a photo and shared her biscuits with Bhola.

    What covered the path after two hours?
    (a) Tall grass (b) Thick fog (c) Big rocks (d) Heavy snow

Answer key

  1. To help him catch up
  2. Paper stars
  3. The calf
  4. Cherrapunji
  5. Coloured powder
  6. A white layer of salt
  7. Komal
  8. In Ratnagiri
  9. A scooter
  10. The water rose high
  11. They laughed
  12. Thick fog

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