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.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 gamosa? (a) A drum (b) A dance (c) A white cloth (d) A rice sweet -
2.Uncle Shankar has driven the school bus in Mysuru for twenty-two years. He knows the name of every child who rides with him. He keeps a notebook with all their birthdays. On each birthday, he plays a song and gives the child a toffee. He never drives fast, even when the bus is late. Once, he stopped the bus to help an old woman cross the road. Many of his first students now send their own children on his bus. They say he is part of their family.
Why did he once stop the bus? (a) To help an old woman (b) To fix a tyre (c) To buy toffees (d) To pick up a child -
3.Arjun wanted to win the school running race. Every evening, he ran three rounds of the playground. His grandfather timed him with an old watch. On the day of the race, Arjun started fast. Near the end, his friend Tenzin tripped and fell. Arjun stopped to help him up. They crossed the finish line together, last of all. The principal gave them a special prize for kindness.
Who timed Arjun? (a) His coach (b) His father (c) His grandfather (d) Tenzin -
4.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) Fell down fast (b) Moved away slowly (c) Got torn (d) Was pulled back -
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 gujiya? (a) A water gun (b) A colour (c) A sweet (d) A dance -
6.The backwaters of Kerala are a network of calm lakes, rivers and canals near the sea. Coconut palms line their banks. Many villages lie along the water, and people use boats to go to school, work and market. Houseboats called kettuvallams carry visitors slowly along the canals. Long ago, these boats carried rice and spices. Ducks swim beside the boats, and fishermen throw their nets. Alappuzha is one of the best places to see the backwaters. The quiet waters make it a peaceful place to visit.
How do villagers go to school and work? (a) On foot (b) By bus (c) By boat (d) By train -
7.Ramesh was a cobbler who sat under a neem tree near the bus stand in Nagpur. He mended shoes and bags from morning till night. He earned very little, but he saved a few coins every day in a tin box. His dream was to send his daughter, Pooja, to college. Pooja studied hard under the street lamp after helping her father. When she finished school, Ramesh opened the tin box. There was enough money for her first year at college. Today Pooja is a nurse.
Where did Ramesh sit? (a) Under a banyan tree (b) In a big shop (c) Under a neem tree (d) Inside the bus stand -
8.Every morning, Rupa rows a boat across the wide river in her village in Assam. Before, children had to wait for a ferry that came only twice a day. Many of them missed school. Rupa had grown up rowing with her father, who was a boatman. She decided to take the children across herself. She leaves at seven every morning and comes back for them at three. She asks for no money. Parents say their children have not missed a day since.
At what time does she leave in the morning? (a) Seven (b) Eight (c) Six (d) Three -
9.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.
True or false: The calf was crying loudly. (a) False (b) True -
10.Every Saturday, the children of Green Lane Colony cleaned their park. Some picked up plastic wrappers. Others swept the dry leaves into heaps. Gurpreet made a big sign that said, “Keep Our Park Clean.” Her friend Aditya painted the old benches blue. Soon, people stopped throwing litter in the park. The colony secretary gave the children a basket of fruit. Now the park is the cleanest in the town.
What colour did Aditya paint the benches? (a) White (b) Green (c) Red (d) Blue -
11.Imran’s school started a vegetable garden behind the library. Each class got a small patch of land. Class 5 planted tomatoes, spinach and beans. Imran watered the plants every day during the lunch break. One week, insects began to eat the spinach leaves. The teacher showed them how to spray water mixed with neem. The insects went away. In winter, the class cooked a spinach soup for the whole school.
What was mixed with the water to spray? (a) Sugar (b) Soap (c) Salt (d) Neem -
12.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.
What happened to Ayesha’s cycle? (a) Its chain broke (b) It was stolen (c) Its bell fell off (d) It got a flat tyre
Answer key
- A white cloth
- To help an old woman
- His grandfather
- Moved away slowly
- A sweet
- By boat
- Under a neem tree
- Seven
- True
- Blue
- Neem
- It got a flat tyre
Free reading comprehension lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/reading-comprehension