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.
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1.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.
How long did the cake bake? (a) Two hours (b) Twenty minutes (c) Ten minutes (d) Forty minutes -
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.
What did Father tell Sunil never to do? (a) Count the birds (b) Go near the lake (c) Write in a notebook (d) Throw stones at birds -
3.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.
Where did he dig the pond? (a) Near his house (b) At the field’s low end (c) On top of the hill (d) In the village square -
4.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.
Who was the guide? (a) Bhola (b) A soldier (c) Ananya (d) A teacher -
5.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 does the overflowing pot stand for? (a) Danger (b) Plenty (c) Rain (d) Sadness -
6.Suresh worked as a guard in a factory in Ranchi. On Sundays, he coached cricket in an empty field near his home. At first only boys came. One day, a girl named Salma asked if she could play too. Suresh gave her a bat and watched her hit the ball over the fence. Soon more girls joined, and he started a girls’ team. He bought balls and pads with his own savings. Last year, his team won the district cup.
How did he pay for balls and pads? (a) The girls paid (b) With his own savings (c) The factory paid (d) A school gave money -
7.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.
True or false: Nobody uses the corner now. (a) True (b) False -
8.Rahul’s family moved from a village to the big city of Mumbai. Everything felt fast and noisy. Trains rushed past every few minutes, and the roads were full of cars. Rahul missed the quiet fields and his old friends. In his new school, a boy named Sameer sat next to him. Sameer showed him the library and the playground. Soon they began to walk home together every day. Rahul started to like the busy city.
What did Rahul miss? (a) The big library (b) The quiet fields (c) The busy trains (d) His new school -
9.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 does “litter” mean here? (a) Small animals (b) Fallen flowers (c) Old paint (d) Rubbish thrown around -
10.Zoya was nervous about singing at the school function. Her hands shook whenever she practised in front of others. Her music teacher told her to look at one friendly face in the crowd. On the big day, Zoya walked onto the stage. She found her grandmother sitting in the front row. Grandma smiled and nodded. Zoya took a deep breath and began to sing. When she finished, the hall filled with loud clapping.
Where was her grandmother sitting? (a) Near the door (b) At the back (c) On the stage (d) In the front row -
11.Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala. It falls in August or September, after the monsoon. People believe that the kind King Mahabali visits his people at this time. To welcome him, families make pookalam, a carpet of flower petals, in front of their homes. A grand meal called sadya is served on a banana leaf. It has more than twenty dishes. Snake boat races are held on the rivers. Everyone wears new clothes, and the whole state is full of joy.
Who do people believe visits during Onam? (a) The Sun God (b) A sea king (c) King Mahabali (d) Their teacher -
12.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 the bonfire called? (a) Gujiya (b) Pichkari (c) Gulal (d) Holika Dahan
Answer key
- Forty minutes
- Throw stones at birds
- At the field’s low end
- Bhola
- Plenty
- With his own savings
- False
- The quiet fields
- Rubbish thrown around
- In the front row
- King Mahabali
- Holika Dahan
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