Unseen Passage for Class 5 – Mixed

Reading comprehension lesson 20: Class 5 practice test · Set 291 · 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.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) In the front row (b) On the stage (c) At the back (d) Near the door
2. 2.Rekha always loved fixing things. As a girl in Indore, she opened up old radios and clocks to see how they worked. After school, she joined a training course for motor mechanics. She was the only girl in a class of thirty. At first, some customers did not trust her to repair their scooters. Rekha did not give up and worked carefully. Slowly, people saw that her repairs lasted longest. Today she runs her own garage and trains other girls.
   
   Which words in the passage mean “stop trying”? (a) Fix (b) Trust (c) Give up (d) Work
3. 3.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 is Diwali called? (a) The festival of lights (b) The festival of kites (c) The festival of colours (d) The harvest festival
4. 4.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.
   
   True or false: Rahul liked the city at once. (a) False (b) True
5. 5.Dasan was a fisherman in a coastal village in Tamil Nadu. He knew the sea better than anyone in his village. One stormy night, a small boat with three young fishermen was caught in big waves. Everyone else was too scared to go out. Dasan tied a rope to his own boat and rowed into the storm. After an hour, he came back pulling the small boat behind him. All three young men were safe. Since then, Dasan has trained many villagers to swim and save lives at sea.
   
   Why did no one else go out? (a) They were asleep (b) They had no boats (c) They were too scared (d) They were away
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.
   
   Where do visitors stay? (a) In boats (b) In hotels (c) In caves (d) In tents
7. 7.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.
   
   Where did Tashi live? (a) In Sikkim (b) In Assam (c) In Punjab (d) In Kerala
8. 8.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) By bus (b) By train (c) On foot (d) By boat
9. 9.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) Two years (c) Five years (d) Fifty years
10. 10.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 car (b) A truck (c) A scooter (d) A bus
11. 11.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.
    
    What are gompas? (a) Woollen coats (b) Buddhist monasteries (c) Yak farms (d) Mountain lakes
12. 12.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.
    
    What did the uncle bring? (a) A ladder (b) A stick (c) A long rope (d) A bucket

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