← Science and environment passages lesson New set →

Unseen Passage for Class 6 with Questions

Reading comprehension lesson 21: Science and environment passages · Set 125 · 12 questions
TalentJR

Reading tip (Cause and effect): Find the topic of the passage in the first sentence. Look for cause-and-effect words: because, so, as a result. Work out new science words from the sentence that explains them.

NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 12
  1. 1.The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite. It goes around the Earth once in about a month. The Moon does not have its own light. It shines because it reflects light from the Sun. As it moves, we see different amounts of its lit side. These changing shapes are called phases. On a full moon night, we see the whole bright face. On a new moon night, we can hardly see it at all.

    In “It goes around the Earth”, what does “It” refer to?
    (a) a star (b) the Sun (c) the Earth (d) the Moon
  2. 2.Mangroves are trees that grow in salty water along the coast. Their roots stick out of the mud like knobbly fingers. These roots help the trees breathe in wet, airless soil. Mangrove forests protect the coast from strong waves and storms. They also give shelter to fish, crabs and birds. The Sundarbans, shared by India and Bangladesh, is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is home to the Royal Bengal tiger. Cutting mangroves leaves the coast open to damage.

    What do mangrove roots look like?
    (a) Knobbly fingers (b) Thin needles (c) Long ropes (d) Flat plates
  3. 3.In many Indian cities, people face water shortages in summer. Rainwater harvesting is one simple answer. Rain falling on rooftops is collected through pipes. It is then stored in tanks or sent into the ground through pits. Water sent into the ground raises the level of water in wells. A single roof can collect thousands of litres in one monsoon. Some states have made rainwater harvesting compulsory for new buildings. Saving rain today means more water tomorrow.

    What does “compulsory” mean here?
    (a) Must be done (b) Not allowed (c) Done for fun (d) Very costly
  4. 4.Every living thing needs food for energy. Plants make their own food using sunlight. A grasshopper eats grass. A frog eats the grasshopper. A snake eats the frog, and an eagle eats the snake. This link of who eats whom is called a food chain. Every food chain begins with a green plant. If one link disappears, the whole chain is affected.

    What does the frog eat?
    (a) The snake (b) The grass (c) The eagle (d) The grasshopper
  5. 5.Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the sky. It happens when electric charges build up inside storm clouds. A flash of lightning heats the air around it very quickly. The hot air expands with a loud bang, which we hear as thunder. Light travels much faster than sound. That is why we see the flash before we hear the thunder. During a thunderstorm, stay indoors and away from tall trees. Standing under a tree is not safe, as lightning often strikes tall objects.

    What is lightning?
    (a) A gust of wind (b) A burst of rain (c) A spark of electricity (d) A falling star
  6. 6.Mangroves are trees that grow in salty water along the coast. Their roots stick out of the mud like knobbly fingers. These roots help the trees breathe in wet, airless soil. Mangrove forests protect the coast from strong waves and storms. They also give shelter to fish, crabs and birds. The Sundarbans, shared by India and Bangladesh, is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is home to the Royal Bengal tiger. Cutting mangroves leaves the coast open to damage.

    In “It is home to the Royal Bengal tiger”, what does “It” refer to?
    (a) The mud (b) The Sundarbans (c) The coast (d) A crab
  7. 7.A volcano is an opening in the Earth’s crust. Deep under the ground, rocks are so hot that they melt. This melted rock is called magma. When pressure builds up, magma pushes its way to the surface. Once it comes out, it is called lava. Lava can be hotter than 1,000 degrees Celsius. When it cools, it hardens into new rock. India’s only active volcano is on Barren Island in the Andaman Sea.

    What is magma called once it comes out?
    (a) crust (b) magma (c) steam (d) lava
  8. 8.The Earth spins like a top on an imaginary line called its axis. One full spin takes about twenty-four hours. As the Earth spins, one half faces the Sun and has day. The other half faces away and has night. The Earth also moves around the Sun. One trip around the Sun takes about 365 days, which is one year. The tilt of the Earth’s axis gives us seasons. So spinning gives us day and night, while the tilt and the yearly trip give us seasons.

    How long does one full spin take?
    (a) About one week (b) About one hour (c) About twenty-four hours (d) About 365 days
  9. 9.Sound is made when something vibrates, or moves quickly back and forth. When you pluck a sitar string, it vibrates and makes a sound. The vibrations travel through the air to our ears. Sound can also travel through water and solids. In fact, it moves faster through solids than through air. Sound cannot travel through empty space, where there is no air. That is why space is completely silent. Loud sounds for a long time can harm our hearing.

    What can harm our hearing?
    (a) Long loud sounds (b) Bird songs (c) Soft music (d) Quiet rooms
  10. 10.Sound is made when something vibrates, or moves quickly back and forth. When you pluck a sitar string, it vibrates and makes a sound. The vibrations travel through the air to our ears. Sound can also travel through water and solids. In fact, it moves faster through solids than through air. Sound cannot travel through empty space, where there is no air. That is why space is completely silent. Loud sounds for a long time can harm our hearing.

    Does sound move faster through solids or through air?
    (a) Through solids (b) Through air
  11. 11.In many Indian cities, people face water shortages in summer. Rainwater harvesting is one simple answer. Rain falling on rooftops is collected through pipes. It is then stored in tanks or sent into the ground through pits. Water sent into the ground raises the level of water in wells. A single roof can collect thousands of litres in one monsoon. Some states have made rainwater harvesting compulsory for new buildings. Saving rain today means more water tomorrow.

    When do people in cities face water shortages?
    (a) At night (b) In the monsoon (c) In winter (d) In summer
  12. 12.A volcano is an opening in the Earth’s crust. Deep under the ground, rocks are so hot that they melt. This melted rock is called magma. When pressure builds up, magma pushes its way to the surface. Once it comes out, it is called lava. Lava can be hotter than 1,000 degrees Celsius. When it cools, it hardens into new rock. India’s only active volcano is on Barren Island in the Andaman Sea.

    Why does magma push its way to the surface?
    (a) It cools down (b) Rain falls on it (c) The wind pulls it (d) Pressure builds up

Answer key

  1. the Moon
  2. Knobbly fingers
  3. Must be done
  4. The grasshopper
  5. A spark of electricity
  6. The Sundarbans
  7. lava
  8. About twenty-four hours
  9. Long loud sounds
  10. Through solids
  11. In summer
  12. Pressure builds up

Free reading comprehension lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/reading-comprehension