← Stories with characters lesson New set →

Unseen Passage for Class 6 – Stories

Reading comprehension lesson 23: Stories with characters · Set 182 · 12 questions
TalentJR

Reading tip (Why did they do it?): Find the main character and the problem. For “why”, find the reason written in the story. For feelings, look for words like proud, worried or ashamed.

NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 12
  1. 1.Zoya was afraid of water since she was small. Her friends went swimming every summer, but she watched from the side. One year, her cousin Aman offered to teach her slowly. On the first day, she only sat with her feet in the pool. On the third day, she floated while holding the edge. Each small step made her a little braver. By the end of the month, she swam across the pool on her own. Aman told her that being brave means doing something even when you are scared.

    What could Zoya do by the end of the month?
    (a) Only float (b) Swim across the pool (c) Nothing new (d) Dive from a height
  2. 2.Before the final maths test, Dev’s classmate offered him a copy of the answers. Someone had taken a photo of the question paper. Dev was worried about the test, but he refused. He studied late with his sister, who explained fractions again. The next day, the teacher announced that the paper had leaked. She gave the class a brand-new paper instead. Dev did well because he truly understood the topic. Those who had learnt the copied answers by heart struggled.

    What did Dev’s classmate offer him?
    (a) Extra lessons (b) A new pencil (c) A lunch box (d) A copy of the answers
  3. 3.A new girl named Lakshmi joined Tenzin’s class in July. She had moved from a village in Tamil Nadu and spoke little Hindi. At lunch, she sat alone under the neem tree. Some children laughed at her accent. Tenzin remembered his own first day in Delhi, when he too had felt lost. He sat beside her and shared his momos. Lakshmi taught him a few Tamil words in return. By August, the two were the best of friends.

    Why did Tenzin understand how Lakshmi felt?
    (a) He felt lost once too (b) She was his cousin (c) The teacher told him (d) He knew Tamil
  4. 4.Arjun was always in a hurry. One morning, he took a shortcut across the railway tracks to reach school early. A signalman shouted at him to stop. Seconds later, a goods train thundered past. Arjun’s legs were shaking as he stepped back. The signalman explained that trains are much faster than they look. From that day, Arjun always used the footbridge. He now says it is better to be late than to be sorry.

    What does Arjun use now?
    (a) The footbridge (b) A bicycle (c) A taxi (d) The shortcut
  5. 5.Nisha loved the small river behind her town. Last summer, she noticed it was full of plastic bottles and bags. The fish she used to watch had vanished. She made posters and asked her classmates to help. Twenty students came on the first Sunday. They filled forty sacks with rubbish in one morning. The town council then put up bins and a sign that read, “Keep our river clean.” By the next monsoon, Nisha spotted fish again.

    What did Nisha notice last summer?
    (a) Plastic in the river (b) A new bridge (c) Fish in the river (d) Flowers on the bank
  6. 6.Sana lived in a flat in Mumbai with no garden. She longed to grow her own vegetables. Her father found some old paint buckets and filled them with soil. Sana planted chillies, spinach and tomatoes on the terrace. She watered them every morning before school. Pigeons pecked at the seedlings, so she covered them with a net. In two months, she picked her first spinach leaves. Her mother cooked them for dinner, and Sana thought they tasted better than any others.

    Why did Sana cover the seedlings with a net?
    (a) It rained a lot (b) Cats sat on them (c) Pigeons pecked them (d) It was too sunny
  7. 7.Meenal wanted to build a water filter for the science fair. Her first model leaked, and her second one was too slow. She almost gave up. Her grandmother reminded her how long it took to learn to ride a cycle. So Meenal tried a third time, with layers of sand, charcoal and pebbles. This time, muddy water came out clear. She did not win first prize, but the judges praised her patience. Meenal realised that trying again was a prize in itself.

    What layers did the third filter have?
    (a) Mud, leaves, sticks (b) Cotton, paper, glass (c) Salt, sugar, rice (d) Sand, charcoal, pebbles
  8. 8.Kiran’s village had no library. She loved reading but had only four books of her own. One day, she asked her neighbours to share books they had already read. Within a month, she had collected over a hundred books. Her uncle gave her an empty room in his shop to keep them. Kiran made cards to note who borrowed which book. Soon, children came every evening to read. The panchayat later gave money for more shelves.

    Why did Kiran make cards?
    (a) To sell books (b) To note who borrowed (c) To draw pictures (d) To invite guests
  9. 9.Nisha loved the small river behind her town. Last summer, she noticed it was full of plastic bottles and bags. The fish she used to watch had vanished. She made posters and asked her classmates to help. Twenty students came on the first Sunday. They filled forty sacks with rubbish in one morning. The town council then put up bins and a sign that read, “Keep our river clean.” By the next monsoon, Nisha spotted fish again.

    What does “vanished” mean in the passage?
    (a) Disappeared (b) Grown bigger (c) Come back (d) Become pink
  10. 10.Vihaan was batting in the final over of the colony cricket match. He edged the ball, and it brushed his bat before the keeper caught it. Nobody else heard the sound, and the umpire said not out. Vihaan’s team needed just four runs to win. Still, Vihaan walked off the field on his own. The other team was stunned. They lost the match, but players from both sides shook his hand. Vihaan felt that fair play mattered more than a trophy.

    Why did Vihaan walk off the field?
    (a) He knew he was out (b) He was tired (c) He was hurt (d) It began to rain
  11. 11.Joseph’s grandfather wanted to video call his daughter in Canada. But he found the smartphone confusing. Joseph, who was twelve, offered to teach him. Every evening, they practised for fifteen minutes. Joseph wrote the steps in big letters on a card. Grandfather made mistakes but never gave up. After two weeks, he made his first call on his own. His face lit up when his daughter appeared on the screen.

    What did Joseph write the steps on?
    (a) The board (b) A card (c) The wall (d) A phone
  12. 12.Arjun was always in a hurry. One morning, he took a shortcut across the railway tracks to reach school early. A signalman shouted at him to stop. Seconds later, a goods train thundered past. Arjun’s legs were shaking as he stepped back. The signalman explained that trains are much faster than they look. From that day, Arjun always used the footbridge. He now says it is better to be late than to be sorry.

    Why did Arjun take a shortcut?
    (a) To meet a friend (b) To see the train (c) To reach school early (d) To buy a snack

Answer key

  1. Swim across the pool
  2. A copy of the answers
  3. He felt lost once too
  4. The footbridge
  5. Plastic in the river
  6. Pigeons pecked them
  7. Sand, charcoal, pebbles
  8. To note who borrowed
  9. Disappeared
  10. He knew he was out
  11. A card
  12. To reach school early

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