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Unseen Passage for Class 6 – Stories

Reading comprehension lesson 23: Stories with characters · Set 20 · 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.Every evening, Asha saw Kamala Aunty struggle up the stairs with heavy bags. Kamala Aunty lived alone on the fourth floor. Asha started carrying her bags whenever she saw her. In return, Kamala Aunty taught Asha to knit. Over the winter, Asha knitted a scarf for her baby cousin. Kamala Aunty said that Asha had brought light into her lonely days. Asha felt that she had gained a grandmother. A small kindness had grown into a big friendship.

    How did Asha help Kamala Aunty?
    (a) Read to her (b) Carried her bags (c) Cleaned her flat (d) Cooked her food
  2. 2.Imran’s father grew tomatoes on a small farm. One year, there were too many tomatoes, and prices fell very low. Many farmers threw away their crop. Imran had an idea. With his mother’s help, he turned the extra tomatoes into ketchup and chutney. They sold the jars at the weekly market in their town. Soon, shopkeepers began ordering more. That year, the family earned more than ever before.

    Why did prices fall that year?
    (a) The market closed (b) Too many tomatoes (c) Tomatoes were rotten (d) A storm hit
  3. 3.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.

    Whom did Grandfather want to video call?
    (a) His doctor (b) His friend (c) His daughter (d) His son
  4. 4.Priya was chosen to recite a poem at the Republic Day function. She practised it perfectly at home. But on the day, when she saw the huge crowd, her mind went blank. Her hands trembled and her throat felt dry. Then she spotted her friend Joel in the front row, smiling and nodding. Priya took a deep breath and began again. This time, the words flowed easily. The audience clapped loudly when she finished.

    Who was smiling in the front row?
    (a) Her teacher (b) Her brother (c) Her mother (d) Joel
  5. 5.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.

    Where had Lakshmi moved from?
    (a) A city in Punjab (b) Delhi (c) A village in Tamil Nadu (d) A town in Assam
  6. 6.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 the town council put up?
    (a) A statue (b) A fence (c) Bins and a sign (d) A new school
  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 was wrong with her second model?
    (a) It was too big (b) It leaked (c) It was too slow (d) It broke
  8. 8.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.

    What does “longed” mean in the passage?
    (a) Forgot (b) Feared (c) Measured (d) Wished very much
  9. 9.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 was tired (b) It began to rain (c) He knew he was out (d) He was hurt
  10. 10.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
  11. 11.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.

    What did Vihaan feel mattered more than a trophy?
    (a) Winning (b) Big hits (c) His bat (d) Fair play
  12. 12.On a stormy evening, Riya heard a soft whimper outside the gate. A tiny puppy was shivering in the rain. Her mother was worried that it might be ill. Still, they dried it with an old towel and gave it warm milk. The next day, they took it to the animal doctor. The doctor said the puppy was healthy, just hungry and cold. Riya named him Bijli because he arrived during a thunderstorm. Now Bijli follows her everywhere.

    What did the doctor say about the puppy?
    (a) Very old (b) Too fat (c) Healthy but hungry (d) Badly hurt

Answer key

  1. Carried her bags
  2. Too many tomatoes
  3. His daughter
  4. Joel
  5. A village in Tamil Nadu
  6. Bins and a sign
  7. It was too slow
  8. Wished very much
  9. He knew he was out
  10. The footbridge
  11. Fair play
  12. Healthy but hungry

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