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Unseen Passage for Class 6 – Stories

Reading comprehension lesson 23: Stories with characters · Set 423 · 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.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 buy a snack (c) To reach school early (d) To see the train
  2. 2.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 broke (b) It was too big (c) It leaked (d) It was too slow
  3. 3.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) A lunch box (b) A copy of the answers (c) A new pencil (d) Extra lessons
  4. 4.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) A new bridge (b) Fish in the river (c) Plastic in the river (d) Flowers on the bank
  5. 5.Rahul’s class went on a trek in the Western Ghats. Halfway up, Fatima twisted her ankle on a loose stone. Rahul wanted to reach the top first and win the race. But he stopped and helped the teacher tie a bandage. Then he carried Fatima’s bag for the rest of the climb. They reached the top last of all. The view of the green valleys was still worth it. Their teacher said that kindness matters more than coming first.

    What did Rahul first want to do?
    (a) Go back home (b) Take photos (c) Rest a while (d) Reach the top first
  6. 6.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
  7. 7.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 did her father fill with soil?
    (a) Wooden boxes (b) Clay pots (c) Plastic bags (d) Old paint buckets
  8. 8.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.

    What did Kamala Aunty teach Asha?
    (a) To dance (b) To sing (c) To knit (d) To cook
  9. 9.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 did Lakshmi sit alone at lunch?
    (a) Under the neem tree (b) Near the gate (c) In the classroom (d) In the library
  10. 10.Gurpreet was chosen as captain of the school hockey team. In the first match, she tried to score every goal herself. The team lost badly. Her coach told her that a captain’s job is to help everyone play well. In the next match, Gurpreet passed the ball more often. Her teammate Neha scored two goals from her passes. The team won, and Gurpreet felt prouder than if she had scored herself. She learnt that teamwork wins matches.

    Which team was Gurpreet captain of?
    (a) The kabaddi team (b) The football team (c) The hockey team (d) The cricket team
  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.

    How old was Joseph?
    (a) Eight (b) Ten (c) Fifteen (d) Twelve
  12. 12.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.

    Who later gave money for more shelves?
    (a) Her uncle (b) The panchayat (c) Her school (d) The neighbours

Answer key

  1. To reach school early
  2. It was too slow
  3. A copy of the answers
  4. Plastic in the river
  5. Reach the top first
  6. A village in Tamil Nadu
  7. Old paint buckets
  8. To knit
  9. Under the neem tree
  10. The hockey team
  11. Twelve
  12. The panchayat

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