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Unseen Passage for Class 6 – Stories

Reading comprehension lesson 23: Stories with characters · Set 493 · 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.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.

    How many sacks did they fill with rubbish?
    (a) Ten (b) Forty (c) A hundred (d) Twenty
  2. 2.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.

    Where did Sana live?
    (a) A hut by the sea (b) A farm in Punjab (c) A house in Delhi (d) A flat in Mumbai
  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.

    What did Joseph write the steps on?
    (a) A phone (b) The board (c) The wall (d) A card
  4. 4.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 is the main message of the story?
    (a) Stairs are tiring (b) Knitting is hard (c) Kindness makes friends (d) Winter is cold
  5. 5.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.

    Why did Dev do well?
    (a) He copied answers (b) He was lucky (c) He understood the topic (d) The paper was easy
  6. 6.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 Riya hear outside the gate?
    (a) A knock (b) A loud bark (c) A soft whimper (d) A car horn
  7. 7.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 lunch box (c) A new pencil (d) A copy of the answers
  8. 8.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) A storm hit (b) Tomatoes were rotten (c) Too many tomatoes (d) The market closed
  9. 9.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 did the judges praise?
    (a) Her speed (b) Her patience (c) Her poem (d) Her drawing
  10. 10.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.

    Who helped Dev study?
    (a) His sister (b) His teacher (c) His father (d) His classmate
  11. 11.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.

    Who shouted at Arjun to stop?
    (a) His teacher (b) A signalman (c) His mother (d) A train driver
  12. 12.Kabir found a brown wallet near the bus stop. Inside were some money and a card with an address. His friend Sonu said, “Keep it, nobody saw you.” Kabir felt uneasy about that idea. He walked twenty minutes to the address on the card. An old man opened the door and almost cried with relief. The wallet held his pension for the whole month. He thanked Kabir again and again. Kabir walked home feeling lighter than air. Honesty, he learnt, brings its own reward.

    Where did Kabir find the wallet?
    (a) In the school (b) On a train (c) In a park (d) Near the bus stop

Answer key

  1. Forty
  2. A flat in Mumbai
  3. A card
  4. Kindness makes friends
  5. He understood the topic
  6. A soft whimper
  7. A copy of the answers
  8. Too many tomatoes
  9. Her patience
  10. His sister
  11. A signalman
  12. Near the bus stop

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