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Unseen Passage for Class 6 – Stories

Reading comprehension lesson 23: Stories with characters · Set 516 · 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.

    What does Arjun use now?
    (a) A bicycle (b) The shortcut (c) A taxi (d) The footbridge
  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 leaked (b) It broke (c) It was too slow (d) It was too big
  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.

    When did they become best friends?
    (a) By December (b) In July (c) Next year (d) By August
  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.

    How many sacks did they fill with rubbish?
    (a) A hundred (b) Twenty (c) Forty (d) Ten
  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 village in Tamil Nadu (b) A city in Punjab (c) Delhi (d) A town in Assam
  6. 6.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.

    Who scored two goals in the next match?
    (a) Gurpreet (b) Neha (c) The coach (d) Priya
  7. 7.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) Grown bigger (b) Disappeared (c) Come back (d) Become pink
  8. 8.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) Take photos (b) Rest a while (c) Reach the top first (d) Go back home
  9. 9.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) A train driver (b) A signalman (c) His teacher (d) His mother
  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 was tired (b) He was hurt (c) It began to rain (d) He knew he was out
  11. 11.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) The market closed (d) Too many tomatoes
  12. 12.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) Old paint buckets (b) Wooden boxes (c) Plastic bags (d) Clay pots

Answer key

  1. The footbridge
  2. It was too slow
  3. By August
  4. Forty
  5. A village in Tamil Nadu
  6. Neha
  7. Disappeared
  8. Reach the top first
  9. A signalman
  10. He knew he was out
  11. Too many tomatoes
  12. Old paint buckets

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