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Unseen Passage for Class 6 – Stories

Reading comprehension lesson 23: Stories with characters · Set 643 · 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) The footbridge (b) A bicycle (c) The shortcut (d) A taxi
  2. 2.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.

    What happened when Priya saw the crowd?
    (a) Her mind went blank (b) She ran away (c) She sang a song (d) She laughed
  3. 3.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) Sand, charcoal, pebbles (b) Salt, sugar, rice (c) Cotton, paper, glass (d) Mud, leaves, sticks
  4. 4.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 long did they practise each evening?
    (a) One hour (b) Two hours (c) Fifteen minutes (d) Five minutes
  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) Reach the top first (b) Go back home (c) Rest a while (d) Take photos
  6. 6.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 wall (b) A phone (c) A card (d) The board
  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.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 drawing (c) Her poem (d) Her patience
  9. 9.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.

    Who helped Imran?
    (a) His teacher (b) A shopkeeper (c) His mother (d) His father
  10. 10.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.

    What did Priya do before beginning again?
    (a) Took a deep breath (b) Left the stage (c) Closed her eyes (d) Drank water
  11. 11.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) Pigeons pecked them (b) Cats sat on them (c) It was too sunny (d) It rained a lot
  12. 12.Anjali was playing ball indoors when she knocked over her mother’s favourite vase. It broke into three pieces. Her younger brother Vivek said they could hide the pieces under the bed. Anjali was tempted, but she knew that would be dishonest. When her mother came home, Anjali told her the truth. Her mother was sad about the vase. But she hugged Anjali and said she was proud of her honesty. Together, they glued the pieces and used it as a pen stand.

    Into how many pieces did the vase break?
    (a) Two (b) Five (c) Ten (d) Three

Answer key

  1. The footbridge
  2. Her mind went blank
  3. Sand, charcoal, pebbles
  4. Fifteen minutes
  5. Reach the top first
  6. A card
  7. It was too slow
  8. Her patience
  9. His mother
  10. Took a deep breath
  11. Pigeons pecked them
  12. Three

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