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Unseen Passage for Class 6 – Stories

Reading comprehension lesson 23: Stories with characters · Set 959 · 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 shortcut (b) The footbridge (c) A bicycle (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.

    Who was smiling in the front row?
    (a) Her teacher (b) Her brother (c) Joel (d) Her mother
  3. 3.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) Drank water (b) Took a deep breath (c) Closed her eyes (d) Left the stage
  4. 4.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 Grandmother remind her of?
    (a) Learning to ride a cycle (b) A cooking recipe (c) Her school exams (d) A famous scientist
  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.

    Who helped Dev study?
    (a) His father (b) His teacher (c) His classmate (d) His sister
  6. 6.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 farm in Punjab (b) A hut by the sea (c) A house in Delhi (d) A flat in Mumbai
  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.

    How many students came on the first Sunday?
    (a) Ten (b) Twenty (c) Forty (d) Five
  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) Feared (b) Forgot (c) Measured (d) Wished very much
  9. 9.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 hockey team (b) The kabaddi team (c) The cricket team (d) The football team
  10. 10.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) Next year (b) By August (c) In July (d) By December
  11. 11.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) Become pink (b) Come back (c) Grown bigger (d) Disappeared
  12. 12.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.

    How many runs did the team need to win?
    (a) Four (b) Two (c) Six (d) Ten

Answer key

  1. The footbridge
  2. Joel
  3. Took a deep breath
  4. Learning to ride a cycle
  5. His sister
  6. A flat in Mumbai
  7. Twenty
  8. Wished very much
  9. The hockey team
  10. By August
  11. Disappeared
  12. Four

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