English Reading Comprehension

Directions: Read the given passage and answer the question that follows.

The King of Basna in Zulu was a proud and stern man, feared by all his subjects. One day while sitting in his mud palace surrounded by fawning courtiers and watched by a multitude of people, who had come to see him, he was suddenly overcome by a sense of grandeur and loudly declared that he was master of the world and that all men were his servants. But, a frail voice said that he was mistaken. It said, “All men are servants of one another.” A deathly silence followed the remark. The blood froze in the veins of the people assembled there. The king exploded with anger and demanded, "Who has dared to suggest that I am a servant!" The frail voice again said that he dared, and the people parted to reveal a white-­haired old man, leaning heavily on a stout stick. “Who are you?” asked the king. “I am Boubakar,” said the man. “We have no water in our village. I have come to ask for a well to be dug there.” The king roared whether he was a beggar, striding down to where the man stood. Boubakar was fearless and he said, "I will prove before nightfall that all people are here to serve each other."

What did the frail voice suggest?

Directions: Read the given passage and answer the question that follows.

The King of Basna in Zulu was a proud and stern man, feared by all his subjects. One day while sitting in his mud palace surrounded by fawning courtiers and watched by a multitude of people, who had come to see him, he was suddenly overcome by a sense of grandeur and loudly declared that he was master of the world and that all men were his servants. But, a frail voice said that he was mistaken. It said, “All men are servants of one another.” A deathly silence followed the remark. The blood froze in the veins of the people assembled there. The king exploded with anger and demanded, "Who has dared to suggest that I am a servant!" The frail voice again said that he dared, and the people parted to reveal a white-­haired old man, leaning heavily on a stout stick. “Who are you?” asked the king. “I am Boubakar,” said the man. “We have no water in our village. I have come to ask for a well to be dug there.” The king roared whether he was a beggar, striding down to where the man stood. Boubakar was fearless and he said, "I will prove before nightfall that all people are here to serve each other."

The king declared that he was the master of the world because

Directions: Read the given passage and answer the question that follows.

The King of Basna in Zulu was a proud and stern man, feared by all his subjects. One day while sitting in his mud palace surrounded by fawning courtiers and watched by a multitude of people, who had come to see him, he was suddenly overcome by a sense of grandeur and loudly declared that he was master of the world and that all men were his servants. But, a frail voice said that he was mistaken. It said, “All men are servants of one another.” A deathly silence followed the remark. The blood froze in the veins of the people assembled there. The king exploded with anger and demanded, "Who has dared to suggest that I am a servant!" The frail voice again said that he dared, and the people parted to reveal a white-­haired old man, leaning heavily on a stout stick. “Who are you?” asked the king. “I am Boubakar,” said the man. “We have no water in our village. I have come to ask for a well to be dug there.” The king roared whether he was a beggar, striding down to where the man stood. Boubakar was fearless and he said, "I will prove before nightfall that all people are here to serve each other.

People were scared because

Directions: Read the given passage and answer the question that follows.

The King of Basna in Zulu was a proud and stern man, feared by all his subjects. One day while sitting in his mud palace surrounded by fawning courtiers and watched by a multitude of people, who had come to see him, he was suddenly overcome by a sense of grandeur and loudly declared that he was master of the world and that all men were his servants. But, a frail voice said that he was mistaken. It said, “All men are servants of one another.” A deathly silence followed the remark. The blood froze in the veins of the people assembled there. The king exploded with anger and demanded, "Who has dared to suggest that I am a servant!" The frail voice again said that he dared, and the people parted to reveal a white-­haired old man, leaning heavily on a stout stick. “Who are you?” asked the king. “I am Boubakar,” said the man. “We have no water in our village. I have come to ask for a well to be dug there.” The king roared whether he was a beggar, striding down to where the man stood. Boubakar was fearless and he said, "I will prove before nightfall that all people are here to serve each other.

Boubakar had come there because

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the question that follows.

Mahatma Gandhi's full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He was born on 2nd October, 1869. His father was an officer in-charge of a province in the British Empire. Gandhi ji got married in an early age while he was studying in high school. Later, he went to England to study law. There, he saw discrimination against the blacks and the Indians. He himself had had bitter experiences, so he vowed to throw the English out of his country. For this purpose, he returned to India and started a revolution against the Britishers by rousing the fire of self-respect in his countrymen. He followed the path of non-violence, truth, love and fraternity. He had developed such virtues in his childhood. Moreover, he practised what he preached. His dream came true when India won independence on August 15, 1947 from the cruel clutches of the British. Unfortunately, he was assassinated on 30th January, 1948 by Nathuram Godse when he was on his way to attend a prayer. It was a dark day in the history of India.

What is the meaning of the word 'clutches' as used in the passage?

What do you understand by the term ‘camouflaged’ in the passage?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows.

It is often believed that human behaviour is pre-determined by factors of nature, as some very prominent anthropologists and everyday people say. It is stated that political conservatives have sometimes favoured genetic explanations of behaviour and example of genetics would be a mother bird that removes the eggshells from the nest after the chicks have hatched. The mother bird does this because the outside of the eggshell is camouflaged and once hatched the inside is revealed which is not camouflaged. The broken eggshells will be seen by predators and will endanger the entire nest. Throwing out the broken pieces is an automatic response favoured by natural selection because birds that practice this behaviour have more surviving offspring.

What is the theme of the passage?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the question that follows.

It is often believed that human behaviour is pre-determined by factors of nature, as some very prominent anthropologists and everyday people say. It is stated that political conservatives have sometimes favoured genetic explanations of behaviour and example of genetics would be a mother bird that removes the eggshells from the nest after the chicks have hatched. The mother bird does this because the outside of the eggshell is camouflaged and once hatched the inside is revealed which is not camouflaged. The broken eggshells will be seen by predators and will endanger the entire nest. Throwing out the broken pieces is an automatic response favoured by natural selection because birds that practice this behaviour have more surviving offspring.

Why did the farmer decide to let the donkey die?

Directions: Read the passage given below carefully and answer the question that follows.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried loudly for hours. As the farmer was thinking of something to do, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway. He thought that it was just not worth it to save the donkey. He invited all his neighbours to come over and help it. They all took a shovel and began to fill the well with soil. At first, the donkey realised what was happening and cried horribly. Then, everyone was surprised when it became quiet. Afterwards, the farmer finally looked down the well and was surprised to see that with every shovel of soil that fell on its back, the animal would shake it off and take a step up on the soil. A little later the donkey came up over the edge of the well and ran away. In life, we should never give up even when everybody else loses hope.

What word in the passage is opposite to 'quietly’?

Directions: Read the passage given below carefully and answer the question that follows.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried loudly for hours. As the farmer was thinking of something to do, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway. He thought that it was just not worth it to save the donkey. He invited all his neighbours to come over and help it. They all took a shovel and began to fill the well with soil. At first, the donkey realised what was happening and cried horribly. Then, everyone was surprised when it became quiet. Afterwards, the farmer finally looked down the well and was surprised to see that with every shovel of soil that fell on its back, the animal would shake it off and take a step up on the soil. A little later the donkey came up over the edge of the well and ran away. In life, we should never give up even when everybody else loses hope.

What did the farmer and the neighbours do when the donkey fell in the well?

Directions: Read the passage given below carefully and answer the question that follows.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried loudly for hours. As the farmer was thinking of something to do, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway. He thought that it was just not worth it to save the donkey. He invited all his neighbours to come over and help it. They all took a shovel and began to fill the well with soil. At first, the donkey realised what was happening and cried horribly. Then, everyone was surprised when it became quiet. Afterwards, the farmer finally looked down the well and was surprised to see that with every shovel of soil that fell on its back, the animal would shake it off and take a step up on the soil. A little later the donkey came up over the edge of the well and ran away. In life, we should never give up even when everybody else loses hope.

What did the grasshopper do in the summers?

Directions: Read the passage given below carefully and answer the question that follows:

A lazy grasshopper laughed at a little ant as she was always busy gathering food. “Why are you working so hard?” he asked, “come into the sunshine and listen to my cheerful song.” But the ant went on with her work. She said, “I am lining a store for the winter. Sunny days will not last forever.” “Winter is so far away yet.” laughed back the grasshopper. When the winter came, the ant settled down in her cozy house. She had plenty of food to last the whole winter. The grasshopper had nothing to eat so; he went to the ant and begged her for a little corn. “No”, replied the ant, “you laughed at me when I worked. You yourself sang through the summer. So, you better dance the winter away.” Therefore, idleness is a curse.

What did the farmer decide to do when the donkey fell into the well?

Directions: Read the passage given below carefully and answer the question that follows.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried loudly for hours. As the farmer was thinking of something to do, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway. He thought that it was just not worth it to save the donkey. He invited all his neighbours to come over and help it. They all took a shovel and began to fill the well with soil. At first, the donkey realised what was happening and cried horribly. Then, everyone was surprised when it became quiet. Afterwards, the farmer finally looked down the well and was surprised to see that with every shovel of soil that fell on its back, the animal would shake it off and take a step up on the soil. A little later the donkey came up over the edge of the well and ran away. In life, we should never give up even when everybody else loses hope.

Which word in the passage is opposite to ‘cried’?

Directions: Read the passage given below carefully and answer the question that follows:

A lazy grasshopper laughed at a little ant as she was always busy gathering food. “Why are you working so hard?” he asked, “come into the sunshine and listen to my cheerful song.” But the ant went on with her work. She said, “I am lining a store for the winter. Sunny days will not last forever.” “Winter is so far away yet.” laughed back the grasshopper. When the winter came, the ant settled down in her cozy house. She had plenty of food to last the whole winter. The grasshopper had nothing to eat so; he went to the ant and begged her for a little corn. “No”, replied the ant, “you laughed at me when I worked. You yourself sang through the summer. So, you better dance the winter away.” Therefore, idleness is a curse.

What did the donkey first do when the neighbours were filling up the well with soil?

Directions: Read the passage given below carefully and answer the question that follows.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried loudly for hours. As the farmer was thinking of something to do, he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway. He thought that it was just not worth it to save the donkey. He invited all his neighbours to come over and help it. They all took a shovel and began to fill the well with soil. At first, the donkey realised what was happening and cried horribly. Then, everyone was surprised when it became quiet. Afterwards, the farmer finally looked down the well and was surprised to see that with every shovel of soil that fell on its back, the animal would shake it off and take a step up on the soil. A little later the donkey came up over the edge of the well and ran away. In life, we should never give up even when everybody else loses hope.

What did the ant do when the grasshopper asked for corn?

Directions: Read the passage given below carefully and answer the question that follows:

A lazy grasshopper laughed at a little ant as she was always busy gathering food. “Why are you working so hard?” he asked, “come into the sunshine and listen to my cheerful song.” But the ant went on with her work. She said, “I am lining a store for the winter. Sunny days will not last forever.” “Winter is so far away yet.” laughed back the grasshopper. When the winter came, the ant settled down in her cozy house. She had plenty of food to last the whole winter. The grasshopper had nothing to eat so; he went to the ant and begged her for a little corn. “No”, replied the ant, “you laughed at me when I worked. You yourself sang through the summer. So, you better dance the winter away.” Therefore, idleness is a curse.