English Language

English Reading Comprehension

2,692 Questions

English reading comprehension questions assess the ability to understand, analyze, and interpret written passages. Formats include paragraph rearrangement, cloze tests, and fact finding from text. Regular practice is essential for scoring well in the English sections of banking, SSC, and railway exams.

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English Reading Comprehension Questions

Multiple choice inferences from the text reading comprehension english
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

Once upon a time, I went for a week's holiday to the Continent with an Indian friend. We both enjoyed ourselves and were sorry when the week was over, but on parting our behaviour was absolutely different. He was plunged in despair. He felt that because the holiday was overall happiness was over until the world ended. He could not express his sorrow too much. But in me, the Englishman came out strong. I could not see what there was to make a fuss about. It wasn't as if we were parting forever or dying. 'Buck up', I said, 'do buck up'. He refused to buck up and I left him plunged in gloom. 


What does the author mean by 'buck up'?

  1. Buckle yourself up

  2. Stand up

  3. Cheer up

  4. Shut up
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Buck up" is an expression for the word cheer up. Here, a certain 'he' is "plunged in despair" and the writer is telling him to "cheer up." So, the answer is option C.

Multiple choice inferences from the text reading comprehension english
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.

Once upon a time, I went for a week's holiday in the Continent with an Indian friend. We both enjoyed ourselves and were sorry when the week was over, but on parting our behaviour was absolutely different. He was plunged in despair. He felt that because the holiday was overall happiness was over until the world ended. He could not express his sorrow too much. But in me, the Englishman came out strong. I could not see what there was to make a fuss about. It wasn't as if we were parting forever or dying. 'Buck up', I said, 'do buck up'. He refused to buck up and I left him plunged in gloom. 


What does 'But in me, the Englishman came out strong' imply?

  1. He was a strong Englishman

  2. He had the typical English character

  3. The Englishman went out of him

  4. He started following Indian traditions
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Here, "I could not see what there was to make a fuss about" is an example of the typical English trait: being practical. "But in me, the Englishman came out strong" precedes this illustration of typical English character. So, in this context, we can conclude that the answer to the question asked here is option B.

Multiple choice inferences from the text reading comprehension english
Read the passage given below and pick the option that best fits the question that follows:

I was at the shop early. He was standing behind the counter and as soon as I saw him, I knew that there would be some unpleasantness. Mr Higson is never at his best unshaven, in slippers and braces and smoking on the empty stomach. The atmosphere of the little shop was heavy with the bitter odour of fresh newspaper print and ink: stacks of crisp newspapers and magazines lay neatly on the counter, and Higson and the boy were making up the daily mend. 


The overall atmosphere in the shop was:

  1. pleasant, wholesome and welcome.

  2. heavy with a lot of goods placed there.

  3. with the inactivity of the early morning.

  4. congenial and businesslike.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Even though the author assumes that there would be some unpleasantness because "Mr. Higson is never at his best unshaven", the overall atmosphere of the shop is congenial and business-like: we see Mr. Higson and "the boy" busy and engaged in some work, the magazines and newspaper were stacked neatly in their place and a general pleasantness hinted by everybody being busy and going about their way. So, option D is the correct answer.

Multiple choice inferences from the text reading comprehension english

Read the passage given below and pick the option that best fits the question that follows

A village must have some trade, and this village has always been full of virility and power. Obscure and happy, its splendid energies had found employment in wresting a livelihood out of the earth, whence had come a certain dignity, and kindliness, and love for other men. Civilization did not relax these energies, but it had diverted them; and all the special qualities, which might have helped to heal the world, had been destroyed. The family affection, the affection for the commune, the sane pastoral virtues - all had perished. No villain had done this thing: it was the work of ladies and gentlemen who were rich and often clever. 

Village life is praised by the author because it ____________. 

  1. helps villagers to achieve material prosperity.

  2. makes men complacent.

  3. breeds humane virtues.

  4. is free from the din and hurry of city life.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The author says that village life breeds virtues like dignity, kindness and love for fellow humans whereas "civilization" destroyed them. Thus, we can conclude that this becomes the main reason why the author praises village life: it breeds humane virtues. So, the answer is option C.

Multiple choice inferences from the text reading comprehension english
Read the passage and answer the question that follows. 

Once while travelling by the local bus, I got a seat beside a very strange man. He seemed interested in every passenger aboard. He would stare at a person, scribble some odd mathematical notations on his long notebook and then move on to the next. Being quite interested in what he was doing I asked him what all those notations meant and then came the startling reply. He saw a man's face not as a single unit but as thousands of squares put together. He was in fact a statistical expert and a budding artist learning the art of graphics. 


From the passage we gather that _____. 

  1. the author is very inquistive

  2. the author tries to poke his nose in other people's business

  3. the author is interested in mathematical notations

  4. the author wants to talk to fellow passengers in the bus
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Here, the author having seen a man whom he had thought of as being strange, asked the same man what his seemingly strange ways meant. This shows that the author is curious and wanted to know more. So, we can conclude that the author is very inquisitive. So, option A is the answer.

Multiple choice inferences from the text reading comprehension english

Read the passage given below and pick the option that best fits the question that follows:

While I stood drinking in the beauty of this placid scene I became conscious of an alteration. In a moment the sole porter emerged from his midday nap, operated a signal that clanked noisily into position, and then ambled slowly towards me for my return half-ticket, whilst I remarked that his red amiable face and easy-going gait were in perfect harmony with the tranquil surroundings.
 A wisp of smoke on the horizon with a dark snake crawling beneath it announced the approach of the train. As it drew nearer, the deep silence of the place was gradually displaced by a creaking of brakes and a hissing of steam. Save for myself, no one entered the train and no one alighted. The porter with leisurely expertness, trundled a couple of milk churns on board, the door was slammed, the guard signalled to the driver, and we moved off, leaving the small station once more to its drowsy silence.

What does the author suggest by the word 'placid'?

  1. The scene was filled with noise of the train

  2. The place was filled with lively humanity

  3. The place was quite and lonely

  4. The horizon looked smoke laden
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The word "placid" literally means pleasantly calm or peaceful; unruffled; tranquil; serenely quiet or undisturbed. Here, the author uses "placid" to imply that the scene was quite and peaceful. In this context, option C is the best fit.

Multiple choice inferences from the text reading comprehension english
Read the passage given below and choose the option that best fits the question that follows:

It happened one day, about noon, going towards my boat, I was exceedingly surprised with the print of a man's naked foot on the shore, which was very plain to be seen in the sand. I stood like one thunder-struck, or as if I had seen an apparition. I listened, I looked around me, I could hear nothing, nor see anything. I went up the shore, and down the shore, but it was all one; I could see no other impression but that one. I went to it again to see if there were any more, and to observe if it might not be my fancy; but there was no room for that, for there was exactly the very print of a foot-toes, heel and every part of a foot. 


The passage is full of short simple sentences. Their purpose is to ______.

  1. facilitate easy understanding

  2. give a plain narration

  3. convey breathless excitement

  4. imply the inability of the author to write in an better way
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The passage focuses on bringing out the surprise and excitement felt by the author when he notices a foot-print. The passage uses short simple sentence in order to convey this surprise and excitement of the author. Option C is the best answer.

Multiple choice inferences from the text reading comprehension english
Read the passage given below and pick the option that best fits the question that follows:

While I stood drinking in the beauty of this placid scene I became conscious of an alteration. In a moment the sole porter emerged from his midday nap, operated a signal that clanked noisily into position, and then ambled slowly towards me for my return half-ticket, whilst I remarked that his red amiable face and easy-going gait were in perfect harmony with the tranquil surroundings.
 A wisp of smoke on the horizon with a dark snake crawling beneath it announced the approach of the train. As it drew nearer, the deep silence of the place was gradually displaced by a creaking of brakes and a hissing of steam. Save for myself, no one entered the train and no one alighted. The porter with leisurely expertness, trundled a couple of milk churns on board, the door was slammed, the guard signalled to the driver, and we moved off, leaving the small station once more to its drowsy silence.


The meaning of drowsy is 

  1. Untidy

  2. Sleepy

  3. Freezing

  4. Drugged
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The word "drowsy" means half-asleep or sleepy. So, option B is the answer.

Multiple choice inferences from the text reading comprehension english


Read the passage given below and choose the option that best fits the question that follows:

It happened one day, about noon, going towards my boat, I was exceedingly surprised with the print of a man's naked foot on the shore, which was very plain to be seen in the sand. I stood like one thunder-struck, or as if I had seen an apparition. I listened, I looked around me, I could hear nothing, nor see anything. I went up the shore, and down the shore, but it was all one; I could see no other impression but that one. I went to it again to see if there were any more, and to observe if it might not be my fancy; but there was no room for that, for there was exactly the very print of a foot-toes, heel and every part of a foot. 

Which one of the following words best describes the emotion evoked by the foot-print in the author? 

  1. Curiosity

  2. Indifference

  3. Fear

  4. Surprise
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The statement, "I was exceedingly surprised" implies that curiosity was the emotion evoked by the foot-print in the author. So, option A is the answer.

Multiple choice inferences from the text reading comprehension english
Read the passage given below and choose the option that best fits the question that follows:

While I stood drinking in the beauty of this placid scene I became conscious of an alteration. In a moment the sole porter emerged from his midday nap, operated a signal that clanked noisily into position, and then ambled slowly towards me for my return half-ticket, whilst I remarked that his red amiable face and easy-going gait were in perfect harmony with the tranquil surroundings.
 A wisp of smoke on the horizon with a dark snake crawling beneath it announced the approach of the train. As it drew nearer, the deep silence of the place was gradually displaced by a creaking of brakes and a hissing of steam. Save for myself, no one entered the train and no one alighted. The porter with leisurely expertness, trundled a couple of milk churns on board, the door was slammed, the guard signalled to the driver, and we moved off, leaving the small station once more to its drowsy silence.


The central idea of the passage is _____________.

  1. Leisure and peace

  2. Hurry and noise

  3. Activity

  4. The porter
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The correct answer for this would be option A, leisure and peace. The author of the passage has tried to illustrate the serene nature and surrounding of the speaker, juxtaposing it with the humdrum of a train station. The tone of the speaker conveys a peaceful environment. The statements of options B,C and D are incoherent with the tone of the passage, and thus, are incorrect. 

Multiple choice inferences from the text reading comprehension english

Read the following sentences and answer the question that follows:
a. A hunter, however, comes to the rescue and cuts the wolf open. Immediately, Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother emerge unharmed.
b. This tale is about a girl called Little Red Riding Hood, she always wears the red hooded cape. Every day, the girl walks into the woods to deliver food to her grandmother.
c. One day, a wolf approaches the girl and she naively tells him where she is going.
d. In the meantime, the wolf goes to the grandmother's house and eats her. When the girl arrives he eats her too.
e. He suggests the girl pick some flowers for her grandmother who was keeping unwell. She does so.


What is the moral of the story?

  1. Always meet your grandmother in the forest.

  2. Never listen to strangers.

  3. Never be friends with a wolf.

  4. Never tell the truth.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

After Red Riding Hood naively tells the wolf where and why she was going, he distracts her by asking her to pick some flowers for her grandmother and meanwhile goes to her grandmother's place and eats the grandmother. From this we can deduce that it never serves well to trust strangers and talk or listen to them. So, we can say that the moral of the story is choice B- never listen to strangers. The other choices are incorrect as they do not fit the context of the story.


Multiple choice evs structure and functions of living organisms -ii experiments on digestive enzymes role of receptors in the mouth types of teeth introduction to human digestive system circulatory system and organs

Soham is 6 years old. He was playing in the garden. One of his teeth fell as he dashed a pillar. He started crying because he was hurt. He also felt that his teeth will never come back and he will not be able to eat chocolates. How will you console him?

  1. By telling him that his tooth was milk tooth

  2. By telling him that his tooth was permanent tooth

  3. By telling him that his tooth will be replaced

  4. Both A and C
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Human teeth have two sets of teeth during their life: one temporary set (milk teeth) and one permanent set milk teeth are young teeth that are replaced by permanent or adult teeth up to 12 years.

So the correct answer is 'Both A and C'.

Multiple choice

Why did the Wright Brothers promise to never fly together?

  1. Their father feared he would lose them both in an accident.

  2. They didn't particularly care for one another.

  3. Both of them were too heavy to sit in a single flyer.

  4. One needed to stay on the ground to clear the runway.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Milton Wright, the brothers' father, was concerned about the safety of his sons and feared that a single accident could kill both of them if they flew together. This led him to extract a promise that they would never fly on the same aircraft.

Multiple choice

In The Fox and the Hound, why did Tod (the fox) come to Copper's rescue at the end?

  1. He was being attacked by a Bear

  2. His master turned on him and tried to kill Copper

  3. He was stuck under a fallen branch during a forest fire

  4. He was drowning and he couldn't swim with his bad leg
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Near the climax of the film, a ferocious black bear attacks Amos Slade and Copper. Despite their recent animosity, Tod leaps into the fight to defend his childhood friend Copper from the bear, nearly sacrificing his own life.

Multiple choice

"I knew you were trouble, he never loved or her or anyone or anything yeah!!!" Tswift sucks b/c

  1. she has bad songs

  2. she used the wrong tense in her songs

  3. she shifts tense in verbs and subjects

  4. she only sings about love but can't keep a lover of her own.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The lyric shifts awkwardly from first person ("I knew") to third person ("he never loved") and contains confusing pronoun references. Option C correctly identifies this issue as a shift in verbs and subjects, which disrupts the coherence of the sentence.