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

Muffled

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

Today the world is a little more my own.
No need to remember the pain
A blue frocked woman caused,
Throwing words at me like pots and pans, to drain
That honey-coloured day of peace,
"why don't you join the others,
what a peculiar child you are?”

 On the lawn, in clusters, sat my schoolmates sipping
Sugarcane, they turned and laughed;
Children are funny things, they laugh
In mirth at other's tears, I buried
 My face in the sun-warmed hedge
And smelt the flowers and the pain
The words are muffled now; the laughing faces only a blur.
The years have sped along, stopping briefly
at beloved halts and moving sadly on.
My mind has found an adult peace
No need to remember
That picnic day when I lay hidden
By the hedge, watching steel white sun
Standing lonely in the sky.

 

  1. Sharp

  2. Silent

  3. Faint

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

In this passage, 'muffled' means faint or indistinct. The narrator describes how the painful words from childhood are now 'muffled' - softened and less clear due to the passage of time. This contrasts with the sharp clarity of the original insult, showing healing through distance in time.

Multiple choice

Blur

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

Today the world is a little more my own.
No need to remember the pain
A blue frocked woman caused,
Throwing words at me like pots and pans, to drain
That honey-coloured day of peace,
"why don't you join the others,
what a peculiar child you are?”

 On the lawn, in clusters, sat my schoolmates sipping
Sugarcane, they turned and laughed;
Children are funny things, they laugh
In mirth at other's tears, I buried
 My face in the sun-warmed hedge
And smelt the flowers and the pain
The words are muffled now; the laughing faces only a blur.
The years have sped along, stopping briefly
at beloved halts and moving sadly on.
My mind has found an adult peace
No need to remember
That picnic day when I lay hidden
By the hedge, watching steel white sun
Standing lonely in the sky.

 

  1. Dim

  2. Dirty

  3. Clear

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

The speaker describes how the painful memory has faded over time - 'The words are muffled now; the laughing faces only a blur.' This means the faces that once seemed so clear and hurtful are now indistinct and unclear to their adult mind. 'Dim' best captures this loss of clarity and sharpness in the memory.

Multiple choice

Clusters

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

Today the world is a little more my own.
No need to remember the pain
A blue frocked woman caused,
Throwing words at me like pots and pans, to drain
That honey-coloured day of peace,
"why don't you join the others,
what a peculiar child you are?”

 On the lawn, in clusters, sat my schoolmates sipping
Sugarcane, they turned and laughed;
Children are funny things, they laugh
In mirth at other's tears, I buried
 My face in the sun-warmed hedge
And smelt the flowers and the pain
The words are muffled now; the laughing faces only a blur.
The years have sped along, stopping briefly
at beloved halts and moving sadly on.
My mind has found an adult peace
No need to remember
That picnic day when I lay hidden
By the hedge, watching steel white sun
Standing lonely in the sky.

 

  1. Groups

  2. Heaps

  3. Crowds

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

The poem describes 'On the lawn, in clusters, sat my schoolmates sipping Sugarcane' - this means the children were sitting together in small groups. 'Groups' is the most natural way to describe people clustered together socially. 'Heaps' implies objects piled up, 'Crowds' suggests too many people packed tightly, and 'Knots' doesn't fit the social context.

Multiple choice

Hidden

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

Today the world is a little more my own.
No need to remember the pain
A blue frocked woman caused,
Throwing words at me like pots and pans, to drain
That honey-coloured day of peace,
"why don't you join the others,
what a peculiar child you are?”

 On the lawn, in clusters, sat my schoolmates sipping
Sugarcane, they turned and laughed;
Children are funny things, they laugh
In mirth at other's tears, I buried
 My face in the sun-warmed hedge
And smelt the flowers and the pain
The words are muffled now; the laughing faces only a blur.
The years have sped along, stopping briefly
at beloved halts and moving sadly on.
My mind has found an adult peace
No need to remember
That picnic day when I lay hidden
By the hedge, watching steel white sun
Standing lonely in the sky.

 

  1. Cloudy

  2. Obvious

  3. Unseen

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

The speaker says 'when I lay hidden by the hedge' - they were concealing themselves from the other children who were laughing at them. 'Unseen' perfectly captures this state of being concealed. 'Cloudy' doesn't make sense for a person, 'Obvious' is the opposite, and 'Secret' refers to information rather than a physical state.

Multiple choice

Mirth

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

Today the world is a little more my own.
No need to remember the pain
A blue frocked woman caused,
Throwing words at me like pots and pans, to drain
That honey-coloured day of peace,
"why don't you join the others,
what a peculiar child you are?”

 On the lawn, in clusters, sat my schoolmates sipping
Sugarcane, they turned and laughed;
Children are funny things, they laugh
In mirth at other's tears, I buried
 My face in the sun-warmed hedge
And smelt the flowers and the pain
The words are muffled now; the laughing faces only a blur.
The years have sped along, stopping briefly
at beloved halts and moving sadly on.
My mind has found an adult peace
No need to remember
That picnic day when I lay hidden
By the hedge, watching steel white sun
Standing lonely in the sky.

 

  1. Depression

  2. Amusement

  3. Unmoved

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

The line 'In mirth at other's tears' describes the children laughing at the speaker's pain. 'Mirth' means amusement, laughter, or joy - especially here, the cruel amusement of laughing at someone else's suffering. 'Amusement' is the exact meaning. 'Depression' and 'Unmoved' are opposites. 'Smiles' is too weak - mirth involves active laughter.

Multiple choice

Peculiar

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

Today the world is a little more my own.
No need to remember the pain
A blue frocked woman caused,
Throwing words at me like pots and pans, to drain
That honey-coloured day of peace,
"why don't you join the others,
what a peculiar child you are?”

 On the lawn, in clusters, sat my schoolmates sipping
Sugarcane, they turned and laughed;
Children are funny things, they laugh
In mirth at other's tears, I buried
 My face in the sun-warmed hedge
And smelt the flowers and the pain
The words are muffled now; the laughing faces only a blur.
The years have sped along, stopping briefly
at beloved halts and moving sadly on.
My mind has found an adult peace
No need to remember
That picnic day when I lay hidden
By the hedge, watching steel white sun
Standing lonely in the sky.

 

  1. Personal

  2. Strange

  3. Sad

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

The woman asks 'what a peculiar child you are?' - she's calling the child unusual, odd, or strange because they're not joining the others and seem different. 'Strange' captures this sense of being unusual or odd. 'Personal' doesn't fit. 'Sad' isn't necessarily implied. 'Special' has too positive a connotation.

Multiple choice

Buried

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

Today the world is a little more my own.
No need to remember the pain
A blue frocked woman caused,
Throwing words at me like pots and pans, to drain
That honey-coloured day of peace,
"why don't you join the others,
what a peculiar child you are?”

 On the lawn, in clusters, sat my schoolmates sipping
Sugarcane, they turned and laughed;
Children are funny things, they laugh
In mirth at other's tears, I buried
 My face in the sun-warmed hedge
And smelt the flowers and the pain
The words are muffled now; the laughing faces only a blur.
The years have sped along, stopping briefly
at beloved halts and moving sadly on.
My mind has found an adult peace
No need to remember
That picnic day when I lay hidden
By the hedge, watching steel white sun
Standing lonely in the sky.

 

  1. Sank

  2. Dived

  3. Grew

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

The speaker says 'I buried my face in the sun-warmed hedge' - they pressed their face deep into the bushes to hide their tears and shame. 'Sank' captures this downward, immersive motion. 'Dived' implies water. 'Grew' makes no sense. 'Lost' is too abstract - it's about the physical action of putting the face into the hedge.

Multiple choice

What does the word 'thy' mean in context?

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

A little black thing in the snow,
Crying "weep! weep!" in notes of woe!
"Where are thy father and mother? Say!"
"They are both gone up to the church to pray.
"Because I was happy upon the heath,
And smiled among the winter's snow,
They clothed me in the clothes of death,
And taught me to sing the notes of woe.
"And because I am happy and dance and sing,
They think they have done me no injury,
And are gone to praise God and his priest and king,
Who make up a heaven of our misery."

 

  1. My

  2. Your

  3. His

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

The question 'Where are thy father and mother?' uses 'thy' as an archaic form of 'your' - the speaker is asking about the child's parents. 'Your' is the modern equivalent. 'My', 'His', and 'Her' are incorrect - the question is addressed to the child about their parents.

Multiple choice

What does the word 'heath' mean in context?

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

A little black thing in the snow,
Crying "weep! weep!" in notes of woe!
"Where are thy father and mother? Say!"
"They are both gone up to the church to pray.
"Because I was happy upon the heath,
And smiled among the winter's snow,
They clothed me in the clothes of death,
And taught me to sing the notes of woe.
"And because I am happy and dance and sing,
They think they have done me no injury,
And are gone to praise God and his priest and king,
Who make up a heaven of our misery."

 

  1. Home

  2. Fireplace

  3. Wasteland

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

The child was 'happy upon the heath' - 'heath' refers to an open area of uncultivated land, a moor or wasteland with low vegetation. The child's natural happiness in this wild setting contrasts with their forced labor. 'Wasteland' captures the barren, open nature of a heath. 'Home' and 'Fireplace' are incorrect - a heath is outdoors. 'Defect' is a different meaning of the word.

Multiple choice

What does the word 'injury' mean in context?

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

A little black thing in the snow,
Crying "weep! weep!" in notes of woe!
"Where are thy father and mother? Say!"
"They are both gone up to the church to pray.
"Because I was happy upon the heath,
And smiled among the winter's snow,
They clothed me in the clothes of death,
And taught me to sing the notes of woe.
"And because I am happy and dance and sing,
They think they have done me no injury,
And are gone to praise God and his priest and king,
Who make up a heaven of our misery."

 

  1. Wound

  2. Insult

  3. Injustice

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

The parents 'think they have done me no injury' - they believe they haven't harmed or wronged the child. In this context of child labor and exploitation, 'injury' means harm, wrongdoing, or injustice. 'Injustice' captures the moral wrong done to the child. 'Wound' is too literal/physical. 'Insult' is too mild. 'Accident' doesn't fit the intentional systemic harm.

Multiple choice

Glee

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

 

  1. Gloom

  2. Haste

  3. Joy

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

Glee means high-spirited joy, delight, or happiness. In Wordsworth's 'Daffodils', the waves are dancing in glee - they are joyfully moving. Gloom, haste, and pain are opposite or unrelated to glee.

Multiple choice

Sprightly

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

 

  1. Energetic

  2. Lively

  3. Full of pleasure

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

Sprightly means lively, animated, or full of spirit and energy. Wordsworth describes the daffodils tossing their heads in a sprightly dance - they are moving with lively energy. While energetic is close, lively is the more precise synonym for sprightly.

Multiple choice

Wandered

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

 

  1. Strolled

  2. Ran

  3. Strayed

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

Wandered means to move about leisurely, without fixed course or purpose. Wordsworth compares himself to a cloud wandering lonely - moving slowly and aimlessly. Strolled best captures this sense of leisurely movement. Ran, strayed, and floated don't quite match the meaning.

Multiple choice

Bliss of solitude

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

 

  1. Captivating memories

  2. Satisfaction of achievement

  3. Pleasure of loneliness

  4. Curse of isolation
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Bliss of solitude refers to the joy or pleasure found in being alone with one's thoughts. Wordsworth describes how the memory of daffodils brings him happiness when he's alone - the 'bliss' (joy) of his solitude (being alone). It's not a curse, and it's more than just achievement satisfaction or memories.

Multiple choice

Jocund

Directions: Some words in the verse below have been highlighted. Select the best meaning for the corresponding word.

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

 

  1. Expressive

  2. Natural

  3. Shy

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