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

Larimer did much reading of the stories

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the given questions.

During his early days as editor of the popular magazine, Saturday Evening Post. George Lorimer did much of the reading of unsolicited stories. This meant endless hours of sitting at the desk, pouring over big stacks of manuscripts, trying to decide which were worthy of publication and which were not. Lorimer became an expert at making these decisions.

One day he received a huffy letter from a would-be writer who had a complaint. “Last week you rejected my story,” she wrote, “I am positive you did not read it, because, as a test, I pasted together pages 14, 15 and 16. The manuscript came back with the pages still pasted. There is no question in my mind but that you are a sham and a disgrace to your profession.”

Lorimer’s reply was succinct: “Madam, at breakfast when I crack open an egg, I don’t have to eat the whole egg to know it is bad.”

  1. if they were the solicited ones

  2. when they appeared to be bad

  3. when they were from women writers

  4. when they were unsolicited
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

It is clearly stated in the first sentence of the passage that Lorimer did much of the reading of unsolicited stories.

Multiple choice

The lady wrote a huffy letter because

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the given questions.

During his early days as editor of the popular magazine, Saturday Evening Post. George Lorimer did much of the reading of unsolicited stories. This meant endless hours of sitting at the desk, pouring over big stacks of manuscripts, trying to decide which were worthy of publication and which were not. Lorimer became an expert at making these decisions.

One day he received a huffy letter from a would-be writer who had a complaint. “Last week you rejected my story,” she wrote, “I am positive you did not read it, because, as a test, I pasted together pages 14, 15 and 16. The manuscript came back with the pages still pasted. There is no question in my mind but that you are a sham and a disgrace to your profession.”

Lorimer’s reply was succinct: “Madam, at breakfast when I crack open an egg, I don’t have to eat the whole egg to know it is bad.”

  1. her story was rejected

  2. her story was rejected unread

  3. her story was rejected although it was good

  4. Lorimer was biased in his decision
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Her letter to Lorimer states this when she accuses him of rejecting it without reading it, since she had pasted together some pages of the manuscript and the manuscript had gone back with the pages still pasted.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (v).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. has been

  2. will have been

  3. have been

  4. had been

  5. will be
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct past perfect continuous tense, as the action took place in the past.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (iv).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. arranged

  2. sketched

  3. designed

  4. performed

  5. developed
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option, as in this context ‘designed’ implies it was well planned out and well created. Here, the ferry was very well designed and carefully maintained.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (iii).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. developed

  2. proceeded

  3. happened

  4. ensued

  5. proposed
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Something that occurs without apparent reason or design is called a happening. In this context the reference is to the ‘sinking of the ferry’ that seemingly shocked everyone. Thus, it can be said that it ‘happened’ without any apparent reason.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (xi).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. chilblains

  2. frostnip

  3. hypothermia

  4. frostbite

  5. chills
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Hypothermia is a potentially dangerous drop in body temperature, usually caused by prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. In this context the people on the ferry died due to hypothermia, as the body temperatures dropped due to exposure to the cold water.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (x).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. scramble

  2. hike

  3. stroll

  4. cruise

  5. reach
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is correct in this context, as to ‘scramble’ is to move or climb hurriedly, especially on the hands and knees. Of those who managed to climb hurriedly overboard, only a few survived.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (viii).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. on call

  2. on board

  3. on case

  4. on course

  5. on line
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option, as the idiom ‘on board’ implies aboard a ship. In this context, all the people who sank were aboard the ferry.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (ii).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. will

  2. would

  3. shall

  4. should

  5. could
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The auxiliary verb ‘should’ is used to express that one wishes something had happened but it did not or could not. In this context the reference is to the ‘sinking of the ferry’. Thus, this is the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (vii).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. quickly

  2. hurriedly

  3. instantly

  4. briskly

  5. slowly
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option, as ‘quickly’ in this context implies that the ferry went down so rapidly that no one had the time to react.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (ix).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. had

  2. has

  3. have

  4. will have

  5. would have
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option, as in this context ‘had’ is used with a past participle to form perfect tense. The people on board ‘had’ no chance to save themselves.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (vi).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. fatal

  2. crippling

  3. malignant

  4. woeful

  5. saddening
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option, as in this context ‘fatal’ implies the voyage, which resulted in death and destruction because the ferry sank.

Multiple choice

Fill blank (i).

Directions: The following passage has some numbered blanks.

Naval architects never (i) ___ that a ship is unsinkable, but the sinking of the passenger-and-car ferry Estonia in the Baltic surely (ii) ____ have never (iii) ____. It was well (iv) ____ and carefully maintained. It carried the proper number of lifeboats. It (v) ____ thoroughly inspected on the day of its (vi) ____ voyage. Yet hours later, the Estonia rolled over and sank in a cold, stormy night. It went down so (vii) ____ that most of those (viii) ____, caught in their dark, flooding cabins, (ix) _____ no chance to save themselves. Of those who managed to (x) ____ overboard, only 139 survived. The rest died of (xi) _____ before the rescuers could pluck them from the cold sea.

  1. allege

  2. claim

  3. plead

  4. refute

  5. request
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

To claim is to assert, as a fact. This context refers to ‘naval architects who never assert the fact that a ship is unsinkable’. This means that they never claim that there is such a ship which cannot sink. Thus, here ‘claim’ is the correct option.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question. How did Sarah, the flannel and the spider come down?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question:

“This is how you do it,” she said. “First you put the flannel over your hand, like this.Then, very carefully, so you don’t scare him, you put the flannel over the spider and – eeeghh.”
The directions ended suddenly as the spider made a rapid dash for the wall, closely pursued by the face flannel, with the result that Sarah and the flannel and the spider all came down in a tangle on the floor.
The spider set off briskly for the shelter of the shadow under Tom’s bed, but Sarah was too quick for it.
“Ah,” She pounced, and picked it up by one black leg. “It’s really easier without the flannel if you don’t mind how they feel. There it goes.” The spider went out through the bedroom window.
Sarah turned back to Tom. “Spiders can’t hurt you. You know, so it’s silly to be a baby about them. That strange noise you made when it tried to run under the bed almost put me off.”
“I didn’t – “Tom began, but he thought better of it.
When Sarah had gone, he told the dragon it was safe to come out again. It was quite a while before he emerged, and when he did so, Tom looked at him with surprise.
“Are you all right?” If he hadn’t known that dragons are green, he would have described his friend at this point as definitely yellow. The voice matched the colouring, weak and shaky.
“Just give me a few minutes .Did you see that spider coming for me? My whole life passed before my eyes in an instant. I almost cried out – “
“You did cry out.”
“And then everything went dark. Did she – ugh, I can scarcely bear to ask – pick it up?”
“She did.” Tom and the dragon looked at each other silently.
“With her bare hands?”
Tom nodded and shuddered at that time.
“And it’s really gone?”
“She dropped it out of the window.”
The dragon thought for a while and finally shook his head. “I feel a little weak still, so, if you don’t mind, I shall retire early.” He looked hard into the gloom of the area beneath the bed. There didn’t seem to be anything small and leggy lurking there. He disappeared.
As Tom was falling asleep, the dragon spoke again.
“Is the window tightly shut?”
“Yes,” Tom answered without opening his eyes.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve checked it twice.”
“That’s all right then,” said the dragon. “You can’t be too careful with spiders.”

Then they both fell asleep.

  1. in a tangle on the floor

  2. in a crowd on the floor

  3. in a bundle on the floor

  4. in a group on the floor
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The passage clearly states that 'Sarah and the flannel and the spider all came down in a tangle on the floor.' The phrase 'in a tangle' describes their chaotic fall. The other options (crowd, bundle, group) are incorrect terms used as distractors that don't match the text's description.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question. Where did Sarah ask Tom to put the flannel?

Directions: Read the passage and answer the following question:

“This is how you do it,” she said. “First you put the flannel over your hand, like this.Then, very carefully, so you don’t scare him, you put the flannel over the spider and – eeeghh.”
The directions ended suddenly as the spider made a rapid dash for the wall, closely pursued by the face flannel, with the result that Sarah and the flannel and the spider all came down in a tangle on the floor.
The spider set off briskly for the shelter of the shadow under Tom’s bed, but Sarah was too quick for it.
“Ah,” She pounced, and picked it up by one black leg. “It’s really easier without the flannel if you don’t mind how they feel. There it goes.” The spider went out through the bedroom window.
Sarah turned back to Tom. “Spiders can’t hurt you. You know, so it’s silly to be a baby about them. That strange noise you made when it tried to run under the bed almost put me off.”
“I didn’t – “Tom began, but he thought better of it.
When Sarah had gone, he told the dragon it was safe to come out again. It was quite a while before he emerged, and when he did so, Tom looked at him with surprise.
“Are you all right?” If he hadn’t known that dragons are green, he would have described his friend at this point as definitely yellow. The voice matched the colouring, weak and shaky.
“Just give me a few minutes .Did you see that spider coming for me? My whole life passed before my eyes in an instant. I almost cried out – “
“You did cry out.”
“And then everything went dark. Did she – ugh, I can scarcely bear to ask – pick it up?”
“She did.” Tom and the dragon looked at each other silently.
“With her bare hands?”
Tom nodded and shuddered at that time.
“And it’s really gone?”
“She dropped it out of the window.”
The dragon thought for a while and finally shook his head. “I feel a little weak still, so, if you don’t mind, I shall retire early.” He looked hard into the gloom of the area beneath the bed. There didn’t seem to be anything small and leggy lurking there. He disappeared.
As Tom was falling asleep, the dragon spoke again.
“Is the window tightly shut?”
“Yes,” Tom answered without opening his eyes.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve checked it twice.”
“That’s all right then,” said the dragon. “You can’t be too careful with spiders.”

Then they both fell asleep.

  1. over his hand

  2. over his paw

  3. under his hand

  4. over his palm
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Sarah explicitly instructs in the passage: 'First you put the flannel over your hand, like this.' She is demonstrating to Tom how to use the flannel to catch the spider. The correct answer matches the text exactly. The other options contain incorrect words (paw, under, palm) that don't appear in the original instruction.