English Language

English Reading Comprehension

3,503 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

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

The manager asked the young man what he wanted because

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only. 
Passage 1
A well-dressed young man entered a big textile shop one evening. He was able to draw the attention of the salesmen who thought him rich and likely to make heavy purchases. He was shown the superior varieties of suit lengths and sarees. But after casually examining them, he kept moving to the next section where readymade goods were being sold and further on to the hosiery section. By then, the salesmen had begun to doubt his intentions, and drew the attention of the manager. The manager asked him what exactly he wanted and he replied that he wanted courteous treatment. He explained that he had come to the same shop in casual dress that morning and drawn little attention. His pride was hurt and he wanted to assert himself. He came in good dress only to get decent treatment, not for getting any textiles. He left without making any purchase.

  1. he would give him exactly what he was looking for

  2. the salesman had drawn his attention to the indifferent attitude of the young man

  3. he thought they could do more business with him that way

  4. he thought the visitor was dissatisfied
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This is reflected by lines, ‘By then, the salesman …..attention of the manager.’

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

Who slumped forward with a dull thud?

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.
Passage II
The prisoner awaited his chance. For three solid years, he had schemed for his opportunity. Now that escape seemed so near at hand, those three years lost some of their monotony. But he would never forget the lashes, the close confinement, low diet. and worse still the mental strain of those black days. Suddenly the warden did what he had hoped. He stopped to unlock the lower padlock. With a dull thud he slumped forward with keys in his hands. Swiftly the prisoner seized his keys, unlocked the cell and ran into the courtyard. It took him four seconds to reach the rope-ladder secretly placed there by his accomplices, five more to clamber over the wall, and three more to jump into the waiting car to be whisked away to freedom. Even though he was guilty, the prisoner felt he had paid for his crime, for the man he had robbed three years ago was still a millionaire.

  1. The millionaire

  2. The warden

  3. The prisoner

  4. Prisoner’s accomplice
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

‘Suddenly the warden did…. With keys in his hand.’ These lines point to the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

What does the word 'huddle' imply?

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.
Passage IV
Brown and his men, huddling round a fire, ate the last of the food that Kassim had brought them that day. Cornelius sat among them, half-asleep. Then one of the crew remembered that some tobacco had been left in the boat, and said he would go and fetch it. He didn’t think there was any danger in going to the creek in the dark. He disappeared down the hillside, and a moment later he was heard climbing into the boat and then climbing out again.

  1. Moving around

  2. Falling into a slumber

  3. Being close together

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

Huddle means to nestle close.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

One of them disappeared down the hill implies that

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.
Passage IV
Brown and his men, huddling round a fire, ate the last of the food that Kassim had brought them that day. Cornelius sat among them, half-asleep. Then one of the crew remembered that some tobacco had been left in the boat, and said he would go and fetch it. He didn’t think there was any danger in going to the creek in the dark. He disappeared down the hillside, and a moment later he was heard climbing into the boat and then climbing out again.

  1. the slope of the hill was slippery

  2. he fell from the edge of the hill

  3. there was suddenly a sea beside the hill

  4. he walked down the hill
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

It implies that he walked down the hill, out of sight in search of tobacco.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

Consider the following statements:

  1. Brown and Cornelius sat round the fire.
  2. Cornelius lay half-asleep at a little distance from the fire.
  3. All the people sat round the fire. Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

    Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.
    Passage IV
    Brown and his men, huddling round a fire, ate the last of the food that Kassim had brought them that day. Cornelius sat among them, half-asleep. Then one of the crew remembered that some tobacco had been left in the boat, and said he would go and fetch it. He didn’t think there was any danger in going to the creek in the dark. He disappeared down the hillside, and a moment later he was heard climbing into the boat and then climbing out again.

  1. 1 and 2

  2. 2 only

  3. 3 only

  4. 1 and 3
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

First two lines ‘Brown and his men……..half-asleep’ show that all sat around the fire. First sentence is also correct as both sat around the fire.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

The elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow because

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only
Passage V
As soon as I saw the elephant, I knew with perfect certainly that I ought not to shoot him. It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant – it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery – and obviously one ought not to do it if it can possibly be avoided. And at that distance, peacefully eating, the elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow.

  1. it was quietly doing its work

  2. unlike lions, it is a vegetarian animal

  3. its tusks resemble the cow’s horns

  4. cows can be very dangerous sometimes
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Last line is clearly indicative of the answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

Why did the old soldier repeatedly tell that he walked two hundred miles?

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only
Passage VI
I was very fond of the old soldier in our little town. He had only one leg, having lost the other somewhere in Assam in 1942. He used to tell me about his adventures. He told me that he had run away from home to join the army. He had experienced his first battle in the Libyan desert. Out of his dozens of war stories, the one I liked best was the one of his escape from a Japanese prison-of-war camp in Burma. He told me again and again how he walked two hundred miles in two weeks. On the way, he was bitten on the toe by a poisonous snake and he had to cut off part of the toe in order to survive. But by the time he got to an Indian camp, the wound had turned septic and the leg had to be amputated. He is however, quite contented with his lot.

  1. He ran away from home to join the army

  2. He had to cross the Libyan desert

  3. He had to escape from a prison-of war camp

  4. He was a strong soldier
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The soldier stressed on the two hundred miles to show his strength.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

“He didn’t think...in the dark”. This sentence actually implies that he

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.
Passage IV
Brown and his men, huddling round a fire, ate the last of the food that Kassim had brought them that day. Cornelius sat among them, half-asleep. Then one of the crew remembered that some tobacco had been left in the boat, and said he would go and fetch it. He didn’t think there was any danger in going to the creek in the dark. He disappeared down the hillside, and a moment later he was heard climbing into the boat and then climbing out again.

  1. was bold and adventurous

  2. was addicted to smoking

  3. would face some trouble

  4. was the only person who knew where in the boat tobacco was
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

This is the correct option as rest of the options are not implied in the paragraph.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

The writer was against shooting the elephant because

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only
Passage V
As soon as I saw the elephant, I knew with perfect certainly that I ought not to shoot him. It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant – it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery – and obviously one ought not to do it if it can possibly be avoided. And at that distance, peacefully eating, the elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow.

  1. he suspected it to be a wild one and was afraid of it

  2. his heart was full of compassion for animals

  3. he was certain that the elephant was innocent

  4. it would amount to avoidable waste of useful property
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

This is clear from the line ‘destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery.’

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

The author compares the elephant to a costly machine because

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only
Passage V
As soon as I saw the elephant, I knew with perfect certainly that I ought not to shoot him. It is a serious matter to shoot a working elephant – it is comparable to destroying a huge and costly piece of machinery – and obviously one ought not to do it if it can possibly be avoided. And at that distance, peacefully eating, the elephant looked no more dangerous than a cow.

  1. ivory is very expensive

  2. it can do as much work as an expensive machine

  3. elephants look like big machines

  4. elephants and machines have similar prices
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The words ‘working elephant’ clearly point to the reason for this comparison.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

The story of the old soldier, that the author liked most was about

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only
Passage VI
I was very fond of the old soldier in our little town. He had only one leg, having lost the other somewhere in Assam in 1942. He used to tell me about his adventures. He told me that he had run away from home to join the army. He had experienced his first battle in the Libyan desert. Out of his dozens of war stories, the one I liked best was the one of his escape from a Japanese prison-of-war camp in Burma. He told me again and again how he walked two hundred miles in two weeks. On the way, he was bitten on the toe by a poisonous snake and he had to cut off part of the toe in order to survive. But by the time he got to an Indian camp, the wound had turned septic and the leg had to be amputated. He is however, quite contented with his lot.

  1. his running away from home to join the army

  2. his first battle in the Libyan desert

  3. the loss of his leg in Assam

  4. his escape from a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The answer is available from the line ‘out of his dozens of war stories, the one I liked best…….’

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

What was the actual reason for the organizers to have a difficult time?

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only
Passage VII
A large number of people had come to attend the meeting to be addressed by the gifted speaker. The organizers had a difficult time keeping the assembled people quiet as the meeting did not commence at the scheduled time. After some time the people lost their patience and began to shout and heckle. The organizers had great difficulty in assuaging the anger of the crowd. They were forced to cancel the meeting as the speaker had to be hospitalized due to sudden illness.

  1. A large number of people had come to the meeting

  2. The organizers could not make proper arrangements

  3. The meeting could not be started in time

  4. The speaker was ill
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Second line, ‘the organisers had a difficult time…..at the scheduled time’ indicates the correct answer.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

The soldier’s leg had to be amputated because

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only
Passage VI
I was very fond of the old soldier in our little town. He had only one leg, having lost the other somewhere in Assam in 1942. He used to tell me about his adventures. He told me that he had run away from home to join the army. He had experienced his first battle in the Libyan desert. Out of his dozens of war stories, the one I liked best was the one of his escape from a Japanese prison-of-war camp in Burma. He told me again and again how he walked two hundred miles in two weeks. On the way, he was bitten on the toe by a poisonous snake and he had to cut off part of the toe in order to survive. But by the time he got to an Indian camp, the wound had turned septic and the leg had to be amputated. He is however, quite contented with his lot.

  1. he had walked two hundred miles in two weeks

  2. he was wounded in war

  3. the wounded toe turned septic

  4. he was shot in the leg while escaping from the Japanese camp
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Second last line gives the answer to this question.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

The old soldier, according to the author was

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only
Passage VI
I was very fond of the old soldier in our little town. He had only one leg, having lost the other somewhere in Assam in 1942. He used to tell me about his adventures. He told me that he had run away from home to join the army. He had experienced his first battle in the Libyan desert. Out of his dozens of war stories, the one I liked best was the one of his escape from a Japanese prison-of-war camp in Burma. He told me again and again how he walked two hundred miles in two weeks. On the way, he was bitten on the toe by a poisonous snake and he had to cut off part of the toe in order to survive. But by the time he got to an Indian camp, the wound had turned septic and the leg had to be amputated. He is however, quite contented with his lot.

  1. unhappy about his life

  2. satisfied with his lot

  3. angry about his fate

  4. disgusted with his misfortune
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Answer is given in the last line of the paragraph.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only.

The author was very fond of the old soldier because

Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions. You are required to select your answers based on the contents of the passage and opinion of authors only
Passage VI
I was very fond of the old soldier in our little town. He had only one leg, having lost the other somewhere in Assam in 1942. He used to tell me about his adventures. He told me that he had run away from home to join the army. He had experienced his first battle in the Libyan desert. Out of his dozens of war stories, the one I liked best was the one of his escape from a Japanese prison-of-war camp in Burma. He told me again and again how he walked two hundred miles in two weeks. On the way, he was bitten on the toe by a poisonous snake and he had to cut off part of the toe in order to survive. But by the time he got to an Indian camp, the wound had turned septic and the leg had to be amputated. He is however, quite contented with his lot.

  1. he had lost one of his legs in war

  2. he used to tell the author about his adventures

  3. he was contented with his lot

  4. he had been to many countries
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

First option describes the soldier. Third and fourth options also tell us about the soldier. Second option clearly tells why the author liked to spend time with the soldier, so it is the correct answer.