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

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

Passage The two boys started in surprise at the fresh muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet. What was a barefooted man doing on the steps of a house, in the middle of London? And where was the man? As they gazed, a remarkable sight met their eyes. A fresh footmark appeared from nowhere! Further footprints followed, one after another descending the steps and progressing down the street. The boys followed, fascinated, until the muddy impressions became fainter and fainter and at last disappeared altogether.

What was strange about these footprints?

  1. The strange thing was that the footprints were invisible but the man who was leaving them was visible.

  2. The strange thing was that the footprints were visible and the man who was leaving them was also visible.

  3. The strange thing was that the footprints were visible but the man who was leaving them was invisible.

  4. The stranger thing was that the footprints were invisible but the man who was leaving them was invisible.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The passage clearly describes footprints appearing without any visible person making them. The boys saw 'a fresh footmark appeared from nowhere!' and watched 'Further footprints followed, one after another' while being unable to see anyone. This makes option C the only correct answer - the footprints were visible but the person creating them was not. Options A and D incorrectly state the footprints were invisible, while option B incorrectly claims the man was visible.

Multiple choice

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

PassageThe explanation of the mystery was really simple enough. The bewildered boys had been following a scientist who had just discovered how to make the human body transparent. Griffin, the scientist, had carried out some experiment after experiment to prove that the human body could become invisible. Finally when he swallowed certain rare drugs and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass. Griffin was also a lawless person. He once set fire to his landlord's house. To get away without being seen he had to remove his clothes. Then he became a homeless wanderer, without clothes, without money but quite invisible until he happened to step in some mud and left footprints as he walked.

Although a great scientist and inventor, Griffin was rather a lawless person. Which one of these things proves that he was lawless?

  1. He made strange experiments.

  2. He made himself invisible.

  3. He set fire to his landlord's house.

  4. He used some rare drugs.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The passage explicitly states 'Griffin was also a lawless person. He once set fire to his landlord's house.' This direct evidence makes option C correct. Options A (making experiments) and B (becoming invisible) describe scientific activities, not lawless behavior. Option D (using rare drugs) refers to his scientific method, not criminal behavior. Only setting fire to someone's house demonstrates lawlessness.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows. Passage The two boys started in surprise at the fresh muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet. What was a barefooted man doing on the steps of a house, in the middle of London? And where was the man? As they gazed, a remarkable sight met their eyes. A fresh footmark appeared from nowhere! Further footprints followed, one after another descending the steps and progressing down the street. The boys followed, fascinated, until the muddy impressions became fainter and fainter and at last disappeared altogether.

What remarkable sight did the boys see?

  1. The remarkable sight was that footmarks were not imprinted one after the other.

  2. The remarkable sight was that footmarks were being imprinted one after the other.

  3. The remarkable sight was that the footprints were invisible.

  4. The remarkable sight was that the footprints were being imprinted here and there.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states 'Further footprints followed, one after another descending the steps and progressing down the street.' This directly supports option B - footmarks were being imprinted one after the other. Option A contradicts the text. Option C is incorrect because the footprints were visible ('muddy imprints'). Option D is wrong because the footprints were sequential, not scattered.

Multiple choice

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

PassageThe explanation of the mystery was really simple enough. The bewildered boys had been following a scientist who had just discovered how to make the human body transparent. Griffin, the scientist, had carried out some experiment after experiment to prove that the human body could become invisible. Finally when he swallowed certain rare drugs and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass. Griffin was also a lawless person. He once set fire to his landlord's house. To get away without being seen he had to remove his clothes. Then he became a homeless wanderer, without clothes, without money but quite invisible until he happened to step in some mud and left footprints as he walked.

Why were the boys bewildered?

  1. The boys were bewildered to see how the scientist had made the human body transparent.

  2. They boys were bewildered to see a transparent human body.

  3. They were bewildered to see that there were just the footprints being made, while there was no body to be seen around.

  4. They were bewildered to see that somebody was walking without wearing shoes.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Option C is correct because the boys saw 'fresh muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet' but could see no one making them - 'a fresh footmark appeared from nowhere!' The passage reveals they were following an invisible scientist. Option A is wrong because they didn't see how he became transparent. Option B has a minor typo ('They' instead of 'The') and is incorrect. Option D is wrong because the bare feet were not the main mystery.

Multiple choice

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

PassageOn the afternoon of the following day a wagon stopped before a Belgian Refugee Camp in Holland. Slowly and stiffly a small boy slid to the ground. He had been picked up just over the border by a friendly farmer and driven to camp. He was dirty, untidy and footsore. Very kindly the ladies' committee received him. He was placed at a table and a bowl of hot soup was set before him. He ate awkwardly with his left hand. His right hand held something beneath his coat. The women tried to get his story, but he remained strangely silent. He seemed to be examining to faces of the women. Not for an hour, not until there was a faint stirring in his coat, did he disclose his burden. Then going to her whom he had chosen as most to be trusted, he opened his coat. In a dirty towel lay a naked, miserably thin, three-day-old baby. The woman at once took the tiny bundle lovingly. It was only then that boy relaxed and allowed himself to be taken to bed.

How did he reach the Belgian Refugee Camp?

  1. A friendly farmer picked him up and drove him to the camp.

  2. A policeman picked him up and drove him to the camp.

  3. He walked on foot and reached the camp.

  4. A ladies committee picked him up and drove him to the camp.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The passage clearly states 'He had been picked up just over the border by a friendly farmer and driven to camp,' making option A correct. Option B incorrectly says 'policeman' instead of 'farmer.' Option C is wrong because he arrived by wagon. Option D is incorrect because the ladies' committee received him at the camp, they didn't pick him up.

Multiple choice

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

Passage

The explanation of the mystery was really simple enough. The bewildered boys had been following a scientist who had just discovered how to make the human body transparent.

Griffin, the scientist, had carried out some experiment after experiment to prove that the human body could become invisible. Finally when he swallowed certain rare drugs and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass. Griffin was also a lawless person. He once set fire to his landlord's house. To get away without being seen he had to remove his clothes. Then he became a homeless wanderer, without clothes, without money but quite invisible until he happened to step in some mud and left footprints as he walked. The bewildered boys had been following a scientist… How were the boys able to follow the scientist when he was not visible?

  1. They couldn't see him but they saw his clothes.

  2. They could see him, his body was transparent like glass and it is not difficult to see glass.

  3. They saw him when they saw his feet and clothes.

  4. They were following the footprints only, they didn't know they were following a scientist.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Option D is correct because the passage explains the boys followed muddy footprints left by the invisible Griffin. The boys didn't know they were following a scientist - they just saw mysterious footprints appearing. Options A, B, and C incorrectly suggest they could see some part of Griffin (clothes, feet, or transparent body), but the whole point is he was completely invisible.

Multiple choice

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

PassageOn the afternoon of the following day a wagon stopped before a Belgian Refugee Camp in Holland. Slowly and stiffly a small boy slid to the ground. He had been picked up just over the border by a friendly farmer and driven to camp. He was dirty, untidy and footsore. Very kindly the ladies' committee received him. He was placed at a table and a bowl of hot soup was set before him. He ate awkwardly with his left hand. His right hand held something beneath his coat. The women tried to get his story, but he remained strangely silent. He seemed to be examining to faces of the women. Not for an hour, not until there was a faint stirring in his coat, did he disclose his burden. Then going to her whom he had chosen as most to be trusted, he opened his coat. In a dirty towel lay a naked, miserably thin, three-day-old baby. The woman at once took the tiny bundle lovingly. It was only then that boy relaxed and allowed himself to be taken to bed.

How was he received at the camp?

  1. The ladies were very rude with him and send him out.

  2. He was abused and nothing was served to him.

  3. Very kindly he was received at the camp and was served with a bowl of hot soup.

  4. Very rudely he was received at the camp.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states 'Very kindly the ladies' committee received him' and 'a bowl of hot soup was set before him,' making option C correct. Options A, B, and D incorrectly claim he was treated rudely, but the text clearly shows kind treatment with hot soup. The passage shows compassion toward the refugee boy.

Multiple choice

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

Passage The two boys started in surprise at the fresh muddy imprints of a pair of bare feet. What was a barefooted man doing on the steps of a house, in the middle of London? And where was the man? As they gazed, a remarkable sight met their eyes. A fresh footmark appeared from nowhere! Further footprints followed, one after another descending the steps and progressing down the street. The boys followed, fascinated, until the muddy impressions became fainter and fainter and at last disappeared altogether.

What happened to the footprints in the end?

  1. In the end, the footprints got enlarged.

  2. In the end, the footprints got larger and larger and finally appeared.

  3. In the end, the footprints sometimes appeared and sometimes disappeared.

  4. In the end, the footprints got fainter and fainter and finally disappeared.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states 'the muddy impressions became fainter and fainter and at last disappeared altogether,' making option D correct. Option A is wrong (they didn't enlarge). Option B is wrong (they didn't get larger or appear). Option C is wrong (they didn't reappear). The footprints simply faded away as the invisible man moved or the mud dried.

Multiple choice

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

PassageThe explanation of the mystery was really simple enough. The bewildered boys had been following a scientist who had just discovered how to make the human body transparent. Griffin, the scientist, had carried out some experiment after experiment to prove that the human body could become invisible. Finally when he swallowed certain rare drugs and his body became as transparent as a sheet of glass. Griffin was also a lawless person. He once set fire to his landlord's house. To get away without being seen he had to remove his clothes. Then he became a homeless wanderer, without clothes, without money but quite invisible until he happened to step in some mud and left footprints as he walked.

When the scientist had succeeded in his experiment the advantage was�

  1. that he had became invisible and there was no need to wear any clothes any time at all.

  2. that he could do anything without being seen by others.

  3. that his body had become transparent and so he didn't have to eat or drink anything.

  4. that he could not be troubled by heat or cold, hunger or thirst.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Option B is correct because Griffin's invisibility meant he could act without anyone seeing him. The passage describes him as 'quite invisible' after his experiment. Option A is wrong - he still needed clothes when not wanting to be discovered. Option C is incorrect - invisibility doesn't eliminate biological needs. Option D is not supported - transparency doesn't protect against physical sensations.

Multiple choice

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

PassageThe drama of birth passed, the midwife grew restless. She became conscious of the outer world. There were high excited voices, wagons clattered over stones, She turned to the window. Neighbours with carts piled high with household possessions hurried by. They called out to her. For a moment the woman hesitated. She looked at the mother on the bed with the infant in her arms, the excitement of the outside world seized her. Quickly she left the room. The small boy knelt as his mother's bedside, his little face against hers. Softly he kissed the pale cheek. The boy's heart had become a man's. He tried by touch and look to speak his love, his admiration. His mother smiled at him as she soothed the baby, glad to be free from pain. But presently the noise of the departing townspeople reached her ears. She stirred uneasily and fear crept into her eyes. Passionately she held her little one to her.

Which one of the following statements about the small boy is NOT true?

  1. The small boy knelt beside his mother's bed.

  2. He kissed the pale cheek of her mother.

  3. The boy's heart had become a man's.

  4. The small boy had done nothing for her ailing mother.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Option D is correct as the NOT true statement. The passage shows the boy knelt at his mother's bedside (supporting A), kissed her pale cheek (supporting B), and his emotional maturity is described as 'The boy's heart had become a man's' (supporting C). Option D claims he 'had done nothing' which contradicts these caring actions. He showed love and support to his ailing mother.

Multiple choice

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

PassageThe drama of birth passed, the midwife grew restless. She became conscious of the outer world. There were high excited voices, wagons clattered over stones, She turned to the window. Neighbours with carts piled high with household possessions hurried by. They called out to her. For a moment the woman hesitated. She looked at the mother on the bed with the infant in her arms, the excitement of the outside world seized her. Quickly she left the room. The small boy knelt as his mother's bedside, his little face against hers. Softly he kissed the pale cheek. The boy's heart had become a man's. He tried by touch and look to speak his love, his admiration. His mother smiled at him as she soothed the baby, glad to be free from pain. But presently the noise of the departing townspeople reached her ears. She stirred uneasily and fear crept into her eyes. Passionately she held her little one to her.

Which one of the following four statements about midwife is true?

  1. She was not worried about the outer world.

  2. There were high excited voices outside.

  3. She remained there where she was.

  4. Her neighbours did not care for her.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states 'There were high excited voices, wagons clattered over stones' when the midwife became conscious of the outer world. This is presented as what she perceived. Option A is incorrect because she was clearly conscious of and affected by the outer world. Option C is incorrect because she did not remain where she was - she left the room. Option D is incorrect because the neighbors did call out to her, showing they did care.

Multiple choice

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

PassageThe drama of birth passed, the midwife grew restless. She became conscious of the outer world. There were high excited voices, wagons clattered over stones, She turned to the window. Neighbours with carts piled high with household possessions hurried by. They called out to her. For a moment the woman hesitated. She looked at the mother on the bed with the infant in her arms, the excitement of the outside world seized her. Quickly she left the room. The small boy knelt as his mother's bedside, his little face against hers. Softly he kissed the pale cheek. The boy's heart had become a man's. He tried by touch and look to speak his love, his admiration. His mother smiled at him as she soothed the baby, glad to be free from pain. But presently the noise of the departing townspeople reached her ears. She stirred uneasily and fear crept into her eyes. Passionately she held her little one to her.

The boy loved her mother dearly. Which actions of his showed this fact?

  1. He knelt at his mother's bedside.

  2. His heart had became a man's.

  3. His mother smiled at him.

  4. He kissed her pale cheek.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The passage explicitly states 'Softly he kissed the pale cheek' as an action showing the boy's love for his mother. This direct physical expression of affection is what demonstrates his love. Option A mentions kneeling but not the loving action. Option B is metaphorical language about emotional maturity, not a loving action. Option C describes the mother's reaction, not the boy's action.

Multiple choice

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

PassageOn the afternoon of the following day a wagon stopped before a Belgian Refugee Camp in Holland. Slowly and stiffly a small boy slid to the ground. He had been picked up just over the border by a friendly farmer and driven to camp. He was dirty, untidy and footsore. Very kindly the ladies' committee received him. He was placed at a table and a bowl of hot soup was set before him. He ate awkwardly with his left hand. His right hand held something beneath his coat. The women tried to get his story, but he remained strangely silent. He seemed to be examining to faces of the women. Not for an hour, not until there was a faint stirring in his coat, did he disclose his burden. Then going to her whom he had chosen as most to be trusted, he opened his coat. In a dirty towel lay a naked, miserably thin, three-day-old baby. The woman at once took the tiny bundle lovingly. It was only then that boy relaxed and allowed himself to be taken to bed.

What was the condition of the little boy when he reached the camp?

  1. The little boy was neat and clean.

  2. The little boy was healthy and happy.

  3. The little boy was dirty, untidy and footsore.

  4. The little boy was sad but neat and clean.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The passage explicitly states 'He was dirty, untidy and footsore' when describing the boy's condition upon arrival at the camp. This is presented as direct evidence of his difficult journey. Options A, B, and D incorrectly describe him as neat/clean or healthy, which directly contradicts the passage's clear description.

Multiple choice

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

PassageOn the afternoon of the following day a wagon stopped before a Belgian Refugee Camp in Holland. Slowly and stiffly a small boy slid to the ground. He had been picked up just over the border by a friendly farmer and driven to camp. He was dirty, untidy and footsore. Very kindly the ladies' committee received him. He was placed at a table and a bowl of hot soup was set before him. He ate awkwardly with his left hand. His right hand held something beneath his coat. The women tried to get his story, but he remained strangely silent. He seemed to be examining to faces of the women. Not for an hour, not until there was a faint stirring in his coat, did he disclose his burden. Then going to her whom he had chosen as most to be trusted, he opened his coat. In a dirty towel lay a naked, miserably thin, three-day-old baby. The woman at once took the tiny bundle lovingly. It was only then that boy relaxed and allowed himself to be taken to bed.

What was the condition of the little baby when he reached the camp?

  1. The little baby was very healthy when he reached the camp.

  2. The little baby was beautifully clothed when he reached the camp.

  3. The little baby was miserably thin and naked wrapped in a dirty towel when he reached the camp.

  4. The little baby was very fast and happy when he reached the camp.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states 'In a dirty towel lay a naked, miserably thin, three-day-old baby' when revealing what the boy was carrying. This directly describes the baby's condition. Options A, B, and D incorrectly describe the baby as healthy, clothed, or happy, which contradicts the passage's clear description of its vulnerable state.

Multiple choice

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

PassageThe drama of birth passed, the midwife grew restless. She became conscious of the outer world. There were high excited voices, wagons clattered over stones, She turned to the window. Neighbours with carts piled high with household possessions hurried by. They called out to her. For a moment the woman hesitated. She looked at the mother on the bed with the infant in her arms, the excitement of the outside world seized her. Quickly she left the room. The small boy knelt as his mother's bedside, his little face against hers. Softly he kissed the pale cheek. The boy's heart had become a man's. He tried by touch and look to speak his love, his admiration. His mother smiled at him as she soothed the baby, glad to be free from pain. But presently the noise of the departing townspeople reached her ears. She stirred uneasily and fear crept into her eyes. Passionately she held her little one to her.

The midwife grew restless. How do you know that she was restless?

  1. She was restless because she became conscious of the outer world.

  2. She was restless because she went to the window.

  3. The excitement of the outside world seized her and she left the room quickly.

  4. The neighbours with carts piled high with the household possessions hurried by.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The passage states that after looking at the mother and infant, 'the excitement of the outside world seized her. Quickly she left the room.' This sequence shows her restlessness through the action of leaving quickly due to being seized by outside excitement. Options A and B describe possible reasons but don't show the restlessness itself. Option D describes external events but not her response.