Beginner's Passage Worksheet with Questions and Answers

Introduction ​

Passage 1 ​

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

I was ten years old then, and my brother, Nick, was fourteen. For both of us this buying of a gift for our mother on Mother's Day was a time of excitement and great importance. It was our first gift to her. We were very poor. It was just after the First World War and we lived in difficult times of trouble. Our father worked sometimes as a waiter. Birthday and Christmas gifts were taken care of by him as well as he could, but such a thing as a Mother's Day gift was out-of-the-ordinary luxury. But we had been lucky, Nick and myself. A second-hand furniture store had opened on the block, and deliveries were made by means of loading the furniture on a pushcart which we carefully pushed through traffic, to the customer's home. We got a nickel each and, perhaps, a tip. I remember how Nick's thin, dark face lighted up with the joy of the present. He had first thought of it in school; and the thought of surprise and giving grew in him, and me, and we were highly excited.

Questions : ​

1. How old is the narrator?
2. What work did the father do? Was it a regular job? Pick out the word that gives you the answer.
3. Why couldn't the family afford a Mother's Day gift?
4. Which gifts were bought by the father?
5. What made the boys feel lucky?
6. How much were they paid for their work?

Answers: ​

1. The narrator is ten years old.
2. The father worked as a waiter. No, it was not a regular job. 'Sometimes' is the word that gives the answer.
3. The family couldn't afford a Mother's Day gift because it was out-of-the-ordinary luxury.
4. Birthday and Christmas gifts were bought by the father.
5. The boys felt lucky because they had got a job of delivering furniture at a second-hand furniture store opened on the block.
6. They were paid a nickel each for their work.

Passage 2 ​

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

With the state gearing up for eight- phase Panchayat polls in April, 2011. The state election commission (SEC) has uploaded online formats for Panchayat voters through which they can make addition, modification and deletion in the existing electoral roll. The format which will be available on the website, www.secbihar.org, will help the voters to apply for inclusion or deletion of their names from the electoral roll, free of cost.

Urban voters can also apply, as for rural voters, for inclusion of their names in the electoral roll. They can either download the application format from the SEC website or apply to respective Block Development Officers (BDOs) or any other officer deputed for the job.

No application in these respects will be entertained by the SEC office, said its sources. While format B needs to be filled up for deletion of wrong names entered in the voters' list, through format C, any other information can be included.

To include a name in the roll, voters or electorates need to fill up the format D.

The SEC has also made it clear that under no circumstances any application or voters will be entertained after January 18. Meanwhile, the voters should either apply online or to respective BDOs and applications filled up both online and to the BDO will not be entertained, said SEC sources.

Questions : ​

1. How many possible phases are there for Panchayat polls?
2. Write down the website for the format?
3. Who is the in-charge officer for rural areas?
4. Why is January 18 important in the given passage?
5. What are the formats B and C for?
6. Expand the given words:
   1. SEC
   2. BDOS

Answers: ​

1. There are eight possible phases for Panchayat polls.
2. The website for the format is www.secbihar.org.
3. The Block Development Officer is the in-charge officer for rural areas.
4. January 18 is important because no applications or voters will be entertained after this date.
5. Format B is for deletion of wrong names entered in the voters' list and Format C is to get any other information included.
6. (a) State Election Commission (b) Block Development Officers

Passage 3 ​

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

Buddha was one of the world's greatest religious teachers. His real name was Gautam Sidhartha. He was born as a prince. His father was the king of Kapilvastu. But he did not want to become a king. He wanted to find out the meaning of life. He left his palace as a young man. He went out to seek the truth. For years he lived a hard life of poverty. He went to many teachers. But they could not help him. At last, the light came to him. He was thinking deeply under a Bodhi tree near Gaya. He became the Buddha or 'Enlightened One'.

Questions : ​

1. Who was Buddha?
2. Where was Buddha born?
3. What was his real name?
4. How did he become the Buddha or 'Enlightened one'?

Answers: ​

1. Buddha was one of the world's greatest religious teachers.
2. He was born in Kapilvastu.
3. His real name was Gautam Sidhartha.
4. Once, he was thinking deeply under a Bodhi tree and light came to him. Thus, he became the Buddha or 'Enlightened one'.

Passage 4 ​

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

The landlords of India, as is well known, are largely the creation of British imperialism. The bigger landlords have always solidly stood with imperialism and have been its strongest props in the countryside. Nationalism has no meaning to these people - except jobs in the higher services; and if any political power is to be given to Indians on account of nationalist forces gathering strength, then the balance of such power. They themselves are not interested in opposing or even agitating against imperialism. Their entry into politics is merely to ensure that their interests do not suffer on account of any power being 'transferred' to Indian hands. No one with the least political understanding or experience can talk of unity with the landlords. Here is the second breach in national unity.

Questions : ​

1. Who are the creations of British imperialism?
2. What are their interests in entry into politics?
3. What, according to the author, is the second breach in national unity?

Answers: ​

1. The landlords of India are the creations of British imperialism.
2. Their entry into politics is merely to ensure that their interests do not suffer on account of any power being 'transferred' to Indian hands.
3. According to the author, the second breach in the national unity is that no one with the least political understanding or experience can talk of unity with the landlords.

Passage 5 ​

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

What does it mean to eat intelligently? It means exercising enough to keep your from accumulating enough fat but not so much that you get incredibly thin. Dieting is something that you should never resort to. The growing body requires all the essential food groups. Eat well, eat enough and eat sensibly.

Skipping meals can lead to stomach ulcers. Your body pours acid into your stomach as it digests food. Eating too little or not eating at regular times can result in the acid tearing away the tissue that lines the stomach. It doesn't matter if you eat a few big meals or many small ones, but eat at regular times everyday. Fast foods,soft drinks, excessive consumption of fat, meat products,liquor, etc. have to be replaced by the traditional foods of Indians such as cereals, wheat, vegetables,pulses,rice and milk.

Questions : ​

1. What does ‘eat intelligently’ mean ?
2. Why is Dieting not advisable ?
3. Why is it important to eat regularly ?
4. Which foods does the author recommend ?

Answers: ​

1. It means exercising enough to keep your body from accumulating enough fat, but not so much that you get incredibly thin.
2. Dieting is not advisable because a growing body requires all the essential food groups.
3. Because not eating at regular times can result in the acid tearing away the tissue that lines the stomach.
4. The author recommends traditional Indian food such as cereals, wheat, vegetables, pulses, rice and milk.

Passage 6 ​

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

An old man had three sons who often quarrelled with one another. They paid no heed to their father's advice not to do so. One day he called his sons together and gave them a bundle of sticks and asked each of them tried but failed. The old man then asked them to untie the bundle and break the sticks separately. Not to speak of the eldest,even the younger ones broke the sticks without any difficulty. Then the old man told his sons that they should see the power of union. If they lived united,no harm would come to then; if they quarrelled, they would have to face difficulty.

Questions : ​

1. How did the three sons behave with one another ?
2. What did the old man do next ?
3. Were the sins able to break the bundle ?
4. What morals do you get from the above passage?

Answers: ​

1. The three sons often quarrelled with one another.
2. The old man called his sons together and gave them a bundle of sticks and asked each of them to try in turn to break the bundle.
3. No, the sons were not able to break the bundle.
4. The moral of the passage is ‘unity is strength’ .

Passage 7 ​

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and under estimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.

Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.

Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

Questions : ​

1. What would be fatal for the nation? Explain in short.

2. What will happen when the nation returns to business as usual?

3. How long will the revolt continue to shake the foundations of the nation?

4. Match the words with their meanings:

   Column-A	Column-B
   1. Overlook	(i) Hot and perspiring
   2. Legitimate	(ii) Base
   3. Sweltering	(iii) Ignore
   4. Foundation	(vi) Justifiable

Answers: ​

1. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and underestimate the determination of the Negro.
2. If the nation returns to business as usual, it will have a rude awakening.
3. The revolt will continue to shake the foundations of the nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
4. 1. - (iii)
2. (iv)
3. (i)
4. (ii)

Passage 8 ​

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

The great advantage of early rising is that one can start one's work long before others. The early riser has done a large amount of hard work before other men have got out of bed. In the early morning, the mind is fresh and no sounds or noises disturb our attention. The work done at that time is generally well done. Also, one finds time to take some exercise in the fresh morning air. Exercise supplies him with a good deal of energy that enables him to work hard until the evening. By beginning so early, he knows that he has plenty of time to do his work thoroughly. He has not to hurry over any part of his work. He gets to sleep long before midnight. At that time, sleep is most refreshing. After a sound night's rest, he rises early next morning in good health for the labour of a new day.

Questions : ​

1. What advantage does an early riser have over others?
2. Why should one exercise in the morning?
3. Why should one begin one's work so early?
4. What are the uses of going to sleep long before midnight?

Answers:

1. An early riser makes a large amount of hard work before other men get out of bed.
2. One should exercise in the morning because it supplies him with a good deal of energy that enables him to work hard until the evening.
3. One should begin one's work so early because it gives plenty of time to work thoroughly.
4. Going to sleep long before midnight gives a refreshing sleep and we can again rise early next morning in good health for the labour of a new day.

Passage 9 ​

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

There is a public library in every town in Great Britain. There are branch libraries in most of the villages. Anyone may become a member and it costs nothing to borrow books. Three books may be borrowed at a time, but only two may be novels. If there are four people in a family, they can take home twelve books. These books can be kept for a fortnight, so there is no difficulty in providing the family with all the reading material that is needed. If at the end of the fortnight, you have not finished reading a book, you may renew it for another fortnight. If the book you want is out, you may ask for it to be kept for you. And if you pay the cost of a postcard, the librarian will let you know when the book has been returned and is ready for you.

Questions : ​

1. How many books may be borrowed at a time?
2. How long can the books be kept?
3. How much does it cost to borrow books from a public library in Britain?
4. How can one get the book one wants if it is out?

Answers: ​

1. Three books may be borrowed at a time.
2. The books can be kept for a fortnight.
3. It costs nothing to borrow books from a public library in Britain.
4. If the book one wants is out, he may ask for it to be kept for him when it has been returned.

Passage 10 ​

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

What are volcanoes? In appearance it looks like a cone-shaped mountain. But the slope of the cone is rather flat and hollow. This is the crater, which is as it were, the mouth of the volcano. The volcano is formed by molten rock coming up from below the earth's crust; by molten rock we mean rock which is so hot that it runs like liquid. This rock is called lava.

Imagine a sort of pipe coming up from deep down in the earth's surface passing through the rocks of the earth's crust and coming up to the crater. The lava forces its way up this pipe and overflows to form the sides of the volcano. The volcanic mountain is therefore found in the areas where the earth's surface is for some reason weak and cannot resist the pressure of the molten lava.

One of the most famous volcanic eruptions of ancient times was of Mount Vesuvius near Naples in 79 AD. Some neighbouring towns were buried under huge amount of ashes. The ash preserved the bodies of many of the victims which can still be seen today.

Questions : ​

1. What do we call the top of volcanoes?
2. What does a volcano look like?
3. Where are the volcanoes mostly found?
4. When did the Mount Vesuvius volcano erupt?
5. Find from the passage the word which means "fluid part of volcano".

Answers: ​

1. The top of volcanoes is called a crater.
2. A volcano looks like a cone-shaped mountain.
3. The volcanoes are mostly found in the areas where the earth's surface is for some reason weak and cannot resist the pressure of the molten lava.
4. Mount Vesuvius volcano erupted in 79 AD.
5. lava

Passage 11 ​

Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow:

A little boy used to play in the shade of a tree. One day the boy sat leaning against the trunk of the tree, cried and sighed "I am hungry". "Eat my fruits", said the kind tree and it bent down one of its branches. The little boy ate the fruits and felt satisfied.

Many years passed and the boy grew up. Then once again he sat under the tree with a look of dejection and helplessness. "What is it?" the tree asked. "My wedding day is bare a week away and I have nowhere to live". "Cut down my branches and build yourself a house," said the tree. The young man set to work immediately.

Time passed and now the young man was a sailor. Once again he sat under the tree with a look of remorse on his face. It again asked what the matter was, he pleaded, "My captain is cruel, so to survive I must own a ship". "Cut down my trunk and build a ship", said the tree.

The sailor grew old but once again he turned to the tree with a laden expression on his face. It was cold and the sailor, leaning on his stick, was trembling. "Make a fire of me", said the stumps of the tree. It soon burnt in the fire softly humming a tune.

Questions : ​

1. Why did the tree ask the boy to eat its fruits?
2. How did the tree help the man before his marriage?
3. What did the man do to survive himself?
4. How many times did the tree help a single human being?
5. Find the word from the passage which is opposite to 'Kind'.

Answers: ​

1. The tree asked the boy to eat its fruits because he was very hungry.
2. The tree gave him its branches to make a house to live in.
3. The man cut down the tree's branches and built a ship to survive himself.
4. Four times.
5. Cruel