Following are the reading comprehension exercises known by many names as comprehension passages, short unseen passage for practice etc. These reading comprehension passages with questions and answers and reading comprehension tips ,will help you improve reading comprehension skills. These English short reading passages for kids may be used as low level reading comprehension worksheets and reading comprehension practice test, These online comprehension ks2 exercise will enhance reading skills. Teachers may use them as free reading comprehension worksheets, gre comprehension passages for elementary students, as well as they will help in teaching reading comprehension skills. Download in pdf and find comprehension strategies and know how to understand reading comprehension questions
PASSAGE -15
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow –
Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. He came from a big family. He had 16 brothers and sisters. When Benjamin was 15, his brother started the first Boston newspaper. It was called The New England Courant. He worked for the newspaper for a short time, but he was not happy. So, he went to Philadelphia and worked as a printer. In 1729, he bought a newspaper business. The newspaper was the Pennsylvania Gazette. He was very busy. In 1733, he started publishing Poor Richard’s Almanac. His pen name (the name he used as an author) was Richard Saunders. This book came out every year. Almanacs have information about weather and crops. They also have wise sayings. The wise saying “A penny saved is a penny earned” comes from Poor Richard’s Almanac. Benjamin Franklin was also an inventor. In 1743 he invented a very good stove called the Franklin stove. He invented swim fins. He invented bifocal glasses. He also invented the first odometer. He retired from his newspaper business in 1749. He stopped working on it. Then he became busy with science. Benjamin Franklin was also very interested in American politics. He helped Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence. In 1776, he and other people signed the Declaration of Independence. Franklin died on April 17, 1790. He was 84 years old.
1) Which newspaper did Ben Franklin buy?
A. The New England Courant B. The New England Gazette
C. Pennsylvania Courant D. Pennsylvania Gazette
2) What was Ben Franklin’s pen name?
A. Richard Franklin B. Richard Saunders
C. Thomas Jefferson D. Benjamin Saunders
3) He started publishing his almanac on…
A. 1729. B. 1733.
C. 1743. D. 1749.
4) What did Ben Franklin invent?
A. Electricity B. Swim suits
C. Bifocals D. Both B and C are correct.
5) What did Franklin write with Jefferson?
A. The Declaration of Independence B. The New England Courant
C. Poor Richard’s Almanac D. The Pennsylvania Gazette
6) Publishing means…
A. printing for many people to read. B. selling in a large store.
C. inventing things. D. giving advice.
7) Wise means…
A. intelligent. B. sweet.
C. kind. D. ridiculous.
Download the above passage in PDF (Printable)
PASSAGE -16
Read the following passage carefully:
The best time there was nervousness surrounding the name of an American President or the presidential candidate, was when Bob Dole was running against Bill Clinton for the White House top job.The Arab world waent into a tizzy not because it had something ideological sounded against the 1966 Democrat presidential candidate, but because ‘Dole’ sounded like the Arabic word’slang’.So when Mr.Clinton did win the Presidency, much more than the Beach Boys- loving ‘did not inhale’ liberals, Arabs breathed a sigh of relief .After all , who wants to read a headline-‘ Slang new US President’? This time , the rustle over how to spell Barack Obama’s name in Mandarin is, therefore , a small print stuff.As Mr.Obama hit the Chinese road on Monday, some namdarins were scratching their metaphorical goatees about how to spell his name .Is it ‘Aoabama’, as the Han would have it? Or should it be’Oubama’ , the way US officials want it to be?
Coming from the land that made us change MAO Tes-Tung to Mao Zedong and Peking to Beijing- not to mention Tibet to Tibetan Autonomous Region – one should havae thought that more important matters related to US-China ties would grab attention than spelling a Kenyan name .But the politics of names do matter.If the Americans want to spell their president’s name in Mandarin in a certain way, it should be the prerogative.Just as the Chinese way of having the surname before the name-Mr.Wen , not Mr.Jiabao- should be respected.
Thankfully , we Indians with our Babel – speak give names a wide berth.It really does not matter whether we are writing’Cheen’ for China and ‘Umrika’ for America in Devnagari.Frankly, we know that whatever way we spell Manmohan Singh, he will still be the mild- mannered gent in the blue pagdi.Or is it purgee?
Choose the most appropriate option out of the following:
(i)Who was running against Bill Clinton for the White House?
(a)Barack Obama (b)Bob Dole
(c)Hillary Clinton (d)None of these.
(ii)How did the US officials want to pronounce Mr.Obama ?
(a)As Obama (b)As Aobama
(c)As Oubama wide (d) None of these.
(iii)There are more important matters relating to US –China ties than?
(a)Spelling an Arabian name (b)spelling an urdu name
(c)spelling a Kenyan name (d)spelling a Chinese name.
(iv)What is the Chinese way of having names?
(a)Do not use surname (b)use surname after the name
(c)use surname before the name (d)none of these.
(v)What importance do we Indians give to our names?
(a)A wide berth (b)A title importance
(c)No importance at all (d) all of the above
Download the above passage in PDF (Printable)
