Read each passage twice. Underline the line that answers each question, then write the answer in your own complete sentence. Some questions ask what you think: use clues from the passage. The answer key is at the end.
Learn the rules first: Reading Comprehension for Class 3, 4 and 5: How to Answer
Suitable for: Class 5 (see all worksheets for each class)
Unseen Passage for Class 5 with Answers
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A. Passage 1 (a story)
Read the story and answer the questions.
The Science Fair
1 For weeks, Anjali and her partner Farhan had been building a model of a rainwater harvesting system for the school science fair. They used plastic pipes, a small tank and a cardboard house with a sloping roof. When they poured water on the roof, it flowed through the pipes and filled the tank.
2 On the morning of the fair, disaster struck. As Farhan carried the model into the hall, he tripped on a wire. The cardboard house fell and one of the pipes cracked. Farhan sat down, close to tears. “We have worked so hard, and now it’s ruined,” he said.
3 Anjali looked at the broken pipe and thought for a moment. “We still have an hour before the judges come,” she said calmly. She borrowed tape from the art teacher and a straw from the canteen. Together they fixed the pipe and repaired the roof.
4 When the judges arrived, the model worked perfectly. The judges were impressed, not only by the idea of saving rainwater but also by the way the two friends had repaired it so quickly. Anjali and Farhan did not win first prize, but they won a special prize for teamwork. That evening Farhan said, “Today I learnt that we must never give up.”
- What model did Anjali and Farhan build? (a) a volcano (b) a rainwater harvesting system (c) a windmill
- Name three things they used to build the model.
- What happened when they poured water on the roof?
- How was the model damaged?
- True or false: Anjali panicked when she saw the broken pipe.
- How did they repair the model?
- Why were the judges impressed?
- What prize did they win?
- Find a word in paragraph 2 that means "a sudden event that causes great damage".
- Find a word in paragraph 3 that is the opposite of "nervously".
- What lesson did Farhan learn?
- What kind of person is Anjali? Give a reason from the story.
B. Passage 2 (facts)
Read the passage and answer the questions.
Kalpana Chawla: The Girl Who Reached for the Stars
1 Kalpana Chawla was born in 1962 in Karnal, a town in Haryana. As a little girl, she loved watching aeroplanes and drawing pictures of them. Her dream was to fly.
2 After school, Kalpana studied aeronautical engineering, the science of designing aircraft, at a college in Chandigarh. Very few girls studied this subject in those days, but she was determined. Later she went to the United States for higher studies and became a scientist.
3 In 1994 she was selected by NASA, the American space agency, to train as an astronaut. In 1997 she flew into space on the space shuttle Columbia. She became the first woman of Indian origin to go to space. During the mission she travelled millions of kilometres around the Earth.
4 In 2003 Kalpana went to space a second time. Sadly, on its way back, the Columbia broke apart over the United States, and all seven astronauts on board lost their lives. India honoured her memory, and many schools, hostels and awards are named after her. Her life shows that a girl from a small town can reach the stars.
- Where was Kalpana Chawla born? (a) Delhi (b) Karnal (c) Chandigarh
- What did she love doing as a little girl?
- What is aeronautical engineering?
- True or false: Many girls studied aeronautical engineering in those days.
- When did NASA select her to train as an astronaut?
- What was the name of the space shuttle she flew on?
- Why is her first space flight in 1997 special for India?
- What happened to the Columbia in 2003?
- Find a word in paragraph 2 that means "having made a firm decision to do something".
- Fill in the blank: Many schools, hostels and awards are __________ after her.
- What does her life teach us?
- Write a suitable title for this passage in your own words.
Answer Key
A. Passage 1 (a story)
- (b) a rainwater harvesting system
- They used plastic pipes, a small tank and a cardboard house with a sloping roof.
- The water flowed through the pipes and filled the tank.
- Farhan tripped on a wire while carrying it, so the house fell and a pipe cracked.
- False. She thought for a moment and spoke calmly.
- They used tape from the art teacher and a straw from the canteen to fix the pipe, and repaired the roof.
- They liked the idea of saving rainwater and the way the friends repaired the model so quickly.
- They won a special prize for teamwork.
- disaster
- calmly
- He learnt that we must never give up.
- She is calm and clever. When the model broke, she did not panic but thought of a way to fix it.
B. Passage 2 (facts)
- (b) Karnal
- She loved watching aeroplanes and drawing pictures of them.
- It is the science of designing aircraft.
- False. Very few girls studied this subject then.
- In 1994.
- It was called Columbia.
- She became the first woman of Indian origin to go to space.
- It broke apart on its way back to Earth, and all seven astronauts lost their lives.
- determined
- named
- It teaches us that with hard work and determination, anyone, even a girl from a small town, can achieve big dreams.
- Any suitable title, e.g. "India’s Daughter in Space" or "A Dream to Fly".