READING COMPREHENSION PASSAGES

1. AS YOU SOW, SO SHELL YOU REAP:

An old farmer had four sons. They were very idlers. They used to pass/spend the entire/whole day in the
useless talks/chat. The father was much worried about his sons. Because of sickness the old man/ father
was on death bed. He called his four sons, and told that he had buried a huge treasure in his farm. The
treasure was big enough to spend their entire life. The father told them to find out the treasure and died.
The four sons dug out the whole/entire farm. But they could not find the treasure anywhere. They thought
that since the entire farm had been dug out; let’s sow seeds into the field. At the end of that year, a plenty of
crops was produced. Then, the four sons realized, what father meant by the plenty of treasure.
1) How many sons did farmer have? a) three b) five c) four d) not given
2) The father was on his death bad because of… a) shyness b) idleness c) sickness d) not given
3) How many daughters did farmer have? a) one b) two c) none d) not given
4) What did the father told about the treasure? a) its buried b) its theft c) its lost d) not given
5) What was the treasure? a) hard luck b) hard work c) idle work d) not given

2. THE DREAM OF GOLDEN GUJARAT:

At the eve of New Year, the Home Minister of Gujarat has out lined the golden future of the state. It is as
following: According to him, Gujarat will be the wealthiest state of India within next five years. Trade and
commerce will be increased twice more than the present. Every child would have been receiving primary
education. The water of Narmada River would have reached every corner of the state. Law and order would
be observed ideally. Each citizen of the state would feel the sense of prosperity and security.
1) Who gave out lined the future of the state? a) chief minister b) home minister c) gold smith d) none
2) Gujarat will be wealthiest states in… a) in few years b) in four years c) in five years d) not given
3) Trade and commerce will increase… a) thrice more b) tenth times more c) twice more d) none
4) Who will receive education? a) every boy b) every child c) every girl d) none
5) Water of which river will reach to the state? a) Nalanda b) Narmada c) Tapi d) not given

3. MONGOOSE:
In a small village, a farmer lived with his wife and a young child. He used to go to the farm every morning
and used to return late at the evening. In this family, there lived a mongoose also. In the absence of the
husband, wife used to talk with the mongoose. Keeping the child asleep, one day the wife went to the market.
After she/wife had gone, a huge snake entered into the house. As the mongoose was present there, it killed
the snake and started guarding the child. Hearing the footsteps of the wife coming back, mongoose ran out
of the house. Seeing the blood dripping from the mouth of mongoose, the wife thought that it must have
killed her child. She threw the pot of water onto the mongoose. It died at once. She rushed into the house.
On seeing the sleeping child and dead snake, she realized the actual situation. However, it was too late.
1) How many members were there in the family? a) two b) three c) four d) not given
2) Which animal used to live the family? a) mouse b) snake c) mongoose d) not given
3) When alone, the wife used to…with mongoose. a) talk b) play c) both a & b d) none
4) What happened to the snake? a) it killed the mongoose b) it was killed by mongoose c) not given
5) “Dripping” means… a) falling drops b) dropping things c) wet d) soaked

4. SOMNATH:
Legend weaves an interesting tale around the origins of the temple at Somnath. Som (the Moon God) was
married to the 27 daughters of Daksha, who was a son of Brahma. However, Som loved only one of them,
Rohini. This caused great frustration to the other sisters. An infuriated Daksha cursed his son-in-law, causing
him to lose his brilliance. In despair, Som turned to Shiva and served him with such zealous devotion that
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Shiva gave him respite from the curse - he would wax for half the month and wane for the rest. In gratitude,
the Moon God built a Shiva temple at Somnath.
Situated on the coast with a commanding view of the Arabian Sea, the Somnath Temple is one of the twelve
most sacred Shiva shrines in India. The temple’s legendary wealth made it the target of successive
plundering armies, beginning with Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026. He is said to have made off with camel-loads
of gold and precious gems, leaving the edifice in ruins. The cycle of pillage and reconstruction at Somnath
continued over the next seven centuries. The present temple, made of stone, was built in 1950.
It is situated 79 Kms. from Junagadh and 450 Kms from Ahmadabad. According to the legend, Somnath is as
old as creation itself. East of the temple, at the confluence of three rivers, is Triveni Tirth. The ghats going
down to the sea at this spot are said to mark the place where Lord Krishna’s funeral rites were performed,
after a hunter mistook him for a deer and killed him.
1) Who was the father of Daksha? a) Som b) Shiva c) Brahma d) not given
2) What was the relation of Rohini to Daksha… a) sister in law b) daughter in law c) wife d) none of these
3) Who built the Somnath temple? a) Daksha b) Rohini c) Som, the Moon d) Ghazani
4) When did the present Somnath temple built? a) 1026 b) 1950 c) 7th Century d) none of these
5) How far is Somnath from Ahmadabad? a) 79 kms. b) 405 kms. c) 97 kms d) not given

5. UTTARAYAN – THE KITE FESTIVAL:

Kites originated in China about three thousand years ago. The Chinese fly kites on the ninth day of the ninth
month. Kite-flying is popular in many countries. In Gujarat, the 14th of January marks the official end of
winter. According to Hindu astrology, on that day the Sun enters the rashi (zodiac) of Makara (Capricorn). It
is known as Makarsankranti or Uttarayan. It is also celebrated as kite-flying day.
During the day, the sky is dotted with colourful kites of various sizes and shapes. At night, paper lanterns
are tied to kite-strings and flown in the sky. The dark night sky, with its stars and lanterns, is a wonderful
sight. The day itself is celebrated with great fanfare in Gujarat. All the people, young and old alike, are on the
roofs of their homes, flying and cutting kites and screaming with delight each time their kite cuts another.
Sweets and savouries are traditionally prepared for the occasion – tal sankli, popta, chikki and undhiyu-jalebi.
The preparation for this festival starts months ahead. People buy strings from Surat and the string is made
stronger by using manjha. The night of the 13th is full of excitement. Special markets are held in Ahmedabad
and Vadodara. One needs to have the heart of a Gujarati businessman to clinch a good deal.
There are more than a hundred traditional designs of kites. ‘Chil, a medium-sized, single colour kite with a
multi-fringed tail, is the most popular in the Vadodara haraji,’ says Panjabi, a kite-maker from Vadodara. (A
haraji here refers to the general auction of kites held in the Gendigate area of the Vadodara walled city on
the eve of Uttarayan.) ‘If a kodi (a set of 20 kites, held together by an elastic fork of split bamboo) of chil is
otherwise available for Rs 50, on the haraji night, you can get it for as little as Rs 10,’ adds the veteran kite-
maker. The night of haraji is a huge event in Vadodara and Ahmedabad.
‘This is the chaapat,’ Panjabi continues to explain, as he deftly arches a thin bamboo stick in a perfect kaman
and glues it to the edges of the kite. The chaapat is much larger than the chil and has a glued inverted triangle
as its tail. ‘This one is preferred by the expert kite fliers and cutters,’ he explains. ‘You won’t get these in the
haraji. The pauniya are like the chaapat but have eyes, one on either side of the spine. These kites are usually
custom-made.’
1) When did the kite originated? a) 3 thousand years ago b) 3 hundred years ago
c) 3 centuries ago d) not given
2) On the night of 15 Jan. the sky is dotted with: a) stars b) lanterns c) both stars & lanterns d) not given
th

3) Where the auction is held in Baroda? a) Gomtipura b) Ahmadabad c) Gendigate d) Vastrapur

4) How much would a Kodi cost on harahi night? a) Rs. 50 b) Rs. 10 c) Rs. 70 d) not given
5) Which kind of a kite is not given in the para? a) Pauniya b) Chil c) Kaman d) Chaapat
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6. LION STORY:
A lioness once gave birth to two cubs and for a time she could not go out hunting. So, her husband, the lion,
went out to hunt and brought home the animals he killed.
One day he could not find any prey. As he was returning, he saw a jackal cub. He raised his paw to strike the
cub when pity for the tiny creature forced to bring him home.
"He is just a cub" said the lion tenderly and brought it home carefully picking between his teeth. "What did
you get today?" asked the lioness impatiently.
The lion replied embarrassingly," I could not get a single animal. Then I saw this cub. I didn't have the heart
to kill him. But you may kill and eat him if you like."
"When you did not have the heart to kill him," said the lioness instantly, "How can I?" She then patted the
cub saying lovingly, "He will be my third son and will grow up with our cubs."
The two lion cubs and jackal cub soon grew plump and frisky. Then one day, while the cubs were playing, an
elephant passed by. "Who is that intruder?" said one of the lion cubs, "Let us go and attack him."
"Wait brother, that is an elephant. He is strong. Let us run away or we will get hurt!"
The lion cubs laughed at the jackal cub, "Run away? Ha! Ha! Ha!"
They all came home teasing the jackal and told the whole story to their mother in the den. "You should have
seen it Mother, it was so funny! The way he put his tail between his legs. Ha! Ha! Ha!"
The jackal cub got upset. "I should have left you two with the elephant. I wish I hadn't warned you ---"
The lioness got up, "Calm down! Let us go outside and talk alone,"
When they were alone, the lioness said, "You must never speak like that to them. They are your older
brothers." The jackal was still excited and shouted back, "So what? Do you think I am not as good as them? I
will not take it if they make fun of me. I am going to kill them."
The lioness held back the smile by hearing the cubs' false alarm.
Then she came out firmly and said, "Listen to me my cub. You are the son of a jackal. I brought you up because
you were helpless. As long as my sons are small, they will not harm you. But when they grow up they will
fight you and kill you."
"Before that happens" said the lioness with concern, "You’d better run away and join your own pack."
The poor jackal cub was terrified when he heard this. Without a word he slunk away to find his own pack.
1) The lioness gave birth to… a) Two cubs b) three cubs c) four cubs d) not given
2) In the forest the lion killed… a) an animal b) a jackal cub c) an elephant d) no animal
3) The lion cubs teased the jackal cub for… a) being lazy b) being timid c) being angry d) being
stupid
4) The lioness told the jackal cub to… a) stay with them b) go away c) be strong d) be cunning
5) The word “Pack” in the story means… a) run away b) group of animal c) luggage d) family

7. LOVE CONQUERS ALL…!!

Some years ago, there lived a man named Jack on the outskirts of a rural town, very close to the forest area.
Jack was a software engineer. He had no family or friends. He used to go for morning walk into the forest
area near to his house. One day it so happened that he walked a little deeper into the wild forest. He found
the dense forest soothing and pleasing. He went a little further. There he heard the low grunting of some
beast. His first reaction was to run back. But he gathered his courage and walked further step by step. Behind
a thicket he saw a huge wild bear panting helplessly. It was wounded badly. It seemed to Jack that the bear
must have been attacked by some predatory animal. On seeing Jack, the bear turned its side towards him,
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stared at him for a few seconds and took its last breath. Just then, from behind the bear, a young one of the
bear crept out. The piteous creature was licking the huge bear lying dead. The baby bear was too young to
look after itself.
Jack stood there for quite a long time. Then Jack picked up the baby bear and carried it with him. Thenceforth,
Jack kept the baby bear with him in his house. Since, Jack had no kith and kin he had a great time with the
bear. It seemed to Jack as if life had new meaning. Every day, Jack used to spend good deal of time playing
with the baby bear.
After a few months, Jack got promoted to a metropolitan city. He was happy and sad at the same time, as in
the urban municipal corporation would not allow him to keep a baby bear, being wild animal, with him. He
had to take a decision to keep the baby bear into a zoo in that city. He went to the zoo, finished the formalities
and he himself unlocked the door went inside the cage and played with the baby bear for quite some time.
Then with a heavy heart, he locked the door gave the key to the zoo keeper.
Some years passed. Jack had additional work load and hence, he could not see the baby bear even once. After
a few more years he got retired. He wished to see his pet, the baby bear. He went to the zoo - to the cage
where he had left the baby bear a few years ago. He saw the baby bear, the baby bear was no longer a baby
now. It had grown up as huge as its mother. Jack was so happy to see his only companion he had in his entire
life. Jack took the keys from the key-stand and went inside the cage. He hugged and caressed the bear. The
bear took some time to recognize Jack. Then it also played whole heartedly with Jack. In the meantime the
zoo-keeper came back. He was shocked to see Jack inside the cage with the huge wild animal. After some
time Jack came out of the cage, locked it and gave the keys to the keeper. The keeper rebuked Jack, “Have
you gone mad! It’s a wild beast it could have killed you!” Jack smiled and replied, “Don’t worry! It’s a wild
beast for you, not for me. It’s the only companion I have in life. In fact, I had placed him inside this cage a few
years ago.” The keeper still was not out of surprise, “Which one…?” After scratching his head for a while, he
continued, “Oh, that one, the young one…but that one died just after six months!” Now, it was Jack’s turn to
be surprised, “What!! Then what about this one?” The keeper replied, “This one is a wild bear, brought from
the forest just a day before...!”

8. LEFT HANDED APPROACH:

Studies have shown that 80 per cent of mothers cradle their infants in their left arms, holding them against
the left side of their bodies. If asked to explain the significance of this reference most people reply that it is
obviously the result of predominance of right-handedness in the population. By holding the babies on their
left arms, the mothers keep their dominant arm free for manipulations. But a detailed analysis shows that
this is not the case. It emerges that 83 per cent of right-handed mothers hold the baby on the left side, but
then so do 78 per cent of left-handed mothers. In other words, only 22 per cent of the left-handed mothers
have their dominant hand free for action. Clearly there must be some other, less obvious explanation.
The only other clue comes from the fact that the heart is on the left side of the mother’s body. Could it be
that the sound of her heart is the vital force? It was argued that perhaps during its existence inside the body
of the mother, the growing embryo becomes fixated on the sound of the heart-beat. If this is so, then the re-
discovery of this familiar sound after birth might have a calming effect on the infant, especially as it has just
been thrust into a strange and frighteningly new world outside. If this is so then the mother, either
instinctively or by an unconscious series of trial and errors, would soon arrive at the discovery that her baby
is more at peace if held on the left, against her heart, than on the right.
This may sound far-fetched, it is nevertheless the true explanation. Groups of new-born babies in a hospital
nursery were exposed for a considerable time to the recorded sound of a heart-beat at a standard rate of 72
beats per minute. There were nine babies in each group and it was found that one or more of them was
crying for 60 per cent of the time when the sound was not switched on, but that this figure fell to only 38 per
cent when the heart-beat recording was thumping away. The heart-beat groups also showed a greater

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weight gain than the others, although the amount of food taken was the same in both cases. Clearly the beat-
less groups were burning up a lot more energy as a result of the vigorous action of crying.
So it seems fairly certain that is the explanation of the mother’s left-side approach to baby-holding.
9. As children do we have a natural ability and motivation to take up new interests, which as adults
we seem to loose? Are there too many social pressures on adults or are there other reasons for
the apparent decline in a human-being’s capacity to learn?
In the process of learning following three questions have to be kept in mind. What is to be learnt? (area /
subject of learning). Why something-anything is to be learnt? (the purpose of learning). How to learn? (the
method/s of learning). The above questions, about ability of learning that vary in children and adults, fall
under the category of third question of the process of learning i.e. how anything can be learnt?
Form the days of Greco-Roman there are two classical theories of acquiring knowledge. First is based on the
concept of ‘tabula rasa’, which considers mind as a blank slate in the beginning; everything comes to it from
experience. e.g. it is from seeing so many round objects, which were not perfectly round, that man is able to
abstract the idea of the circle.
Second classic theory goes back Plato, who claimed that such ideas of the circle or the triangle or the line are
perfectly innate in the mind, and it is because they are given to the mind, man is able to project them on
reality.
Now, in the case of children the theory of tabula rasa is apparent. As a child has a mind with no experience.
So for a child each day is a lesson and any object he sees for the first time is a wonder. As a result, the child
will have natural interest in any new thing that appears before him. And, as it is a natural process hardly any
external motivation is required, except in the cases of inequality (social, economic and so on) or of
psychological complexes (inferiority complex, trauma and so on).
On the other hand, adults are possessed with experiences (good or bad), learning (proper or improper) and
social status whether satisfactory or otherwise. Here, the theory of Plato is partially applicable. When any
new thing appears before an adult, he/she would evaluate it with his/her past experiences, his/her learning
and so on, because of which the process of learning is delayed. It is further is delayed because of the various
responsibilities that fall on him/her as an adult, be it social, monitory, family etc. In the case of adults
motivation plays a crucial role.
Nevertheless, there is no fundamental difference between a children’s or an adult’s ability of acquiring new
things, in fact an adult is more mature in terms of experience and learning. However, recent research on the
neurophysiology claims that the human nervous cells are specialized. That is a nervous system of an
individual differs from another hence, his perseverance of knowledge would differ accordingly.
Thus, there are no barriers or pressures for adults in appreciating new things, but it is because they are so
much taken away by prior things that they can hardly pay any attention to new ones. To observe an apparent
decline in human ability to learning would be misleading. On the contrary there can be seen increase in
human arena of learning. However, as result of over reliance on the technology and electronic media, the
decline of human imagination can be seen apparently.

10. Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school.
His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone
bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I
shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran
at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt.

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His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw
this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around
looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.
As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks." They really shouldn’t get lives." He looked at me
and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real
gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me,
so I asked him why I had never seen him before.
He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid
before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I
asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes.
We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the
same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him
and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!”
He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.
When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to
Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.
He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian
of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so
glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle.
He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and
actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I
was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked
him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really
grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began…
"Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years.
Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends...
I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell
you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill
himself over the weekend.
He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his
stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.
"Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.
I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize
its depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For
better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in
others.
“When I come home, my first instinct is to grab a book and NOT a remote control of TV.” – Amir Khan

 Best wishes for further reading… 

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