Reading Comprehension Questions and Answers

Answer: A

The meadow does not hold the hopping of a frog out of the brook as a surprise.

The poem names the butterfly sipping nectar, the soft velvet grass, the sound of the brook and the rabbit that hops. A frog hopping out of the brook is never mentioned, although a brook is.

A butterfly feeding on nectar, the softness of the grass and the murmur of the stream (the brook to listen to) are each in the poem, so they are surprises the meadow does hold.

Answer: A

You will find the rabbit when he hops.

The lines read: 'Though at first you may not see him, when he hops you will.' The rabbit sits still and goes unseen until the hop gives him away.

Sleeping and being in a burrow are not stated anywhere. 'When he is sitting still' is the opposite of the poem: sitting still is why you do not see him at first.

Answer: A

By 'velvet grass' the poet means grass as soft as velvet.

It is a figure of speech comparing the feel of the grass with velvet cloth, which is why the poet asks the reader to 'walk softly' through it.

The grass is not made of velvet thread, which would take the phrase literally. 'The carpet of velvet' invents an image the poem does not use, and 'shining like velvet' is about looks, whereas velvet is chosen here for its softness.

Answer: D

Pelicans beat their wings over water to push the fish towards the shallow water.

The passage says that pelicans fishing in a group 'drive fish into shallow water by beating their wings on the surface', after which they scoop the fish up.

The other options do not match the text. The short legs are mentioned only as a reason pelicans look clumsy on land. Swallowing happens after the pouch is tipped to drain the water. Diving on the fish from above is how the brown pelican hunts, not what the wing-beating is for.

Answer: A

Pelicans usually live near water bodies, the first option.

The passage says pelicans 'are found on many of the world's coastlines and also along lakes and rivers'. Their fishing, swimming and webbed feet all belong to a life around water.

'In colonies' is wrong because the passage uses colonies for breeding groups, which gather on islands, and says they travel in flocks. 'Near cities' is never mentioned. 'In North America' is too narrow: the passage places pelicans on coastlines all over the world, and the American white pelican is named only as one species.

Answer: A

Webbed feet make pelicans powerful swimmers.

The passage says that once in water, pelicans are 'strong swimmers, thanks to their webbed feet', with webbing across all four toes.

Looking large with short legs and looking awkward on land are traits the passage gives to the body and legs, not to the webbed feet. 'Have their toes tied' misreads the webbing: it joins the toes to make a paddle, which helps swimming rather than hindering it.

Answer: B

Both (A) and (B) are wrong.

(A) is wrong because young pelicans feed by 'sticking their bills into their parents' throats to retrieve food'; they do not pick food from the parents' pouches.

(B) is wrong because the passage says 'Pelicans do not store fish in their pouch'. They use the pouch to catch fish, tip it to drain out the water and swallow the fish at once.

With both statements false, the options that call either one right are out.

Answer: C

The brown pelican catches fish by diving on the fish from above.

The passage contrasts it with group fishers: 'The brown pelican, on the other hand, dives on the fish from above and traps them in its bill.'

Beating the wings and cornering fish in shallow water describe pelicans that fish in a group. Storing fish in the pouch is explicitly denied by the passage, since the pouch is used only to catch fish and drain water.

Answer: D

The flamingoes are not ordinary visitors because they have been the honoured guests of King Lakho.

The passage opens: 'Legends will tell you that flamingoes are no ordinary visitors to Kachchh. They were the honoured guests of King Lakho and he had forbidden the hunting of flamingoes'. That is the reason given.

The birds are said to come 'from various parts of the world', not from Australia alone. Their beauty and any medicinal value are not mentioned.

Answer: B

Flamingo City is known as one of the biggest breeding grounds of the Greater Flamingo.

The passage describes it as 'an island in the middle of the Rann of Kachchh, known the world over as one of the biggest breeding grounds of the Greater Flamingo'.

Hunting was forbidden by King Lakho, so it was not a hunting ground. The passage says nothing of its beauty, and calling it the biggest island in the world is not stated.