Reading Comprehension Questions and Answers

Answer: B

The relationship is mother and daughter.

The anecdote begins with the writer walking in a garden when 'my daughter' spots red flowers, pulls her down to her height and whispers a secret. The writer is the girl's mother, and the later questions on the passage refer to 'the mother' in the same way.

The 'friend' in paragraph 2 is a school friend from the writer's own childhood, which is a memory within the story, so 'best friends' and 'school-mates' describe a different pair. A grandmother and grand-child are not mentioned anywhere.

Answer: A

According to the mother, it was not a good idea to taste sweet nectar from flowers.

In paragraph 1 the daughter whispers a secret, and the writer is 'about to tell her that it was probably not a good idea to do so' when memory takes over. The secret is only revealed by the end: in paragraph 3 the writer decides that the child 'too needed to know the joy of tasting sweet nectar from beautiful blooms'. So what the mother first thought unwise was the child's wish to taste the nectar of the flowers.

Raiding the ixora plants, walking in the garden all day and walking alone along the pathway belong to the writer's own childhood story in paragraphs 2 and 3, and are not what the mother is about to advise against in paragraph 1.

Answer: D

Statements (b) and (c) are correct and (a) is incorrect, which is option (4).

(b) is correct: the daughter's whispered secret transports the writer back to her school days, and the memory is a happy one. (c) is correct: the writer decides that her child too must know the joy of tasting sweet nectar from blooms, so she wants the child to be connected to the pleasures of nature.

(a) is incorrect: the memories are fond and playful ('we really had a lot of fun', 'I could still taste the sweetness till today'), not traumatising.

Answer: C

A birder should have sharp ears because one can easily locate the birds from their chirping.

The writer says that spotting birds in foliage is hard enough, 'but if you hear them, you know they are there'. Hearing the call tells the birder where a bird is even when it is hidden among leaves.

Mating calls, morning greetings and shrieks of alarm are not mentioned as the reason; the passage speaks only of finding the birds.

Answer: C

The key takes both (a) and (b) as right.

(a) The writer says that 'every bird call evokes a different reaction, memory or emotion in the listener', as the flameback's laugh set a cheerful mood and the mynas recalled people in Delhi.

(b) The passage does not mention nests, so this statement does not come from the text. It is, however, generally true that birds often hide their nests among foliage, and the key counts it as right. Read strictly from the passage, only (a) is supported, so this is a question where the key relies on general knowledge for the second statement.

Answer: B

Statements (b) and (c) are right and (a) is wrong, which is option (2).

(b) The writer says mynas remind him of people who are 'always ready to argue and pick a fight, belligerent and in your face'. (c) A pair on the window sill in the afternoons hold 'meaningful civilised conversations' with affection in their voices, so a myna couple can be found enjoying themselves.

(a) is wrong: the writer is comparing the mynas to Delhi people to describe them as quarrelsome, and goes on to say they taught him not to make sweeping generalisations. He does not approve of that conduct.

Answer: B

A birder is one who watches the birds.

A birder (or birdwatcher) is a person who observes and identifies birds in their natural surroundings, by sight and by their calls, as a hobby or for study.

Birders do not catch, rear or hunt birds; those activities belong to trappers, bird keepers and hunters, so the other options are wrong.

Answer: C

Both (a) and (b) are right.

(a) The scarecrow 'found a tree full of nuts and filled Dorothy's basket with them'.

(b) The passage says he did not mind how long the filling took, because it kept him away from the fire, 'as he feared a spark might get into his straw and burn him up'. The key reads this as fear for his life, which made him keep busy gathering nuts, away from the flames.

Because both statements follow from the passage, the options that call either one wrong are incorrect.

Answer: B

Only statement (a) is right, so the answer is '(b) and (c) are wrong but (a) is right'.

(a) is right: Dorothy thought filling her basket 'very kind and thoughtful', so she was obliged to him.

(b) is wrong: the scarecrow is stuffed with straw and gathers the nuts for Dorothy, not to satisfy his own hunger. (c) is wrong: he filled the basket 'so that she would not be hungry for a long time', which is not the same as gathering enough that no one would remain hungry, and the Lion found his own supper.

Answer: A

The statement that is not true is 'Scarecrow was afraid that the Lion might kill him'.

The only fear the passage gives the scarecrow is of the fire: a spark might get into his straw and burn him up. The Lion is not mentioned as a danger to him.

Dorothy 'laughed heartily' at his clumsy nut-picking, so (4) is true. The Lion 'went into the forest and found his own supper', which fits (3) in its everyday meaning that he hunted for food. Statement (2) is not stated in the passage, but the nuts were gathered for Dorothy and the Lion found his own food, so the key treats only (1) as clearly contradicted.