9th Class English Comprehension (Prose and Poetry) Exercise

 

 

            Passage - 1

Buttercups and daisies - Oh the pretty flowers, Coming ere the springtime To tell of sunny hours.  

 

Read the passage carefully and tick the correct answers:  

 

  The poet refers to the season in the stanza:

(a) Summer                                                       

(b) Winter                          

(c) Spring                                                            

(d) Autumn

(e) None of these  

 

 

  Buttercups and daisies grow during the:

(a) Same season                                              

(b) Different season      

(c) Sunny hours                                               

(d) Rainy season

(e) None of these  

 

 

  According to the poet, the flowers talk of:

(a) Their stay in the sunshine                     

(b) Brightness of the sun

(c) Their adventure during the sunshine                               

(d) Exciting activity undertaken during the day

(e) None of these  

 

 

  The poet seems to be a lover of:

(a) Nature                                                          

(b) Scenery                        

(c) Environment                                              

(d) Flowers      

 

 

            Passage - 2  

The day is past, the sun is set, And the white stars are in the sky; While the long grass with dew is wet, And through the air the bats now fly.  

 

Read the passage carefully and tick the correct answers:  

 

  The stanza reflects the time of the day:

(a) Morning                                                       

(b) Evening                        

(c) Dusk                                                               

(d) Night

(e) None of these  

 

 

  The line 'The day is past, the sun is set' hints:

(a) Day has ended .as the sun has set                    

(b) Day has finished with the setting of sun

(c) The sun has set and so the day is over

(d) Sun has set after the day has ended

(e) None of these  

 

 

  Why is the long grass with dew wet?

(a) Dew could not dry away from the long grass

(b) The sun's rays could not penetrate inside the long grass to dry the dew

(c) It is monsoon and due to rain the long grass is wet with dew

(d) As the dew is inside long grass so it cannot dry

(e) None of these  

 

 

  From your understanding of the stanza, guess the season which the poet is talking about:

(a) Winter                                                          

(b) Summer                       

(c) Spring                                                            

(d) Monsoon

(e) None of these      

 

            Passage - 3

Little deeds of kindness, Little words of love, Make our earth an Eden, Like the heaven above.  

 

Read the passage carefully and tick the correct answers:  

 

  From the stanza, it could be established that the poet is talking about:

(a) Nature                                                          

(b) Heaven                        

(c) Love                                                               

(d) Virtue

(e) None of these  

 

 

  The poet is of the view that:

(a) An action of kindness and sense of love can make our earth a heaven

(b) Love and kindness make the heaven

(c) Great deeds are nothing less than love and kindness

(d) We should share love and kindness

(e) None of these  

 

 

  It could be estimated that the author is:

(a) Sym pa the tic towards others            

(b) Free from different complexities of life

(c) Having a puritan soul                               

(d) Full of ethical values

(e) None of these  

 

 

  The meaning of 'Eden' in the stanza is:

(a) Heaven                                                         

(b) Beautiful garden      

(c) Platform of values                                    

(d) Junction of peace

(e) None of these    

 

            Passage - 4

When the blazing sun is gone, When he nothing shines upon, Then you show your little light, Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.  

 

Read the passage carefully and tick the correct answers:  

 

  The poet in the stanza refers to:

(a) Sun                                                                 

(b) Moon                            

(c) Stars                                                               

(d) Little light

(e) None of these      

 

 

  The starts appear in the sky:

(a) When it is dark at night                          

(b) After the blazing sun is gone

(c) During the middle of night                    

(d) When the sun is not in the sky

(e) None of these  

 

 

  Why do stars twinkle at night?

(a) They are bigger than the sun              

(b) Stars could not been seen during day

(c) Stars have their own light                     

(d) They are far away from us

(e) None of these  

 

 

  The word 'blazing' means:

(a) Warm                                                            

(b) Extremely hot           

(c) Balmy                                                            

(d) Strikingly hot

(e) None of these      

 

            Passage - 5

 

When I was sick and lay a-bed, I had two pillows at my head, And all my toys beside my lay To keep me happy all the day.  

 

Read the passage carefully and tick the correct answers:  

 

  The stanza hints that the poet is a:

(a) Man                                                               

(b) Child                              

(c) Old man                                                                        

(d) Patient

(e) None of these  

 

 

  The lines -

And all my toys beside my lay  

To keep me happy all the day.

means:

(a) Poet keeps his toys alongside and play to keep him happy

(b) Without toys nothing is important to the poet

(c) Poet want to pass his time playing

(d) Poet loves to keep himself happy by playing

(e) None of these  

 

 

  What time was the poet recalling while writing this poem?

(a) While sleeping on two pillows            

(b) Time of playing with toys

(c) When he lied in his bed                         

(d) Period of illness

(e) None of these  

 

 

  The poet wants to keep himself throughout the day:

(a) Happy                                                           

(b) At ease                         

(c) Comfortable                                               

(d) Contented

(e) None of these      

 

            Passage - 1  

1.                   C

2.                   A

3.                   D

4.                   D

 

            Passage - 2  

1.                   D

2.                   A

3.                   B

4.                   A

 

            Passage - 3  

1.                   D

2.                   A

3.                   A

4.                   B

 

            Passage - 4

1.                   C

2.                   A

3.                   D

4.                   B  

 

            Passage - 5  

1.                   B

2.                   A

3.                   D

4.                   A

 

 

 

 

           Passage - 1

1. (c) The stanza refers to the spring season when buttercups and daisies grow.
2. (a) Both the flowers grow during the same season, that is, spring.
3. (d) The poet writes 'sunny hours' which means the period of time when the sun gives us light, that is, during the day. Therefore, the correct option will be: Exciting activity undertaken during the day.
4. (d) In the stanza the poem specifically states about the two flowers. Although, flowers comprise in nature, but as the option: Flowers is provided will become the correct option.    

 

           Passage - 2

1. (d) It can be clearly stated that the stanza reflects Night. The first, second and last lines are clear indicative that the part time is night.
2. (a) The correct option is: Day has ended as the sun has set. The setting of the sun has resulted the day to end, that is, get dark and welcome the night.
3. (b) After reading the stanza, it hints that the poet is talking about winter. During winter, the days are smaller and the nights longer. The rays of the sun are also dull and without brightness. Dew is also found during winter. All these features hint that the correct option will be (b).
4. (a) As stated in answer to question no. 3, it could be well affirmed that the correct option will be: Winter,    

 

           Passage - 3

1. (d) Deeds of kindness, words of love, and so on reflect values and virtues. Therefore, the correct option will be: Virtue.
2. (a) The poet firmly believes that these actions can bring a change among mankind. Therefore, the correct option is: An action of kindness and sense of love can make our earth a heaven.
3. (a) The author is sympathetic towards others and thus he affirms his feelings through his poem in this sanza.
4. (b) The correct option will be: Beautiful garden. Eden is a Biblical term and refers to the beautiful garden where Adam and Eve, the first humans, lived before they did something God had told them not to and were sent away, often seen as a place of happiness and innocence.    

 

           Passage - 4

1. (c) It is easily understandable that the poet is talking about stars.
2. (a) Stars are very big and are far away from us. Sun is our nearest star which is a very bright body. Therefore, in the night, stars can be only seen clearly when it is dark at night. That is why they twinkle and fade away. The correct option is: When it is dark at night.
3. (d) Stars are far away from us and we cannot see them during day. They are only seen during night and because of their distance, they seem to twinkle.
4. (b) The appropriate word is: Extremely hot.    

 

           Passage - 5

1. (b) The poet refers to his toys which lay beside his bed where he sleeps. Thus, we can affirm that the poet is a child.
2. (a) The poet is in so much love with his toys that he keeps them beside his bed which makes him feel happy throughout the day. Therefore, the correct option is (a).
3. (d) From the stanza, it can be clearly assumed that the poet is recalling about his days when he was ill.
4. (a) The last line of the stanza hints the correct answer to the question.  

 

 

 

 

• Each and Every: Each and Every are both similar in meaning, but every is stronger word than each. Each is used only when the number in a group is limited and definite; Example: Each of the students got a prize. Every is used when the number is indefinite;

            Example: Every soldier saluted as the President arrived.

• Some and Any: Some and Any are used to express quantity or degree. Some is used in affirmative sentences; Example: I have bought some bread. Any is used in negative or interrogative sentences;

            Example: I have not bought any mango. Have you bought any mango?

• Alone and lonely: Alone can be used as an adjective or adverb; either use means without other people or on your own; Example: He likes living alone. Lonely is an adjective which means you are unhappy because you are not with other people;

           Example: The house feels lonely now that all the children have left home.

• A lot and Allot: A lot is used to modify a noun and means a large amount or number of people or things; Example: I need a lot of time to develop this website. Allot is a verb, which means to give (especially a share of something) for a particular purpose;

           Example: We were allotted a desk each.

• All ready and already: Already means completely ready; Example: Are you all ready for the test? Already is an adverb that means before the present time or earlier than the time expected;

           Example: I asked her to come to the cinema but she had already seen the film.

• Any one and anyone: Any one means any single person or thing out of a group of people or things; Example: I can recommend any one of the journals on this site. Anyone means any person. It is always written as one word;

           Example: Did anyone see that UFO?  

 

 

 

 

• Few: Hardly any. It has a negative meaning;

           Example: There are few songs in the movie.

• A Few: Some, as opposed to none. It has a positive meaning;

           Example: I have got a few friends.

• The Few: Not many, but all there are;

           Example: The few friends of mine will come to attend the party.

• All together: Together in a single group;

           Example: The guard asked if we were all together.

• Altogether: Completely or in total;

           Example: He wrote less and less often, and eventually he stopped altogether.

• For: A period of time;

           Example: I have been working here for three years.

• Since: A point of time;

           Example: I have been working here since August 2009.

• Hard: Solid, industrious, or difficult;

           Example: Heating the clay makes it hard (solid); He is a hard (industrious) worker; It was a hard (difficult) test.

• Hardly: Only just or certainly not. It is used in negative sense;

           Example: The boy spoke so quietly that I could hardly (only just) hear her;

            You can hardly (certainly not) expect me to do the test for you!

 

 

 

 

•     Read the passage carefully to get the general idea.
•     Understand the context and the situation of the passage.
•     Find out to which subject or discipline is the passage related to.
•     Know what the content of the passage is, whether it is an extract of an article, current; general topic, story, or stanza.
•     Read again, this time a little slowly, to know the details.
•     Study the question thoroughly. Turn and read again the relevant portion in the passage.
•     Use complete sentence.