Reading Skills

CBSE ENGLISH CLASS IX & X
READING SKILL – COMPREHENSION
TYPES OF PASSAGES
1. Factual : Straightforward account taken from various sources like newspapers, magazines,
encyclopaedia, reference books etc.
2. Discursive : Opinion forming passages taken from newspapers, magazines etc.
3. Literary : Poem, short story, excerpt from novel, essay or play taken from anthologies, novels or
magazines.
KEY POINTS
1. Read the given passage twice
2. Skim & scan the passage for key words.
3. Try to understand the intention of the speaker.
4. Understand the relation between different parts of a text.
5. Analyse, interpret and infer the ideas in a text.
6. Read the questions and then read the passage again to identify the answers.
Q1. Read the passage given below :
1. Stars are huge balls of hot gases. They are all similar in composition but vary in brightness, density and
outward appearance. Stars are great centres of light, creating helium and light all the time. They are constantly
shining, even in the daytime, but during the day we cannot see them because of the sun’s powerful rays. [The
atmosphere around the earth breaks up and scatters the sunlight into a blanket of brightness, through which
we are unable to see the stars.] At night we are able to see through the atmosphere and we can see the stars.
If there was no atmosphere, we would have been able to see the stars in the daytime as well as night, as the
sun’s light would not have been scattered then. There are billions of stars out of which only some are visible to
us.
2. Stars speed through the sky, but this movement is not visible without instruments. When the stars move
sideways, it is called proper motion and when they move towards or away from the earth it is called radial
motion. Stars are usually classified according to their luminosity, their colour and size and also according to
their movement. Some stars are yellow, some are blue and white, some of them are even purple, green, red,
rose or amethyst coloured. The colour depends upon the temperature of the stars. The red stars are cooler
than the white, and the white are still cooler than the blue-white. The brightest star that we can see (besides
the sun) is Sirius, the dog star in the Constellation Canis Major. It has a temperature of about 20,000F. Capella
is a yellow star with a temperature of about 11,000 F. Aldrebaran in Taurus is an orange star with a
temperature of more than 7,000°C
3. The other bright stars are Arcturus in the constellation of Bootes, Canopus in Agro, Polux in Gemini, Vega in
Lyra, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Alpha Centauri and Fomalhaut, and Aldrebaran in Taurus. Canopus and Antares are
so bright that they are called super giants. The sun is a yellow dwarf star. The stars, which revolve around
each other in such a way that they eclipse each other from the earth’s view, are called eclipsing binary stars.
Fixed stars do not appear to move, although they are moving all the time and we are unable to detect the
change. Variable stars change their magnitude frequently. Arcturus and Alpha Centauri are the two fastest
moving bright stars.

4. A nova is a star that suddenly increases its luminosity by thousands of times. This change comes in a day to
a week’s time. Slowly, this luminosity fades and usually, many years later, the star regains its original
brightness. This outburst takes place due to an explosion within the star. The explosive death of the star is
called supernova. In this the star obtains the brightness of 100 million suns for a short time. A famous
supernova exploded in the galaxy of Andremeda in 1855. The brightest nova recorded is Tychos Star. It was
visible in full day light in 1572, but then it faded.
1.1. On the basis of your reading of the extract, complete the following statements and answer the
questions :
(a) Why are we unable to see the stars during the day?
(b) How do we differentiate between proper motion and radial motion?
(c) The stars get their colours by __________ .
(d) What is the difference between a nova and a supernova?
(e) Which is the brightest nova recorded?
(f) Give a suitable title.
1.2. Find words in the passage that mean the same as the following:
(a) brightness (Para 2)
(b) size/amount (Para 3)
Q.2. Read the poem carefully.
Where the mind is without fear and The head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up
into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth,
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit ;
Where the mind is led forward by Thee
into ever-widening thought and action-
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
-Rabindranath Tagore

2.1. On the basis of your reading of the poem, answer the following questions by choosing the correct
options given below.
(a) „The head held high‟ means one is __________ .
(i) full of arrogance (ii) having self-respect and dignity (iii) has a painful neck
(b) ‘domestic walls’ stands for __________ .
(i) wall of bricks and cement (ii) the wall of anger and hate (iii) the wall of regional and religious differences
(iv) the wall of isolation
(c) Where words come out from the __________ .
(i) depth of logic (ii) depth of truth (iii) analysis (iv) happiness
(d) We can achieve „perfection‟ by __________ .
(i) tired efforts (ii) tireless cribbing (iii) tireless striving (iv) tiring efforts
(e) Where „clear stream of season‟ has not lost its way to
(i) dead logic (ii) unreasonable people (iii) dead habit (iv) uneasy efforts
(f) The poet wants the mind to be led forward by God into __________ .
(i) ever growing prosperity and abundance (ii) ever shrinking logic and knowledge
(iii) ever living happiness and love (iv) ever widening thought and action
(g) The opposite for the word “sleep” is __________ .
(i) acknowledge (ii) accept (iii) awake (iv) embark
ANSWER KEY:
STARS.
(1.1) (a) We cannot see them because of the sun‟s powerful rays.
(b) When stars move sideways, it is called proper motion and when they move towards or away from the earth,
it is called radial motion.
(c) by their temperature
(d) A nova is a star that suddenly increases its luminosity by thousands of times whereas, the explosive death
of a star is known as supernova.
(e) Tychos star.
(f) Stars/Galaxy (any other appropriate title)
(1.2) (a) luminosity
(b) magnitude
2. (2.1) (a) (ii) - having self-respect and dignity
(b) (iii) - the wall of regional and religious differences
(c) (ii) - depth of truth
(d) (iii) - tireless striving

(e) (iii) - dead habit
(f) (iv) - ever widening thought and action
(g) (iii) – awake
SAMPLE SET II
Q.3.Read the passage carefully.
How to Change the World
As a teenager, you cannot change the world all on your own. However, you can do quite a few things to help
and contribute towards changing the world. There are many other ways that you can help change the world
apart from the ones that are listed here, but for now here are a few easy things to do, seeing as you are only a
teen. You could do much more, the possibilities are endless.
You’ve most likely heard about recycling and you might even do it yourself. However, you may want to recycle
even more. If you’ve finished drinking a bottle of water and you‟re definitely sure that you’re not going to use it
again, recycle it. You can recycle many things, quite a few things are: paper, glass, cardboard and plastic.
Donate. Donation can vary from time to time. You may find yourself in a charity shop donating all your old
clothes/shoes/toys or you could simply find yourself putting all your loose change inside a money box outside a
charity shop. You don’t have to do extreme things like for example donating blood if you’re definitely not 100%
sure about it. Do what you feel comfortable with doing. Money that is donated to charity is usually used to help
those that live in poverty or those who need a little extra care.
Littering. Time after time you may have found yourself in a position where you have littered. Littering
contributes to polluting the planet and is quite hazardous to the people and animals around us. If there aren’t
any nearby bins, hold on to your rubbish until you find one. If your rubbish is recyclable, recycle it.
Reduce vehicle pollution. It’s not only a waste of gas/patrol to drive to a nearby destination but it’s also
polluting our environment. If your parents (considering you’re a kid/teen) offer to drive you to school, politely
decline their offer and walk instead. If your journey isn’t walkable, you might want to take a bus/train instead.
However, it may be best just to let your parents drive you if you don’t like to use public transport.
Ever found yourself in a position where you seem to have run out of space to plug something in? First of all, if
you’re not using an electrical powered object, turn it off and then unplug it. It’s not necessary to have all the
sockets occupied at once. If you straighten your hair every morning, for example, then you might want to
change that. Not only are you wasting energy but you’re damaging your hair. It’s also best to avoid over-
charging your laptop, for example, if you use one because they do take quite a while to charge depending on
your performance plan.
Motivational speakers can have their ideas and beliefs heard and some have been known to have an impact
on the world as a whole. You may not want to stand in the middle of your local park and you most definitely
don’t want to preach too much. A suggestion could be you recording yourself talking about any kind of problem
that there is in the world and uploading it to YouTube. If you’re lucky, you may just get the right attention. Don’t
give up if it takes time though. You could alternatively want to change something or address a problem within
your local area by discussing things with your local governor. It may take a while to grab their direct attention
but every effort can lead you at least somewhere. Make sure you seem professional with whatever you choose
to do. No one will listen to someone who is speaking in slang or comes across as aggressive and too
demanding.
Q3.1 On the basis of your reading of the above passage, complete the statements that follow:

(a) As a teenager you can _________.
(b) Donate your old things but don’t_________.
(c) You can save energy by_________.
(d) A suggestion can get right attention by_________.
Q3.2 Answer the following questions in brief.
(a) How can we reduce vehicle pollution?
(b) Who is a motivational speaker?
Q1.3 Find the words from the passage that means the same as following.
(a) Donation (Para-3) (b) Give a sermon (Para-7)
Q4. Read the passage carefully.
Mother
In life, we generally come across various forms of relationships like father-son, husband-wife, love, friendship
etc but the most dear and hearty relation of all is of a mother and her child. The bond of mother and child is the
purest and holiest. Mother is next to GOD. She knows everything. A warm and affectionate touch of your
mother will give you immense pleasure and you will feel as if you are in heaven.
The relationship of a mother and a child carries deep emotions and feelings within it and it is always nurtured
by love, affection and care. She is the one who gives birth to the child, brings him up, supports him when he
needs someone the most, guides him in taking right decisions, stands against crowd and favours her child if he
is right, suffers a lot of pain from the time of birth of a child till he becomes adult but never expects anything in
return. Whenever you feel sad and tensed, she will embrace you and all your worries will come to an end.
The most respectful and adorable person on this earth is “Mother”. Even if you fight with her, argue with her,
pour you anger on her, she will forgive you for everything with a gentle smile on her face and without thinking
for a second. Is there any relationship better than this relation where there is no ego, no fears, no hard
feelings, just the feeling of love and affection? In today’s world people get so much busy in their lives that they
hardly find time for their mother, they don’t even remember the things she has done for them to make their life
smooth and comfortable. A person should always remember the efforts made by the mother for his betterment
and should give utmost respect and care to his mother, as she really deserves it. He should let her mother
know what she means to him and she will be the happiest person in this whole world.
We celebrate mother’s day once in a year but tell me, do we need any special day to show our gratitude to our
mother who has devoted and sacrifice her whole life for us. We should make her feel that she means a lot to
us each day that will be true gift to her. If you really want to express your love for your mother, don’t wait for
long now and don’t hesitate, go to her and give a hug and tell her “Mother, you are next to GOD, thanks for
everything you have done for me. You are the best person on this whole earth and I really mean it; you have
given your whole life for us and you deserve the best of everything. I love you mother”.

You can also express your feelings for your mother in a different way. You can take the help of poems and
quotes, which will help you in expressing your feelings in a better way. Dedicate the poems to your mother and
show your respect, affection and gratitude to her and you will see she will keep on smiling.
Q4.1. On the basis of your reading of the above passage, complete the statements that follow with the help of
given options:
(a) The most dear and hearty relation of all is the relationship of __________.
(i) father and son (ii) husband and wife (iii) mother and child (iv) friendship
and love
(b) This relationship carries__________
(i) worries (ii) suffering (iii) love for money (iv) deep emotions and feelings
(c) This relation is devoid of__________
(i) ego and fear (ii) love and affection (iii) anger and hard feelings (iv) (i) and (iii)
(d) Today’s generation__________.
(i) is very busy in their lives (ii) easily finds time for their mother
(iii) remembers the things she has done for them (iv) shows respect and care for mother
(e) Do we need any special day to__________?
(i) show our anger (ii) show our gratitude towards her
(iii) blame her (iv) disobey her
(f) You can express your love towards your mother by__________.
(i) writing poems and quotes (ii) showing respect (iii) hugging her
(iv) all of the above
(g) The word from the passage which means the same as ‘gratitude’ is__________.
(i) greatness (ii) thankfulness (iii) sacrifice (iv) respect
ANSWER KEY Q 3 & 4
Q3. How to Change the World :
3.1 (a) you cannot change the world all on your own
(b) do extreme things like blood donation if you are not 100% sure
(c) utilizing electronic gadgets properly
(d) uploading it on you Tube; it may take time
3.2 (a) no vehicle for short distance, walk instead, give lift for same destination.

(b) One who uses polite and decent language to motivate or inspire others.
3.3 (a) Charity (b) Preach
Q4. Mother :
4.1 (a) (iii) mother and child
(b) (iv) deep emotions and feelings
(c) (i) ego and fear /(iii) anger and heard feelings
(d) (i) is very busy
(e) (ii) show your gratitude towards her
(f) (iii) all of the above
(g) (ii) thankfulness

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