10th Class English Comprehension Comprehension Based on Stories

         Comprehension Based on Stories  

            Passage - 1

About three o'clock in the morning, Jane, one of the servants awoke us. She had seen a great fire from her window. I looked. The fire was not that far away, but I saw no threat to us and returned to bed. I rose at seven. The fire appeared smaller and farther away. Jane said she had heard that over 400 houses had been destroyed during the night, and the fire was still raging near London Bridge. Curious, I went to have a look. From a high point near the Tower of London, I could see a huge fire raging on both sides of the bridge. We had friends who lived in that area. Worried, I approached the bridge. An intense fire was raging out of control. People were desperately trying to save their belongings, loading them in boats or flinging them into the river. Some stayed in their homes until the fire nearly touched them before making their escape. A high wind was driving the fire deeper into the city. Seeing no attempt to put it out, I sped to the King's castle. After telling what I had seen, I was ushered before his Majesty. At my suggestion, the King commanded that houses in the immediate path of the fire be torn down. In this way, we hoped to control its spread. I left to take the King's message to the Mayor. To the King's message, the Mayor replied, "What can I do? People will not obey me. I have been pulling houses down, but the fire moves faster than we do."  

Read the passage carefully and tick the correct answers:    

  The author returned to bed after having looked at the fire:

(a) Which was away from the place                        

(b) There was no risk of fire

(c) The fire was not too much faraway                  

(d) The fire showed not threat

(e) None of these

Answer: (d)

Explanation: (d)

The sentence 'The fire was not that far away, but I saw no threat to us and returned to bed' hints answer to the question.  

  The intensity of the fire could be estimated that:

(a) It was out of control                                                

(b) It came under control soon

(c) It was intense and killed several people         

(d) It was being carried away by high wind

(e) None of these

Answer: (a)

Explanation: (a)

The sentence in the passage 'An intense fire was raging out of control' provides answer to the question.        

  When the King was informed about the fire _________ .

(a) He ordered that the houses be shifted away from the path of fire

(b) He commanded that houses in the immediate path of fire be torn down

(c) He passed on the decision to control the fire to the Mayor

(d) He tried an attempt to tear down the path leading to the way of fire

(e) None of these

Answer: (b)

Explanation: (b)

The sentence 'At my suggestion, the King commanded ...' hints answer to the question.  

  The word 'destroyed' used in the passage refers to:

(a) Demolished                                                

(b) Devastated                 

(c) Gutted                                                          

(d) Washed out

(e) None of these

Answer: (c)

Explanation: (c)

The general meaning of 'destroyed' is demolished, wiped out, etc. But in context to the passage, the correct option will be 'gutted'. Fire burns everything and the term used to denote the same is 'gut', thus, the correct option will be 'gutted'.    

             Passage - 2

John Hammond was an officer in the Indian Army. One day, he decided to go on a shooting expedition in the mountains. It was time for his holiday and he told his servant to pack his tent and guns on the back of a horse. The servant was not very good at packing things on the back of a horse, but he was a very good cook. John planned to spend several days hunting deer. For three days, John Hammond walked up long valleys towards the high mountains. He found no deer. The weather was hot. Perhaps the deer were eating grass up in the mountains where it was cooler. He decided to climb up to the higher valleys to look for them. He had to cross several rivers in steep, rocky valleys. The water was very cold and the current was strong. On the third day, he was following a path close to a river. Suddenly, the horse, which was carrying his tent, fell down. The tent, which was not tied properly on the back of the horse, fell into the river. The current carried it away immediately. That afternoon he began to see some of the highest mountains in the world. But still, their snowy tops were fifty kilometers away. It was getting dark and he decided to stop at a village and ask the headman if he could stay the night. The people were friendly and invited him to eat and to stay with them. The village was very poor and the houses were small, dark and smoky. They were full of people, and animals wandered in and out. John thought it would not be convenient for the people if he slept there. He wanted to sleep outside the village, but he had no tent.

Read the passage carefully and tick the correct answers:    

  The servant of John Hammond has the quality.

(a) Packing things                                            

(b) Good cooking

(c) Hunting                                                         

(d) Taking tent and guns on horse back

(e) None of these

Answer: (b)

Explanation: (b)

The line 'The servant was not very good at packing things on the back of a horse, but he was a very good cook' gives answer to the question.  

  John Hammond took to climb up to the higher valleys:

(a) In search of deer                                      

(b) To find deer who were eating grass

(c) Because it is cool there                          

(d) The deer feared and moved up to the valleys

(e) None of these

Answer: (a)

Explanation: (a)

The entire second paragraph gives clues to the answer to the question. As John Hammond could not find any deer in hot weather, he thought that perhaps they might have gone up in the mountains where it is cooler and are enjoying eating grass there. So with the intention to find the deer, he decided to climb up to the higher valleys.  

  Having considered people's, John Hammond decided to sleep outside the village.

(a) Willingness                                                  

(b) Astonishment           

(c) Inconvenience                                           

(d) Gratefulness

(e) None of these

Answer: (c)

Explanation: (c)

The sentence 'John thought it would not be convenient for the people if he slept there' gives answer to the question.  

  John Hammond could not have his tent to sleep -

(a) His horse lost his tent on the way to the mountain

(b) The river current carried away the tent

(c) When the horse fell down the tent was lost

(d) When it was getting dark, the tent fell down into the river

(e) None of these

Answer: (b)

Explanation: (b)

The correct option will be - the river current carried away the tent; because when the horse fell into the river, the tent that it was carrying also fell down into the river and soon the current carried it away immediately.