Reading Comprehension: Test 1

Reading Comprehension Test 1: questions and answers

Take the test first if you want an honest score. The answers and solutions below are folded away until you open them.

1. Read the passage and answer the questions.

   Honeybees are among the most hardworking creatures on earth. A single colony may contain up to sixty thousand bees, and each has a clear duty. The queen lays eggs, the drones mate with the queen, and the worker bees do everything else: they build the comb, guard the hive, feed the young and collect nectar from flowers. To make just one kilogram of honey, worker bees must visit several million flowers. While collecting nectar, bees carry pollen from one flower to another, which helps plants produce fruits and seeds. Scientists estimate that about one-third of the food we eat depends on pollination by insects such as bees. In recent years, however, the number of bees has been falling in many parts of the world because of pesticides, loss of habitat and disease. Protecting bees is therefore important not only for honey but also for our food supply.

   1. According to the passage, who collects nectar from flowers?
   1. All the bees in the colony
   2. The drones
   3. The worker bees
   4. The queen

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   Answer: C. The worker bees

   The passage says the worker bees collect nectar from flowers.
2. 2. How do bees help plants?
   1. By eating harmful insects
   2. By watering the flowers
   3. By protecting plants from pesticides
   4. By carrying pollen from one flower to another

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   Answer: D. By carrying pollen from one flower to another

   Bees carry pollen between flowers, which helps plants produce fruits and seeds.
3. 3. Which of the following is NOT given as a reason for the fall in the number of bees?
   1. Pesticides
   2. Disease
   3. Excessive rainfall
   4. Loss of habitat

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   Answer: C. Excessive rainfall

   The passage mentions pesticides, loss of habitat and disease, but not rainfall.
4. 4. The word "estimate" in the passage is closest in meaning to
   1. Ignore
   2. Deny
   3. Calculate roughly
   4. Prove

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   Answer: C. Calculate roughly

   To estimate is to judge or calculate approximately.
5. 5. Which statement best sums up the passage?
   1. Queen bees do most of the work in a hive
   2. Honey is the most nutritious food
   3. Pesticides should be used more widely
   4. Bees are hardworking and vital for our food, so they must be protected

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   Answer: D. Bees are hardworking and vital for our food, so they must be protected

   The passage describes the work of bees, their role in pollination and the need to protect them.

6. Read the passage and answer the questions.

   A few years ago, the weekly market in Rampur worked almost entirely on cash. Farmers who sold vegetables in the morning carried their earnings home in their pockets, and many of them had never entered a bank. Things began to change when a small bank branch opened near the bus stand and its staff started visiting the market to explain how accounts and mobile payments work. At first, most traders were doubtful. They feared hidden charges and worried that they might lose money by pressing the wrong button. A young vegetable seller named Meena was the first to try. She found that customers liked paying through their phones because they no longer had to search for change. Within a year, more than half the stalls in the market displayed a payment code. The traders also discovered an unexpected benefit: because their sales were now recorded, it became easier for them to get small loans from the bank.

   6. How was most business done in the Rampur market a few years ago?
   1. In cash
   2. Through mobile payments
   3. By exchanging goods
   4. By cheque

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   Answer: A. In cash

   The passage says the market worked almost entirely on cash.
7. 7. Why were most traders doubtful at first?
   1. The bank was too far from the market
   2. Their customers refused to pay by phone
   3. They feared hidden charges and losing money by mistake
   4. They did not own mobile phones

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   Answer: C. They feared hidden charges and losing money by mistake

   They feared hidden charges and worried about pressing the wrong button.
8. 8. Who was the first trader to try mobile payments?
   1. The owner of the bus stand
   2. A farmer from another village
   3. The bank manager
   4. Meena, a vegetable seller

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   Answer: D. Meena, a vegetable seller

   A young vegetable seller named Meena was the first to try.
9. 9. What unexpected benefit did the traders discover?
   1. They no longer had to pay tax
   2. The market stayed open for longer
   3. It became easier to get small loans
   4. Their vegetables sold at higher prices

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   Answer: C. It became easier to get small loans

   Recorded sales made it easier for traders to get small loans from the bank.
10. 10. The word "doubtful" as used in the passage means
    1. Excited
    2. Angry
    3. Uncertain
    4. Careless

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    Answer: C. Uncertain

    Doubtful means unsure or uncertain.