Comprehension is the act or power of understanding.

What is Comprehension ? Comprehension is the act or power of understanding. In order to enable yourself to think while you read and to think after you have read acertain passage, you must train your mind. Dipak V Parikh

There is only one way of testing your power of understanding a passage; and it is to ask you to answer certain questions and to use words and phrases in your own sentences. These questions and Words and phrases are of course, based on the particular passage you have read. Dipak V Parikh

But Why? You would be keen to know the purpose of this method of testing your power of understanding . This is to develop in you the habit of thinking. This is to discourage cramming. Moreover the habit of thinking would give you self-confidence . It will help you read Dipak V Parikh

attentively and intelligently. How to approach a Passage? Now you must be eager to know how to answer the question set at the end of a passage . It is proper to remember that you can write good answer only when :-. You have satisfactorily understand the passage. Dipak V Parikh

You fully understand the questions asked. You can express the meaning of the passage in your own easy English and not in the English of the passage. What should be the Language of your Answers Dipak V Parikh

The language of the answers should be simple. The language of the answers should be clear and direct. HOW TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS Remember the following hints :- Dipak V Parikh

You must read the passage at least three times or more , till you are in a position to answer clearly the questions. What is the subject matter or Theme of the passage ? What does the author say about the subject ? Dipak V Parikh

2. Now you must read the questions at the end very slowly and carefully. You should begin to look out for the answers when you have understood the questions. • Now take up first question and find out which part of the passage would answer it. Dipak V Parikh

Then one by one look out for the parts of the given passage which would answer the other questions, underline these portions and turn them into your own English. Now you may write down answers to the questions. But remember that you should write the answers to the questions in Dipak V Parikh

your own words. Never copy the sentences from the passage. Don’t forget that: (1)Your answer should be brief. (2)It should be to the point. (3)It should be clear and direct . (4)Do not copy the language of the passage. Dipak V Parikh

TEXTUAL PASSAGES(S.R.) (1)After the death of Krishna, the Pandavas along with Draupadi felt that life was not worth living. They lost interest in everything. They made Parikshit, son of Abhimanyu, the emperor and decided to leave Hastinapur for great journey. Dipak V Parikh

Dressed in tree barks and deerskin they stopped at the palace where the people of city bade them farewell. The Pandavas travelled towards the North. In a few days, they reached the Himalayas. They started climbing the mountains. Dipak V Parikh

When they came to the mountain, Meru, all of them were tired and exhausted. And then, a dreadful thing happened. Draupadi fell down dead. Questions: • What did the Pandavas feel after the death of Krishna? • Who was made the emperor ? Dipak V Parikh

(3)Pandavas were dressed in…and. (4)The Pandavas went to the Himalayas. True or false? (5)Who fell down dead? Answers: • After the death of Krishna, the Pandavas felt that life was not worth living and they lost interest in everything. Dipak V Parikh

2.Abhimanyu’s son, Parikshit, was made the emperor. 3.The Pandavas were dressed in tree barks and deerskin. 4.True. 5.Draupadi fell down dead. (2) Bheema and Yudhishthira continued walking. Bheema was the last to fall.He called out to Yudhishthira, Dipak V Parikh

“Why should I fall? What have I done?” Yudhishthira said, “My dear Bheema, I have always loved you. But you also had one fault, you always boasted about your strength.” leaving them behind, Yudhishthira went on and on.He went, alone, in his search of peace. Dipak V Parikh

A dog had been following Pandavas since they left Hastinapur. It accompanied them all thought the journey. It followed Yudhishthira even when he was left alone. QUESTIONS: • Who was the last to fall? • What was Bheema’s fault? • Who was following Yudhishathira? Dipak V Parikh

Say whether the following statements are true or false (4) Yudhishthira went alone in search of the Pandavas. (5) Bheema followed Yudhishthira even when he was left alone. Answers: • Bheema was the last to fall. Dipak V Parikh

2.Bheema’s fault was that he always boasted of his strength. 3.A dog was following Yudhishthira. 4.False 5. False (3) Yudhishihira continued to climb up the mountainpath. When he was at the end of his journey, he saw a strange light all around him. He recognized Indra, the king of the gods, coming towards Dipak V Parikh

him in his chariot. When he came close, Indra stepped down from the chariot and said, “Get in to the chariot, Yudhishthira. I have come here to take you to heaven.” But Yudhishthira refused to do so because he did not want to go to heaven without his brothers and Draupadi. Dipak V Parikh

He therefore said, “Unless they all come with me, I will not go with you” When Indra heard this, he smiled and said, “My dear Yudhishthira, you need not worry about them. They are already in heaven. You alone will be allowed to enter heaven with your living body. Please get into the chariot.” Dipak V Parikh

Question • Who was in the chariot? • Why had Indra come to Yudhishthira? Say whether the following statements are True or False: (3) Yudhishthira agreed to go to heaven. (4) Yudhishthira was allowed to enter heaven with his living body. Dipak V Parikh

(5) The Pandavas and Draupadi were on the earth. Answers: 1.Indra,the king of gods, was in the chariot (2) Indra had come to Yudhishthira to take him to heaven. (3) False. Dipak V Parikh

(4) True. (5) False. (4) Worker bees spend their whole short lives in tireless labour. They have no childhood. From the third day of their life they have to clean the walls and floors after the young bees go out From the fourth day they become ‘house bees’ Dipak V Parikh

and feed the house bees with honey and pollen From the seventh day they start producing royal jelly From 12th to 18th days they develop wax glands and work on the building up of the honeycomb. From 15th to 18th days they become field bees. Dipak V Parikh

Now they fly to explore and collect nectar and pollen. Two baskets contain around four lakh grains of pollen! In those baskets or ‘honey-stomachs’ excess water is absorbed. Questions: • What do the worker bees do from the third day of their life? Dipak V Parikh

2.What do they do from the fourth day? 3.The worker bees develop wax glands from 12th to 18th days. True or false? 4.From the seventh day, the worker bees produce ………. 5.The field bees collect ...and… Dipak V Parikh

Answers: (1) From the third day of their life, the worker bees clean the walls and floors after the young bees go out. (2) From the fourth day they become ‘house bees’ and feed the house bees with honey and pollen. Dipak V Parikh

(3) True. (4) From the seventh day, the worker bees produce royal jelly. (5) The field bees collect nectar and pollen (5) The explorer bees tell their sisters about direction and distance of flowers through definite movements which we can call ‘dances’. Dipak V Parikh

A round dance suggests that the flowers are quite near. The shuffle dance suggests that the bees should be ready for a long fight. Certain other movements are also used to indicate even the direction of the nectar source of flowers. Dipak V Parikh

Now let’s look into their eyes. Bees have five eyes : two compound once and three simple once. The surface of a compound eye of a worker bee has nearly 5000 hexagonal facets, whereas drones have about 8000. But surprisingly bees are poor in identifying colours. They can identify blue, yellow and white colours only. They can not see the red colors at all! Dipak V Parikh

Questions: • What do the explorer bees do? • Bees can identify the…colour but can not see the…...colour at all. Say whether the following statements are true or false: (3) Bees have five eyes. (4) A round dance suggests that flowers are very near. Dipak V Parikh

(5) A shuffle dance suggests that flowers are near. Answers: • The explorer bees tell their sisters about direction and distance of flowers thought definite movements which we can call ‘dances’. • Bees can identify the blue colour Dipak V Parikh

but can not see the red colour at all. 3.True. 4.True. 5.False. UNSEEN PASSAGE 1.Newton had a little pet dog named Diamond. One day, Newton went out of the room. Dipak V Parikh

Leaving his little dog asleep before the fire. When his master was gone, little Diamond got up, jumped up on the table and overturned the lighted candle. A heap of papers lying on the table caught fire. Now this papers contained all that Newton had found out on an Dipak V Parikh

important subject after working hard for twenty years. When Newton returned to the room, he found to his great sorrow that his labour of twenty years had gone mischief. Any other person in place of Newton controlled his temper and patted the dog on the head with kindness, though his heart was full of grief. Dipak V Parikh

Questions: • Who was Diamond? • What did Diamond do? • Newton’s heart was filled with…….but he showed……. • Newton’s hard work of……years had gone up in smoke. • Was Newton angry? Dipak V Parikh

Answers: • Diamond was Newton’s pet dog. • Diamond jumped up on the table and overturned the lighted candle and all the papers were burned. • Newton’s heart was filled with grief, but he showed kindness. (4) Newton’s hard work of twenty Dipak V Parikh

years had gone up in smoke. (5) No, Newton was not angry. (2) One day Lincoln was reading in the company of some lawyer friends. On their way they saw a pig struggling to get out of a deep hole into which it had fallen. If left in the hole, the poor animal was sure to die. Dipak V Parikh

Lincoln could not bear the thought of it. He went up the hole and stood there for some time, looking now at the pig and at the new clothes he had on. His friends, who knew what he thinking, made fun of him, saying “You can stay here and attend to the pig if you like. Dipak V Parikh

You are dressed for the job. We shall go along.” Lincoln waited for them to pass around a bend on the road. Then picking up some rails that were lying nearby, he used them to pull the pig out of the hole, and watched it run to the nearest farm. Then he looked down at his clothes. Dipak V Parikh

He found them covered with mud and completely spoilt. Though he would not be able to join his friends now, he was happy he had saved the pig’s life. • What did Lincoln and his friends see? • What would happen if pig was left in the hole? Questions: Dipak V Parikh

3.Lincoln left the pig and joined his friends. True or false? 4.Why was Lincoln happy in the end? 5.Lincoln used some……. To pull the pig out of the hole. 1. Lincoln and his friends saw a pig struggling to get out of a deep Answers: Dipak V Parikh

hole. 2.If the pig was left in the hole, it was sure to die. 3.False. 4.Lincoln was happy because he had saved the pig’s life. 5.Lincoln used some rails to pull the pig out of the hole. Dipak V Parikh

(3) A farmer’s daughter was carrying a pail of milk from the field to the farm house, when she began to think, “The money for which this milk will be sold, will buy at least three hundred eggs. The eggs will produce two hundred and fifty chickens. The chickens will become ready for the market when they will bring the Dipak V Parikh

highest price; so that by the end of the year, I shall have enough money to buy a new gown for Christmas. When young fellows will propose me, I will nod my head and refuse them.” At this moment she nodded her head when the milk-pail fell down to the ground and all her imaginary schemes were Dipak V Parikh

shattered in a moment. Questions: • What was the farmers daughter carrying? • What would happen when she would have a new gown? 3.When she nodded her head, the …fell down and all her …… were shattered. Dipak V Parikh

4.The money for which the milk will be sold, will buy……. 5.The farmer’s daughter shall have enough money to buy a gown for…… (1) The farmer’s daughter was carrying a pail of milk on her head. (2) When she would have a new gown, all the young fellows would propose her. Answers: Dipak V Parikh

(3) When see nodded her head, the pail of milk fell down and all her imaginary schemes were shattered. (4) The money for which the milk will be sold, will by three hundred eggs. (5) The farmer’s daughter shall have enough money to buy a gown for Christmas. Dipak V Parikh

FOR PRACTICE Dipak V Parikh

Comprehension is the act or power of understanding.