Reading comprehension (entrance exams) worksheet with answers

Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the sky. Thunder is the sound made when lightning heats the air very quickly. What makes the sound of thunder?

1. AClouds bumping into each other
2. BRain hitting the ground very hard
3. CLightning heating the air very quickly
4. DStrong wind blowing through trees

Honeybees communicate by dancing. When a bee finds flowers, it returns to the hive and moves in a pattern called the waggle dance. The direction and length of the dance tell other bees where the food is. What is the main idea of the passage?

1. AThe waggle dance is the only dance that bees know.
2. BBees make honey from the flowers they find.
3. CBees prefer flowers that grow close to the hive.
4. DBees use a dance to tell each other where food is.

Recycling paper saves trees and energy. Making new paper from recycled paper uses less water than making it from wood. Many towns collect paper for recycling once a week. What is the passage mostly about?

1. AThe benefits of recycling paper
2. BWhy towns collect rubbish every day
3. CHow trees are cut down for timber
4. DHow much water people drink each day

“After the storm, the town came together. Neighbours cleared fallen trees, shared food and checked on elderly residents.” What is the main theme of the passage?

1. AThe danger of living near old trees
2. BWhy older people should move away
3. CThe best way to prepare for a storm
4. DPeople helping one another in hard times

“The old lighthouse keeper climbed the 120 steps every evening to light the lamp, even when his knees ached, because ships depended on him.” What motivates the lighthouse keeper?

1. AA sense of duty to the ships
2. BA plan to sell the lighthouse
3. CA wish to exercise his knees
4. DA fear of being alone at night

In the 1840s, the doctor Ignaz Semmelweis noticed that many mothers died after childbirth in wards where doctors came straight from performing autopsies. When he required doctors to wash their hands in a chlorine solution, the death rate dropped sharply. What does the passage suggest?

1. AThe mothers died because of problems during birth only.
2. BChlorine was used to make medicines for new mothers.
3. CAutopsies were no longer performed in that hospital after the year 1840.
4. DHand washing reduced the spread of infection to the mothers.

“Hospital A has 20 nurses for 100 patients. Hospital B has 15 nurses for 50 patients.” Which statement is correct?

1. AHospital A has more nurses per patient.
2. BHospital A has fewer patients per nurse.
3. CHospital B has more nurses per patient.
4. DBoth hospitals have the same ratio.

The author writes: “Some argue that we should spend money on space exploration only after solving problems on Earth. But research for space has led to inventions used in medicine and everyday life.” What is the purpose of the second sentence?

1. ATo show that space research also benefits Earth
2. BTo agree that Earth’s problems come first
3. CTo explain how rockets are built
4. DTo argue that space travel should end