Edutest Year 6 Reading Comprehension Practice

Try each question first, then open the worked solution to check your answer and see how to reach it.

1. 1.Read the text: "Deep in the archives of the national library, the historian finally uncovered the lost journal. The centuries-old parchment and faded bindings of the ancient manuscript were so incredibly fragile that the document had to be handled with extreme care, using only specialized soft cotton gloves." The word "fragile" means:

   • AStrong
   • BHeavy
   • CEasily broken or damaged
   • DVery old
   Show answer and working

   Answer: C (Easily broken or damaged)

   Use the context: the parchment was 'so incredibly fragile that the document had to be handled with extreme care' and with soft gloves. You only need that much care for something that could easily break or be damaged. 'Very old' is true of the journal, but it is not what fragile means, so it is a trap answer.

2. 2.Read the text: "Survival in the Sahara requires highly specialized adaptations for both plants and animals. The desert is a famously arid environment, characterized by scorching daytime temperatures, shifting sand dunes, and very little rainfall throughout the entire year, making water a precious and rare resource." The word "arid" means:

   • AWet and humid
   • BCold and icy
   • CLush and green
   • DDry and barren
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   Answer: D (Dry and barren)

   The sentence explains the word 'arid' with the details that follow: 'scorching daytime temperatures … and very little rainfall', with water 'a precious and rare resource'. These describe a dry and barren place. 'Wet and humid' and 'lush and green' are the opposite, and nothing in the text describes cold or ice.

3. 3.Read the text: "The brave astronaut floated weightlessly in the cabin and looked out the small, reinforced window at the blue marble below. It looked so peaceful and silent from up here in orbit, vastly unlike the noisy, chaotic world he had left behind." What is the "blue marble"?

   • AA toy
   • BThe Moon
   • CThe Earth
   • DMars
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   Answer: C (The Earth)

   The astronaut is in orbit looking 'out the small, reinforced window at the blue marble below'. Something blue, round and below a spacecraft in orbit is the Earth, which looks blue because of its oceans. 'Blue marble' is a metaphor. The Moon is grey and Mars is red, so they do not fit the description.

4. 4.Read the text: "The brave astronaut floated weightlessly in the cabin and looked out the small, reinforced window at the blue marble below. It looked so peaceful and silent from up here in orbit, vastly unlike the noisy, chaotic world he had left behind." How does the astronaut feel about the world he left?

   • AIt is peaceful
   • BIt is chaotic
   • CIt is blue
   • DIt is small
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   Answer: B (It is chaotic)

   The text contrasts the view from space, which looked 'peaceful and silent', with the 'noisy, chaotic world he had left behind'. The word 'unlike' signals this contrast. So he thinks of the world he left as chaotic. 'Peaceful' describes how it looks from orbit, which is the trap answer.

5. 5.Read the text: "When it was finally constructed, the massive Titanic was widely considered unsinkable by its engineers and the public alike. However, tragically, on its highly anticipated maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, the grand vessel struck a massive iceberg in the dead of night and sank to the bottom of the sea." What does "maiden voyage" mean?

   • ALast trip
   • BFirst trip
   • CLong trip
   • DFast trip
   Show answer and working

   Answer: B (First trip)

   The Titanic sank on its 'highly anticipated maiden voyage', and the sentence before says it had just been 'finally constructed'. A ship's first trip after being built is its maiden voyage, because 'maiden' means first. 'Last trip' is true in hindsight, but it is not what the phrase means.

6. 6.Read the text: "Taking the time to sort our waste properly is essential because recycling directly reduces the massive amount of waste piling up in our local landfills. Common materials like cardboard paper, clear glass bottles, and hard plastic containers can be melted down or processed in facilities and turned into brand-new products." Which material is NOT mentioned?

   • APaper
   • BMetal
   • CGlass
   • DPlastic
   Show answer and working

   Answer: B (Metal)

   For a 'NOT mentioned' question, check each option against the text. The text names 'cardboard paper', 'clear glass bottles' and 'hard plastic containers'. Metal does not appear anywhere in the passage, so it is the answer. Questions like this reward careful checking rather than general knowledge, because metal can be recycled.

7. 7.Read the text: "Stepping through the heavy oak doors, she realized the old municipal library was a true sanctuary of silence away from the bustling city. The towering rows of leather-bound books stood like soldiers at attention along the walls, silently guarding the vast centuries of knowledge contained within." What figure of speech is "stood like soldiers"?

   • AMetaphor
   • BSimile
   • CAlliteration
   • DHyperbole
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   Answer: B (Simile)

   A simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as'. 'The towering rows of leather-bound books stood like soldiers' compares the books to soldiers using 'like', so it is a simile. A metaphor would say the books were soldiers. Alliteration repeats starting sounds, and hyperbole is exaggeration.

8. 8.Read the text: "Stepping through the heavy oak doors, she realized the old municipal library was a true sanctuary of silence away from the bustling city. The towering rows of leather-bound books stood like soldiers at attention along the walls, silently guarding the vast centuries of knowledge contained within." What does "sanctuary" suggest?

   • ANoisy place
   • BSafe, quiet place
   • CDangerous place
   • DCrowded place
   Show answer and working

   Answer: B (Safe, quiet place)

   The library is called 'a true sanctuary of silence away from the bustling city'. A sanctuary is a safe place of refuge, and the contrast with the busy, noisy city suggests calm and quiet. So the word suggests a safe, quiet place, which is the opposite of the noisy and crowded options.

9. 9.Read the text: "As she sat in the quiet hallway waiting for her name to be called before the final mathematics exam, Sarah felt intense butterflies in her stomach. Recognizing her anxiety, she closed her eyes, took a long deep breath to calm her racing heart, and confidently picked up her pen." How was Sarah feeling?

   • AHungry
   • BSick
   • CNervous
   • DExcited
   Show answer and working

   Answer: C (Nervous)

   The feeling is not named directly at first, so read the clues. 'Butterflies in her stomach' is an idiom for nervousness, and the text then names her 'anxiety' and 'racing heart' before an exam. These all point to nervous. 'Excited' can also cause butterflies, but anxiety tells us the feeling is worry.

10. 10.Read the text: "The thrilling new mystery novel kept me completely on the edge of my seat with its constant twists and turns. Despite analyzing all the clues, I couldn't possibly guess who the cunning culprit was until the shocking revelation on the very last page." Did the reader enjoy the book?

    • ANo, it was boring
    • BYes, it was suspenseful
    • CNo, it was too long
    • DYes, it was funny
    Show answer and working

    Answer: B (Yes, it was suspenseful)

    The reader does not say 'I enjoyed it', so infer from the language. Calling the novel 'thrilling', saying it kept them 'on the edge of my seat' and describing 'twists and turns' all show enjoyment of the suspense. Nothing suggests it was boring, too long or funny.