Comprehension is a skill of being able to read something and understand it. On this page, you’ll find comprehension examples as well as questions for you to try.
Easy
This is an extract from Goldilocks and the Three Bears from DLTK Teach.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went for a walk in the forest. Pretty soon, she came upon a house. She knocked and, when no one answered, she walked right in.
At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks was hungry. She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.
“This porridge is too hot!” she exclaimed.
So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.
“This porridge is too cold,” she said.
So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge.
“Ahhh, this porridge is just right,” she said happily and she ate it all up.
Sample questions
- Where was Goldilocks having a walk before coming across the house?
- How many bowls of porridge did Goldilocks taste?
- Was anyone in the house when Goldilocks knocked on the door?
The answers to these questions are in the extract above.
Medium
This is an extract from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. “Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,” thought Alice; “only, as it’s asleep, I suppose it doesn’t mind.”
The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it: “No room! No room!” they cried out when they saw Alice coming. “There’s plenty of room!” said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.
“Have some wine,” the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.
Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. “I don’t see any wine,” she remarked.
“There isn’t any,” said the March Hare.
“Then it wasn’t very civil of you to offer it,” said Alice angrily.
“It wasn’t very civil of you to sit down without being invited,” said the March Hare.
“I didn’t know it was your table,” said Alice; “it’s laid for a great many more than three.”
“Your hair wants cutting,” said the Hatter. He had been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.
Sample questions
- What were the Mad Hatter and the Hare drinking under the tree?
- How many people were sitting at the table when Alice arrived?
- Who was asleep at the table?
The answers to these questions are in the extract above.
Hard
This is an extract from the Spanish Armada page on Homework Help For Kids.
The Spanish Armada was when a fleet of 130 ships that tried to invade England. The Armada left Corunna, Spain in May 1588 with the aim to overthrow Elizabeth I and make England a Catholic country, like Spain was.
The English ships won the battle and the Spanish were defeated, with only 60 of their ships getting back to Spain.
In the same year she was crowned queen (1558), King Phillip II of Spain asked her if she wanted to marry him. She said no.
After Elizabeth’s religious settlement, which aimed to stop the feud between Catholics and Protestants, the Pope excommunicated her from the Catholic Church. He said that Elizabeth had “seized the kingdom” and wasn’t the rightful English monarch.
King Phillip gathered ships together into an Armada (large fleet) in 1586. He made up a plan to overthrow Elizabeth and make England Catholic once again. But, in 1587, Francis Drake, one of Elizabeth’s advisors, led an attack on Cadiz, a Spanish port. They sunk ships and burned vital supplies.
The attack delayed Phillip’s plans for a year. In 1588, the 130-ship Spanish Armada left Lisbon, Portugal. They kept to a half-crescent formation. By July, they had reached the English Channel. Part of Phillip’s plan was to stop off at Gravelines, France.
Sample questions
- How many Spanish ships made it back to Spain?
- Which one of Elizabeth’s advisors led an attack on Cadiz?
- What did the Pope say about Elizabeth after excommunicating her?