Two Stories About Flying - His First Flight - Reading Comprehension

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Two Stories About Flying - His First Flight - Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension 1

The young seagull was alone on his ledge. His two brothers and his sister had already flown away the day before. He had been afraid to fly with them. Somehow, when he had taken a little run forward to the brink of the ledge and attempted to flap his wings, he became afraid. The great expanse of sea stretched down beneath, and it was such a long way down – miles down. He felt certain that his wings would never support him; so he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at night. Even when each of his brothers and his little sister, whose wings were far shorter than his own, ran to the brink, flapped their wings, and flew away, he failed to muster up courage to take that plunge which appeared to him so desperate. His father and mother had come around calling to him shrilly, scolding him, threatening to let him starve on his ledge, unless he flew away. But for the life of him, he could not move.

1. Why was the young seagull alone on his ledge?

   a) His siblings had flown away.

   b) He was afraid to fly with them.

   c) His parents left him.

2. What prevented the young seagull from flying off the ledge?

   a) Fear of the sea below.

   b) Lack of food.

   c) Short wings.

 3. How did the young seagull react when his siblings flew away?

   a) He followed them immediately.

   b) He stayed on the ledge.

   c) He flew away later.

 State True or False: :

4. The young seagull's siblings had shorter wings than him.

5. The young seagull's parents were supportive and encouraging.

    Reading Comprehension 2

     That was twenty-four hours ago. Since then, nobody had come near him. The day before, all day long, he had watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight, teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish. He had, in fact, seen his older brother catch his first herring and devour it, standing on a rock, while his parents circled around raising a proud cackle. And all the morning, the whole family had walked about on the big plateau midway down the opposite cliff, laughing at his cowardice.

      The sun was now ascending the sky, blazing warmly on his ledge that faced the south. He felt the heat because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall.

1. How long had it been since anyone came near the young seagull?

   a) A few hours

   b) Twenty-four hours

   c) Several days

 2. What had the young seagull's family been doing the day before?

   a) Swimming in the sea

   b) Teaching each other to fly

   c) Hunting for food

 3. Where was the young seagull's ledge facing?

   a) North

   b) South

   c) West

  State True or False: :

4. The young seagull had eaten recently before the current events.

5. The young seagull's family had mocked him for his fear of flying.

   

 Reading Comprehension 3

     He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and, standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under his wing, he closed one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling asleep. Still, they took no notice of him. He saw his two brothers and his sister lying on the plateau dozing, with their heads sunk into their necks. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his mother was looking at him. She was standing on a little high hump on the plateau, her white breast thrust forward. Now and again, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet, and then scraped each side of her beak on the rock. The sight of the food maddened him. How he loved to tear food that way, scraping his beak now and again to whet it!

1. What was the young seagull doing at the brink of the ledge?

   a) Flapping his wings

   b) Pretending to fall asleep

   c) Eating fish
   

2. Who was the only one looking at the young seagull?

   a) His father

   b) His mother

   c) His siblings

  

3. What was the mother seagull doing while standing on the plateau?

   a) Eating fish

   b) Preparing to fly

   c) Preening her feathers

State True or False: :

4. The young seagull's father was also pretending to fall asleep.

5. The sight of the food made the young seagull happy.

 

 Reading Comprehension 4

     ‘Ga, ga, ga,’ he cried, begging her to bring him over some food. ‘Gawl-ool-ah,’ she screamed back mockingly. But he kept calling plaintively, and after a minute or so, he uttered a joyful scream. His mother had picked up a piece of fish and was flying across to him with it. He leaned out eagerly, tapping the rock with his feet, trying to get nearer to her as she flew across. But when she was just opposite to him, abreast of the ledge, she halted, her legs hanging limp, her wings motionless, the piece of fish in her beak almost within reach of his beak. He waited a moment in surprise, wondering why she did not come nearer, and then maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish. With a loud scream, he fell outwards and downwards into space. Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. He could hear nothing. But it only lasted a moment. The next moment, he felt his wings spread outwards. The wind rushed against his breast feathers, then under his stomach and against his wings. He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. He was not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually, downwards and outwards. He was no longer afraid. He just felt a bit dizzy. Then, he flapped his wings once and he soared upwards. ‘Ga, ga, ga. Ga, ga, ga.’ ‘Gawlool- ah.’ His mother swooped past him, her wings making a loud noise. He answered her with another scream. Then, his father flew over him screaming. Then, he saw his two brothers and sister flying around him, curveting and banking and soaring and diving.

1. What did the young seagull cry out to his mother?

   a) Gawl-ool-ah

   b) Ga, ga, ga

   c) Gawlool-ah

 

2. Why did the young seagull dive at the fish?

   a) He was surprised.

   b) He was hungry.

   c) He was afraid of his mother.

 

3. How did the young seagull feel after he spread his wings and started soaring?

   a) Afraid

   b) Dizzy

   c) Relaxed

 

State True or False: :

4. The young seagull's mother intentionally dropped the fish to make him fly.  

5. The young seagull felt terrified even after he started soaring.

   

 Reading Comprehension 5

     Then, he completely forgot that he had not always been able to fly, and commenced to dive and soar, shrieking shrilly.

      He was near the sea now, flying straight over it, facing out over the ocean. He saw a vast green sea beneath him, with little ridges moving over it; he turned his beak sideways and crowed amusedly.

      His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on this green floor in front of him. They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. He dropped his legs to stand on the green sea. His legs sank into it. He screamed with fright and attempted to rise again, flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger and he could not rise exhausted by the strange exercise. His feet sank into the green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no farther. He was floating on it. And around him, his family was screaming, praising him, and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog-fish.

      He had made his first flight.

1. What did the young seagull do after forgetting he couldn't always fly?

   a) Dive and soar

   b) Sleep

   c) Eat fish

 2. What did the young seagull see beneath him as he flew over the ocean?

   a) Mountains

   b) Fields

   c) Vast green sea

 3. How did the young seagull feel when his legs sank into the green sea?

   a) Excited

   b) Frightened

   c) Relieved

 State True or False: :

4. The young seagull's family praised and offered him food after his flight.

5. The young seagull was able to fly perfectly without any problems.