You have reached this interesting post as you might be among those who have asked the following questions: what are some best short passages with questions? short passage with questions and answers? printable comprehension worksheets? reading passages pdf? printable comprehension worksheets? short reading comprehension passages? printable reading comprehension worksheet? if so, then you have come to the right place.
As a whole, reading comprehension texts and exercises give ESL or English language learners and students the tools and strategies to acquire new knowledge, through discrimination, visual perception, logical analysis, and recognition.
These short passages with questions will help boost students’ basic reading comprehension skills such as activating prior knowledge and expanding vocabulary knowledge as well.
This article compiles some good free ESL Printable reading comprehension worksheets pdf that will surely help boost and sharpen the learners’ reading comprehension skills. We have designed these free ESL comprehension passages so that they can be printed as worksheets and used for fluency practice, small group practice, whole group discussions, or homework.
1. Short Passages with Questions
ESL Reading Comprehension Worksheets Pdf
A train stops at a station. A young man wants to come out, but it is raining. A boy is standing under a big umbrella. The young man says to the boy:
“Can you go and get us two hamburgers, one for you and one for me? Here are two dollars.”
“Great!” says the boy and he goes to buy hamburgers.
After some time, the boy is back. He is eating a hamburger.
“Where is my hamburger?” asks the young man.
“Oh, there is only one hamburger left. So I’m eating mine. Here is your dollar. “
Reading Comprehension Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
- 1. Where is the young man?
- A. At a station
- B. Under a big umbrella
- C. On the train
- 2. What does the young man want to buy?
- A. An Umbrella
- B. Hamburgers
- C. Dollars
- 3. Who helps the young man?
- A. A boy
- B. A man
- C. Nobody
- 4. Does the young man get a hamburger?
- A. No he doesn’t
- B. Yes he does
- C . No he does
- 5. Is the boy clever?
- A Yes he isn’t
- B Yes, he is
- C. No, I’m not
2. Free Reading Comprehension Passages Pdf
ESL Reading Comprehension Exercise
If you go into the forest with friends, stay with them. If you don’t, you may get lost. If you do get lost, this is what you should do.
Sit down and stay where you are. Don’t try to find your friends. Let them find you. You can help them to find you by staying in one place.
There is another way to help your friends or other people to find you. Give them a signal: shouting or whistling three times. Stop. Then shout or whistle three times again. Any signal given three times is a call for help.
Keep on shouting or whistling, always three times together. When people hear you, they will give two shouts or two whistles. When a signal is given twice, it is an answer to a call for help.
If you don’t think that you will get help before night comes, try to make a small room with branches. What should you do if you get hungry or need drinking water? You would have to leave your little branch room to look for something to eat and drink. Don’t just walk away. Pick up small brunches and drop them as you walk so that you can find your way back. The most important thing to do when you are lost: stay in one place.
Reading Comprehension Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
Are the following statements true or false:
- If you get lost in the forest, you should walk everywhere to find your friends as soon as possible.
- You can keep on shouting or whistling always three times together for help.
- When you hear two shouts or whistles, you know that people will come to help you.
- You can’t go anywhere even when you feel thirsty or hungry.
- You can find your way back to your branch room easily without leaving any branches as you walk.
answer key: 1:F 2:T. 3:T 4:F 5:F
3. Short Passage with Questions and Answers
ESL Reading Comprehension Stories
It was a sunny day and I walked back home after school. When I stood in front of the door, I was shocked to find that the key had disappeared from my pocket. It was a disaster for me because I only had one key and my parents were gone for several days.
I walked around the community, hoping to find the lost key. But I couldn’t find it. I called my mum and she told me to go to my aunt’s home. My aunt lives in another building in our community. I was sad, but I had no choice.
The next morning, when I was going to school, I saw something shining in the window of the security hut. It was my key. “Unbelievable!” I was quite surprised as I held the key in my hands.
“Is that yours, kid?” the old guard asked.
“Yeah. I lost it yesterday. Who sent this?” I replied.
The old man said, “I don’t know. Someone picked it up last night.”
To pick up a key from the ground and take it to the security hut is not something special, but it meant so much to me. I cannot express my thanks to the person who found my key. But I can pass on his or her kindness by following his or her steps to help others.
Reading Comprehension Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
- 1. From the passage, we can know
- A. the writer probably lived near the school
- B. the writer probably came from a rich family
- C. the writer’s parents were teachers
- D. the writer’s aunt worked in the school
- 2. Who advised the writer to go to his aunt’s home?
- A. His teacher.
- B. His mother.
- C. His father.
- D. The guard.
- 3. before he saw his key on the security hut. The writer thought
- A. he would get his key the next day
- B. someone would help him look for his key
- C. he would hardly get his key anymore
- D. he could look for his key the next day
- 4. Which of the following is TRUE?
- A. The writer’s aunt didn’t live with him.
- B. The guard was a young man.
- C. The writer knew where the key was lost.
- D. The writer knew who had picked up his key.
answer key: ABCA
4. Reading Comprehension Worksheets Adults
Reading Passages Pdf
Can plants eat people? Probably not, but there are many plants that eat meat. Some of them are big. And they can eat small animals. One famous meat-eating plant is the Venus flytrap.
The Venus flytrap is a very strange plant. It grows in dry parts of the United States. Its leaves are like the pages of a book. They can open and close very quickly. Inside the leaves, there are three small hairs. If a fly touches one of the hairs, the leaf closes quickly. The fly cannot get out. In about half an hour, the leaf presses the fly until it is dead. Then, the plant covers the fly. Slowly, the plant eats the fly.
Why do plants do it? Most plants get what they need from the sun, the air, and the ground. In some places, the ground is very poor. It doesn’t have all these important things, especially nitrogen. Insect meat has a lot of nitrogen, so some plants eat meat to get what they need. Let’s hope that some of the bigger plants don’t get the same idea!
Reading Comprehension Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
- The Venus flytrap is a kind of:
- A. plant
- B. animal
- C. food
- D. meat
- The Venus flytrap grows in:
- A. most parts of the world
- B. some parts of Africa
- C. dry parts of the United States
- D. wet parts of England
- From the passage, we learn that:
- A. all plants can eat people
- B. all plants can eat animals
- C. some plants can eat people
- D. some plants can eat animals
- Why do some plants eat animal meat? Because:
- A. plants are dangerous to animals
- B. animals are dangerous to plants
- C. plants want to get what they need from animal meat
- D. plants want to protect themselves against animals
answer key: ACDC
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5. Easy Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Reading Comprehension for ESL Students
Mrs. Miller is an American doctor. She is now in Chile. She works in a children’s hospital in Santiago. She
likes the children and she likes to work for children.
She works hard in the daytime and learns Spanish in the evening school. She also learns Spanish from Chilean doctors and her Chilean friends.
Now she can speak some Spanish. She can read and write some Spanish, too. She says it’s easy to learn Spanish well.
Mr. Miller, her husband is a teacher. He teaches English in the No.5 Middle School. He works from Monday to Friday. He teaches 3 classes every day.
Reading Comprehension Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
- 1. Mrs. Miller is
- A. an English teacher
- B. an American teacher
- C. an American doctor
- 2. Mr. Miller works
- A. in a hospital
- B. in a middle school
- C. in Argentina
- 3. Mrs. Miller learns
- A. math
- B. Spanish
- C. English
- 4. Mr. Miller works
- A. five days
- B. six days
- C. three days
6. ESL Beginning Reading Comprehension
ESL Reading Comprehension Pdf
A boy was one day walking in a field when he saw a sheep coming toward him. The poor animal came running up quite close to him. She then went on a few steps, at the same time, turning around and looking up at the boy’s face, and bleating loudly.
The boy had never seen a sheep act in this way before and wanted to find out what the sheep wanted, he began to follow her across the field.
On and on she went, every now and then turning round to see if the boy was coming. At last, she led the way to a place where there was a running stream and a deep pool of water.
As soon as he came to this spot, the boy saw a little lamb struggling in the water. It had fallen over the bank into the pool below and trying to get out.
The poor mother sheep must have known that she needed help to save her little one. By leaning over the bank, the boy found that he could just reach the lamb.
He caught hold of it and lifted it up on the bank. The mother sheep seemed greatly pleased to have her lamb again beside her.
Reading Comprehension Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
- 1. The boy decided to follow the sheep because the sheep
- A. was asking for help
- B. acted in a strange way
- C. had no lams around her
- D. was old and lonely
- 2. On the way to the stream, the sheep kept looking back to
- A. thank the boy for his kindness
- B. enjoy the handsome boy
- C. make sure the boy’s following
- D. show her lamb was in danger.
- 3. To the boy, the mother sheep was
- B. brave
- A. helpless
- C. clever
- D. less fun
- 4. The word “stream” in the reading probably means
- A. a deep water pool
- B. a narrow river
- C. a spot for sheep to play in
- D. running water around the field
- 5. In the writer’s view, the story is
- A. unbelievable
- B. educational
- D. pitiful
- C. full of knowledge
answer key: BCCBB
7. Reading Comprehension Worksheets with Questions
ESL Reading Comprehension
My family is not very large. There are only three cats. I’m a white cat. People call me Snow-white. My husband is a black cat. People call him Captain Black.
We have a beautiful daughter her name is Lily. She is a black and white cat. She’s only two years old. We live a happy life.
From now on, we will work harder to catch the mice. We must let people live a happy life in this house.
Reading Comprehension Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
- 1. There are people in the cat’s family:
- A: two
- B: three
- C: four
- 2. Mother Cat is:
- A: white
- B: black
- C: black and white
- 3. Mother Cat and Father Cat have a
- A: son
- B: sister
- C: daughter
- 4. They will work hard to
- A: catch the mice
- B: catch people
- C: eat good food
- 5. Lily is_____ years old.
- A: three
- H: one
- C: two
- 6. The black cat is Lily’s.
- A. mother
- B: father
- C: uncle
8. Reading Comprehension Worksheets with Answers
ESL Beginners Reading Comprehension
A man was walking through a forest. He had a few caps in his hands. In the forest, there were a lot of
monkeys. The day was hot, so he decided to have a rest under a tree. He put one cap on his head and lay down to sleep.
When he woke up, he couldn’t find his caps.
“Where are my caps?” he cried and looked up. He saw some monkeys in the trees. Each had a cap on its head.
“Give me hack my caps!” shouted the man to the monkeys. But the monkeys didn’t understand him. They only jumped, laughed, and danced.
“How can I get back my caps?” he thought hard. In the end, he had an idea. He took off his cap and
threw it on the ground. The little animals did the same thing.
Happily, the man picked up all the caps and went on his way.
Reading Comprehension Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
- 1. One day a man was going:
- A. to the forest
- B. through the forest
- C. to a village
- D. through the city
- 2. The man decided to have a rest because
- A. he was hungry
- B.he was tired
- C. the day was hot
- D.he was ill
- 3. When the man woke up
- A. he found his caps were gone
- B. he saw a fox
- C. he had a fever
- D. he found many monkeys
- 4. The man wanted to get his caps back, and he shouted to the monkeys, but it didn’t work. Why?
- A. Because the monkeys wanted to laugh at him.
- B. Because the monkeys wanted to wear the caps
- C. Because the monkeys didn’t understand him.
- D. Because the monkeys didn’t hear what he shouted.
- 5. when he got all his caps back, the man was
- A. angry
- B. surprised
- C. sad
- D. pleased
9. Reading Comprehension Exercises with Answers Pdf
Comprehension Reading Worksheets
Lilly was a little cat. She was short. Giro was a giraffe. He was tall. One day they played in the garden. In the garden, there were many fruit trees. Lilly looked at the apples in the tree
“Do you want to eat the apples in the tree, Lilly?” asked Giro.
“Yes, but I’m short. I can’t pick them,” answered Lilly.
“Let me help you. I’m much taller than you,” said Giro.
“OK,” said Lilly.
Then Giro picked the apples in the trees and threw them to Lilly. And Lilly put the apples into the basket.
“Don’t pick too many apples. Now the basket is full,” said Lilly. “Shall we eat them now?”
“No, Lilly. The apples are dirty. Go and wash them first,” said Giro.
Reading Comprehension Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
Are these statements True or False?
1. Lilly and Giro were in the garden
2. Lilly wanted to have the pears in the trees.
3. Giro was tall, he could pick the apples.
4. Lilly carried the apples to her home.
5. They ate the apples before they wash them.
10. Easy Reading Comprehension Worksheets
ESL Reading Passages
A little boy, Max, is walking home by moonlight. He feels another little boy is coming behind him. The boy stops a minute to listen, looks here and there, and then he says to himself: Max, run quickly.
He runs quickly and gets to Mr. Jones’s garden. He still feels a boy is running after him. Max runs home quickly. He goes in and closes the door. He turns on the light. He looks out of the window and doesn’t see anybody.
But he knows that the little boy always comes back after him when he goes out in the evening by moonlight. Can you guess what is it? It’s a shadow.
Short Passages with Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
- 1. The little boy thinks
- A. there is another boy behind him all the time
- B. there is a little thing behind him only at night by moonlight
- C. no one coming with him at night
- 2. The little thing comes out when
- A. It is dark and there is light.
- B. There is a boy coming at night.
- C. It is dark at night.
- 3. The little thing
- A. is angry with Max
- B. hurts Max at night
- C. doesn’t hurt Max at all
11. Free Printable Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Free Worksheets for Reading Comprehension
One day, a boy had a fight with one of his classmates. Then he went to his 1_______ and told him his story angrily. “He is really bad,” the boy said, “and I 2______ him.”
The grandfather said, “ 3_________ me tell you a story. When I was a boy, I too, sometimes hated others for what they did. …..”
As the boy 4________ carefully, the grandfather went on, “There are always two tigers inside my heart. One is 5__________ and kind. He gets on well 6__________ everything around him.
But 7__________ is bad and unfriendly. Even the smallest thing will make him angry. He fights with everyone all the time, and for no reason. He can’t think carefully 8_________ he always hates others. It is difficult to live with these two tigers inside my heart. They both try to control me. ”
The boy looked into his grandfather’s 9__________ and asked, “ 10________ tiger always controls you, Grandfather?”
The old man said slowly and seriously, “The one that I feed. I always feed the good and kind tiger, so I never hate others and seldom get angry now. ”
Short Passages with Questions and Answers: Read the passage then fill in the blanks with the appropriate words
1. A. mother B. father C. teacher D. grandfather
2. A. love B. hate C. know D. enjoy
3. A. Make B. Help C. Let D. Ask
4. A. saw B. felt C. talked D. listened
5. A. good B. bad C. lazy D. quiet
6. A. at B. on C. with D. about
7. A. other B. others C. another D. the other
8. A. because B.though C.before D. but
9. A. eyes B. ears C. nose D. mouth
10. A. Who B. Which C. Where D. When
answer key: DBCDA CDAAB
12. Reading Comprehension for Adults Free Worksheets
Printable Reading Passages
Mr. Silver works on a farm. He and his wife grow a lot of plants and they have some cows. Every day they
work hard from morning to night. One day, Mr. Silver says to his wife Let’s go to Portsmouth next Sunday. We can have a good lunch there and then we can go to the cinema.
His wife is very happy when she hears this, because they always eat a lot, and she doesn’t like cooking three times a day.
They go to Portsmouth by train and walk about for an hour. At 12 o’clock, they want to have lunch. In front of one restaurant, they see a notice. It says, Lunch: 12:30 to 2:30 1.5 pounds.
“Well, that’s good.” Mrs. Silver says We can eat for two hours for 1.5 pounds here! This is the place for us.
Short Passages with Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
- 1. There are a lot of on their farm.
- A. plants
- B. dogs
- C. cows
- D. Both A and C
- 2. Usually ___________ does the cooking at home.
- A. Mr. Silver
- B. Mrs. Silver
- C. Neither A nor B
- D. Both A and B
- 3. Mr. Silver and Mrs. Silver walk about in Portsmouth for
- A. two hours
- B. three hours
- C. one hour
- D. four hours
- 4. Portsmouth is the name of a
- A. place
- B. dogs
- C. man
- D. restaurant
13. Reading Comprehension Pdf
Reading Comprehension Passages with Questions and Answers Pdf
An artist was coming home by train one day. He hadn’t much money but was very kind. He gave his last few coins to a beggar, but he saw another one and forgot that he didn’t have any money in his pockets.
He asked the man if he liked to have lunch with him, and the beggar, of course, agreed. So they went into a small restaurant and had a good meal.
In the end, the artist could not pay the bill, and the beggar had to do so. The artist felt very sorry for it,
so he said to the beggar, “Come home with me in a taxi, my friend. And I’ll give you the money for our lunch.”
“Oh, no!” the beggar answered quickly. “I had to pay for your lunch, but I’m not going to pay for your taxi
home!”
Short Passages with Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
1. What kind of man was the artist?
2. What did he do to the first beggar?
3. What did the artist forget when he invited another beggar to have lunch with him?
4. Who paid for the meal?
5. What did the artist want to do at last?
6. Why didn’t the beggar go home with the artist?
answers:
- 1. The artist is a kind man.
- 2. He gave his last few coins to the first beggar.
- 3. He forgot that he had no money then.
- 4. The beggar paid for the bill.
- 5. He wanted to return the beggar the money when he got home.
- 6. Because he wouldn’t pay for the taxi
14. Printable Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension Exercises with Answers Pdf
All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help people to keep 1______, happy and to live 2_____.
People play different games in winter and summer. 3_____ is good for swimming. And in winter people often go skating. Some sports are very 4______ and people everywhere like them.
For example, football is very popular. Most people, men, 5______ boys and girls, like to watch football games. They often talk about this kind of sport.
6__________ and jumping began long, long ago. But basketball and volleyball are rather 7_________. People began to play them not long ago. And people are 8_______ new sports or games all the time. Water skiing is one of 9_________.
People 10_______ different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game they often become friends.
Short Passages with Questions and Answers: Read the passage then fill in the blanks with the appropriate words
1 .A. health B. busy C. healthy D. lazy
2. A. long B. longer C. happy D. happily
3. A. Winter B. Summer C. Autumn D. Spring
4. A. boring B. difficult C. expensive D. interesting
5. A. woman B. women C. old D. young
6. A. Run B. Runs C. Running D. To run
7. A. new B. interesting C. popular D. old
8. A. start B. play C. playing D. starting
9. A. oldest B. newest C. The oldest D. the newest
10. A. in B. of C. from D.at
answer key: CBBDB CACDC
15. ESL Reading Worksheets
The sun is always shining. But it can only shine on one side of the earth at one time. When the sun is shining on one side of the earth, it is the night on the other side.
At night, you can see the stars. The stars are in the sky all day. But the light from the sun is so bright that you can’t see them. When night comes, there is no light, and the stars are bright enough to see.
The stars look very small. But some of them are even bigger than the sun. They look small because they are so far away from you. Big things look much smaller when they are far away. The sun is closer to the earth than other stars, so it looks bigger.
Short Passages with Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
- When it is night, the sun ________ .
A. doesn’t shine
B. shines for a short time
C. disappears
D. shines on the other side of the earth
2. We can’t see the stars in the sky in the daytime because ________.
A. there are no stars there
B. the stars are much smaller than the sun
C. the bright light from the sun makes them not seen
D. the stars come out only at night
3. The stars look small because ________ .
A. they are far away
B. they are small
C. they have no light
D. they are in the sky
4. Small things may look ________ when they are close.
A. bigger
B. small
C. near
D. far away
5. The sun looks bigger than other stars because ________.
A. it’s bigger
B. it’s far away in the sky
C. it gives much bright light
D. it’s closer to the earth than other stars
answer key: DCAAD
16. Reading and Comprehension Worksheets
Many students around the world are learning English. Some of these students are small children. Others are teenagers. Many are adults. Some learn at school, others study by themselves.
A few learn the English language over the radio, on television, or in films. One must work hard to learn another language. Why do all these people want to learn English? It is difficult to answer that question.
Many boys and girls learn English at school because it is one of their subjects. They study their own language and maths and English. Some people learn English because it is useful for their work.
Many people often learn English for their higher studies, because at college or university some of their books are in English. Other people learn English because they want to read newspaper and magazines in English.
Short Passages with Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
- Many students around the world are learning English, aren’t they? ____.
A. No, they aren’t
B. No, they are
C. Yes, they are
D. Yes, they aren’t
2. If one wants to learn another language well, he must ____.
A. learn at school
B. study by himself
C. work hard
D. study hard
3. The sentence “It is difficult to answer that question” means ____.
A. that question is not difficult to answer
B. that question is difficult to answer it
C. it is difficultly to answer that question
D. it is hard to answer that question
4. “Their own language” means ____.
A. Chinese
B. English
C. French
D. Japanese
answer key: CCDAB
17. Printable Reading Comprehensions
Everyone likes living in a clean and comforting environment. If the environment is bad, it will affect our body, and make us not feel well.
Sometimes we may be terribly ill. At that time we don’t want to work, and we have to stay in bed and rest at home. So the environment is very important to us.
It’s germs that make us ill. There are germs everywhere, They are very small and you can’t see them with your own eyes, but you can see them with a microscope. They are very small and there may be hundreds of them on a very small thing.
Germs can always be found in dirty water. When we look at dirty water under the microscope, we shall see them in it. Germs can also be found in air and dust. If you cut your finger, some of the dust from the floor may go into it, and you will have pain in it. Sometimes the germs will go into all of your body, and you will have pain everywhere.
To keep us healthy, we should try our best to make our environment become cleaner and tidier. This needs us to act together.
Short Passages with Questions: Read the passage then answer the questions
1.The writer tell us that________.
A. we like working when we are ill
B. germs can’t live in the water.
C. we can’t feel ill if the environment is bad.
D. we feel well when the environment is good.
2.Germs are________.
A. very small things that you can’t see with your eyes.
B. the things that don’t affect people.
C. the things that you can find with your eyes.
D. the things that are very big.
3. Where can germs be found? They can be found_________.
A. on the small thing
B. in air and dust
C. only in dirty water
D. everywhere
4. How will you feel if germs go into the finger that is cut?
A. I will feel nothing.
B. I won’t mind.
C. I will feel tense.
D. I will feel painful.
5. From the passage we know that________.
A. environment doesn’t affect our life
B. we don’t need to improve our environment
C. germs may make us ill
D. if the environment is better, germs will be more.
answer key: DADDC
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