Build foundational comprehension skills for CBSE and UP Board exams. Learn to understand literal meaning, identify main ideas, and answer straightforward questions from texts.
✅ Recommended for: Class 5-7 (Core) | Class 8-9 (Revision)
1. What is Simple Comprehension?
Simple Comprehension: Understanding the literal meaning of a text - what is directly stated.
Key Skills: Identifying main ideas, finding specific details, understanding sequence of events, recognizing cause and effect relationships.
Exam Focus: Foundation for all reading comprehension questions in CBSE and UP Board exams.
| Level of Comprehension | What It Means | Example Question Types | Class Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literal Comprehension (Simple Comprehension) |
Understanding what is directly stated in text | Who? What? When? Where? How many? | Classes 5-7 Primary Focus |
| Inferential Comprehension | Reading between lines, making inferences | Why? What might happen next? How do you know? | Classes 8-10 Increasing Focus |
| Evaluative Comprehension | Judging, analyzing, critiquing text | Do you agree? What is the author's purpose? | Classes 11-12 Advanced Focus |
2. Key Elements of Simple Comprehension
| Element | What to Look For | Question Words | Practice Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Idea | What the passage is mostly about | What is the passage mainly about? | Passage about tigers → Main idea: Conservation of tigers |
| Supporting Details | Facts, examples, reasons that explain main idea | What are three reasons...? Give two examples... | Reasons tigers are endangered: habitat loss, poaching, climate change |
| Sequence | Order of events or steps | What happened first? What happened next? | First, the seed is planted. Next, it sprouts... |
| Cause & Effect | Why something happened (cause) and what happened as a result (effect) | What caused...? What happened because...? | Cause: Heavy rain → Effect: Flooding |
| Compare & Contrast | How things are similar (compare) or different (contrast) | How are X and Y similar? How are they different? | Tigers and lions: both big cats (similar), tigers have stripes (different) |
3. Answering Different Question Types
| Question Type | Strategy | Answer Location | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who/What/When/Where | Look for proper nouns, dates, places, names | Directly in text | Who discovered America? → Christopher Columbus |
| How Many/How Much | Look for numbers, quantities, measurements | Usually with numbers or measurement words | How many planets are there? → Eight |
| True/False | Compare statement exactly to text | Word-for-word matching | Statement: "The sun rises in the east." → True |
| Fill in the Blanks | Find exact word/phrase that fits context | Usually nearby in same sentence | The capital of India is ______. → New Delhi |
| Multiple Choice | Eliminate obviously wrong answers first | Text evidence for correct option | Which animal is called king of jungle? a) Tiger b) Lion ✓ c) Elephant |
4. Finding Main Ideas in Different Text Structures
| Text Structure | Where Main Idea Usually Is | Clue Words | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paragraph | First or last sentence (topic sentence) | "The main point is...", "In summary..." | "Exercise is important for health." (first sentence) |
| Story/Narrative | What the story is mostly about | Characters, problem, solution | A boy learns courage by facing his fears |
| Informational Text | Introduction paragraph or conclusion | "This article will discuss...", "In conclusion..." | "This article explains how plants make food." |
| Poem | Overall feeling or message | Repetition, title, strong images | Poem about rain → Main idea: Beauty of nature |
| Instructions | Goal or end result | "To make...", "Follow these steps to..." | "How to bake a cake" → Main idea: Steps for baking |
5. Understanding Vocabulary in Context
| Context Clue Type | How It Works | Signal Words | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Definition | Word is defined right after it | is, means, refers to, which is | "A herbivore, an animal that eats plants, ..." |
| Example | Examples help explain the word | for example, such as, including, like | "Nocturnal animals, such as owls and bats, ..." |
| Synonym | Similar word nearby gives meaning | or, that is, in other words | "The arduous, or difficult, journey..." |
| Antonym | Opposite word nearby gives meaning | but, however, unlike, instead of | "Unlike his gregarious sister, he was shy." |
| General Sense | Whole sentence or paragraph gives clues | From overall meaning | "She felt jubilant after winning the race." (happy) |
6. Understanding Sequence and Order
| Type of Sequence | What to Look For | Sequence Words | Practice Exercise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time Order | Events in time sequence | First, next, then, after, finally | Put morning routine in order |
| Steps in Process | Instructions or how-to | Step 1, Step 2, begin by, continue | Sequence for planting a seed |
| Order of Importance | Most to least important | Most importantly, primarily, also | List reasons for exercise by importance |
| Spatial Order | Location/position descriptions | Above, below, beside, inside | Describe room from left to right |
| Alphabetical/Numerical | By letters or numbers | A, B, C or 1, 2, 3 | List names in alphabetical order |
7. Understanding Visual Information
| Visual Element | What Information It Gives | How to Read It | Example Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pictures/Photographs | Shows what something looks like | Look at details, captions | What animal is in the picture? |
| Maps | Shows locations, directions | Use legend, compass rose, scale | Which city is north of Delhi? |
| Charts/Graphs | Shows numbers, comparisons | Read titles, labels, axes | Which month had most rainfall? |
| Diagrams | Shows parts and how they work | Follow labels, arrows | Label the parts of a plant |
| Timelines | Shows events in time order | Read from left to right, dates | What happened in 1947? |
8. Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them
| Mistake | What Goes Wrong | How to Fix It | Practice Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not Reading Question Carefully | Answering wrong question | Underline key words in question | Circle "not" in "Which is NOT true?" |
| Guessing Without Evidence | Answer based on opinion, not text | Always find evidence in text | Point to sentence that supports answer |
| Copying Wrong Part | Copying nearby but incorrect text | Read full sentence, not just words near answer | Read 2 sentences before and after answer |
| Missing "NOT" Questions | Finding what IS true instead of NOT true | Circle "NOT" in question | Practice specifically with NOT questions |
| Ignoring Visual Information | Missing information in pictures/charts | Always examine all visuals | Describe what you see before reading |
9. Step-by-Step Approach to Simple Comprehension
| Step | What to Do | Time | Checklist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step 1: Preview | Look at title, pictures, headings | 30 seconds | ✓ What is topic? ✓ Any visuals? |
| Step 2: Read Questions First | Read all questions to know what to look for | 1 minute | ✓ Underline key words in questions |
| Step 3: Read Passage | Read carefully, underline key points | 2-3 minutes | ✓ Main idea? ✓ Important details? |
| Step 4: Answer Questions | Go back to text for each answer | 1-2 minutes per question | ✓ Evidence found? ✓ Answer matches question? |
| Step 5: Check Answers | Verify answers are in text | 1 minute | ✓ All questions answered? ✓ Answers from text? |
🎯 Simple Comprehension Challenge
Read this short passage and answer the questions. All answers are directly stated in the text.
Passage: Rohan gets up at 6:00 AM every morning. First, he brushes his teeth. Then he takes a bath. After his bath, he wears his school uniform. He eats breakfast at 7:00 AM. His mother packs his lunch box. Rohan leaves for school at 7:30 AM. He walks to school with his friend Sameer. School starts at 8:00 AM.
1. What time does Rohan wake up?
Evidence: "Rohan gets up at 6:00 AM every morning."
2. What does Rohan do after brushing his teeth?
Evidence: "First, he brushes his teeth. Then he takes a bath."
3. Who packs Rohan's lunch box?
Evidence: "His mother packs his lunch box."
4. How does Rohan go to school?
Evidence: "He walks to school with his friend Sameer."
5. What time does school start?
Evidence: "School starts at 8:00 AM."
11. Memory Aids & Exam Tips
5 Ws and H (Question Words):
• Who: People, characters (look for names)
• What: Things, events, actions (look for nouns and verbs)
• When: Time, dates, seasons (look for time words)
• Where: Places, locations (look for place words)
• Why: Reasons, causes (look for because, since, so)
• How: Methods, ways, descriptions (look for process words)
Every simple comprehension question uses one of these question words!
Finding Answers Strategy:
1. Read the question carefully and underline key words
2. Look for those words or similar words in the passage
3. Read the sentence where you find the key words
4. Check before and after that sentence for complete answer
5. Copy accurately from the text - don't change words
The answer is always in the text - you just need to find it!
Practice Daily:
• Read short paragraphs from newspapers or magazines
• Ask yourself the 5 Ws after reading
• Practice with different text types: stories, information, instructions
• Time yourself to build speed
• Check answers by showing evidence in text
15 minutes daily practice improves comprehension skills significantly!
📝 Practice Simple Comprehension
Build strong foundation with our graded simple comprehension exercises for Classes 5-7!
Go to Simple Comprehension WorksheetIncludes answer key • Graded difficulty • Different text types • Vocabulary in context • Step-by-step guidance
