Unseen Passages Practice Worksheet with 30 Solved PYQs | GPN
Instructions: Read each unseen passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. These passages test your ability to understand and interpret new material. Click "Show Answer" to check your responses.
Passage 1: The Mountain Expedition
Last summer, a group of eight students from Riverside High School embarked on a challenging expedition to climb Mount Kailash. The journey began with a two-day train ride followed by a six-hour bus journey to the base camp. They were accompanied by two experienced guides who had climbed the mountain seven times before. The first three days of the climb were relatively easy, with well-marked trails and moderate slopes. However, on the fourth day, they encountered unexpected heavy rainfall which made the rocks slippery and dangerous. The group leader, Arjun, decided to set up camp earlier than planned and wait for the weather to improve. During this unexpected break, the guides taught the students basic survival skills including how to purify water, build emergency shelters, and read weather patterns. The rain stopped on the morning of the fifth day, and they resumed their climb, reaching the summit by afternoon of the sixth day. From the top, they could see three different states, and the view was described by all as "breath-taking." The descent took two days, and they returned to base camp with a sense of accomplishment and valuable life lessons about perseverance and teamwork.
1. Describe the composition of the expedition team and their mode of transportation to the base camp.
Answer: The expedition team consisted of eight students from Riverside High School accompanied by two experienced guides. They traveled to the base camp via a two-day train ride followed by a six-hour bus journey. These details about the team composition and transportation are explicitly mentioned in the first few sentences of the passage.
2. What challenge did the group face on the fourth day of their climb and how did they respond to this challenge?
Answer: On the fourth day, the group encountered unexpected heavy rainfall which made the rocks slippery and dangerous. In response, the group leader Arjun decided to set up camp earlier than planned and wait for the weather to improve. This weather challenge and their strategic response are detailed in the passage.
3. What valuable skills did the students learn during their unexpected break caused by the rain?
Answer: During the unexpected break caused by the rain, the guides taught the students basic survival skills including how to purify water, build emergency shelters, and read weather patterns. These specific skills are listed in the passage as positive outcomes of the delay.
4. Describe the timeline of their climb from when they resumed after the rain to when they reached the summit.
Answer: The rain stopped on the morning of the fifth day, and they resumed their climb. They reached the summit by the afternoon of the sixth day, meaning it took approximately one and a half days of climbing after the rain stopped to reach the top. The passage provides this specific timeline for their progress after the weather improved.
5. What did the students gain from this expedition experience according to the passage?
Answer: According to the passage, the students returned with a sense of accomplishment and valuable life lessons about perseverance and teamwork. The concluding sentence of the passage summarizes these gains from their experience.
Passage 2: The Science Fair Project
For the annual district science fair, thirteen-year-old Ananya decided to create a project about rainwater harvesting. She had noticed that during the monsoon season, her housing society allowed millions of liters of rainwater to flow into drains while simultaneously facing water shortages in the summer months. Her project involved creating a model that demonstrated how rainwater could be collected from rooftops, filtered through layers of sand, charcoal, and gravel, and stored in underground tanks for later use. She spent three weeks researching online, consulting with her science teacher Mr. Rao, and visiting two buildings in the city that already had rainwater harvesting systems. Ananya's model was built using recycled materials: plastic bottles for the filtration system, a cardboard box as the building, and a transparent plastic container as the storage tank. At the science fair, she not only displayed her working model but also distributed pamphlets explaining how households could implement similar systems. Her project won second prize and attracted the attention of the local municipal commissioner, who invited her to present her idea at the next town council meeting.
6. What problem did Ananya observe in her housing society that inspired her science fair project?
Answer: Ananya observed that during the monsoon season, her housing society allowed millions of liters of rainwater to flow into drains while simultaneously facing water shortages in the summer months. This paradoxical situation is described in the passage as the inspiration for her project.
7. Describe the process of rainwater harvesting as demonstrated in Ananya's project model.
Answer: Ananya's project demonstrated how rainwater could be collected from rooftops, filtered through layers of sand, charcoal, and gravel, and stored in underground tanks for later use. This step-by-step process is clearly outlined in the passage.
8. What preparation work did Ananya do before creating her science fair project?
Answer: Before creating her project, Ananya spent three weeks researching online, consulting with her science teacher Mr. Rao, and visiting two buildings in the city that already had rainwater harvesting systems. These preparatory activities show her thorough approach to the project.
9. List the recycled materials Ananya used to build her model and describe what each material represented in her project.
Answer: Ananya used plastic bottles for the filtration system, a cardboard box as the building, and a transparent plastic container as the storage tank. These recycled materials creatively represented the different components of a rainwater harvesting system. The passage specifies both the materials and their purposes in her model.
10. What recognition did Ananya's project receive and what further opportunity resulted from it?
Answer: Ananya's project won second prize at the science fair and attracted the attention of the local municipal commissioner, who invited her to present her idea at the next town council meeting. These achievements and the resulting opportunity are mentioned at the end of the passage.
Passage 3: The Historical Discovery
During routine construction work for a new shopping complex in the heart of Delhi, workers uncovered what appeared to be ancient pottery fragments and brick structures about eight feet below the surface. Work was immediately halted, and archaeologists from the National Museum were called to the site. Over the next three months, a team of fifteen archaeologists carefully excavated the area, revealing the remains of a settlement dating back to the 12th century. Among the significant finds were perfectly preserved clay pots, copper coins with inscriptions, iron tools, and fragments of jewelry made from semi-precious stones. The most remarkable discovery was a well-preserved stepwell (baoli) that had intricate carvings depicting scenes from daily life during that period. Based on the artifacts and architectural style, experts determined that this was likely a trading outpost on an ancient route connecting North and South India. The government has now declared the site protected, and plans for the shopping complex have been modified to incorporate the archaeological site as a public museum, preserving this window into history for future generations.
11. How was the archaeological site discovered and what immediate action was taken?
Answer: The archaeological site was discovered during routine construction work for a new shopping complex when workers uncovered ancient pottery fragments and brick structures about eight feet below the surface. Work was immediately halted, and archaeologists from the National Museum were called to the site. This sequence of discovery and response is detailed at the beginning of the passage.
12. Describe the archaeological team's work and what time period the settlement was determined to be from.
Answer: A team of fifteen archaeologists carefully excavated the area over three months. They determined that the settlement dated back to the 12th century based on the artifacts and architectural style. These details about the excavation team and timeline are provided in the passage.
13. List the different types of artifacts discovered at the site and identify what the most remarkable discovery was.
Answer: The artifacts discovered included perfectly preserved clay pots, copper coins with inscriptions, iron tools, and fragments of jewelry made from semi-precious stones. The most remarkable discovery was a well-preserved stepwell (baoli) with intricate carvings depicting scenes from daily life. The passage enumerates these finds and highlights the stepwell as particularly significant.
14. What did experts conclude about the purpose of this ancient settlement based on their findings?
Answer: Experts determined that this was likely a trading outpost on an ancient route connecting North and South India, based on the artifacts and architectural style discovered. This conclusion about the settlement's purpose is stated in the passage.
15. What changes were made to the original construction plans as a result of this discovery?
Answer: The government declared the site protected, and plans for the shopping complex were modified to incorporate the archaeological site as a public museum instead of proceeding with the original construction. This change in plans to preserve the historical site is described at the end of the passage.
Passage 4: The Community Garden Initiative
In the densely populated neighborhood of Chandni Chowk, a group of elderly residents initiated a community garden project in an abandoned plot that had become a dumping ground for over a decade. The initiative began when Mr. and Mrs. Kapoor, both retired botanists, proposed converting the 500-square-meter area into a green space. They circulated a petition that gathered 150 signatures from local residents and presented it to the municipal corporation. After receiving permission, the cleanup process took three weekends with volunteers of all ages participating. The soil was tested and found to be contaminated, so they brought in fresh soil and compost. The garden was divided into sections: vegetables (tomatoes, spinach, and okra), medicinal herbs (tulsi, aloe vera, and mint), flowering plants (marigolds and roses), and a small orchard with five fruit trees. A rainwater harvesting system was installed, and solar-powered lights were added for evening visitors. The garden now not only provides fresh produce to participating families but has become a community hub where yoga classes are held in the morning, children learn about plants after school, and neighbors socialize in the evenings. Crime in the area has decreased by 30% since the garden was established, according to local police records.
16. Describe the original condition of the plot and who initiated the community garden project.
Answer: The plot was an abandoned area that had become a dumping ground for over a decade. The initiative was started by a group of elderly residents, specifically led by Mr. and Mrs. Kapoor who were retired botanists. The passage describes both the poor original condition and the initiators of the project.
17. What steps did the community take to gain official permission for their garden project?
Answer: The Kapoors circulated a petition that gathered 150 signatures from local residents and presented it to the municipal corporation to request permission for the garden project. This community organizing effort is detailed in the passage.
18. Describe the cleanup and preparation process for the garden, including the soil issue they encountered.
Answer: The cleanup process took three weekends with volunteers of all ages participating. When the soil was tested, it was found to be contaminated, so they brought in fresh soil and compost to prepare the area for planting. These practical challenges and solutions are mentioned in the passage.
19. How was the garden organized into different sections and what sustainable features were added?
Answer: The garden was divided into sections for vegetables (tomatoes, spinach, okra), medicinal herbs (tulsi, aloe vera, mint), flowering plants (marigolds, roses), and a small orchard with five fruit trees. Sustainable features included a rainwater harvesting system and solar-powered lights for evening visitors. This organizational structure and eco-friendly additions are detailed in the passage.
20. What multiple benefits has the community garden brought to the neighborhood according to the passage?
Answer: The garden now provides fresh produce to participating families, serves as a community hub for yoga classes, children's education about plants, and neighbor socialization, and has contributed to a 30% decrease in area crime according to police records. The passage enumerates these diverse benefits of the community garden initiative.
