Reading Comprehension Practice Test 21
That’s the way it happened that Gilbert and his mother came back to their home at midnight. For this story isn’t about the hours in the city, it’s about reaching home so very late.
Gilbert was wide awake when the cab drew up at their own door, and he heard his mother exclaim. “Why, the house is lighted! There’s a bright light in the living room, and in the dining room too!” Mrs. Haywood had paid the driver, and he whirled the cab away before she thought. “I do wish I’d asked him to stay, until we could see what it means.”
Gilbert was eager to press forward, but his mother put him behind her. She fully expected to see burglars searching for silver or taking money from the desk. But the sight that actually greeted her made her drop into a chair and laugh. And Gilbert! He threw up his cap, almost shouting. “That’s great, isn’t it, mother? Wasn’t it cute of Billikens to light up for us to get in?”
Now Billikens was a beautiful white Persian kitten, which had come to Gilbert on his last birthday, and as full of mischief as a kitten could be, Billikens sat perched on the
back of an easy chair under one of the lights, looking for all the world as if he tried to say, “I did it, for sure.”
1. The reason Gilbert’s mother said, “I do wish I’d asked him to stay” is that
(1) she did not want to enter a house where she expected thieves.
(2) she was scared of darkness and needed the company of someone.
(3) she wanted to know the reason behind the bright light in the living room before she entered.
(4) she wanted to ensure her son’s safety before entering the haunted house.
Ans. 3
2. How many characters are there in this story?
(1) Seven
(2) Four
(3) Five
(4) Six
Ans. 2
3. Billikens is the name of Gilbert’s ____.
(1) driver
(2) cat
(3) toy
(4) mother
Ans.
4. Identify the true statement.
(1) Gilbert was sleepy when he reached home.
(2) Mrs. Haywood is Gilbert’s neighbour.
(3) Gilbert wasn’t afraid to enter the house, though his mother was.
(4) Gilbert’s driver is Mr. Haywood.
Ans.
5. Who is the ‘I’ in the last sentence, “I did it, for sure.”?
(1) Gilbert
(2) Cab driver
(3) Mrs. Haywood
(4) Billikens
Ans. 4
6. The main character of the story depicted in the passage is
(1) Billikens
(2) Gilbert’s mother
(3) Mr. Haywood
(4) Gilbert
Ans. 4
7. What made Gilbert’s mother drop into a chair and laugh?
(1) The realisation that there were no burglars or thieves at home.
(2) The sight of the cat being perched on the back of a chair, indicating that it was the one which lit the lights.
(3) The realisation of her mistake that she tried to hold back Gilbert for no apparent reason.
(4) She heard the words, “I did it, for sure.”
Ans. 2
8. The word ‘whirled’ can be replaced with
(1) hastened
(2) rotated
(3) swung
(4) sprang
Ans. 1
9. An antonym of the word ‘eager’ is
(1) anxious
(2) patient
(3) zealous
(4) keen
Ans. 2
