Reading Comprehension Activity for Grade 9

Name: _____________________________________________

Grade & Section: ____________________________________

Date: ______________________________________________

Hot Air Balloons

Rising before the alarm clock (set at an unfriendly 5.00 am) was activated, we washed and dressed,
listening in silent anticipation to the awakening forest. Our torch beams probed the darkness as we
walked from our tent to the balloon launch site. Extreme caution was required on the short journey
because the path we were following was often used by hippos returning from a night’s foraging and
the odd Cape Buffalo out for a nocturnal stroll.

Finally we emerged into a huge, mist shrouded clearing and there before us lay three gigantic
balloons. Dawn brushed the treetops with the first light of day and our sense of expectation and
excitement climbed with the morning sun.

Suddenly the clatter of petrol engines obliterated the early hush. The engines were necessary to
power the huge fans used to force large amounts of air into the balloon’s envelopes. This was just
the first stage in the balloon-inflation process and while the fans were running, the ground crew and
pilots meticulously checked all the lines and rigging – a reassuring sight for us prospective
passengers!

After about 10 minutes of inflation, the balloons began to take shape. The welcome silence following
the fans being shut down was suddenly filled by a whoosh of gas. Then came a glorious burst of
flame as the gas was ignited.

Adrenaline shot through my body. I had chosen to position myself inside one of the balloons’
envelopes in order to capture on film the dramatic colours of the burner’s incoming flame.

After a few quick shots, I indicated to the pilot my desire not to be barbecued and made a quick exit.
By this time, the balloon was approaching its classical vertical position.

At last! The moment we’d all been waiting for! The pilot instructed the excited passengers –
congregated here from every corner of the globe – to climb into the balloon’s wicker basket.

Part of a group of ten passengers, we listened intently to our pilot’s briefing. There were no seat belt
and no-smoking signs to observe, and the operation of mobile phones and CD players would not
affect the technology of this particular aircraft. Landing was to be the big thing. We were instructed,
quite sternly, that as the balloon descended, we must crouch down facing backwards – and HAND
ON. We were obliged to actually practise this procedure so that those who understood little or no
English would be left in no doubt as to what was required. At that stage, none of us could foresee
just how exciting our landing would be.

A few final bursts of colourful flame brought the balloon – and us – to the point of lift-off. Our hearts
thumped with excitement at the spectacular sight of the other balloons rising – and then it was our
turn. The wicker basket scuffed along the ground until suddenly we were drawn upward towards the
waiting heavens.

There are no words to describe the feeling of those first few moments of flight. As we rose into the
warmth of the sun, we were gently gathered up by the wind and carried towards the romance of the
vast African Plains.

Only an intermittent burst of flame interrupted the profound silence as the pilot adjusted the
temperature of the air inside the balloon. The basics of balloon are easy – hotter air to climb, cooler
air to descend. It takes great skill and practice, however, to anticipate what is required. Wind alone
was our propulsion, and we were fortunate to be wafting along with a gentle current that allowed us
time to absorb all the magnificence around us. The Serengeti and Masai Masai ecological systems
are fascinating enough to behold from a car, but from a balloon’s vantage point, they are truly awe-
inspiring.

Exclamations erupted as animals were spotted. All the passengers have become bonded by our
shared enthusiasm for this very special occasion. Our Japanese companion was especially
overwhelmed. It was extraordinary how, for one short hour, every land-locked barrier of language
and culture just evaporated in the face of this larger unifying reality.

Answer the following questions based on the passage above.

From paragraph 1 and 2

1. What dangers were there on the way to the balloon site?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Write down two words that show that the travellers were looking forward to their day.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

From paragraph 3 and 4

3. Why do you think the passengers needed to be ‘reassured’?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. Why did they light the gas?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

From paragraphs 5 and 6

5. How do we know that the writer was interested in photography?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

6. Explain what the writer means by ‘after a few quick shots’.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

From paragraph 7 and 8

7. Which phrase tells us that the passengers were an international group?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
8. What is the balloon contrasted with?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

From paragraph 11 and 12

9. Explain in your own words ‘only an intermittent burst of flame interrupted the profound silence’
paying special attention to the words in italics.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

10. How do we know the passengers could not decide which direction they went?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Reference: https://www.kidsworldfun.com/learn-english/grade-9-english-reading-comprehension.php
Answers

1. Hippos and buffalos

2. Expectation, excitement

3. They were afraid something might go wrong with the equipment.

4. To heat the air and so raise the balloon

5. Because he went inside the balloon to get a photograph of the flame

6. After quickly taking some photographs

7. From every corner of the globe

8. An aeroplane

9. There was complete silence except when occasionally the flame was ignited.

10. They were blown along by the wind.

 Formation of Adverbs

Adverbs can be formed in a number of ways.

1. Adverbs of manner are mostly formed from Adjectives by adding ly.

Examples:
clever - cleverly
wise – wisely
kind – kindly
foolish – foolishly
quick- quickly
beautiful – beautifully

2. When the Adjective ends in y preceded by a consonant, change y into i and add ly.

Examples:
happy – happily
ready – readily
heavy – heavily

3. When the Adjective ends in le, simply change e into y.

Examples:
single – singly
double – doubly

4. Some Adverbs are made up of a Noun and a qualifying Adjective.

Examples:
Sometimes, meantime, meanwhile, yesterday, midway, otherwise.

5. Some Adverbs are compounds of on (which is weakened to a) and a Noun.

Examples:
afoot (=on foot)
abed, asleep, ahead, aboard, away

6. Similarly there are other Adverbs which are also compounds of some Preposition and a Noun.

Examples:
betimes, besides, today, tomorrow, overboard
(Note: The word be is an old form of the preposition by)

7. Some Adjectives are compounds of a Preposition and an Adjective.

Examples:
abroad, along, aloud, anew, behind, below, beyond.

8. Some adverbs are compounds of a Preposition and an Adverb.

Examples:
within, without, before, beneath.

9. There is a class of Adverbs which are derived from the Pronouns the (=that), he, who.

10. Many of the above Adverbs are compounded with Prepositions. Thus we get –
thereby, therefrom, therein, thereof, thereon, thereto, therewith;
hereafter, hereby, herein, hereupon, herewith;
wherefore, wherein, whereon, whereof;
hitherto;
thenceforth, thenceforward;
henceforth, henceforward.

11. Two adverbs sometimes go together, joined by the Conjunction and.

Examples:
again and again (= more than once, repeatedly)
by and by (=before long, presently, after a time)
far and near (=in all directions)
far and wide (=comprehensively)
far and away (=by a great deal, decidedly, beyond all comparison)
first and foremost (=first of all)
now and then (=from time to time, occasionally)
now and again (=at intervals, sometimes, occasionally)
off an on (=not regularly, intermittently)
once and again (=on more than one occasion, repeatedly)
out and away (=beyond comparison, by far)
out and out (=decidedly, beyond all comparison)
over and above (=in addition to, besides, as well as)
over and over (=many times, frequently, repeatedly)
through and through (=thoroughly, completely)
thus and thus (=in such and such a way)
to and fro (=backwards and forwards, up and down)

Reference: https://www.kidsworldfun.com/learn-english/formation-of-adverbs.php
 Active and Passive Voice

A verb is in the active voice when its form shows that the person or thing denoted by the
subject does something, or, is the doer of the action.

The active voice is so called because the person denoted by the subject acts.

Example:

My grandfather planted this tree.

A Verb in the Passive Voice when its form shows that something is done to the person or thing
denoted by the Subject.

The Passive Voice is so called because the person or thing denoted by the Subject is not active
but Passive, that is, suffers, or receives some action.

Form

The subject in the active sentences becomes the object in the passive sentence. The verb forms also
change in the passive voice. The verb form changes are given in the table below.

  Active Voice Passive Voice

Simple present take am taken

takes is taken
are taken

Present Continuous am taking am being taken

is taking is being taken
are taking are being taken

Present perfect has taken has been taken

have taken have been taken

Simple past took was taken

were taken

Past Continuous was taking was being taken

were taking were being taken

Past perfect had taken had been taken

Simple future will take will be taken

shall take shall be taken

Can/may/must, etc. +base can take , must take can be taken , must be taken
Uses

The Passive is used:

A. When it is not necessary to mention the doer of the action as it is obvious who he is / was / will
be: The rubbish hasn’t been collected.
The streets are swept every day.
Your hand will be X-rayed.

B. When we don’t know, or don’t know exactly, or have forgotten who did the action:

The minister was murdered.

You will be met at the station.
My car has been moved!
I have been told that...

C. When the subject of the active verb would be ‘people’:

He is suspected of stealing. (People suspect him of stealing.)

D. When we are more interested in the action than in who does it.

A new public library is being built.

The house next door has been sold.

E. To avoid an awkward or ungrammatical sentence:

When he arrived home, he was arrested.

When their mother was ill, the children were looked after by the neighbors.

Worksheet

Change the following sentences into their passive voice form.

1. Duffy painted this picture.

2. They threw away the old newspapers.

3. John is writing a book.

4. They carried the injured player out safely.

5. I was writing a letter when the bell rang.

6. Who will take the cat to the vet?

7. I had done the project myself.

8. Will you be watering the plants later?

9. Can they create a new plan?

10. You have to write an apology.

Answers

1. This picture was painted by Duffy.

2. The old newspapers were thrown away by Duffy.

3. A book is being written by John.

4. The injured players was carried out safely by them.

5. A letter was being written by me when the bell rang.

6. By whom will the cat be taken to the vet?

7. The project had been done by myself.

8. Will the plants be watered by you later?

9. Can a new plan be created by them?

10. An apology has to be written by you.

Reference: https://www.kidsworldfun.com/learn-english/active-and-passive-voice.php
Reported Speech (Direct and Indirect Speech)

We may report the words of a speaker in two ways:

a. We may quote his actual words. This is called Direct Speech.

b. We may report what he said without quoting his exact words. This is called Reported or Indirect
Speech.

Example:

John said, “I am very busy now.” (Direct)

John said that he was very busy then. (Indirect/Reported)

It will be noticed that in Direct Speech, we use inverted commas to signify the exact words of the
speaker. In Indirect Speech we do not.

Also, in changing the above Direct Speech into Indirect certain changes have been made. Thus:

1. We have used the conjunction that before the Indirect statement. (The that is often omitted
especially in spoken English.)

2. The Pronoun I is changed to he. (The Pronoun is changed in Person)

3. The Verb am is changed to was. (Present Tense is changed to Past.)

4. The Adverb now is changed to then.

Therefore, it is clear that there are changes that happen when Direct Speech is changed to Indirect
Speech.
Basic Verb Shifts for Indirect Speech (statements):

Original Verb   Reported Form

Present simple Past Simple

He said, “I dance all the time.” He said (that) he danced all the time.

Present Progressive Past Progressive

He said, “I am studying now.” He said (that) he was studying then.

Past Simple       Past  perfect

He said, “I studied yesterday.” He said that he had studied the previous day.

Past Perfect Past Perfect

He said, “I had studied earlier.” He said that he had studied earlier.

Present Perfect Past Perfect

He said, “I have studied the topic.” He said that he had studied the topic.

Will/shall Would
He said, “I will study!” He said (that) he would study!

Can Could
He said, “I can study for the exam.” He said (that) he could study for the exam.

Should Should
He said, “I should study for the He said (that) he should study for the exam
exam tonight.” tonight.

Imperative Infinitive
He said, “Study!” He said to study!

However, if reporting about general truths, we do not need to shift the verb tense back.

For example,

John said, “The sky is blue.”

John said that the sky is blue.

Other common changes

You may need to adjust other words. Common changes can be:
I to he/she
this to that
here to there
yesterday to the day before
today to that day
now to then
tomorrow to the following day

Reporting questions
When reporting questions, there are certain rules to follow, as is clear from the following examples.

Original Verb Reported Form

He asked, “What are you doing?” He asked what I was doing.

He asked, “Why do He asked why I

you study in the studied in the library.
library?”

He asked, “Have He asked whether/if

you ever been to Venice?” I had ever been to Venice (or
not).

Exclamations and wishes

In reporting exclamations and wishes, the Indirect Speech is introduced by some verb expressing
exclamation or wish.

Examples:

Alice said, “How clever you are!”

Alice exclaimed that I was very clever.

Worksheet

Change the following Direct Speech to Indirect Speech.

1. He said, “Be quiet and listen to my words.”

2. He said, “I shall go as soon as possible.”

3. Jill asked, “Why do you look sad?”

4. My teacher said, “I have marked your papers.”

5. “Will you be at home tomorrow?” my friend asked.

6. “What a pretty dress!” Ethel said.

7. “Can I drop you home?” asked Harry.

8. “I was sick yesterday,” Elena said.

Reference: https://www.kidsworldfun.com/learn-english/reported-speech.php

Answers
 1. He urged them to be quiet and listen to his words.

2. He said that he would go as soon as possible.

3. Jill asked why I looked sad.

4. My teacher said that she had marked our papers.

5. My friend asked if I would be at home the following day.

6. Ethel exclaimed that it was a pretty dress.

7. Harry asked whether he could drop me home.

8. Elena said that she had been sick the previous day

Reference: https://www.kidsworldfun.com/learn-english/reported-speech.php