Reading Challenge 2022-23

(Classes 8-10)

Unit 1 – A Pamphlet

1. How are the listed qualifications of the personal trainer most likely to influence
the applicants?
A. Perplex them
B. Impress them
C. Honour them
D. Puzzle them

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2. Uri wishes to learn Tai-Chi & Qi-Gong, she would contact the personal trainer
by
writing a letter
sending a voice message
dispatching a postcard
writing an e-mail
visiting him personally

Select the correct option.

A. (i) & (iii)
B. (ii) & (iv)
C. (iii) & (v)
D. (iv) & (i)

3. Select the option that displays candidates who are most likely to apply for yoga
and kickboxing.
Naina is a working mother who has a stressful time over the
weekdays and has been neglecting her health.
Priya is a journalist who works the night shift and has to commute
alone at night and is concerned about her safety
Rajiv is a bachelor who has recently shifted to Delhi and has just
started commuting to work in his new car.
Ayush is a restaurateur opening another branch of his fine dining
restaurant and is looking for chefs to curate a healthy menu.
Deepraj is a high school student and is looking to explore an activity
to stay fit.

A. i, ii & iv
B. i, ii & v
C. ii, iii, & v
D. ii, iii & iv

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 Unit 2 – Self-Worth

You are not your age,

Nor the size of clothes you wear,
You are not a weight,
Or the colour of your hair.
You are not your name,
Or the dimples in your cheeks,
You are all the books you read,
And all the words you speak,
You are your croaky morning voice,
And the smiles you try to hide,
You’re the sweetness in your laughter,
And every tear you’ve cried,
You’re the songs you sing so loudly,
When you know you’re all alone,
You’re the places that you’ve been to,
And the one that you call home,
You’re the things that you believe in,
And the future you dream of,
You’re made of so much beauty,
But it seems that you forgot,
When you decided that you were defined,
By all the things you’re not.

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4. According to the poet, a person’s true beauty and identity lies in their
___________.

intellect and wisdom

appearance
feelings and emotions
dreams and ambitions
family background and lineage

Select the correct option.

A. i, iii, iv, v
B. ii, iv
C. i, iv, v
D. i, iii, iv

5. Identify a suitable title for the given poem.

A. You are Not Your Age Anymore
B. You are the One for Everyone
C. You are the Most Beautiful
D. You are Who You Think You Aren’t

6. The poem is written in the style of a/an______________.

A. discussion
B. monologue
C. description
D. enquiry

7. Identify an analogy from the poem that is INCORRECT from the ones given
below:
A. books : reading
B. tears : crying
C. songs: singing
D. words : speaking

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8. Four people list out certain facts as understood from the poem. Select the best
interpretation.

ABHAY RENUKA BOBBY SPARSH

The visual Whatever one reads Only the behaviour Every positive as
appearance and and the words that and attitude of the well as negative
positive aspects of one speaks do not people defines their trait of the
person largely define the identity identity. personality taken
constitute their of a person together defines the
identity. identity of a person

A. Abhay
B. Renuka
C. Bobby
D. Sparsh

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 Unit 3 – The Wait of a Letter

Read the following correspondence between Mr. Arunka Gopal and the village Station
Master.

House No. 101

Lane No. 6, Ajmeri Gate
Rudrapur, Rajasthan
October 15, 2018
The Station Master
Village Parampur
Uttar Pradesh

Dear Sir
Subject: Request for Information of the Whereabouts of Sh. Savitram, Resident of
Parampur Village
I am Arunka Gopal of Rudrapur, Rajasthan and I am the Secretary of HOPE (Help Old
People Evolve), an NGO working for a cause since 1999. I am writing this letter to request
you to help us trace and locate Mr. Savitram who according to his relative has been
missing for a while.
Mr. Savitram is about 5' 10'' tall, walks with a trivial limp and has a fair freckled face. He
can speak Hindi fluently while he prefers the local dialect when it comes to expressions of
the mind and heart. He used to work as a bank clerk before he retired and settled in
Parampur. His daughter Ms. Priya Samar broke down and cried the blues on her first
meeting in our regional office. Since then, we have been nothing more but a crying towel
for her and have felt that she had been crying for the moon until this idea of requesting
you struck us.
According to Ms. Priya's husband, who accompanies her on every visit, her father has not
been responding to any of her correspondences and attempts of communication. She is
down in the dumps and is desperate to hear from her father. She is planning on a visit
herself but needs some assurance before she packs her bag and baggage and travels this
far. Moreover, traveling light is her forte, so she wishes to carry only the papers that will
need her father's signature in blue ink. I hope you understand!
May I request you to kindly help us in tracing Sh. Savitram and inform us in case you are
able to garner any information about his whereabouts.
I shall be extremely grateful for your kind cooperation and assistance.

Yours sincerely

Arunka Gopal
093256xxxxx
The Station Master

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Village Parampur
Uttar Pradesh
December 5, 2018
The Secretary
HOPE
Rudrapur, Rajasthan
Dear Sir
Subject: Response to the Request of the Whereabouts of Mr. Savitram
At the very outset, I wish to appreciate and commend ‘HOPE’ for its service to the aged
and old. With the information that you included in your letter; we have been able to locate
Mr. Savitram. It is with immense grief and sadness that I inform you of the passing away
of Mr. Savitram a few months ago.
It didn’t take us much time to trace such a philanthropic soul as it is in his name that a
school runs in Parampur. He shall always remain alive in the hearts of the villagers whose
children run like the wind to hear the first bell ring in the school.
However, I also wish to inform you that he has left a letter for his daughter, Ms. Priya
which is housed with the caretaker of the school. So, do request Ms. Priya to intimate us
about her visit, we will be glad to receive and welcome her.
As travelling light is her forte, I’m sure she would be able to do so without any distress!
Kindly convey my condolences to Ms. Priya.
Regards
Yours sincerely
Rampal Rai

9. The line, ‘Since then we have been nothing more but a crying towel for her…’,
suggests______.
A. expressing support vocally
B. lending a shoulder
C. talking out something
D. shirking responsibility

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10. According to the texts, Mr. Savitram, appears to be________________.
A. humble and generous.
B. liberal and obedient
C. dignified and shrewd
D. forgiving and modest

11. What makes Mr. Savitram a philanthropic soul?

A. He supported the education of the children in the village.
B. He opened an orphanage in the village where bells rang.
C. He started an NGO to help children evolve and grow.
D. He would always remain alive in the hearts of the villagers.

12. What would make Ms. Priya live up to her forte while traveling back?
A. She would carry only her papers.
B. She would carry only a letter.
C. Travelling light was her forte.
D. Her husband won’t accompany her.

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 Unit 4 - Your Feet Wish You Knew

1. Every day, your feet absorb over a million

pounds of force. The average person walks the
equivalent of three times around the equator in
their lifetime.
2. Foot problems flat feet, calluses, bunions and ingrown toenails are the most
common foot - related problems faced by both young and old, says Dr Govind
Singh Bisht, principal consultant (podiatry) Max Hospital, Delhi. “Symptoms of
conditions such as arthritis can show up in the feet, so foot ailments can reveal more
serious medical issues," he adds.
3. Says Dr Ambrish Mithal, chairman, division of endocrinology and diabetes,
Medanta, Gurugram, "About 15 percent of diabetics develop foot related problems
either due to reduced blood flow or
numbness due to nerve damages
(neuropathy), which means injuries,
cuts or bruises go unnoticed. " It could
lead to infections, gangrene and
amputations.
4. A 2016 study found that one in four
people over age 45 suffer from some
kind of foot pain. Likely because of the
footwear marketed at them; women
were at greater risk than men.
5. No, your shoes aren't getting tighter:
Your feet actually grow as you age.
Get them measured while buying
shoes, but the number is only a starting
point. "You may be an eight in one
shoe and a 10 in another," says James
Hill, president of the Canadian
Podiatric Medical Association.
“Comfort is the most important factor."
6. Athlete's foot is an itchy, painful, highly contagious fungus that thrives in warm,
moist areas. Avoid going barefoot in public change rooms. Dry your feet well
especially between the toes. "In India, cultural factors lead to barefoot walking in
public. This is dangerous for those with neuropathy, "says Mithal.
7. Shop later in the day, when your feet are tired and slightly swollen. You'll be less
likely to buy too small shoes.

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 8. Fashionable footwear that's comfortable is hard to find. Pointed, high-heeled pumps
are particularly bad for bunions-painful bumps on the inside of your big-toe joint
that can lead to posture and balance issues. The ideal shoe has a wide toe box and
slight wedge at the heel to withstand the force of your gait. “Leave a full thumb's
width between your longest toe and the toe of the shoe”, Hill says.
9. Summertime means flip-flops, but these are terrible for feet. "The lack of
cushioning forces you to grip the sandals with your toes, putting you at risk for
plantar fasciitis, "says Anthony Harper, President of the Pedorthic Association of
Canada. Instead, Bisht advises wearing closed shoes that have good cushioning for
stability.
10. Even if you're only going for walks, buy sneakers from a specialty athletic shoe
store. "Staff will analyze gait and measure your foot's length (from heel to ball) and
width, "says Harper.
11. If your second toe is longer than your first - a condition called Morton's Toe, which
affects up to one in five people - you're at a high risk for pain in the ball of your feet
due to the way you distribute your weight while walking.
12. Stinky shoes? The smell is caused by bacteria mixing with sweat. Kill it by
dropping a bag of black tea in a warm foot bath and soaking for 30 mins.
13. Avoid ingrown toe nails by trimming them properly: Leave 1 to 2 mm in length and
cut straight across with sharp toenail clippers.

WITH INPUTS FROM SHUBHRODIP TO SANYAL AND ISHANI NANDI

13. The title uses a literary device to talk about the importance of foot care. Choose
the title that depicts the same literary device.
A. Eat, Pray, Love
B. And the Grass is Singing
C. Dear John!
D. Hand Care for Beginners

14. Dr Govind Singh Bisht’s comment in the article reveals that_______________.

A. foot ailments are casual and common.
B. foot problems are faced by both old and young.
C. arthritis is caused by foot problems.
D. foot problems can be a sign of bigger concerns.

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15. Match the title in Column A with the paragraph numbers in Column B.

Column A Column B

1. Barefoot Misadventures i. Para 2

2. Common Foot Ailments ii. Para 4

3. Choose Wisely iii. Para 6

4. Pain in the Foot iv. Para 8

v. Para 10

A. 1.-i; 2.-ii; 3.-iii; 4.-iv

B. 1.-iii; 2.-v; 3.-i; 4.-ii
C. 1. -ii; 2.-iii; 3.-iv; 4.-v
D. 1.- iii; 2.-i; 3.- v; 4-ii

16. Select the option that correctly matches the issues given in Column A to its
information in Column B.
A B
Athlete’s foot I. Affects up to one in five people
Flip-flops II. Itchy, painful, contagious fungus
Morton’s Toe III. Dangerous for ones with neuropathy
Walking barefoot in public IV. Terrible for feet
V. Can lead to balance issue
A. (i)- II, (ii)- I, (iii)- IV, (iv)- III.
B. (i)- III, (ii)- V, (iii)- I, (iv)- IV
C. (i)- II, (ii)- IV, (iii)- I, (iv)-III
D. (i)-IV, (ii)-III, (iii)-V, (iv)-II

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 Unit 5 – How to Grow Imagination

‘If your imagination grows, you will surely fly,’ read Poppy from the book in her
hand. On the next page, she found this, ‘HOW TO GROW IMAGINATION’. Read
the following text carefully and answer the questions that follow.

SOURCE: https://in.pinterest.com/pin/807270301964370037/

17. Which of the following terms best describes the given text?
A. Sketch of a recipe
B. Timeline of a process
C. Manual for gardening
D. Comic about friends

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18. In the line ‘Taking time to wonder’, ‘wonder’ can be replaced by____________.
A. practice
B. enquire
C. predict
D. reflect

19. The phrase, ‘Share it with others’, brings home the idea that imagination
A. grows more when partaken.
B. should be given in charity.
C. is a fruit that can be gifted.
D. must be plucked and shared.

20. Make sure it gets plenty of moonlight’. Choose the option that best delivers the
meaning of the given statement.
A. It is the moon that nurtures imagination.
B. The heat of the sun is balanced by the moon.
C. Moonlight is replaced by sunlight here.
D. Moonlight brings quiet and rest for another day.

21. Select the option that best matches the given picture.

A. Water it in.
B. Welcome new ideas.
C. Share it with others.
D. Grow a forest.

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 Unit 6 – Crawl of the Wild

Some are rare, some beautiful, some strange. At the National Insect Museum, over 6 lakh
specimens of all shapes, size and species are waiting to be discovered

by Natasha Rego (Natasha.rego@htlive.com)

Think of it as a building with a delightful buzz. The National

Insect Museum (NIM), in Bengaluru is home to the world's largest
moth, longest insect and tiniest wasp. Also preserved in caskets,
liquids and freezers are ants, butterflies, beetles and worms.
The museum, hidden within the lush campus of the Indian Council
of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect
Resources (ICAR-NBAIR), will make you see moths. Consider
these numbers: The two - storey structure, inaugurated in 2019,
contains over 2 lakh mounted specimens and slides, from 11 insect orders, stored in
temperature- and humidity - controlled spaces. It has another 4 lakh wet (preserved in
alcohol) and cryo-preserved specimens; and a heritage collection with
specimens over 100 years old.
"What distinguishes this collection from others is that every
insect has some sort of agricultural relevance," says M
Nagesh, Director of the ICAR NBAIR in Bengaluru." They are
either beneficial or pestiferous or have the potential to be
either."
Over 10 years in the making, NIM is meant primarily as a resource
for researchers but does mark certain" open days" by inviting the
public in. (There isn't a calendar of these, so it's best to call ahead to find
out when the next one is.)
More than half the insects at NIM have been procured over the last 15
years by ICAR taxonomists, says Ankita Gupta, the entomologist in
charge of the museum. Collecting insects is a two-pronged process: some
can be collected only by day, others only at night. Day collections
involve setting out bright yellow collection bowls filled with water and an adhesive. Night
collections involve setting up light traps.
Taxonomists usually head into a region and set out traps to see what they'll attract. But
sometimes, they go looking for a particular species, like the elusive giant stick insect in the

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tea gardens of Valparai, Tamil Nadu. "We must have gone at least three times over 10 years,
looking for it, but it's so hard to spot," says Gupta.
A specimen of the order Phasmatodea was finally donated by P Mahendran, an entomologist
from the United Planters' Association of Southern India, a tea research foundation in
Coimbatore, who found it on the institute's campus.
In Yercaud, also in Tamil Nadu, ICAR taxonomists finally found a specimen of the world's
tiniest winged insect, the Kikiki huna, which is two tenths of a millimetre in size. "You
cannot see with your naked eye," says Gupta, who specialises in parasitic wasps. "But it has
all the systems an insect should have - six legs, wings, a reproductory and a respiratory
system.”
It was recorded in India for the first time in 2013, in the Eastern Ghats. It remains a prized
find. This, along with the rest of the collection at NIM, has been digitised and is publicly
accessible on the institute's online database. (Actually viewing the species would require a
microscope and special permission.)

Winged things

NIM is broadly divided into three rooms, collected most recently,

mounted in wooden caskets stacked in movable metal shelves in a
temperature controlled room. A much bigger room holds just the
beetles (the order Coleopter is the largest among the insects)," In due
course we will get thousands more, "say Gupta." We pretty much get
them in gunny sacks."
The third room holds the museum's heritage collection. Insect specimens here are kept in
wooden cabinets that date back 50 to 100 years. A strong smell of industrial camphor hangs
in the air." Most of these specimens were collected before ICAR was formed, when it was the
British-run Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control Indian Station." Gupta says. The
beauty of an insect collection she adds, lies in how long it persists and how many researchers
get to study it. NIM's heritage collection is therefore invaluable." There are specimens from
entire lifecycles, gathered in remote regions of the Himalayas, in a time where researchers
would camp out to rear and preserve insects and document every pest associated with a host
plant," Gupta says.
As it turns out, the institute's greatest treasure is not quite an insect,
she adds, though those are immensely precious: not the beautifully
preserved butterflies, leaf insects or even the praying mantises that
mimic orchids. She locates a small wooden box, and holds it out. In it
lie three larvae specimens, one yellow, one black and one green.
They're the result of a lost art where the larvae of insects were
mummified by sucking out the internal sap, disinfecting each husk,
and inflating it with just enough air to not burst the outer skin.
"This preservation was secured in 1960 and they managed to maintain the exact shape of the
larvae." Gupta says.
Such samples are rare in the world. This is the master piece in our collection, Gupta says.

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22. NIM is divided on the basis of three rooms. Match the rooms with the
corresponding samples they display.

Room Samples
I. Temperature controlled Samples collected before Independence as a part
of heritage collection

II. Big Room New and recent samples stored in wooden boxes
on metal shelves

III. Room that smells of camphor unique beetle collection with the order that is
largest in insects
A. I- i, II-ii, III-iii
B. I- ii, II-iii, III-i
C. I- ii, II-iii, III-i
D. I- i, II-iii, III-ii

23. Just like insects crawl, babies crawl too. Identify the following trajectory that
would be taken as a baby grows up.
Sprint
(iii) _______
(ii) _________
(i) ________
Crawl
A. i. move; ii, hop; iii. flip
B. i. skip; ii, duck ; iii. dash
C. i. stroll; ii, bolt; iii. scurry
D. i. walk; ii, jog; iii. run

24. Identify the words that are closest in meaning to the underlined ones.

“What (i) distinguishes this collection from others is that every insect has some
sort of agricultural (ii) relevance. “
A. i. demarcates; ii. essential
B. i. discriminates; ii. connection
C. i. determines; ii. link
D. i. differentiates; ii. significance

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25. Which option lists the author’s motive behind writing this article on National
Insect Museum?
A. Informing us about the common, creepy insects that crawl in the wild.
B. Giving a peep-in view of the museum that has few ‘open days’ for public.
C. Describing at length the insects that are of agricultural relevance.
D. Admiring the infrastructure and the efforts of the employees of the museum.

26. Select the option that correctly classifies the following as facts (F) and opinions
(O).
1 2 3 4
All the insects in Entomologists I could not bear The master piece
the collection seem to be more the strong smell of the collection
have some or the interested in of camphor that is treasured in a
other agriculture insects with hung all around wooden box.
relevance. wings the place.

A. F – 1, 2 and O – 3, 4
B. F – 1, 4 and O – 2, 3
C. F – 3, 4 and O – 1, 2
D. F – 2, 3 and O – 1, 4

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 Unit 8- Facts About Drinking Water

Each drop is precious and the quality of each drop matters.’ Read the following infographic
on ‘Drinking Water Challenge in India’ to answer the questions that follow. ‘

SOURCE:https://delhigreens.com/2019/03/22/an-infographic-on-the-drinking-water-challenge-in-india/

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27. The given data deals with challenges pertaining to water__________.
consumption

conservation

computation

coordination

contamination

A. (I) & (V)

B. (II) & (IV)
C. (III) & (V)
D. (IV) & (I)

28. Select the statement that is TRUE based on the given data.
A. Risk posed by fluoride is greater than that posed by arsenic.
B. Non-skeletal fluorosis and dental fluorosis is moderate.
C. Loss of man power owing to water crisis is disturbing.
D. Water related diseases infect 6 out of 10 Indians.

29. What does ‘challenge’ refer to in the phrase ‘Drinking Water Challenge’?
A. a bet
B. a dare
C. a problem
D. an ultimatum

30. Select the person who belongs to the household that treats water prior to
drinking.
A. Person 1- cools water in a refrigerator
B. Person 2- boils water
C. Person 3- covers the water container
D. Person 4- purchases water

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