Grade 9 Reading Comprehension

Exercises

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?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………

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.
Grade 9 English Writing
Guided Composition Topics

1. Your school asked for volunteers to entertain, for a day, a small

group of young people from another country. You were one of
the chosen.
Write an account of what you did, considering some or all of
the following points.
- Tour of the school
- Surrounding area
- Local activities
- Meeting friends and family
- Food
2. One of your teachers is about to retire. She has taught in your
school for many years and, therefore, you know her quite well.
You have been asked to write a farewell letter to her on behalf
of your class, thanking her and wishing her well in the future.
Use the following information.
- She has not been well lately
- She teaches English
- She is very strict but always fair
- She is good at comforting depressed students
- She likes flowers, especially orchids
- She has taken your class on several school trips
- She is intending to travel to Europe soon
3. An election is to be held in your school for members of the
student council – a group set up to advice the principal on
matters concerning student welfare and discipline. One of your
 friends hopes to be elected. You are preparing a speech in
support of your friend. You have the following notes to help
you.
- Helpful and responsible prefect
- Top in examinations
- Active in school clubs
- Excellent games player
- Great organiser of events

Write out your speech in full, using the list above and adding ideas
of your own.
Model answer

Respected principal, teachers, and fellow students, a very good

morning to you all.

The excitement is in the air! The student council of our school is

about to be set up and we will have our representatives soon, to
assist the principal in student matters.

On this occasion, it is with great pride and pleasure that I stand here,
to talk to you about Jason Lee, my classmate and friend, of Form
5S. Dear friends, let me tell you why he is an excellent candidate for
the student council.

Jason Lee has been a prefect for the last two years. We have all seen
and experienced how responsible he has been in carrying out the
duties assigned to him. A laudable quality about him is how he helps
new students, joining junior classes, feel at home in the new
environment. I have come to know, personally, of instances where
the junior students approached him for help in settling a
disagreement and seen how well he managed the situation.

Jason can truly said to be an all-rounder. He tops our examinations

every time and has even represented the school in the Maths and
Science Olympiad. But it is not only in studies that he excels. He is
an excellent games player, and, as you all know, led the red house to
victory, as the house captain, in our recent sports meet.

How about extra-curricular activities? Yes, here also, Jason has left
his mark. He is an active member of the debating and public
speaking club of our school that has its activities every Tuesday.

There is more. He is an excellent organiser. Don’t you remember

that end of the year party that we organised for the outgoing
students last year? Wasn’t it a great success? Well, the chief
organiser of that party, as many of you know, was Jason. Need I say
more?

Dear friends, you wouldn’t find a more committed and dedicated

student councillor than Jason. Vote for him, and we can be sure that
our interests will be well looked after.

Thank you.
Learn English » English Grammar -
Lessons and Exercises

Welcome to the English grammar page.

The importance of grammar is well-understood. It was

Moliere who said, “Grammar, which knows how to control
even kings.” Truly, accuracy in speech is a quality that will get
you places. Grammar also lets you use English with ease and
confidence. There is a great difference between a person who
can speak accurate, grammatical English, and a person who
speaks the language full of mistakes. The difference is that of
confidence, acceptability, and the projected image.

“True ease in writing comes from art, not chance,

As those move easiest who have learned to dance.”
- Alexander Pope, Sound and Sense
Just as those who have learned to dance can move
gracefully, those who have learned the rules of grammar can
use the language artfully.

However, learning English grammar can be challenging,

because there are some queer rules in English. For example,
its is a possessive (The cat is black. Its tail is long.), but it’s is
a contraction of it is (It’s raining now).

Well, this eccentricity is what makes English grammar

fascinating.

English is a language governed by rules that can be learned

through understanding and practice. Here is a comprehensive
collection of English grammar lessons and exercises.
Clicking on each grammar item below will take you to a lesson
on that item as well as exercises carefully graded into
‘beginner’, ‘intermediate’ and ‘advanced’. There exercises can
cater to the complete beginner as well as a proficient user of
English language who might just want to brush up their
grammar. Please click the particular area of grammar you
need.

 Sentences and their Types

 Nouns
» What is Proper Nouns and Common Nouns?
» What is Singular and Plural Nouns?
» Countable and Uncountable Nouns
» Collective Nouns
 » Abstract Nouns and Concrete Nouns
» Gender of Nouns
 Pronouns
» Personal Pronouns
» Reflexive Pronouns
» Relative Pronouns
» Possessive Pronouns
» Demonstrative Pronouns
» Indefinite Pronouns
» Interrogative Pronouns
» Reciprocal Pronouns
» Intensive or Emphatic Pronouns
 Adjectives
» Formation of Adjectives
» Comparison of Adjectives
 Conjunctions
» Worksheet 1
» Worksheet 2
 Interjections
 Verbs
» Simple Present Tense
» Present Continuous / Progressive Tense
» Present Perfect Continuous Tense
» Simple Past Tense
» Past Continuous / Progressive Tense
» Past Perfect Tense
» Past Perfect Continuous Tense
» Simple Future Tense
 » Future Continuous Tense
» Future Perfect Tense
» Future Perfect Continuous Tense
» Active and Passive Voice
» Subject-Verb Agreement
 Adverbs
» Formation of Adverbs
 Prepositions
» Prepositions Signifying Time
» Prepositions Denoting Duration
» Prepositions of Time
» Prepositions Denoting Place and Direction
 Articles
» Omission of the Article
 Reported Speech (Direct and Indirect Speech)
 Test
» Parts of Speech Quiz (Beginner)
» Parts of Speech – Revision Activities
 Essay Writing Tips and Sample Essays
» Sample Essay : Dreams
» Sample Essay : Is science more evil than good?
» Sample Essay : Man - The greatest enemy of nature
» Sample Essay : The Internet: a boon or a bane for
young people?
The Intelligence of Ants

Apes and monkeys are generally supposed to be intelligent in a

certain way. Dolphins are also counted in the category of intelligent
animals. However, have you ever thought of the humble ant being
intelligent? The world of the ant is sufficiently complicated to
suggest some sparks of intelligence in this lowly member of the
animal kingdom.

Ants repel attackers, store food, and use chemical signals to contact
one another. The chemical communication that ants are capable of is
comparable to human use of auditory and visual channels, to arouse
and propagate moods and attitudes. The biologist Lewis Thomas
wrote that ants are so much like human beings that it is an
embarrassment to us. They use chemical sprays to alarm and
confuse enemies, exchange information continuously, farm fungi,
launch armies to war, capture slaves, and raise aphids as livestock.

Some people interested in the field say that in the case of

agriculture, human beings are much ahead of ants. However, is this
really true? The farming methods of ants are sustainable. They do
not harm the environment, or use tremendous amounts of energy.
Ants became farmers almost fifty million years before humans. Ants
cannot digest the cellulose in leaves, so they cultivate the fungi that
can digest these leaves, and then use them as source of food. Farmer
ants can even secrete antibiotics to control other fungi that might
function as ‘weeds’. All this suggests highly sophisticated systems
of intelligence.

However, one important difference between ants and human beings

is that there is no cultural transmission of values and traditions
among ants. In ants, everything is encoded in genes that are passed
from generation to generation, but in humans, only the basic
instincts are carried in the genes of the newborn. All other skills are
learnt from others in the community, as the child grows up. Thus, it
is cultural continuity that gives us a huge advantage over ants.

Worksheet
Given below are some statements based on the passage. Write T if
the statement agrees with the information given in the passage.
Write F if it contradicts. Write NOT GIVEN if there is no
information given.
1. Ants use the same channels of communication as humans do.
2. Human babies have all information necessary for life in their
genes.
3. Farming methods of ants are sustainable.
4. There are some fungi that can digest cellulose in leaves.
5. Ants are more intelligent than human beings.

Answers
 Ants use the same channels of communication as humans do. F
 Human babies have all information necessary for life in their
genes. F
 Farming methods of ants are sustainable. T
 There are some fungi that can digest cellulose in leaves. T
 Ants are more intelligent than human beings. NOT GIVEN
Reading Comprehension Story for Year
7 Kids

Stranded in an Island

This passage is about how the writer was stranded in an island

following a shipwreck.

1. It had been days since I was stranded on the island. I had lost
track of time completely. My only companion was a cat that
had survived the shipwreck. When I was first washed up on the
shore, I found it hard to believe that I was still alive. Memories
of the vicious and destructive storm still haunted me.
2. The grandeur of the ship had given all of us a false sense of
security. As the first signs of the storm started, our captain
dismissed it initially. “It’s nothing much; just another storm,”
he reassured. However, it was a powerful storm that battered
the solidly-built ship badly and large holes were made on the
side of the ship’s hull. The freezing water started rushing in.
 Within an hour, our ship was consumed by the dark, inky
waters.
3. My train of thought was disrupted by Philly licking my hand
affectionately. I had named the animal ‘Philly’ in memory of
one of the new friends I made on the cruise. I asked Philly
whether she was hungry. She meowed enthusiastically.
4. I could not remember when my last meal was. Probably it was a
ten-course dinner on the ship. Since I had never fished before, I
thought that maybe I could try something simpler, like picking
fruits. Besides, the thought of entering the freezing cold water
made fishing out of the question. With Philly at my side, armed
with a sharp branch, we ventured into the forest on the island.
5. Suddenly, I thought I heard noises. Hope leapt within me.
“Hello?” I called out, my voice shaking. There was no
response. I stared blankly at the thick, green vegetation around
me. It was mysterious and secretive, and I feared, did not
welcome outsiders.
6. As we resumed looking for fruit trees, we chanced upon one
which bore yellow, juicy-looking fruits. Suddenly a dark-
skinned woman appeared out of nowhere, holding a sharp
spear, dressed in fur and grass. I instinctively backed away
from her. Then I saw that she was trying to help us. Pointing
her spear at the fruit tree, she shook her head vigorously. I
nodded at her to show that I understood what she was saying.
7. Beckoning to us to follow her, she turned to walk along a small
path that I had not noticed. The path zig-zagged along for a
while, and the woman walked at great speed, with myself and
 Philly trying to keep pace. At the end of the small path, there
was a small village. Tears of joy and relief filled my eyes.
Answer the following questions
From paragraph 1

1. What do you think happened to the ship? (1)

2. Which of the following words has the nearest meaning to the
word ‘vicious’ in this paragraph? (1)
a) Powerful
b) Elegant
c) Persevering
d) Cruel

From paragraph 2
3. Quote the phrase of four words that tells us that the ship’s
passengers were deceived by the grandeur of the ship. (1)
4. Which single word in this paragraph tells us that the captain of
the ship did not take the storm seriously? (1)
5. How do we know that the storm was powerful? (2)

From paragraph 3
6. Which of the following words have the nearest meaning to the
word ‘disrupted’ as it is used in this paragraph? (1)
a) Helped
b) Interrupted
c) Rejected
d) Interested
 7. Who was Philly named after? (1)

From paragraph 4
8. Explain fully why the writer decided to pick fruits to eat when
he was hungry, instead of fishing? (2)

From paragraph 5
9. “Hope leapt within me.” Why? Explain fully. (2)

10. What emotion did the writer feel about the thick, green

vegetation around him, and why? (2)

From paragraph 6
11. Which two consecutive words from this paragraph tells us that

the author found the fruit tree bearing yellow, juicy-looking

fruits accidentally? (1)
12. What did the author do when he saw the woman? Answer in

your own words.(2)

13. What do you think the woman was trying to tell the author? (1)

From paragraph 7
14. Why did the writer cry at the end of the story? (2)

Marking Scheme (Answers)

1. The ship was destroyed in a powerful storm/ The ship sank in a

storm/ The ship was wrecked.
2. a) cruel
3. False sense of security
4. Dismissed
5. The storm battered the solidly-built ship badly (1) and large
holes were made on the side of the ship’s hull (1).
6. a) Interrupted

7. Philly was named after a friend the author had made in the ship.

8. The author had never fished before (1), and the water was

freezing cold. (1)

9. The author heard noises (1) and he thought that they may be

some people living on the island (1).

10. The author felt fear (1), because he thought the vegetation did

not welcome outsiders (1).

11. Chanced upon

12. The author moved away (1) without thinking about it/

automatically/intuitively (1)
13. I think the woman was saying that the fruits were poisonous/

not edible
14. The author felt joy (1) and relief (1).