📖 Year 6 Fiction Reading Comprehension

Title: The Firebird's Feather

The first snowfall of winter had dusted the rooftops of Kaltovia, the tiny mountain village nestled
in the shadow of the Great Peaks. Anya stood at the edge of the forest, watching the flakes
settle gently on the pine branches. Her boots sank slightly into the snow as she took a step
forward. Everyone in Kaltovia knew the forest was off-limits—especially after what had
happened last winter.

But Anya had no choice.

Her grandmother was sick. Nothing the herbalist tried had helped. But old stories—ones
whispered only when the fire burned low and the wind howled outside—spoke of the Firebird, a
creature of legend with glowing red feathers and healing powers beyond anything known to
man.

Most people believed the Firebird was a myth. Anya wasn’t so sure.

She pulled her coat tighter around her and slipped through the trees.

The forest felt alive. Snow fell softly, but the silence was thick, as if the trees were holding their
breath. Anya’s breath came in clouds before her face, and the crunch of her footsteps echoed
louder than it should have. Her fingers curled tighter around the leather pouch at her side—the
one that carried her grandmother’s silver pendant, the only thing that had ever belonged to her
mother.

She walked for hours, past frozen streams and mossy rocks, guided only by instinct and an old
rhyme:

"Feathers of fire, eyes of the sky,​

Find the flame where cold winds cry."

As the light began to fade, Anya reached a clearing. The trees bent back in a perfect circle, as
though pushed away by some unseen force. In the centre, a single tree stood tall and bare. At
its base lay a single feather—brilliant crimson, glowing faintly even in the snow.

She stepped forward and picked it up. The moment her fingers touched it, the snow around her
stopped falling. The world seemed to hold still.

A sound like wings beating echoed through the clearing. Then it appeared.
The Firebird.

Its wings blazed like the setting sun, eyes shimmering like sapphire. It landed in front of her,
head tilting. It didn’t seem afraid.

Anya slowly held out the feather. “Please,” she whispered. “My grandmother—she’s dying. I
don’t want magic. Just… help.”

The Firebird blinked. Then it reached out one talon and tapped the feather in her palm. It
shimmered brighter, then vanished in a burst of light. The warmth from the light flooded through
Anya’s chest and wrapped around her heart.

She didn’t know how she knew—but she knew. Her grandmother would recover.

When Anya turned around to walk home, the snow had stopped, and a golden path had formed
behind her. The Firebird was gone, but something deep inside her had changed. She had
stepped into legend… and walked back out carrying hope.

📄 Comprehension Questions – “The Firebird’s Feather”

Section A – Retrieval & Inference

1.​ What season is it at the start of the story?​

2.​ Why is Anya going into the forest?​

3.​ What does Anya carry with her in a leather pouch?​

4.​ What is unusual about the clearing she finds?​

5.​ How does the Firebird respond to Anya’s request?​

6.​ What two features of the Firebird are described when it appears?​

7.​ What changes in Anya after her meeting with the Firebird?​

8.​ “The forest felt alive.” What does this suggest about the atmosphere?​

9.​ Why might Anya be unsure whether the Firebird is real or not? Use evidence.​
Section B – Vocabulary

10.​Find and copy one word that means “softly falling”.​

11.​Which phrase tells you that the Firebird’s feathers were extremely bright?​

12.​What does the phrase “the world seemed to hold still” suggest about this moment?​

Section C – Summarising & Authorial Intent

13.​Summarise what Anya experiences in the forest in fewer than 30 words.​

14.​Why do you think the author included the old rhyme in the story?​

15.​How does the author build tension before the Firebird appears?​

Section D – True or False (Circle True or False for each)

16.​Anya’s grandmother had once seen the Firebird herself. — True / False​

17.​The Firebird speaks to Anya before it disappears. — True / False​

18.​The story ends with Anya still in the forest. — True / False​

19.​Anya brings the feather home with her. — True / False​

20.​The Firebird is described as scary and dangerous. — True / False​

✍️ SPaG – Grammar, Punctuation & Sentence Skills

Choose the correct option or rewrite as instructed:

1.​ Which sentence is punctuated correctly?​

a) Anya ran into the woods, even though it was snowing.​
b) Anya ran into the woods even though, it was snowing.​
c) Anya ran, into the woods even though it was snowing.​

2.​ Insert the correct punctuation:​

What if the Firebird isnt real​

3.​ Rewrite this as a single sentence using a relative clause:​

Anya found a feather. The feather was glowing.​

4.​ Circle the correct verb form:​

She (run / ran / running) through the forest for hours.​

5.​ Insert a semi-colon in the correct place:​

Anya was scared she kept walking anyway.​

6.​ Which sentence uses passive voice?​

a) The Firebird gave Anya hope.​
b) Anya found the Firebird’s feather.​
c) The Firebird’s feather was found by Anya.​

7.​ Underline the adverbial in this sentence:​

Before sunset, she had already reached the clearing.​

8.​ Add a suffix to change the word “magic” into an adjective.​

✏️ Spelling
Fill in the missing letters or choose the correct version:

9.​ My gran was __ (definately / definitely) getting better.​

10.​The snow fell ___lessly (use a suffix).​

11.​I heard a _hisper in the woods.​

 12.​The pendant was very _recious.​

13.​The Firebird appeared so _uddenly.​

➕ Maths – Arithmetic
14.​3,241 + 2,865 =​

15.​8,000 − 3,274 =​

16.​36 × 7 =​

17.​84 ÷ 6 =​

18.​⅘ of 60 =​

19.​25% of 320 =​

20.​⅓ + ⅙ =​

21.​0.8 + 0.45 =​

🧠 Maths – Reasoning
22.​A bag of flour weighs 2.5kg. How many grams is this?​

23.​There are 3.6 litres of juice. How many 200ml cups can be filled?​

24.​A cloak costs £12.40. Anya buys 3. How much does she spend?​

25.​The Firebird flies 120km in 3 hours. What’s its average speed?​

💥 Quick-Fire SATs Questions
26.​Which sentence uses a colon correctly?​
a) The forest was cold and dark: Anya entered bravely.​
b) The forest: was cold and dark Anya entered bravely.​
c) The forest was cold: and dark Anya entered bravely.​

27.​What does a modal verb show? Give one example.​

28.​Find a synonym for "glowing" used in the text.​

29.​What type of clause is this?​

“Because she was afraid, she hesitated.”​

30.​Rewrite in the past perfect:​

She walks into the clearing.​

⚡ 1-Minute Lightning Round

Do these as fast as you can:

31.​9 × 6 =​

32.​7² =​

33.​Spell a word that means “quiet”​

34.​What’s the antonym of “ancient”?​

35.​Add a colon to this:​

Anya saw it the Firebird
✅ Answer Key for the MEGA Year 6 Study Pack:
📄 Comprehension – “The Firebird’s Feather”
Section A – Retrieval & Inference

1.​ Winter​

2.​ To find the Firebird to help her sick grandmother​

3.​ Her grandmother’s silver pendant​

4.​ The trees formed a perfect circle and the snow stopped falling​

5.​ It tapped the feather and made it vanish in light, healing her grandmother​

6.​ Wings like the setting sun; eyes like sapphire​

7.​ She feels changed and hopeful​

8.​ It gives the forest a magical, mysterious feeling​

9.​ Because it was only spoken of in old stories and whispers​

Section B – Vocabulary

10.​Falling, settle (Accept: “snow fell softly”)​

11.​Brilliant crimson, glowing faintly​

12.​A magical or powerful moment where time feels frozen​

Section C – Summarising & Authorial Intent

 13.​Anya enters a magical forest, finds the Firebird, receives help, and returns home with
hope.​

14.​To hint at the Firebird’s location and build mystery​

15.​Through the silence, cold, and long journey before the sudden appearance​

Section D – True or False

16.​False​

17.​False​

18.​False​

19.​False​

20.​False​

✍️ SPaG
1.​ a)​

2.​ What if the Firebird isn’t real?​

3.​ Anya found a feather that was glowing.​

4.​ ran​

5.​ Anya was scared; she kept walking anyway.​

6.​ c)​

7.​ Before sunset​

 8.​ magical​

✏️ Spelling
9.​ definitely​

10.​effortlessly / soundlessly (accept reasonable suffix words)​

11.​whisper​

12.​precious​

13.​suddenly​

➕ Arithmetic
14.​6,106​

15.​4,726​

16.​252​

17.​14​

18.​48​

19.​80​

20.​½​

21.​1.25​
🧠 Reasoning
22.​2,500 grams​

23.​18 cups​

24.​£37.20​

25.​40 km/h​

💥 Quick-Fire
26.​a)​

27.​Shows possibility, necessity or ability (e.g. could, might, should)​

28.​Glowing, shimmered, blazed​

29.​Subordinate clause​

30.​She had walked into the clearing.​

⚡ 1-Minute Lightning Round

31.​54​

32.​49​

33.​silent​

34.​modern/ new​

35.​Anya saw it: the Firebird