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Reading Comprehension Questions with Solutions

Reading Comprehension rewards careful reading over prior knowledge — every answer is drawn directly from the passage itself, not from what you already know about the topic. Here’s the approach, one short passage with four fully worked questions, and a few more to try yourself.

The approach, quickly

Read the whole passage once before looking at the questions, so you have a sense of its overall structure and where different details sit.
Answer strictly from the passage, even if you happen to know more about the real-world topic — the "correct" answer is whatever the passage states, not outside knowledge.
For factual-detail questions, locate the specific sentence that contains the answer rather than relying on a vague memory of the passage — re-read that sentence before answering.
Watch for absolute words ("always," "never," "only") in answer choices — passages are usually written with moderate, qualified claims, so an option with an absolute word often overstates what the passage actually says.

Worked examples

1. Read the passage and answer the question: "Water is one of the most essential resources for human survival, yet it is often used wastefully in daily life. Simple habits such as turning off taps while brushing teeth, fixing leaking pipes promptly, and reusing water for plants can significantly reduce household water consumption. Many urban areas are now adopting rainwater harvesting systems to capture and store rainwater for later use, reducing dependence on groundwater. Experts suggest that even small changes in individual behaviour, when adopted widely across a community, can meaningfully ease the pressure on shared water resources, particularly during periods of low rainfall." Question: What system are many urban areas now adopting to capture rainwater, according to the passage?

Solution

The passage states: "Many urban areas are now adopting rainwater harvesting systems to capture and store rainwater for later use."

Answer: Rainwater harvesting systems

2. Using the same passage, question: According to the passage, what does rainwater harvesting reduce dependence on?

Solution

The passage states this directly reduces "dependence on groundwater."

Answer: Groundwater

3. Using the same passage, question: According to the passage, during which period does easing pressure on water resources particularly matter?

Solution

The passage ends by specifying this matters "particularly during periods of low rainfall."

Answer: Periods of low rainfall

4. Using the same passage, question: Name one daily habit mentioned in the passage that can reduce household water consumption.

Solution

The passage lists three: turning off taps while brushing teeth, fixing leaking pipes promptly, and reusing water for plants — any one of these is a valid answer.

Answer: Turning off taps while brushing teeth (or fixing leaking pipes promptly, or reusing water for plants)

Try these yourself

Using the same passage above, answer these, then check against the answer.

1. According to the passage, what kind of changes can meaningfully ease pressure on shared water resources, according to experts?

Answer: Small changes in individual behaviour, when adopted widely across a community

2. What does the passage say water is essential for?

Answer: Human survival

3. According to the passage, how is water often used in daily life?

Answer: Wastefully

Where this comes up

Reading Comprehension is tested directly in the English Language section of every exam Pariksha Saathi covers — SSC CGL, SSC MTS, SSC CHSL, IBPS PO, IBPS Clerk, SBI PO and SBI Clerk — usually as a passage with 5-10 attached questions.

Practice more Reading Comprehension questions

This page covers the approach and a worked passage. Pariksha Saathi has full topic-wise practice sets for Reading Comprehension (and every other English/Reasoning/Quant topic) with instant scoring and explanations — free, no account required.

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