Grade 4: Practice Comprehension 1

Read the following passage and answer the questions below:                                                                                 (10 marks)

People all over the world love to celebrate and have festivals.  While many festivals are held in churches and temples, others are celebrated in the streets of villages and cities.  Families also gather together in their homes to share special days.  In some festivals, light plays an important part in the celebrations.  Diwali is the festival of lights celebrated by Hindu and Sikh people.  Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of light.  The festival of Holi is celebrated by Hindu people who throw colorful powders and water about to make everything bright!

Diwali, or Festival of Lights, marks the start of the Hindu New Year and lasts for five days.  It is held in the last two days of the Hindu lunar month Asvina and the first two days of Kartika (September – October).  The word 'Diwali' comes from a Sanskrit word that means 'row of lights'.  During the holiday, strings of lights brighten the streets and lamps line building rooftops and shine from windowsills.  For both Hindus and Sikhs, light in the darkness symbolizes the victory of good over evil.  The Hindus believe that Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, uses the lamps to guide her way as she returns from her country home to bless their homes with good fortune.  They believe she will not bless those homes that are not lighted up.

Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days on the Jewish calendar, which means the holiday falls sometime between November 25 and December 26.  The festival celebrates a great victory by the Jewish people more than 2000 years ago.  The Jews remember the time when their country Israel was occupied by Syrians.  God helped free the Jewish people from the Syrians.  At that time, the Syrians worshipped many Greek gods, whereas the Jews believed in only one God.  One Syrian ruler, ordered the Jews to worship the Greek gods.  He destroyed the Jewish temples and erected statues of Greek gods.  One family, refused to follow the king's orders to worship the Greek gods.  They fled to the hills and were joined by other Jews who also wished to stay true to their religion.  They built up a great army and returned to the city to fight against the Syrians.  The Jews fought unsuccessfully in the first three battles with the Syrians but finally emerged victorious.  They held a great celebration after their victory.  This celebration is considered the first Hanukkah.  Jewish people light a candle every night of the holiday.  During the holiday, gifts are also exchanged.

Festivals bring cheer and gaiety into people's lives.  During festivals, people look forward to the future as they celebrate special events that happened in the past.

  

Questions:

1)      What does the paragraph mainly tell us about?                        (2 marks)

A   Ans. The paragraph mainly tells us about the festival of lights and that good always wins over the evil.

2)      Name the festivals mentioned in the passage.                        (1 ½ mark)

      Ans.  Diwali, Holi & Hanukkah are the three festivals mentioned in the passage.

3)      Mention one difference between the festival of Diwali and Hanukkah      (1 mark)

      Ans.  Diwali is celebrated for five days and Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days. OR

      Diwali is celebrated in the month of September – October, while Hanukkah is celebrated in the month of November – December.

4)      What is the belief of Hindus of lighting the house during the festival?         (1 ½ marks)

      Ans.  The Hindus believe that Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, uses the lamps to guide her way as she returns from her country home to bless their homes with good fortune.  They believe she will not bless those homes that are not lighted up.

5)      Arrange the following in correct order.                                   (1 marks)

a)      At that time, the Syrians worshipped many Greek gods, whereas the Jews believed in only one God.                                                                               (2)

b)      They held a great celebration after their victory.                                      (4)

c)      God helped free the Jewish people from the Syrians.                              (1)

d)     The Jews fought unsuccessfully in the first three battles                         (3)

6)      From the passage, find a synonym for:                                             1)

a)      Conquering/successful – victorious                   

b)         constructed - erected

7)     Other than having fun with your family, how differently do you celebrate your festival?                                                                          (2 marks)

      Ans.  I give sweets and gifts to my maid's children.  I share my toys and crackers with poor children.  I go and give gifts in an orphanage.   I visit the old age home and celebrate with them.

Q.2.     Directed writing:  Write a letter to your cousin telling him/her about Hanukkah festival.  You need to include the following points: (Address not required)                                                      (10 marks)

·         When is the festival celebrated?

·         How did this festival begin?

·         How do they celebrate the festival?  Is it different from the way you celebrate your festival?

Q. 3. Language record:                                                         (5 marks)

Word	Word class (.5 each)	Synonym (1 mark each)	Sentence (1 mark each)
believed	verb	Trust	I believe in what my teachers and parents teach me.
celebration	noun	party	We had a grand celebration for my parent's marriage anniversary.