Grade 7 Practice Comprehension- November month

I. Read the passage and answer the questions:

                                         Mountain  Mummies

In early1999,archaeologist Johan Reinhard climbed over 6,700m to the top of one of South America's highest volcanoes, Llullaillaco(pronounced as yu-yi-ya-ko).The summit was covered in freezing ice and snow, and the wind often reached speeds of upto 113km an hour. Reinhard was there to find something very special. He dug down through the earth and rocks beneath some ancient ruins and found a small chamber. Inside the chamber, he found what he was looking for- the frozen mummies of three Inca children.

The Incas were a great South American civilization. Until the 16^th century, they ruled nearly 1 million square kms of western South America. Then they disappeared. Not much is known about them because they did not keep written records. But Reinhard has spent his life studying them. Before he found the three children on Llullaillaco, he found fifteen other Inca mummies on other mountains. He believes the frozen mummies were human sacrifices to the Inca gods.

The children on Llullaillaco were very young when they died. Scientists think that the boy and two girls were between eight and fourteen years old. They had been frozen on the summit of Llullaillaco for over 500 years. Reinhard could not believe how well the mummies had been preserved. They looked like they had been buried only a short time before. The mummies were carefully removed and carried down the mountain. Now Reinhard has the chance to study them and learn even more about the ancient Incas.

Q1.What is the main purpose of the story? Choose any one.

(a)To describe the weather on volcanoes.

(b)To show how young children were sacrificed in the past.

(c)To tell the story of Johan Reinhard's discovery.

Q2.How strong was the wind on the summit of Llullaillaco?

Q3.Where did Reinhard discover the mummies?

Q4.Why do you think the Incas sacrificed children to the gods?

Q5.What do you know about mummies?

Q6.Would you like to be an archaeologist? Give reason.

Q7.Find the synonym from the passage:

(i)room       (ii) old      (iii)society

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