Grade 7 Reading Comprehension Exercises

This reading comprehension exercise with multiple choice and true/false questions will give adequate practice to grade 7 students. Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions that follow.

Surprise Storm

The incident that I am about to relate to took place on Sunday, the 25th of June, in 1975. On that day, a south wind had been gusting on and off all morning. However, it was not strong enough to cause us much concern, so we carried on with our usual chores, not suspecting what was about to happen.

The storm gave us a little warning. Dark clouds loomed over the distant horizon so suddenly that we were taken by surprise. Even then, we were not really worried, as the clouds did not seem to be moving in the direction of our homestead but towards the distant mountains. However, the wind suddenly swung around and we were directly in the path of a major storm.

Late warnings blared from the radio, and we sprang into action, preparing for the worst. We had experienced such a sudden storm before and everyone remembered the damage it had caused to livestock and crops. There was very little we could do about the crops. If they survived, it would be a bonus. But we needed to shelter the animals in case the river flooded again. David, my older brother, called his sheepdog and began herding our small flock of sheep to higher ground above the river. At the same time, our two drovers rounded up the cattle and moved them to a grassy knoll behind the farmhouse. If the river flooded, they should be safe there.

In the meantime, my father was frantically mending a shed roof that had partly collapsed after many years of fine service. If the tin sheets flew off, they could damage the house. Greg, my younger brother, began hurriedly carting firewood to a shelter. My job was to help mother board up the windows. If the storm developed into a cyclone, the boards would protect the fragile glass. “Luckily I had a cooking day yesterday,” said Mother, trying to be positive. But I knew that she was worried.

We had just finished our tasks when the rain began to pelt. Wind gusts swirled around the house, rattling the doors and flinging loose objects into the air. We sat huddled in the dining room under the heavy wooden table – it was the safest place to be. The storm raged for four hours, dumping more rain than we had seen in the last five years. As expected, the river broke its banks and crept up the slope towards the house and the livestock.

Then, just as we were beginning to lose hope, the storm stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Although the skies remained a leaden colour, the animals were safe. We all breathed a sigh of relief as we inspected the grounds. We were safe, the animals were safe, the roof was still intact, and Greg would not have to cart firewood into the shelter for another week.

“All’s well that ends well,” laughed my very relieved mother.

1. Where did the incident in the story take place?
a) In the outskirts of a city
b) In a mountain resort
c) On a farming property
d) In a desert

2. Why was the family little concerned at first?
a) They were too busy with their chores
b) They were used to cyclones
c) The wind was not very strong
d) It had not started to rain

3. What caused the storm to move in the direction of the homestead?
a) The temperature dropped suddenly
b) It began to rain heavily
c) The wind was trapped by the mountains
d) The wind changed direction

4. How did the family protect the windows from flying debris?
a) They closed the wooden shutters
b) They used furniture to protect them
c) They nailed boards over them
d) They taped them up and lowered the blinds

5. What made the narrator’s mother laugh in the end?
a) She knew that Greg had collected enough firewood for a week
b) She was relieved that everything that mattered was safe
c) The river had not flooded the house
d) The storm had stopped

True or False

6. The family had plenty of warning that the storm was approaching.

7. Everyone knew what to do without having to be told.

8. The river had flooded in the past and the family was worried it would flood again.

9. The family lived on a large farm.

10. A storm is the same as a cyclone.

Answer Scheme

• c)
• c)
• d)
• c)
• b)
• F
• T
• T
• T
• F