Question

31 Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow: (8 Marks)

1. The most beautiful hummingbirds are found in the West Indies and South America. The crest of the tiny head of one of these shines like a sparkling crown of coloured light. The shades of colour that adorn its breast are equally brilliant. As the bird flits from one object to another, it looks more like a bright flash of sunlight than it does like a living being.
2. But, you ask, why are they called hummingbirds? It is because they make a soft, humming noise by the rapid motion of their wings—a motion so rapid, that as they fly, you can hardly see that they have wings. One day when walking in the woods, I found the nest of one of the smallest hummingbirds. It was about half the size of a very small hen and lays an egg, and it was attached to a twig no thicker than a steel knitting needle. It seemed to have been made of cotton fibres and was covered with the softest bits of leaf and bark. It had two eggs in it, and each was about as large as a small sugar plum.
3 When you approach the spot where one of these birds has built its nest, it is necessary to be careful. The mother bird will dart at you and try to peck your eyes. Its sharp beak may hurt your eyes most severely and even destroy your sight.
4 The poor little thing knows no other way of defending its young, and instinct teaches it that you might carry off its nest if you find it.
Questions:
(a) The most beautiful ………………………………… birds are found in the West Indies and South America.
(b) They are called hummingbirds because they make humming noise by the rapid ………………………………… of their wings.
(c) The nest of the hummingbird was about ………………………………… the size of a very small hen.
(d) The shades of colour that adorn the breast of the hummingbird is quite brilliant. (True/False).
(e) The nest of the hummingbird is made of silk fibres and covered with bits of hay and bark. (True/False).
(f) Pick from the passage the synonym for ‘dash’ (para 3 )

(g) You can hardly see that the hummingbirds have wings because of the:

(i) the rapid motion of their wings as they fly. (ii) humming noise as they fly. (iii) shining colour of their wings.
(iv) invisible wings due to a bright flash of sunlight.
(h)The mother bird will dart at you and try to peck your eyes when you:.

(i) throw stones at her nest.
(ii) approach the spot where the nest is built.
(iii) try to steal her eggs from the nest. (iv) threaten the bird near her nes

Answer 1

Answer:

1. The most beautiful hummingbirds are found in the West Indies and South America.
2. They are called hummingbirds because they make a humming noise through the rapid motion of their wings.
3. The nest of the hummingbird was about half the size of a very small hen.
4. The shades of colour that adorn the breast of the hummingbird are quite brilliant is true.
5. The nest of the hummingbirds is made up of cotton fibers and not silk fibers and is covered with bits of hay and bark.  
6. The synonym of the word 'dash' is approached.
7. We can hardly see that the hummingbirds have wings because of the rapid motion of their wings as they fly.
8. The mother bird will dart at us and try to peck our eyes when we approach the spot where the nest is built.

Answer 2

Answer:

Humming, motion, half, true, false, sprint.

This passage needs attentive reading for us to recognize the facts.

Explanation: We have to read the entire passage thoroughly to decipher the solutions.

1. The most beautiful humming birds are found in the West Indies and South America.
2. They are called hummingbirds because they make a humming noise through the rapid motion of their wings.
3. The nest of the hummingbird was about half the size of a very small hen.
4. The shades of colour that adorn the breast of the hummingbird are quite brilliant is a true statement.
5. The nest of the hummingbirds is made up of cotton fibers and not silk fibers and is covered with bits of hay and bark is a false statement because it is covered with leaf and bark instead of hay and bark.
6. The synonym of the word 'dash' is 'sprint/bolt'.
7. We can hardly see that the hummingbirds have wings because of the rapid motion of their wings as they fly.
8. The mother bird will dart at us and try to peck our eyes when we approach the spot where the nest is built.