English: Grade 7 Revision: Reading Comprehension (Non-

Fiction)

Read the following extract and answer the questions.

Dragon Flies

1. Have you ever been outside in the middle of July and seen swarms of dragonflies? Dragonflies
are large and strong. They have big, compound eyes, which means that each eye is made up of
thousands of tiny eyes, allowing the dragonfly to see in all directions. They are easily
recognizable because of their size, and because their large wings are always held out straight,
both while in flight and while resting.

2. Dragonflies congregate to hunt, catch and eat insects. They can look a bit like an alien
invasion, but dragonflies are harmless to humans; they neither bite nor sting. In fact, you could
even say that they are helpful, since they eat the insects that tend to annoys us the most, like
gnats, mosquitoes, and flies.

3. Dragonflies are found all over the world, almost always near water. Dragonflies like warm
weather; in fact, you won’t see them at all until temperatures reach at least the mid-60s. They
need to warm up in the sun during the mornings before they take off, and they fly ―
occasionally landing somewhere for a rest ― for most of the day.

4. Dragonflies are some of the earliest flying creatures to inhabit our planet, and belong to an
ancient insect group called the “Odonata.” Prehistoric dragonflies had a wingspan of up to 2 feet.
The dragonfly is a great flyer; in fact, they fly almost all the time. They can hover like
helicopters, fly super-fast (reaching speeds of over 30 miles per hour), and can even fly
backwards. As insects, they have six legs, but their long, heavy bodies and long wings make
walking awkward for them, and they’re not very good at it, so they do almost everything
mid-flight. They catch their prey while flying by making a basket with their legs. Then they
swoop down at their prey, catching it in the basket and biting it to hold it in place. More often
than not, they eat it while still in flight.

1. “Dragon Flies” is a non-fiction text. Write one feature of a non-fiction text.

_______________________________________________________________________

2. Give the meanings or a short phrase for the following words as they are used in the
passage.
a) inhabit : ____________________________________________
b) invasion: ______________________________________________
c) occasionally: ____________________________________________
English: Grade 7 Revision: Reading Comprehension (Non-
Fiction)

d) swoop: _________________________________________________
3. Read the following sentence:
Many insects are found in the month of July.

Identify a proper noun and a common noun.

Proper Noun ________________________ Common Noun ________________

4. Underline the adjectives in each sentence. Draw an arrow from each adjective to
the noun or pronoun it modifies.
a) Dragonflies like warm weather; you won’t see them at all until temperatures reach at
least the mid-60s.
b) Prehistoric dragonflies had a wingspan of up to 2 feet.

Common Noun Proper Noun Adjective

harmless

basket

Odonata

5. Tick the correct box.

6. Dragon flies are harmless and helpful to the humans.

Give a reason to support the above statement.

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7. The main idea of paragraph 4 is: (tick only one box)

 Catching their prey

 Flying abilities
 Dragonflies’ diet
 Pre-historic dragon flies
English: Grade 7 Revision: Reading Comprehension (Non-
Fiction)

8. Pick out the true statement from the given options.

 Dragon flies catch their prey at night time.

 Dragon flies feed on gnats, mosquitos and flies.
 Dragon flies are mostly found in cold regions as Antarctica.
 Their long, heavy bodies and long wings help them walk easily.

9. Fill in the blanks with appropriate adjectives:

The _________________ dragon fly has a _____________ ability to fly backwards.

10. Give a reason why dragon flies look like “alien invasion” when they eat, hunt and
catch their prey. (Paragraph 2)

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