Unseen Passage: No Crocodiles

Reading Comprehension

No Crocodiles

A man once went on a trip to the west coast of Africa. It was very hot weather. He put his bags into his room at the hotel and ran down to the sea to have a swim. But when he looked into the water, it seemed to him that something was moving there, and he was frightened. There was nobody near, except a boy, and the man called him. “Are there any crocodiles here?” he asked. “No, Sir, no crocodiles,” the boy answered. The man took off his clothes, jumped into the water and swam for a few minutes. But though the water was warm and the weather was nice, he was still a little frightened. “That boy said there were no crocodiles, but it’s possible he doesn’t know,” he thought, and he decided to swim back. When he came out of the water, the boy was still there, and the man asked him “Why are you so sure that there are no crocodiles here?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” the boy answered. “Crocodiles are cowards. They never come here, because they are afraid of the sharks!”

1. Rearrange the following:
   • The man/a boy/on the shore/saw/standing
2. Why was the man afraid of getting into water?
3. How did the boy initially reassure the man about the crocodile?
4. When the man asked him again, the boy said that crocodiles are cowards, because they are afraid of _______.
   1. warm water
   2. sharks
   3. dirty water
   4. the man
5. Do you think the situation in the text is humorous? Why do you think so?
6. A person who goes on a long journey is called a _______.
   1. native
   2. settler
   3. traveller
   4. passenger
7. Write the opposite of the word ‘coward’ ____.
   1. weakling
   2. hero
   3. defeatist
   4. cry baby

Answers

1. The man saw a boy standing on the shore.
2. When the man looked into the water, it seemed to him that something was moving there. Hence, he was afraid of getting into water.
3. The boy on being asked about the presence of crocodiles in the water replied in negative and thus initially reassured the man about the crocodile.
4. sharks
5. Yes, the situation is humorous because the man was afraid of crocodile but sharks were present in the water. The man did not ask about any other animal in water and the boy also did not warn him about the sharks initially.
6. traveller
7. hero