Practice Reading Comprehension (Part - 2) | English Class 8 PDF Download

William and Daniel had been tennis players since they were young. They picked up the skill from Daniel’s father who had participated in several tennis matches himself. He was an avid fan of many famous tennis players. Although he seldom played the game, he was still adept at teaching the two boys.

Training was difficult initially. Those boys took weeks to master the serving technique. William wanted to give up and Daniel was reluctant to go for training.  Their arms and legs ached from the long hours of training. However, their coach managed to persuade them that things would be less strenuous once they mastered the basic skills.  He was right. In half a year, the boys could play games with each other. They were each other’s critic. Both of them improved tremendously. A sport that was initially supposed to be a form of exercise became a leisure activity.

Their coach’s efforts did not go waste when the boys were selected to represent their school in the national tennis championships. The competition was an opportunity for the boys to meet high calibre players. They were given a chance to pit their skills with other players who were just as good as they, if not even better.

To further improve themselves, the boys watched tennis matches by famous tennis players. They observed the way they served and returned the ball. They also learnt how to control their racquets so that the ball would travel at the speed that they wanted it to.

Tennis became a very important part of the boys’ lives. Caught up in tennis competitions, the boys trained at least four times a week for two hours each time. Instead of using hand-me-downs from their cousins, William and Daniel had their own tennis racquets. They also wore comfortable tennis shoes and appropriate tennis outfits. They were determined to become professional tennis players in the future.

On the basis of your reading of the passage, answer the following questions:

(a) In the passage, Daniel’s father was a good tennis player because he ____________.
 (b) Why did the boys find the training difficult initially?
 (c) The competition gave the boys an opportunity to ____________.
 (d) Which technique did the boys learn by watching the tennis matches played by famous tennis players?
 (e) What determination did the boys have for the students?

Answers:

Q.(a) In the passage, Daniel’s father was a good tennis player because he ____________.
 Ans. he had participated in several tennis matches and was a great fan of famous tennis players.

Q.(b) Why did the boys find the training difficult initially? 
 Ans. Due to the long hours of training the arms and legs of the boys initially ached. That is why the boys found the training difficult initially.

Q.(c) The competition gave the boys an opportunity to ____________. 
 Ans. meet the players of high calibre.

Q.(d) Which technique did the boys learn by watching the tennis matches played by famous tennis players?
 Ans. By watching tennis matches played by famous tennis players, the boys learnt how to serve and return the ball. Also, they learnt how to control their racquets.

Q.(e) What determination did the boys have for the students?
 Ans. They were determined to become professional tennis players in the future