Reading Comprehension – Short Stories
This reading text for Intermediate learners.
I've already provide the exercises and also the answer key.
“The Bus Driver”
Directions: Read the story. Then answer the questions below.
Dana Miller is a bus driver. She drives a bus in
the city of Philadelphia. She works the night shift. That means she starts work
at 10:00 at night and gets off at 6:00 in the morning. In the world of bus
driving, this is sometimes called third shift. Dana has been driving a bus for
15 years. She started when she was 23 years old. She loves her job most of the
time. She gets to see the beautiful city from her seat. She gets to meet all
kinds of people. There is the guitar player. He lugs his heavy guitar on the bus every Friday night. He plays at a
nightspot downtown. People call him Get Low. That is because he likes to play
the guitar on his knees.
If the bus is not too crowded, Get Low plays in
the back of the bus. The bus is seldom crowded at night. He likes to warm up on
the bus before shows. There is the woman who works at the pretzel factory. Each
day the “Pretzel Lady” brings Dana a bag of fresh, soft pretzels. They fill the
bus with a wonderful smell! Sometimes Dana’s job is hard. It is hard when Dana
sees people down on their luck.
One time, a young woman left her sleeping baby
on the bus. There was a note on the baby's blanket asking for help. Dana had to
call the police. Another time, a teenaged boy stole money from Dana on the bus.
He had a fake gun. Dana thought it was real. She was very scared. Occasionally, driving the bus can be
scary. But most of the time, driving the bus is great. Dana does not want to work anywhere else. “How was your
night?” Dana’s husband likes to ask when she gets home.
“Good music, good food, and a great view of the city,” she says.
QUESTIONS:
1.
Where does Dana drive the bus?
a.
around Philadelphia
b.
to the police station
c.
to pick up guitar players
d.
to pick up school children
2.
What shift does Dana work?
a.
third shift
b.
evening shift
c.
afternoon shift
d.
second shift
3.
How old Dana is?
a.
15
b.
23
c.
38
d.
39
4.
How long is Dana's shift?
a.
6 hours
b.
8 hours
c.
10 hours
d.
12 hours
5.
What is one reason Dana loves her job?
a.
She finds sleeping babies.
b. She gets to call the police.
c. She gets to sleep during the day.
d. She gets to meet all kinds of people.
6.
Why is the
guitar player called Get Low?
a.
He has a low voice.
b. He likes to play sitting down.
c.
He likes to play on his knees.
d. It is the name of his favorite song.
7.
What does lug mean?
a.
to throw
b. to push easily
c.
to carry on one's head
d. to carry something that is hard to move around
8.
The main
reason Get Low rides the bus is because
a.
he likes to see the city
b.
he enjoys talking to Dana
c.
he likes to play guitar there
d.
he needs to get to a show
9.
How
often does Get Low play guitar on the bus?
a.
When
the bus is not crowded.
b.
When
the bus is not crowded and when he doesn’t have a show.
c.
When
he doesn’t have a show and every Friday night.
d.
When
the bus is not crowded, when he doesn’t have a show and every Friday night.
10.
Who gives Dana pretzels?
a.
the guitar player
b.
the young mom
c.
the teenager
d. the woman who works at the factory
11.
Why might
the young woman have left her baby on the bus?
a.
She forgot it there.
b.
It was sleeping.
c.
She meant to come right back.
d.
She felt she could not take care of it.
12.
Who steals money?
a.
Get Low
b.
the baby’s mother
c.
a teenager
d.
Dana
13.
Why
does Dana seem to think people do bad things?
a.
They
are down on their luck.
b.
They
are down on their luck and they are bad by nature.
c.
They
are bad by nature and they know Dana is vulnerable.
d.
They
are down on their luck, they are bad by nature and they know Dana is
vulnerable.
14.
As used at the end of the story, which is the best synonym for occasionally?
a. Seldom
b. one time
c. frequently
d. usually
15.
What great view of the city does Dana have?
a.
the view from a tall building
b.
the view from a mountain top
c.
the view from the sidewalk
d.
the view from her bus seat
ANSWER KEY
1. A
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. D
6. C
7. D
8. D
9. A
10. D
11. D
12. C
13. A
14. A
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