Year 4 Reading Comprehension Worksheet - Intermediate

Year 4 Reading Comprehension worksheet for Year 4 (Key Stage 2 / Year 3-6 (Ages 7-11)). Intermediate level english practice, aligned to the UK National Curriculum. Print-ready with answer key included.

English•Key Stage 2 / Year 3-6 (Ages 7-11)•Reading Comprehensionintermediate

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The Lighthouse in the Mist

Year 4 Reading Comprehension | Ages 8–9 | Intermediate

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Instructions: Read the passage carefully, then complete each activity using evidence from the text where you can. For questions asking you to explain, write a full sentence and give a reason.

Read the Passage

Read the whole story once to understand what happens. Read it again more slowly, noticing clues about the characters and setting.

The Lighthouse in the Mist

On Saturday morning, Elsie hurried along the harbour wall with a flask tucked beneath her coat. A thick mist had rolled in from the sea, muffling the gulls’ cries and hiding the boats. At the end of the wall stood the old lighthouse, its white paint peeling in narrow strips.

Mr Vale, the keeper, was waiting by the door. “The lamp has gone out,” he said. “I can’t leave the tower while the foghorn is running. Would you take this spare lantern to the top room?”

Elsie swallowed. The spiral stairs were steep, and the lighthouse seemed taller than ever in the fog. Still, she gripped the lantern and began to climb. Halfway up, a gust rattled the windows. She paused, listening. Then she remembered the boats below, searching for the harbour entrance, and carried on.

At the top, Elsie found the lamp’s wick damp. She dried it carefully with her scarf and lit it from the lantern. A golden beam swept across the mist. Far below, Mr Vale raised both hands. A moment later, the foghorn stopped. Through the window, Elsie glimpsed a fishing boat turning safely towards the harbour.

When Elsie came back down, Mr Vale smiled. “You were braver than you felt,” he said. Elsie looked at the lantern in her hand. She was still a little shaky, but now she was smiling too.

Vocabulary in Context

Use clues in the passage to work out what each word means. Explain your idea in your own words, or give a suitable similar word.

1. What does “muffling” suggest the mist did to the gulls’ cries?

2. In “Elsie swallowed”, what does this action suggest she was feeling?

3. What does “gripped” tell you about how Elsie held the lantern?

4. Find a word in the passage that means “moving in a wide path across something”.

5. What does “shaky” mean in the final paragraph?

Retrieve Details

Find each answer directly in the passage. You may look back at the text and copy a short detail where helpful.

1. What had Elsie tucked beneath her coat?

2. Why could Mr Vale not leave the tower?

3. What was wrong with the lamp’s wick?

4. What did Elsie use to dry the wick?

5. What did Elsie glimpse through the window?

Infer from Clues

An inference is an idea supported by clues in the text. Give a clue as well as your explanation for each answer.

1. How can you tell that Elsie feels nervous before she climbs the stairs?

2. Why does Elsie continue climbing after the gust rattles the windows?

3. What does Mr Vale’s smile suggest about how he feels when Elsie returns?

4. How does Elsie feel at the end, and what clues show this?

Predict and Explain

Use what has happened in the story to make a sensible prediction. Explain which detail helped you decide.

1. What do you think Mr Vale and Elsie might do next to help prevent the lamp going out again? Give one clue from the story to support your prediction.

2. If another boat arrived in thick mist, what might the keeper do to guide it safely? Explain why.

3. Why do you think the author ends the story with Elsie smiling? Use an event from the story to explain your idea.

Answer Key

Activity 1: Read the passage; no written answer.

Activity 2: 1. The mist made the cries quieter or harder to hear. ; 2. She felt nervous or worried. ; 3. She held it tightly. ; 4. swept. ; 5. Trembling or unsteady, perhaps because she was still nervous.

Activity 3: 1. A flask. ; 2. The foghorn was running. ; 3. It was damp. ; 4. Her scarf. ; 5. A fishing boat turning safely towards the harbour.

Activity 4: 1. She is nervous: the text says she swallowed and that the stairs seemed taller than ever. ; 2. She remembers the boats searching for the harbour entrance and wants to help them. ; 3. He is pleased, relieved or proud of her. ; 4. She feels pleased and proud, although still a little nervous; she is smiling and feels shaky.

Activity 5: 1. Answers may vary; for example, they might check or protect the wick, because it became damp. ; 2. The keeper might light the lamp or sound the foghorn, because the story shows these help guide boats in mist. ; 3. Answers may vary; for example, Elsie is smiling because she overcame her fear and helped a boat reach the harbour safely.