Year 5 Reading Comprehension Worksheet - Beginner

Year 5 Reading Comprehension worksheet for Year 5 (Key Stage 2 / Year 3-6 (Ages 7-11)). Beginner 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 Comprehensionbeginner

33 views

The Lighthouse in the Mist: Year 5 Reading Comprehension

Ages 9–10 | Beginner level

Name:

Date:

Score:

Instructions: Read the passage carefully, then answer each question using evidence from the text where you can. A useful approach is to find the relevant sentence, underline a key word, and explain what it suggests. For comparison and summary questions, keep your answer focused on the details requested.

Read the Passage

Read the whole passage once to understand what happens. Then read it again, noticing details about Mara, the lighthouse and the storm.

The Lighthouse in the Mist

Mara had never been allowed to climb the lighthouse steps alone. At ten years old, she knew every turn in the narrow staircase, but Grandad always walked ahead with the lantern. Tonight, however, he had gone to help a neighbour whose boat had not returned to the harbour.

From the cottage window, Mara watched mist creep across the sea. It curled around the rocks like a grey cat, hiding the familiar coastline. Then the lighthouse lamp blinked out. The harbour bell rang once, then again. Somewhere beyond the mist, a boat gave a short, uncertain blast on its horn.

Mara’s stomach tightened. She remembered Grandad’s rule: “If the lamp fails, use the hand-crank until the light returns.” She found the heavy crank in the cupboard and hurried to the lighthouse. The stairs seemed steeper without Grandad’s steady footsteps. At the top, she fitted the handle into its socket and turned. It resisted, then began to move with a slow, stubborn rhythm.

The lamp flickered. Mara kept turning. A pale beam pushed through the mist and swept across the water. Once, twice, it passed over the rocks. A horn answered from the harbour. Mara let out the breath she had been holding.

By the time Grandad returned, the lamp was shining steadily. He looked at the turning handle, then at Mara. “You kept your head,” he said. Mara smiled, though her hands still trembled. The sea beyond the glass was no longer invisible; it was simply waiting for morning.

Retrieve and Infer

For questions 1 and 2, find information stated directly in the passage. For questions 3 and 4, use a clue from the text and explain what you infer. A short phrase or sentence is enough.

1. Why had Grandad gone out?

2. What did Grandad say Mara should do if the lamp failed?

3. What does “Mara’s stomach tightened” suggest about how she felt?

4. Give one clue that suggests the boat was having difficulty finding its way.

Explore the Author’s Language

Look closely at the words and phrases in the passage. For each answer, explain the effect on the reader or what the description helps you imagine.

1. The mist “curled around the rocks like a grey cat”. What picture does this comparison create?

2. What does the word “stubborn” suggest about the hand-crank?

3. Why might the author describe the beam as “pale” rather than bright?

4. What mood is created by the phrase “the sea … was simply waiting for morning”?

Compare Characters and Moments

Use details from the passage to compare. You can begin with “At first…” and “By the end…”. Include evidence from the story in at least one answer.

1. How is Mara’s situation at the beginning different from her situation at the end?

2. Compare how Mara feels when she starts climbing the stairs with how she feels after the light returns.

3. How does Grandad’s rule help Mara act when he is away?

4. What is one difference between the sea as Mara first sees it and the sea at the end?

Summarise the Story

Choose only the most important events. Do not retell every detail. Use the sentence starters to help you write a brief summary in your own words.

1. At the beginning, Mara notices that…

2. The main problem is…

3. Mara responds by…

4. By the end, …

Answer Key

Activity 1: Reading passage; no written answer required.

Activity 2: 1. To help a neighbour whose boat had not returned to the harbour. ; 2. Use the hand-crank until the light returns. ; 3. She felt worried, frightened or anxious. ; 4. The boat gave a short, uncertain blast on its horn.

Activity 3: 1. It makes the mist seem to move quietly and curl around the rocks like an animal. ; 2. The crank is difficult to turn and resists Mara. ; 3. It suggests the light is weak or only just returning through the mist. ; 4. A calmer, hopeful mood; the danger and uncertainty seem to be passing.

Activity 4: 1. At first the lamp is out and Mara is alone; by the end she has restarted it and Grandad has returned. ; 2. At first she is nervous (the stairs seem steeper and she misses Grandad’s footsteps); afterwards she is relieved, though her hands still tremble. ; 3. It gives her a clear action to take when the lamp fails. ; 4. At first the mist hides the coastline and sea; at the end the light makes the sea visible, though morning has not yet come.

Activity 5: 1. The mist is covering the sea and the lighthouse lamp goes out. ; 2. A boat is lost or struggling to find the harbour in the mist. ; 3. She remembers Grandad’s instruction, goes to the lighthouse and turns the hand-crank until the lamp shines. ; 4. The boat answers the light, Grandad returns, and Mara has helped guide the boat safely.