Grade 4 English Comprehension Worksheet for 9-Year-Olds

Instructions

Read the story below carefully. Once you have finished reading, answer the questions that follow. Try to use full sentences for your answers.

The Mysterious Seed

Maya was helping her grandmother in the garden, a place that always smelled of damp earth and sweet roses. While digging near an old oak tree, her small shovel hit something hard. It wasn't a rock. She carefully brushed the soil away and discovered a smooth, dark seed, unlike any she had ever seen. It was the size of a marble and seemed to hum with a faint warmth in her palm.

"What's this, Grandma?" Maya asked, running over.

Her grandmother squinted, her eyes full of curiosity. "I'm not sure, my dear. I've never seen a seed quite like it. It looks ancient." She suggested they plant it in a special pot to see what would grow.

They filled a terracotta pot with fresh soil and gently placed the seed inside. Maya watered it every day, watching and waiting. For a week, nothing happened. Maya started to feel disappointed. But on the eighth morning, a tiny, shimmering green sprout had pushed its way through the soil. It wasn't an ordinary green; it glowed softly, especially when the sun wasn't shining. The plant grew incredibly fast. By the afternoon, its leaves had unfurled, and they were shaped like tiny, golden stars.

Comprehension Questions

1. Where did Maya find the mysterious seed?


2. What did the seed feel like in Maya's palm?


3. In the story, the seed is described as 'ancient'. What do you think this word means?
   

   a) Very new

   b) Very big

   c) Very old



4. How did Maya feel when nothing grew for a week?


5. What was unusual about the plant that grew from the seed?


6. How long did it take for the sprout to appear after the seed was planted?

Vocabulary Builder

Find the word in the story that means the same as the word below. Write it on the line.

1. Opened up: ____________________


2. Looked at with partly closed eyes: ____________________


3. Strange or hard to understand: ____________________

Answer Key

Comprehension Questions

1. Maya found the seed while digging near an old oak tree in her grandmother's garden.
2. The seed felt smooth, was the size of a marble, and seemed to hum with a faint warmth.
3. c) Very old
4. Maya felt disappointed when nothing grew for a week.
5. The plant was unusual because its sprout was a shimmering, glowing green and its leaves were shaped like tiny, golden stars.
6. It took eight days (or the eighth morning) for the sprout to appear.

Vocabulary Builder

1. Opened up: unfurled
2. Looked at with partly closed eyes: squinted
3. Strange or hard to understand: mysterious