Year 5 English Comprehension: The Talking Animals

The Story

Once upon a time, in a small village, there was a curious girl named Lily. She loved exploring nature and discovering new things. One sunny morning, Lily decided to venture into the magical forest that lay just beyond her village.

As she walked into the forest, she noticed the trees were taller than any she had seen before. The leaves sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. “Wow!” Lily exclaimed. “This place is beautiful!”

The Talking Animals

Suddenly, Lily heard a rustling sound. She turned around and saw a little rabbit with big, bright eyes. “Hello, Lily!” said the rabbit. “Welcome to the magical forest! I can talk because of the magic here.”

Lily was amazed. “You can talk? What other magic is in this forest?” she asked.

The rabbit replied, “There are many talking animals, and they all have special powers. Follow me, and I will introduce you to some of them!”

Meeting the Wise Owl

The rabbit led Lily deeper into the forest. Soon, they reached a large oak tree where a wise old owl was perched. “Hoo, hoo! Welcome, Lily!” said the owl. “I can see you have a brave heart. Would you like to learn about the magic of the forest?”

“Yes, please!” Lily replied eagerly.

The owl explained, “This forest is full of secrets. If you listen carefully, you can hear the trees whispering their stories. The flowers sing when the sun rises, and the streams dance with joy when it rains.”

The Challenge

Suddenly, the rabbit said, “Lily, to earn your magic badge, you must complete a challenge. You must find three special items hidden in the forest: a golden feather, a sparkling stone, and a silver leaf.”

Lily felt excited. “I accept the challenge! Where should I start?”

The owl pointed to a shimmering path. “Follow that path, and you will find the golden feather near the magical waterfall.”

The Adventure Begins

Lily thanked the owl and the rabbit. She followed the shimmering path, her heart racing with excitement. After a short walk, she reached the waterfall. The water sparkled like stars, and there, on a rock, was the golden feather.

“Got it!” she cheered, holding it high.

Next, she continued her adventure, searching for the sparkling stone and the silver leaf. With the help of her new friends, she discovered that teamwork and listening to nature were the keys to finding the items.

Finally, after a day of exploration, Lily returned to the wise owl with all three items. “Well done, Lily!” the owl hooted. “You have shown bravery and kindness. You are now a friend of the magical forest!”

Lily smiled brightly. She knew she would treasure this adventure forever.

Questions to Check Understanding

1. What was Lily’s favourite activity?
2. What did Lily find when she first entered the magical forest?
3. Who did Lily meet first in the forest?
4. What special ability did the rabbit have?
5. What did the wise owl teach Lily about the forest?
6. What challenge did Lily have to complete?
7. How many special items did Lily need to find?
8. Where was the first item hidden?
9. What did the golden feather look like?
10. Who helped Lily during her adventure?
11. What did the owl say when Lily found the items?
12. Why was the forest magical?
13. How did Lily feel during her adventure?
14. What lesson did Lily learn from the owl?
15. Where did Lily live?
16. What did the flowers do at sunrise?
17. What were the three items Lily needed to find?
18. How did Lily feel when she accepted the challenge?
19. What did the rabbit show Lily?
20. Why will Lily treasure her adventure?

Questions to Check Vocabulary

1. What does “curious” mean?
2. What does “sparkled” mean?
3. What does “adventure” mean?
4. What does “whispering” mean?
5. What does “challenge” mean?
6. What does “treasure” mean?
7. What does “shimmering” mean?
8. What does “bravery” mean?
9. What does “special” mean?
10. What does “teamwork” mean?
11. What does “magical” mean?
12. What does “discovering” mean?
13. What does “items” mean?
14. What does “friends” mean?
15. What does “exploring” mean?
16. What does “bright” mean?
17. What does “joy” mean?
18. What does “nature” mean?
19. What does “wonder” mean?
20. What does “hearts” mean?

Questions to Check Grammar

1. Is “Lily loves exploring” correct?
2. Should “The rabbit say” be “The rabbit said”?
3. Is “Lily was amazed” correct?
4. Should “The owl explain” be “The owl explained”?
5. Is “the flowers sings” correct?
6. Should “Lily accept” be “Lily accepted”?
7. Is “Where are the items?” correct?
8. Should “Lily saw the rabbit” be “Lily sees the rabbit”?
9. Is “The owl hooted” correct?
10. Should “Lily’s adventure is fun” be “Lily’s adventure was fun”?
11. Is “She follow the path” correct?
12. Should “Lily feels excited” be “Lily felt excited”?
13. Is “The forest are magical” correct?
14. Should “Lily find the feather” be “Lily found the feather”?
15. Is “The rabbit helped Lily” correct?
16. Should “Lily and the rabbit go” be “Lily and the rabbit went”?
17. Is “The waterfall sparkles” correct?
18. Should “Lily was happy” be “Lily is happy”?
19. Is “The owl teach” correct?
20. Should “Lily treasure her adventure” be “Lily treasures her adventure”?

Questions to Check Punctuation

1. Does the story use capital letters correctly?
2. Where should a comma be added in “Lily was amazed she could talk”?
3. Is there a question mark in “What is your name”?
4. Where should a full stop be added in “Lily was happy she found the feather”?
5. Is there an exclamation mark in “Wow”?
6. Should “Lily said hello” be “Lily said, ‘Hello'”?
7. Where should a comma be added in “The wise owl said Lily”?
8. Is there a capital letter at the beginning of each sentence?
9. Should “The rabbit said hello” be “The Rabbit said hello”?
10. Where should a full stop be added in “The owl hooted”?
11. Does “Lily was very excited” need any punctuation?
12. Should “Lily and the rabbit went” have a comma?
13. Is “The forest is magical” correct as is?
14. Should “Hoo hoo” have any punctuation?
15. Where should a comma be added in “Lily the brave girl”?
16. Is there a question mark in “What is in the forest”?
17. Should “The owl explained” have a full stop?
18. Where should a comma be added in “Lily said she was ready”?
19. Does “The rabbit is cute” need any punctuation?
20. Should “Lily said Wow” have an exclamation mark?

Answers and Explanations

Understanding Questions Answers

1. Exploring nature.
2. Tall trees and sparkling leaves.
3. A rabbit.
4. It could talk.
5. About the forest’s magic.
6. Find three special items.
7. Three.
8. Near the magical waterfall.
9. It was golden.
10. The rabbit and the owl.
11. She earned her magic badge.
12. Because of talking animals.
13. Excited and happy.
14. To listen and learn.
15. In a small village.
16. They sing.
17. A golden feather, a sparkling stone, and a silver leaf.
18. Excited.
19. The path.
20. Because it was special.

Vocabulary Questions Answers

1. Wanting to learn more.
2. To shine brightly.
3. A fun activity.
4. To speak quietly.
5. A test or task.
6. To value something greatly.
7. Shining or glowing.
8. The quality of being brave.
9. Unique or important.
10. Working together.
11. Full of wonder.
12. Finding out.
13. Objects.
14. People you like.
15. To travel through.
16. Light and colourful.
17. Happiness.
18. The world around us.
19. Surprise or amazement.
20. The part of you that feels.

Grammar Questions Answers

1. Yes.
2. Yes, it should be “said”.
3. Yes.
4. Yes, it should be “explained”.
5. No, it should be “sing”.
6. No, it should be “accepted”.
7. Yes.
8. Yes, it should be “saw”.
9. Yes.
10. No, it should be “was”.
11. No, it should be “follows”.
12. Yes, it should be “felt”.
13. No, it should be “is”.
14. No, it should be “found”.
15. Yes.
16. No, it should be “went”.
17. Yes.
18. Yes, it should be “was”.
19. Yes.
20. No, it should be “treasured”.

Punctuation Questions Answers

1. Yes.
2. After “amazed”.
3. Yes.
4. After “happy”.
5. Yes.
6. Yes.
7. After “said”.
8. Yes.
9. No, it should be “Rabbit”.
10. Yes.
11. No.
12. No.
13. Yes.
14. Yes.
15. After “Lily”.
16. Yes.
17. Yes.
18. After “ready”.
19. No.
20. Yes.

I hope you enjoyed the story and the questions! Happy learning!