Reading Comprehension practice From The Last Leaf By O Henry
Reading Comprehension practice From The Last Leaf By O Henry : Here are three passages from “The Last Leaf,” each followed by 10 multiple-choice questions designed for a reading comprehension test.
Reading Comprehension Test: Passage 1 🍂
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Johnsy fell very seriously ill in November. She had pneumonia. She would lie in her bed without moving, just gazing out of the window. Sue, her friend, became very worried and sent for the doctor. One day the doctor told Sue that Johnsy had made up her mind that she was not going to get well. He said, “If she doesn’t want to live, medicines will not help her.”
Sue tried her best to make Johnsy take an interest in things around her, but Johnsy did not respond. Suddenly Sue heard Johnsy whisper something. She was looking out of the window and counting backwards. “Twelve!” she said, and a little later “eleven”, and then “ten”, then “nine”, “eight”, “seven”. Sue saw an old ivy creeper climbing half-way up the brick wall opposite their window. The creeper was shedding its leaves.
“What is it, dear?” Sue asked. “Six,” whispered Johnsy. “They are falling faster now. Three days ago there were almost a hundred leaves. There are only five left now.” “When the last leaf falls, I will die,” said Johnsy with finality. “I have known this for the last three days.” “Oh, that’s nonsense,” replied Sue.
Multiple-Choice Questions (Passage 1)
- What illness did Johnsy have?
a) Typhoid
b) Pneumonia
c) Malaria
d) Influenza
Answer: b) Pneumonia - In which month did Johnsy fall seriously ill?
a) September
b) October
c) November
d) December
Answer: c) November - According to the doctor, what could medicines not help?
a) Johnsy’s cough
b) Johnsy’s fever
c) A patient’s diet
d) A patient’s will to die
Answer: d) A patient’s will to die - What was Johnsy constantly doing in her bed?
a) Reading a book
b) Gazing out the window
c) Listening to music
d) Talking to Sue
Answer: b) Gazing out the window - What was Johnsy counting backwards?
a) The cars on the street
b) The birds on a wire
c) The leaves on the ivy
d) The days left in the month
Answer: c) The leaves on the ivy - What did Johnsy believe would happen when the last leaf fell?
a) Winter would begin
b) The doctor would come
c) She would die
d) Sue would finish her painting
Answer: c) She would die - How many leaves were left when Johnsy whispered “five”?
a) Six
b) Five
c) Ten
d) A hundred
Answer: b) Five - The ivy creeper was growing on the…?
a) Window sill
b) Roof of the house
c) Brick wall
d) A nearby tree
Answer: c) A brick wall - The leaves were falling from the creeper because it was…?
a) Summer
b) Spring
c) Autumn
d) Winter
Answer: c) Autumn - How did Sue react to Johnsy’s strange belief?
a) She agreed with her
b) She called it nonsense
c) She started crying
d) She ignored her
Answer: b) She called it nonsense
Reading Comprehension Test: Passage 2 🎨
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Sue went and brought her a bowl of soup. “I don’t want any soup,” said Johnsy. “I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark. Then I will sleep forever.” Sue begged Johnsy, “Promise not to look out of the window while I paint.”
“Try to sleep,” said Sue. “I have to paint an old miner. I will call Behrman up to be my model.” Sue rushed down. Behrman lived on the ground floor. He was a sixty-year-old painter. His lifelong dream was to paint a masterpiece but that had remained a dream. Sue poured out her worries to Behrman. She told him how Johnsy was convinced that she would die when the last leaf fell.
“Is she stupid?” asked Behrman. “How can she be so foolish?” “She is running a high temperature,” complained Sue. “She refuses to eat or drink and that worries me a lot.” “I will come with you and see Johnsy,” Behrman said.
They tiptoed into the room. Johnsy was sleeping. Sue drew the curtains together and they went to the next room. She peeped out through the window. There was only one leaf on the creeper. It was raining heavily and an icy-cold wind was blowing. Behrman did not say a word. He went back to his room.
Multiple-Choice Questions (Passage 2)
- What did Sue bring for Johnsy that she refused?
a) A glass of milk
b) A bowl of soup
c) Some fresh fruit
d) Her medicine
Answer: b) A bowl of soup - Sue needed the light from the window to finish a painting of an…?
a) Old miner
b) Ivy leaf
c) Young girl
d) Famous actor
Answer: a) Old miner - Who did Sue decide to call up to be her model?
a) The doctor
b) A neighbour
c) Behrman
d) The janitor
Answer: c) Behrman - Where did Behrman live in the building?
a) On the top floor
b) Next door to the girls
c) On the ground floor
d) In the basement
Answer: c) On the ground floor - What was Behrman’s lifelong dream?
a) To become rich
b) To travel the world
c) To teach art
d) To paint a masterpiece
Answer: d) To paint a masterpiece - How did Behrman react when he heard Johnsy’s story?
a) He was amused
b) He was sympathetic
c) He called her foolish
d) He was indifferent
Answer: c) He called her foolish - When Sue and Behrman entered the room, Johnsy was…?
a) Crying
b) Painting
c) Sleeping
d) Reading
Answer: c) Sleeping - When they looked out the window, how many leaves were left?
a) Only one leaf
b) Two leaves
c) Five leaves
d) No leaves
Answer: a) Only one leaf - What was the weather like that night?
a) Clear and starry
b) Calm and quiet
c) Snowy and cold
d) Rainy and windy
Answer: d) Rainy and windy - What did Behrman do after seeing the last leaf in the storm?
a) He said a prayer
b) He went back to his room
c) He started crying
d) He talked to Sue
Answer: b) He went back to his room
Reading Comprehension Test: Passage 3 🖼️
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Johnsy lay for a long time looking at the leaf. Then she called out to Sue. “I have been a bad girl. You have looked after me so lovingly and I have not cooperated. The last leaf has shown me how wicked I have been. I have realised that it is a sin to want to die.”
In the afternoon the doctor came. After examining his patient he told Sue, “Johnsy now has the will to live. I am confident she’ll recover soon. Now I must go downstairs and see Behrman. He is also suffering from pneumonia. But I am afraid, there is no hope for him.”
The next morning Sue came and sat on Johnsy’s bed. “Mr Behrman died of pneumonia this morning,” she said. “He was ill for only two days. The janitor found him on his bed. His clothes and shoes were wet and he was shivering. He had been out in that stormy night.”
Then they found a ladder and a lantern still lighted lying near his bed. There were also some brushes and green and yellow paints on the floor. “Johnsy dear,” said Sue, “look out of the window. Haven’t you wondered why it doesn’t flutter when the wind blows? That’s Behrman’s masterpiece. He painted it the night the last leaf fell.”
Multiple-Choice Questions (Passage 3)
- Seeing the last leaf survive the storm made Johnsy realize it is a “sin” to…?
a) Be angry
b) Feel sad
c) Want to die
d) Be ungrateful
Answer: c) Want to die - According to the doctor, what did Johnsy now have?
a) A high fever
b) A new medicine
c) The will to live
d) A good appetite
Answer: c) The will to live - Who else was suffering from pneumonia?
a) Sue
b) The janitor
c) The doctor
d) Behrman
Answer: d) Behrman - For how long was Behrman ill before he died?
a) One week
b) Two days
c) One month
d) Five days
Answer: b) Two days - Who found Behrman ill in his room?
a) The doctor
b) Sue
c) The janitor
d) A neighbour
Answer: c) The janitor - Why were Behrman’s clothes and shoes wet?
a) He spilled water
b) He had been out in the storm
c) He was washing them
d) The roof was leaking
Answer: b) He had been out in the storm - What items were found on the floor near Behrman’s bed?
a) A book and glasses
b) A half-eaten meal
c) Money and a wallet
d) Brushes and paints
Answer: d) Brushes and paints - What was special about the last leaf on the wall?
a) It was larger than the others
b) It did not flutter in the wind
c) It was a different colour
d) It grew back overnight
Answer: b) It did not flutter in the wind - What was Behrman’s masterpiece?
a) A portrait of Johnsy
b) The painting of the old miner
c) A painting of the storm
d) The painted last leaf
Answer: d) The painted last leaf - Behrman painted the last leaf to…?
a) Win a prize
b) Finish his dream project
c) Save Johnsy’s life
d) Sell it for money
Answer: c) Save Johnsy’s life
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