Reading Comprehension Exercise For Class 10 CBSE

Read the passage given below and attempt any eight of the following questions.

What is bonsai? It is not ‘as is commonly believed’ a tree turned dwarf. Bonsai is an art worked with plants in a hollow pot to capture the moods of nature in a surprisingly limited space. It is designed to express the beauty of nature by all kinds of phenomena imaginable. It may also suggest that struggle of a tree against the vagaries of nature which is rarely to be found among trees growing naturally in the fields.

In a sense, bonsai can be compared with the Japanese Haiku, miniature poem of seventeen syllables. Haiku expresses with a minimum of words, a vast wealth of poetic creation. In this sense, both bonsai and Haiku have something in common: a common method of embracing much in little.

There are four important sections in a bonsai as in all plants. The trunk constitutes the very basis of a tree. It is, therefore, the most important part of a bonsai. It should taper gradually towards the top. Bonsai requires a careful pruning of the branches from time to time so that the trees look beautiful from all sides. The colour of the leaves indicates the health of a tree. It is therefore, important to expose them to sunlight and open air. They are normally hardy plants, and as the rule are kept outdoors round the year and occasionally brought indoors for decoration and appreciation. A well-shaped rootage lends a special charm to bonsai, suggesting stability and age. It is an art that demands not only scientific observations but also much care and affection. It is almost a miracle that miniature copy of a towering giant can be kept alive literally for centuries in a small pot.

The practise of bonsai is sometimes confused with dwarfing, but dwarfing generally refers to research, discovery, or creation of plant cultivators that are permanent, genetic miniatures of existing species. Bonsai does not require genetically dwarfed trees, but rather depends on growing small tress from regular stock and seeds. Bonsai uses cultivation techniques like pruning, root reduction, potting, defoliation, and grafting to produce small trees that mimic the shape and style of mature, full-size trees.

Complete the statements given below.

a) Bonsai is the art of dealing with …………….

b) Bonsai and Haiku are similar as both ………………..

c) To make Bonsai tree look beautiful, the branches must be …………..

d) Bonsai is generally kept outside as it ……………

e) Bonsai requires a careful …………… from time to time.

f) The practice of bonsai is sometimes confused with …………..

g) Bonsai depends on growing …………… from regular stocks and seeds.

h) The word ‘vagaries’ means ……………..

i) Find a word from paragraph no. 1 that means the same as ‘miniature’.

Answers

a) Bonsai is the art of dealing with plants in a hollow pot to capture the moods of nature in a surprisingly limited space.

b) Bonsai and Haiku are similar as both have a method of embracing much in little.

c) To make Bonsai tree look beautiful, the branches must be pruned from time to time.

d) Bonsai is generally kept outside as it is important to expose them to sunlight and open air.

e) Bonsai requires a careful pruning from time to time.

f) The practice of bonsai is sometimes confused with dwarfing.

g) Bonsai depends on growing small trees from regular stocks and seeds.

h) The word ‘vagaries’ means quirks / eccentricities.

i) dwarf