Read the passage carefully before attempting Exercise 1 (Multiple Choice) and Exercise 2 (Fill in the blanks dropdown) below.
Every Saturday, Priya cooks a big pot of dal in her kitchen in Leicester. Dal is a warm, thick soup made from lentils and spices. The smell fills the whole house. Her sister always comes over because she loves it too.
Priya serves the dal with hot rice and soft bread called chapati. She puts a little butter on the bread. It melts quickly because the bread is very hot. On the side, she cuts fresh tomatoes and adds a little salt. The meal is simple but very tasty.
Priya learned this recipe from her mother. Her mother made dal every week when Priya was a child. Now Priya makes it for her own family. “It is not just food,” she says. “It is a memory.” Her daughter is seven years old and she already loves dal too. One day, she will cook it for her own family.
For Priya, Saturday night dal is more than a meal. It is the best part of the week.
Exercise 1
Read the passage about someone's favourite meal carefully. Then choose the correct answer for each question based on the text.
Example: What is the person's favourite meal?
Answer: Their favourite meal is pasta.
My Favourite Meal
Food tells us a lot about people and places. Before you read, think about these two questions: What meal do you love most? And why is it special to you? Keep your answers in mind as you read about Priya's favourite meal below.
Reading Passage: Saturday Night at Priya's House
Every Saturday, Priya cooks a big pot of dal in her kitchen in Leicester. Dal is a warm, thick soup made from lentils and spices. The smell fills the whole house. Her sister always comes over because she loves it too.
Priya serves the dal with hot rice and soft bread called chapati. She puts a little butter on the bread. It melts quickly because the bread is very hot. On the side, she cuts fresh tomatoes and adds a little salt. The meal is simple but very tasty.
Priya learned this recipe from her mother. Her mother made dal every week when Priya was a child. Now Priya makes it for her own family. "It is not just food," she says. "It is a memory." Her daughter is seven years old and she already loves dal too. One day, she will cook it for her own family.
For Priya, Saturday night dal is more than a meal. It is the best part of the week.
Key Vocabulary in Context
| Word / Phrase | Part of Speech | Definition | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| pot | noun | a deep, round container used for cooking food on a stove | She puts water and rice in a big pot. |
| lentils | noun (plural) | small, flat seeds that you cook and eat; they are high in protein | He makes soup with lentils and vegetables. |
| spices | noun (plural) | dried plants or seeds used to add flavour to food | She adds spices to the rice to make it taste better. |
| melts | verb | changes from solid to liquid because of heat | The butter melts on the hot toast. |
| recipe | noun | a set of instructions that tells you how to make a meal | My grandmother gave me her recipe for cake. |
| memory | noun | something you remember from the past | That song is a happy memory from my childhood. |
| simple | adjective | not complicated; easy to understand or make | The salad is simple — just tomatoes and oil. |
| tasty | adjective | having a very good flavour; delicious | The soup is very tasty with fresh bread. |
Reading Strategies & Comprehension Tips
Skim First for the Main Idea
Read the whole passage quickly — just 30 seconds. Ask yourself: Who is this about? What does she do? You do not need to understand every word. Just get the general picture.
Scan for Specific Details
Questions about this text will often ask you about what Priya eats, who she eats with, or why the meal is special. Scan for names, food words, and small details like numbers ("seven years old") or places ("Leicester").
Use Context to Guess New Words
If you do not know the word chapati, look at the sentence around it. The text says it is "soft bread" — that tells you what it is. Use the words near a difficult word to help you understand its meaning.
Watch for Cause and Reason
The word because connects a reason to a fact. For example: "Her sister always comes over because she loves it too." The reason is that the sister loves dal. Look for because in the text to find reasons and explanations.
Common Reading Pitfalls & Traps
Trap 1: Who loves dal?
The text says Priya's sister loves dal and comes over on Saturdays. A question might ask: "Who cooks the dal?" The answer is Priya, not her sister. Do not confuse the person who cooks with the person who visits.
Trap 2: Priya's daughter and cooking
The text says Priya's daughter "will cook it" — this is in the future. She does not cook it now. She only loves eating it. Be careful with verbs that describe the future (will) versus the present (makes, cooks).
Trap 3: The word "simple"
In English, simple means easy or not complicated. It does not mean boring or bad. The text says the meal is "simple but very tasty" — Priya thinks it is both easy to make and delicious. Do not read simple as a negative word here.
Trap 4: Where does Priya live?
The text mentions Leicester, a city in England. Some students skip place names because they look difficult. But a question might ask where Priya cooks. Always read place names carefully — they are important details.
Quick Summary
In this passage, you read about Priya, a woman in Leicester who makes dal every Saturday. The meal is special to her because she learned the recipe from her mother. The text uses simple present tense, everyday food vocabulary, and the connecting word because. You practised skimming for the main idea, scanning for specific details, and using context to understand new words.
Now read the passage carefully and complete Exercise 1 (Multiple Choice) and Exercise 2 (Fill-in-the-gap dropdown) below.
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