English language is the most popular language in the worldwide communication, and it is also called business language of the world. English language plays an important part in the curriculum of school board across world. In India, we have special emphasis on English language from elementary school, and its importance keep on increasing with progressing classes. It can be classified into two sections- English Literature and English communication skills, which include reading, writing and speaking aspect of language. In this article, we are going to see reading comprehension part. We have taken some example passage from ICSE grade 9 English language, which students can practice and check their performance in the subject.
Check also: If you are looking for ICSE English Grade 9 coaching, you can reach out to us
ICSE English Grade 9 passage
Source: Tribune
The World Bank’s (WB) latest India Development Update has some good news to offer: The Indian economy continues to grow at a healthy pace despite challenging global conditions. The WB has upwardly revised the growth forecast for the country’s economy to 7 per cent from the earlier projection of 6.6 per cent in the current financial year. The not-so-good news is that India is losing out to competitors like Vietnam and Bangladesh among low-cost manufacturing export hubs. As per the WB, India needs to diversify its export basket and leverage global value chains to reach its $1-trillion merchandise exports goal by 2030.
The report’s unwritten message for India is that there is no room for complacency on the trade front. It is obvious that the ‘Make in India’ push is not really translating into a ‘Make for the world’ success story. And what won’t be music to the Modi government’s ears is the fact that the nation’s share in the global exports of apparel, leather, textiles and footwear has declined from 4.5 per cent in 2013 to 3.5 per cent in 2022. The corresponding share of Bangladesh touched 5.1 per cent in 2022, while that of Vietnam reached 5.9 per cent. No less worrisome is India’s increasing trade deficit (the difference between imports and exports) with China. The key is to reduce production costs and improve productivity without compromising on quality.
- Question 1- What are the prediction made by World Bank regarding Indian economy?
- Question 2- In which areas are countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh performing better than India ?
- Question 3 – What are the suggestions given as per passage for improving the exports/
- Question 4- Summarize this passage in 50 words
ICSE Grade 9 Reading comprehension exercise
Source – Economics Times
The latest Economic Advisory Council to PM working paper looking at the share of the national economy that states provide is more than just a ‘who’s best, who’s worst’ report card. It provides clues to what needs to be done, and what avoided. States have followed three broad development trajectories both under central planning and market-led growth. The first has been slow to industrialise, leaving a large portion of their workforce dependent on agriculture. The second lot has industrialised, but hasn’t been able to improve labour productivity through commensurate investment in social infra. The third has managed to industrialise and raise human development. This subset is consistently powering ahead by absorbing surplus farm labour and skilling it to feed further industrialisation. Development strategies for each of these groups have to be tailored. Agrarian states will need bigger transfers from GoI to clamber on to industrialisation. Productivity-challenged industrialised states have to deploy more state gov spending on health and education. Advanced states must work on raising productivity to support export markets. Development planning should also address regional disparity between peninsular states and the hinterland, which provides the former a natural advantage on account of their access to maritime trade. Share of gov spending relative to states’ economic output is inversely related to their level of industrialisation. Laggards are overdependent on central transfers while leaders feel they’re being penalised for their achievements. This isn’t strictly true – India Inc principally caters to the domestic market in which consuming states prop up demand and keep wage costs low through migration. Improvements in living standards in lagging states through larger fiscal transfers and market-unifying reforms like GST spur existing industrialisation. Reducing infra deficit, both physical and social, can push industrialisation here. But states will themselves have to work out strategies to enhance ease of doing business.
- Question 1- What are the key findings of report published by Economic Advisory Council to PM?
- Question 2- What are the three types of states identified by report, and what are the strategies recommended for each one of the states for improvement
- Question 3- What should be the spending pattern of Indian government for industrialization?
- Question 4- What are the key suggestions for improving laggard states
ICSE English Grade 9 exercise
Source – Reuters
Two NASA astronauts aboard Boeing’s (BA.N), opens new tab Starliner will stay on the International Space Station for months, opens new tabbecause of a faulty propulsion system whose problems included helium leaks. Back on Earth, SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has been delayed because of helium issues on ground equipment.
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft landed uncrewed in a New Mexico desert late on Friday.
Past missions have that have been affected by pesky helium leaks include ISRO’s Chandrayaan 2 and ESA’s Ariane 5. Why do spacecraft and rockets use helium, and what is so tricky about it?
Helium is inert – it does not react with other substances or combust – and its atomic number is 2, making it the second lightest element after hydrogen.
Rockets need to achieve specific speeds and altitude to reach and maintain orbit. A heavier rocket requires more energy, not only increasing fuel consumption but also needing more powerful engines, which are more expensive to develop, test, and maintain.
Helium also has a very low boiling point (-268.9°C or -452°F), allowing it to remain a gas even in super-cold environments, an important feature because many rocket fuels are stored in that temperature range.
The gas is non-toxic, but cannot be breathed on its own, because it displaces the oxygen humans need for respiration.
- Question 1- What are challenges for Boeing starliner mission?
- Question 2- Which key missions have faced helium leaks ?
- Question 3- Why does spacecraft and rocket use helium?
- Question 4- Summarize the passage in 50 words
End Note
In this article, we have provided practice test for reading comprehension for Grade 9 English. Students can practice these English exercises, and can contact us for checking the answer, or in case of any confusion.