The Clock in the Cave: Reading Comprehension Worksheet (Grade 3)
Free printable Grade 3 reading comprehension worksheet: an original fiction passage, "The Clock in the Cave", with 5 questions covering literal understanding, inference, vocabulary in context and main idea. Answer key included.
Reading Comprehension: The Clock in the Cave
Read the passage carefully, then answer the questions in full sentences.
At low tide, Eli and his aunt explored the rock pools below Pelican Point. Near a shallow cave, Eli heard a steady sound: tick ... tick ... tick.
"Someone dropped a clock," he said. The sound grew louder inside the cave, but there was no clock. Instead, an orange box was strapped to a rock just above the water. A small light blinked each time it ticked. Eli wanted to pull it free, but his aunt told him not to touch equipment they did not recognise.
They photographed the box and showed the picture to the beach ranger. She smiled. It was an underwater receiver used by marine scientists. It listened for signals from tagged fish passing the point. A storm had shifted it from its marked location, and the research team had been searching for it.
Eli had not found buried treasure, but the ranger said his careful report had saved months of recorded fish journeys.
- 1.Why did Eli think a clock was inside the cave?
- 2.Why did Eli's aunt tell him not to touch the orange box?
- 3.What was the box used for?
- 4.How had the receiver ended up in the wrong place?
- 5.What does the ranger mean when she says Eli saved months of fish journeys?