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Year 5 comprehension: Reading a weather chart

Read this non-fiction passage, then answer six questions about details, word meanings, inferences and purpose.

Before you read

Read once for the main idea, then look back for details. You can use the passage while answering.

Reading a weather chart

A weather chart can show a pattern that is hard to notice from a single day. Imagine a class measuring rainfall at the same time each morning. They record the amount collected since the previous reading, then empty the container ready for the next day.

A bar chart gives each day its own bar. A taller bar means more rain was collected during that period. An empty space above a day may mean no rain was recorded, but the key or notes must be checked. A missing reading is different from a reading of zero.

The scale also matters. If each marked step represents two millimetres, a bar reaching the third step shows six millimetres, not three. Reading the labels prevents this mistake.

The class can compare wet and dry periods, but the chart does not explain every cause. It records rainfall at one place over a particular time. A nearby town may have a different pattern. A useful conclusion states what the chart supports and does not turn a short record into a claim about every place or season.

Print this passage

Download the original passage, six questions and a separate answer section. The PDF includes links back to this page and the free diagnostic.

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Practise reading

Check your understanding

6 questions. Keep the passage open above and look back for evidence. This practice score stays on this page until you leave or restart. It is not an exam grade or a saved assessment.

Read all questions and answers

  1. 1. When does the class take its readings?

    • A. Only on wet afternoons
    • B. At a different time every day
    • C. At the same time each morning
    • D. Whenever a cloud appears
    Show answer 1

    At the same time each morning: The first paragraph specifies the same time each morning.

  2. 2. How much rain does the example’s third scale step represent?

    • A. Three millimetres
    • B. Two millimetres
    • C. Nine millimetres
    • D. Six millimetres
    Show answer 2

    Six millimetres: Each step is two millimetres, so three steps represent six.

  3. 3. What does “pattern” mean in the opening sentence?

    • A. The shape of one rain drop
    • B. The name of the nearest town
    • C. A relationship or repeated change across the readings
    • D. A decoration on the collection container
    Show answer 3

    A relationship or repeated change across the readings: The chart helps show how readings relate across several days.

  4. 4. Why is a missing reading different from zero?

    • A. Zero means the scale was not labelled
    • B. Missing readings can only happen in winter
    • C. A missing reading gives no measurement, while zero records none collected
    • D. A missing reading always means heavy rain
    Show answer 4

    A missing reading gives no measurement, while zero records none collected: Zero is a recorded amount; missing data does not tell us the amount.

  5. 5. Why should the container be emptied after each reading?

    • A. So the next reading covers the next period
    • B. So every bar has the same height
    • C. So the weather remains dry
    • D. So the class does not need a scale
    Show answer 5

    So the next reading covers the next period: Emptying prevents the previous period’s rain being included in the next collection.

  6. 6. What caution does the final paragraph give?

    • A. Use only the tallest bar in any conclusion
    • B. Assume nearby towns have identical rainfall
    • C. Treat one week as proof of every season’s weather
    • D. Keep conclusions within the place and time measured
    Show answer 6

    Keep conclusions within the place and time measured: The chart covers one place and time, so wider claims need more evidence.

Explore comprehension skills

An original passage written for Trace Learn. Authored 2026-09-30. These are teaching questions, not a school entrance paper.

Questions parents ask

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Should I look back at the passage?

Yes. Find the words that support your answer. For an inference, explain how the details suggest your idea.

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