📚 Cambridge Checkpoint English Practice

Year 9 Reading Comprehension Skills

📄 Text Insert: Non-Fiction

1The Silent Symphony of Coral Reefs

2

3Beneath the surface of tropical oceans lies a world pulsating with life—a

4kaleidoscope of colour, movement, and unexpected sound. Coral reefs, often

5described as the rainforests of the sea, are far more than silent underwater

6gardens; they are bustling cities teeming with activity.

7

8The reef awakens at dawn. As the first rays of sunlight pierce the water, fish

9emerge from their nocturnal hiding places: parrotfish begin their daily ritual of

10grazing on algae, their powerful beaks scraping against the coral like a

11carpenter's rasp. This activity, though destructive in appearance, is vital. The

12parrotfish consume algae that would otherwise smother the coral, preventing

13photosynthesis and ultimately causing death.

14

15Scientists studying these ecosystems have made remarkable discoveries. Using

16sensitive hydrophones—underwater microphones—they recorded an

17astonishing cacophony of sounds. Snapping shrimp produce loud cracks by

18rapidly closing their claws; fish grunt, chirp, and whistle to communicate with

19each other. The reef, researchers concluded, is anything but silent.

20

21However, this vibrant ecosystem faces an existential threat. Rising ocean

22temperatures trigger coral bleaching—a phenomenon where stressed corals

23expel the symbiotic algae living within their tissues. Without these algae, corals

24lose their vivid colours and, more critically, their primary food source. If

25temperatures remain elevated for extended periods, the bleached corals

26perish, transforming once-thriving reefs into ghostly underwater graveyards.

1. Look at lines 3-6. Give one word which means "full of life and energy". Vocabulary [1]
2. Look at lines 8-13. The writer uses a simile to describe the parrotfish. Give the quotation and explain what it tells the reader. Figures of Speech [2]
3. Look at line 9. What is the purpose of the colon ( : ) in this sentence? Punctuation [1]
4. Look at lines 15-19. Which word in this paragraph is a synonym for "loud, confusing noise"? Vocabulary [1]
5. Look at lines 15-16. The writer uses a dash ( — ) after "hydrophones". What is its purpose? Punctuation [1]
6. Look at lines 21-26. Find an example of a metaphor used to describe dying coral reefs. Figures of Speech [1]
7. Look at line 21. Explain why the writer begins this paragraph with "However". Sentence Structure [2]
8. Look at the whole text. Give two quotations that support the title "The Silent Symphony of Coral Reefs" being ironic. Comprehension [2]

📖 Text Insert: Fiction

1Extract from "The Clockmaker's Daughter"

2

3The shop hunched between two grand buildings like a forgotten secret. Its

4windows, thick with grime, revealed nothing of the treasures within. Maya

5hesitated at the threshold, her fingers trembling on the brass door handle—

6cold, smooth, and strangely comforting.

7

8Inside, the air tasted of oil and ancient wood. Clocks lined every wall, their

9faces watching her like curious eyes; some ticked softly, others remained

10frozen at moments long past. The sound was hypnotic: tick-tock, tick-tock, a

11mechanical heartbeat filling the silence.

12

13"You're late." The voice emerged from the shadows at the back of the shop.

14An elderly man stepped into a shaft of dusty light, his weathered hands

15clutching a golden pocket watch. His eyes—sharp, piercing, impossibly

16blue—studied her with unnerving intensity.

17

18"I don't understand," Maya stammered. "This is my first visit."

19

20"Time." He spoke the single word as though it explained everything. "Time

21moves differently here. You've always been coming; you've always been late."

22He extended the watch towards her. Its surface gleamed despite the dimness,

23intricate engravings spiralling across the gold like frozen lightning.

24

25Maya's hand reached out—not by choice, but compelled by something deeper,

26something ancient. The moment her fingertips brushed the warm metal, the

27shop transformed. The clocks erupted into a frenzy of sound: chiming, clanging,

28shrieking. The air shimmered. And Maya understood, with sudden, terrible

29clarity, that leaving this place would not be simple.

1. Look at lines 3-6. The writer uses personification to describe the shop. Give the quotation. Figures of Speech [1]
2. Look at line 5. The writer uses a dash ( — ). Why? Punctuation [1]
3. Look at lines 8-11. Find an example of a simile and explain what it suggests about the clocks. Figures of Speech [2]
4. Look at line 9. What is the purpose of the semicolon ( ; )? Punctuation [1]
5. Look at lines 13-16. Which two-word phrase shows that the man appeared gradually? Vocabulary [1]
6. Look at lines 20-21. The man says "You've always been coming; you've always been late." How does the writer use sentence structure to create a mysterious atmosphere? Sentence Structure [2]
7. Look at lines 22-23. Find a simile that describes the watch's engravings. Figures of Speech [1]
8. Look at lines 27-29. How does the writer build tension at the end of the passage? Give two ways. Comprehension [2]
9. Look at the whole text. Do you think Maya is in danger in this shop? Evaluation [4]

Give two reasons with supporting quotations: