Unseen Passage Practice for Class 6 English

Dolphins are regarded as one of the friendliest creatures in the sea, and stories of them helping drowning sailors have been common since ancient Roman times. The more we learn about dolphins, the more we realize that their society is extremely complex. Scientists have discovered that dolphins do not just communicate through simple grunts; they have a highly sophisticated language of clicks and whistles.

Interestingly, dolphins are not fish; they are marine mammals. This means they cannot breathe underwater. They must come to the surface of the ocean to breathe air through a 'blowhole' located on the top of their heads. Furthermore, unlike fish that lay eggs, mother dolphins give birth to live babies (calves) and feed them their own milk. Dolphins are highly intelligent and often hunt together in groups, called 'pods', trapping schools of fish to eat.

Q1. According to the passage, what have stories claimed dolphins do since Roman times? Q2. How do dolphins communicate with each other? Q3. Why do dolphins have to come to the surface of the ocean? Q4. Mention two reasons why a dolphin is considered a mammal and not a fish. Q5. Find a word in the passage which means the same as 'advanced/complicated'.

A1. According to the passage, since ancient Roman times, there have been stories of dolphins helping drowning sailors. A2. Dolphins communicate with each other using a highly sophisticated language of clicks and whistles. A3. Dolphins must come to the surface of the ocean because they are mammals and cannot breathe underwater; they need to breathe air through their blowhole. A4. A dolphin is a mammal because: 1) It gives birth to live babies instead of laying eggs, and 2) It feeds its babies its own milk. A5. The word is 'sophisticated' (or 'complex').