The Little Mermaid and Her Sisters
by Hans Christian Andersen from The Little Mermaid
Hans Christian Andersen was a famous Danish writer of children’s stories and fairy tales. He wrote “The Little Mermaid” in 1837. It’s the story of a young mermaid who is the youngest of five sisters. She has never seen the world above the sea, but she has heard many stories about the land of humans. This is a passage from the beginning of the story.
Reading Comprehension Passage
The Little Mermaid and Her Sisters
by Hans Christian Andersen from The Little Mermaid
Reading Comprehension Questions
Vocabulary List
Vocabulary List
Each of the vocabulary words below are used in the reading passage. As you read the passage, pay attention to context clues that suggest the word’s meaning.
- pleasure
- fragrance
- permission
- keel
- gazing
- pealing
- steeples
- bustle
- fancied
- depths
Context Clues
Context Clues
Using context clues from the sentences in the passage, underline the correct meaning of the word in boldface.
1) "Nothing gave her so much pleasure as to hear about the world above the sea."
a. worry; concern b. money c. sadness d. enjoyment; thrill
2) "most wonderful and beautiful to hear that the flowers of the land had fragrance"
a. bright colors b. friends c. pleasant smell; perfume d. water
3) "you will have permission to rise up out of the sea"
a. approval b. a day or two c. long boats d. chances
4) "holding out her white hands towards the keel of their ship"
a. window b. deck c. bottom of a ship; hull d. sail
5) "lie on a sand bank in the quiet moonlit sea, near the shore, gazing at the lights of the near-by town"
a. stopping b. watching or looking c. waving d. aiming
6) "the merry pealing of the bells in the church steeples"
a. ringing b. dancing c. laughter d. falling
7) "the merry pealing of the bells in the church steeples"
a. schoolrooms b. graveyard c. stables d. towers or spires
8) "the great city, with all its bustle and noise"
a. food b. activity; action c. fashion or clothing d. citizens
9) "fancied she could hear the sound of the church bells down in the depths of the sea"
a. imagined; believed b. saw clearly c. explained d. forgot
10) "fancied she could hear the sound of the church bells down in the depths of the sea"
a. bottom; deepness b. waves c. beaches; sandy area d. beds