OCTOBER
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
October, the tenth month of the year, comes from the Latin word, ‘octo’, meaning eight. From the time of Julius Caesar, October has had eight days.
The first frost usually occurs in October in the North Temperate zone. This is the first sign of a cold, biting winter. There are some days of warm, sunshine. Now, autumn has begun. Leaves change their colours to gold and bright reds. Most birds by now have left for the south, though sparrows are fond of October. Farmers are very happy to have sparrows around because they eat the weed seeds that would otherwise damage the next crop.
Football season begins in October and so does the cricket season. One looks forward to relaxing with a bag of peanuts with a cola to down it with while watching the cricket matches.
In the Us. October 12 is a declared holiday to honour Christopher Columbas’s arrival in America in 1492. On the evening of Halloween, the last day of October, children disguise themselves with masks and go door to door asking for ‘trick or treat’. Back home in October celebrates the festivals-Diwali. The calendula is the flower for October. The birthstone for this month is opal.
(a) What is the origin of the word ‘October?
(b) How does a sparrow bring happiness to the farmers?
(c) What is the importance of October to the cricket lovers?
(d) Why is October 12th declared a holiday in US.?
(e) Name the ‘flower’ and ‘birthstone’ for October.
Download the above Passage in PDF (Printable)
