Nina and the Night Market – Reading Comprehension
A small girl helps her aunt at a lantern-lit night market and finds an unexpected way to be brave.
Nina and the Night Market
Name:Date:Score:
Read the story, then answer the questions.
- 0Nina and the Night MarketAn original story
Every Friday, Nina helped her aunt sell sweet rice cakes at the night market. Lanterns hung from every stall, and the air smelled of roasted nuts and jasmine tea.
Nina was shy. She always stood behind the table and let her aunt talk to the customers.
One night, a crowd of tourists arrived and the stall was soon busy. Her aunt dropped a tray, and the cakes rolled across the stones.
Nina took a deep breath. “Rice cakes!” she called. “Warm rice cakes, soft and sweet!” A line formed at once. By the time her aunt had picked up the tray, the table was nearly empty.
“Where did that voice come from?” asked her aunt, smiling. Nina shrugged. “I think it was hiding behind the lanterns.”
- 1What did Nina and her aunt sell? A roasted nuts B rice cakes C jasmine tea
- 2How does the story describe Nina at the start? A shy B bossy C tired
- 3What happened to the tray?
- 4What did Nina do next, and what was the result?
- 5What does “it was hiding behind the lanterns” mean? A Nina had been lost B Nina's courage had been waiting inside her C The lanterns were noisy
Printable Worksheets for Kids · printableworksheetsforkids.pages.dev
Answer key — Sheet A (5 answers)
- 1. B – rice cakes
- 2. A – shy
- 3. Her aunt dropped it and the cakes rolled across the stones.
- 4. She called out to the customers; a line formed and the cakes sold.
- 5. B – Nina's courage had been waiting inside her
About this skill
Night markets are found in Taipei, Marrakesh, Bangkok, Lahore and many more cities. This story shows how a quiet child finds her voice.
How to teach it
- Read the story aloud once for enjoyment before the questions.
- Ask children to point to the sentence that proves each answer.
- Talk about how the characters feel and why.
Mistakes to watch for
- Answering from memory instead of going back to the text.
Where to go next
- Kofi's Big Drum – Reading ComprehensionG2, G3 · Children's Stories
- The Mango Tree Race – Reading ComprehensionG2, G3 · Children's Stories
- Grandpa's Garden Gate – Reading ComprehensionG3, G4 · Children's Stories
- Mei's Lantern – Reading ComprehensionG3, G4 · Children's Stories
- The Bakery Cat – Reading ComprehensionG1 · Children's Stories
- The Little Red Kite – Reading ComprehensionG1, G2 · Children's Stories
