Passage-based Reading Comprehension for CLAT 2026

The summer of ’39 was in a hurry, or perhaps Liesel was. She spent her time playing soccer with Rudy and the other kids on Himmel Street (a year-round pastime), taking ironing around town with Mama, and learning words. It felt like it was over a few days after it began.

In the latter part of the year, two things happened.
SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER 1939

1. World War Two begins.
2. Liesel Meminger becomes the heavyweight champion of the school yard.

The beginning of September.

It was a cool day in Molching when the war began and my workload increased. The world talked it over. Newspaper headlines reveled in it. The Führer’s voice roared from German radios. We will not give up. We will not rest. We will be victorious. Our time has come.

The German invasion of Poland had begun and people were gathered everywhere, listening to the news of it. Munich Street, like every other main street in Germany, was alive with war. The smell, the voice. Rationing had begun a few days earlier—the writing on the wall and now it was official. England and France had made their declaration on Germany. To steal a phrase from Hans Hubermann: The fun begins.

The day of the announcement, Papa was lucky enough to have some work. On his way home, he picked up a discarded newspaper, and rather than stopping to shove it between paint cans in his cart, he folded it up and slipped it beneath his shirt. By the time he made it home and removed it, his sweat had drawn the ink onto his skin.

The paper landed on the table, but the news was stapled to his chest. A tattoo. Holding the shirt open, he looked down in the unsure kitchen light. “What does it say?” Liesel asked him. She was looking back and forth, from the black outlines on his skin to the paper.

“ ‘Hitler takes Poland,’ ” he answered, and Hans Hubermann slumped into a chair. “Deutschland über Alles,” he whispered, and his voice was not remotely patriotic. The face was there again—his accordion face. That was one war started. Liesel would soon be in another.

a) Celebrated with great enjoyment
b) Criticized openly
c) Discussed cautiously
d) Feared intensely

Correct Answer: a) Celebrated with great enjoyment
Explanation: The context suggests that the newspaper headlines displayed enthusiasm for the war news, indicating a sense of celebration or enjoyment.

a) He supports it wholeheartedly.
b) He feels indifferent toward it.
c) He opposes it internally.
d) He feels proud of his nation’s efforts.

Correct Answer: c) He opposes it internally.
Explanation: Hans Hubermann’s non-patriotic tone, slumping into a chair, and the phrase “his accordion face” suggest his disapproval of the war.

a) Sarcastic
b) Optimistic
c) Neutral
d) Humorous

Correct Answer: a) Sarcastic
Explanation: The phrase is used ironically to highlight the grim reality of war, contrasting with the literal meaning of “fun.”

a) “The summer of ’39 was in a hurry, or perhaps Liesel was.”
b) “The world talked it over.”
c) “England and France had made their declaration on Germany.”
d) “The paper landed on the table, but the news was stapled to his chest.”

Correct Answer: d) “The paper landed on the table, but the news was stapled to his chest.”
Explanation: This sentence contains two independent clauses joined by the conjunction “but,” making it a compound sentence.

a) The camaraderie of childhood
b) The impact of war on ordinary lives
c) The rise of Hitler’s Germany
d) The beginning of World War II

Correct Answer: b) The impact of war on ordinary lives
Explanation: The passage focuses on how the war affected the lives of ordinary people like Hans and Liesel, rather than the broader historical events.

a) Rebellious
b) Naive
c) Curious
d) Reserved

Correct Answer: c) Curious
Explanation: Liesel’s curiosity is evident when she asks Hans about the writing on his chest.

a) Simile
b) Hyperbole
c) Metaphor
d) Personification

Correct Answer: c) Metaphor
Explanation: The phrase compares the transfer of ink to a tattoo without using “like” or “as,” making it a metaphor.

a) The war begins, Hans brings home the newspaper, rationing begins.
b) Hans brings home the newspaper, the war begins, rationing begins.
c) Rationing begins, the war begins, Hans brings home the newspaper.
d) The war begins, rationing begins, Hans brings home the newspaper.

Correct Answer: d) The war begins, rationing begins, Hans brings home the newspaper.
Explanation: The passage describes the start of the war, the implementation of rationing, and Hans picking up the newspaper.

a) A sense of unity and patriotism
b) A sarcastic commentary on German propaganda
c) Hans Hubermann’s loyalty to Germany
d) A critique of Germany’s political ideology

Correct Answer: b) A sarcastic commentary on German propaganda
Explanation: Hans Hubermann’s tone is not patriotic, indicating a sarcastic reflection on the propaganda slogan.

a) “Liesel’s Summer Adventures”
b) “The War Begins”
c) “The Impact of War on Himmel Street”
d) “Hans Hubermann’s War”

Correct Answer: c) “The Impact of War on Himmel Street”
Explanation: The passage explores the effects of war on the daily lives of the residents of Himmel Street, making this title the most appropriate.