FREE Reading Comprehension Passages and Questions (4th Grade Free - Free Printable

Let's solve the reading comprehension task step by step based on the provided passage titled "Growing Food at Home."

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Passage Summary:

The passage explains how many vegetables can be grown at home either in the ground or in containers (pots). It mentions that some plants, like lettuce, arugula, and spinach, grow well from seeds planted directly into soil. Other vegetables, such as beans, cucumbers, summer and winter squash, also grow well from seeds. However, plants like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, which take longer to mature, are often started as transplants — meaning they are grown from seeds in small containers indoors under grow lights or in greenhouses, then moved to gardens later.

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Question 1: What is a container garden?

Answer:
A container garden is a garden where plants are grown in pots or other containers instead of directly in the ground.

Explanation:
The passage says, *"Many popular produce items can be easily and inexpensively grown at home, either right in the ground or in a container garden (plants in pots)."* This clearly defines a container garden as growing plants in pots.

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Question 2: What are the two different ways you can get vegetable plants to grow in your backyard?

Answer:
You can grow vegetable plants in your backyard:
1. By planting seeds directly into the soil.
2. By purchasing transplants (young plants) from garden centers and planting them.

Explanation:
The passage states: *"Greens like lettuce, arugula, and spinach grow very well when you plant the seeds directly into the soil..."* and *"Many backyard gardeners purchase transplants of things which take longer to mature and produce fruit..."* These two methods are explicitly mentioned.

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Question 3: Circle which vegetable(s) are easy to grow from seed.

Options:
- lettuce
- tomatoes
- squashes

Answer:
✔ lettuce
✔ squashes

Explanation:
The passage says: *"Greens like lettuce, arugula, and spinach grow very well when you plant the seeds directly into the soil..."* and *"as well as cucumbers and both summer and winter squash."* So lettuce and squashes are listed as easy to grow from seed.
Tomatoes are mentioned as being commonly bought as transplants, not grown from seed in the backyard, so they are not circled.

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Question 4: Circle the vegetable(s) often bought as transplants.

Options:
- arugula
- eggplant
- beans

Answer:
✔ eggplant

Explanation:
The passage says: *"Many backyard gardeners purchase transplants of things which take longer to mature and produce fruit, such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants."*
So eggplant is one of the vegetables often bought as a transplant.
- Arugula and beans are mentioned as being grown from seed, so they are not typically bought as transplants.

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✔ Final Answers:

1. A container garden is a garden where plants are grown in pots or containers instead of directly in the ground.
2. The two ways are:
- Planting seeds directly into the soil.
- Purchasing transplants (young plants) from garden centers.
3. lettuce and squashes are easy to grow from seed.
4. eggplant is often bought as a transplant.

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