We use the ‘Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level Formula’ to present scores as per US grade level. See all the grade levels here. Following articles, stories and features are appropriate for people at reading level of Grade 8 (Age 13-14 years). More information about Flesch–Kincaid readability tests can be found here.
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Count that Day Lost
If you sit down at set of sun And count the acts that you have done, And, counting, find One self-denying deed, one word That eased the heart of him who heard, One glance most kind That fell like sunshine where it went – Then you may count that day well spent But if, though all the livelong day, You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay – Count that Day Lost [Illustration by Anup Singh] If, through it all...
Mosquito Menace
Guess what besides fat raindrops, rain clouds in Mumbai bring? Those tiny terrors, mosquitoes. Result: nights spent tossing and turning, and swatting the insects. But the next morning you wake up with those tell tale red marks on your arms, pause to think if you took a bath or not the previous night. That’s right. Human sweat turns mosquitoes on more than anything else. Research carried out by scientists in The Netherlands say that mosquitoes are actually quite finicky about whom they sting and never ever nibble at random....
Why do some Rivers Flow Underground
From ancient times, people have settled down along the banks of rivers, since they provide water to drink, to irrigate their fields, and to use as waterways to go from one place to another. But hidden away, below the earth, are rivers that we rarely see, until they surface near the sea, or when they merge with another river. Some have names and are talked of with a sense of mystery, but many are nameless streams that flow through the nooks and crannies of the earth....
Saraswati River in the Thar Desert
The vedas mention the mighty Saraswati river flowing down the Himalayas and then westwards towards Rajasthan. But Rajasthan is a desert. So where did this huge river, which the vedas say was bigger than the Ganga, disappear? It is widely believed that this river still flows under the Thar desert, though no one has been able to prove this for sure. Even the epic Mahabharata, written in 1000 BC, mentions Saraswati as the once-mighty river that was drying up....
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was a powerful voice on behalf of a wide range of social causes including youth employment and civil rights for blacks and women. The wife of a popular U.S. president, Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 11, 1884 was a tireless worker for social causes. A niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, she was raised by her maternal grandmother after the premature death of her parents. In 1905, she married her cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt; they had six children, one of whom died in infancy....
Why do Aircrafts Have a Black Box?
Often, after an air disaster, we hear about the black box in the news. The black box does not play any part in making an aircraft fly but it serves an important function. It is basically an electronic device used by investigators to discover the cause of a crash and may be, prevent others. Why do Aircrafts Have a Black Box? [Illustration by Shiju George] The black box can be inserted or removed from an aircraft....
How do Chameleons Latch on to Prey Using Just Their Tongue?
Have you ever seen a chameleon flick its tongue at a fly? Well, this small reptile with a foot long body has an extremely long tongue. Its nearly three-fourths the length of its body! A chameleon can launch its tongue out at targets up to two body lengths away. It flicks its tongue and can snap its prey in 1/25th of a second! This is faster than you can blink your eye! Once the tongue makes contact with a prey, the prey gets attached to the sticky tongue like glue....
Which is the Most Abundant Fruit in India?
Did you know that in India, mango orchards cover roughly 33 percent (1.08 million hectares) of the total area under fruit cultivation? In a hectare of land you can grow thousands of trees. And each tree bears, thousands of fruit! I will leave it to you to calculate how many mangoes the country produces! It’s no wonder that the subzi mandis (vegetable and fruit markets) get flooded with mangoes in summers. Forget the fact that the country produces millions of mangoes, do you know how many varieties there are?...
A New Camel Specie Discovered
Have you ever sat on a camel? Well, if you have, then you know how scary it is when the camel rises on its long wobbly legs. The rocking motion of a camel is a bit like a ship being tossed around in heaving seas. Small wonder then that the camel is often called the ship of the desert. Actually, the name owes its origins to the fact that camels were brought from the desert, to serve as beasts of burden in other countries....
Buddha Purnima
Buddha Purnima is the most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar. It is the most important festival of the Buddhists, and is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Every festival has its own rituals which provide an insight into the lives and beliefs, customs and culture of the people observing them. One may well ask why is Buddha Purnima observed only by the Buddhists? The answer is simple: because it is associated with the founder of their faith, Lord Buddha....