Resources › For Students and Parents Nonfiction Reading Comprehension Worksheets Share Flipboard Email Print For Students and Parents Test Prep Test Prep Strategies Study Skills SAT Test Prep ACT Test Prep GRE Test Prep LSAT Test Prep Certifications Homework Help Private School College Admissions College Life Graduate School Business School Law School Distance Learning View More By Kelly Roell Kelly Roell Education Expert B.A., English, University of Michigan Kelly Roell is the author of "Ace the ACT. " She has a master's degree in secondary English education and has worked as a high school English teacher. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on June 19, 2018 When you're looking for nonfiction reading comprehension worksheets on the internet with which to challenge your high school or college students, you're often out of luck. You'll run into printables that are too easy, not difficult enough, not authoritative enough, or are just too expensive to purchase. Here, please find a whole slew of nonfiction reading comprehension worksheets for those teachers who want to help increase their students' mastery of finding the main idea, determining author's purpose, making inferences, and more. They're also great for substitute lesson plans! Even better? They're free. Enjoy! 01 of 07 Escaping the Endless Adolescence Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images News/Getty Images Copyright: From Escaping the Endless Adolescence by Joseph Allen and Claudia Worrell Allen. Copyright © 2009 by Joseph Allen and Claudia Worrell Allen. Article Summary: Perry, a fifteen-year-old boy suffering from anorexia, sees a psychologist who attempts to get to the root of the boy's suffering. Passage Word Count: 725 Format: Passage of text followed by multiple choice questions Skills Assessed: finding the point of view, assessing author's purpose, identifying literary devices, understanding vocabulary in context, and fact-finding 02 of 07 The End of Overeating Kelvin Murray/Stone/Getty Images Copyright: From "The End of Overeating" by David Kessler. Copyright © 2009 by David Kessler. Article Summary: A reporter and his food industry liaison assess the refined foods people mindlessly consume as the reporter observes a woman eating a meal at a Chili's restaurant. Passage Word Count: 687 Format: Passage of text followed by multiple choice questions Skills Assessed: making inferences, finding the main idea, fact-finding, and understanding vocabulary in context 03 of 07 Carbohydrate Craze William Thomas Cain/Getty Images News/Getty Images Copyright: From "Carbohydrate Craze" by Dr. Rubina Gad. Copyright © 2008. Article Summary: Dr. Rubina Gad decries the popular notion that carbohydrates have no part in a balanced, healthy diet. Passage Word Count: 525 Format: Passage of text followed by multiple choice questions Skills Assessed: understanding vocabulary in context, paraphrasing, fact-finding, identifying the purpose of a portion of the passage, and making inferences 04 of 07 Minimalism in Art and Design Image Source/Getty Images Copyright: VanEenoo, Cedric. "Minimalism in Art and Design: Concept, influences, implications and perspectives." Journal of Fine and Studio Art Vol. 2(1), pp. 7-12, June 2011. Available online http://www.academicjournals.org/jfsa ISSN 2141-6524 ©2011 Academic Journals Article Summary: The author describes Minimalism as pure, plain and simple as it relates to art, sculpture, and music. Passage Word Count: 740 Format: Passage of text followed by multiple choice questions Skills Assessed: understanding vocabulary in context, fact-finding, identifying the purpose of a portion of the passage, and making inferences 05 of 07 What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? Hulton Archive/Getty Images Copyright: Douglass, Frederick. “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?: An Address Delivered in Rochester, New York, on 5 July 1852.” The Oxford Frederick Douglass Reader. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. (1852) Article Summary: Frederick Douglass' speech renounces the 4th of July as an affront to the enslaved population. Passage Word Count: 2,053 Format: Passage of text followed by multiple choice questions Skills Assessed: determining author's tone, finding the main idea, fact-finding, and determining author's purpose 06 of 07 Sun Yat-sen Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Copyright: “The Art and Images of China,” ibiblio catalog, accessed February 24, 2014, http://www.ibiblio.org/catalog/items/show/4418. Article Summary: A description of the early life and political aims of Sun Yat-sen, the first provisional president of the Republic of China Passage Word Count: 1,020 Format: Passage of text followed by multiple choice questions Skills Assessed: fact-finding and making inferences. 07 of 07 Gautama Buddha Lost Horizon Images Cultura Exclusive/Getty Images Copyright: (c) Wells, H. G. A Short History of the World. New York: The Macmillan company, 1922; Bartleby.com, 2000. www.bartleby.com/86/. Article Summary: H.G. Wells provides his version of the early days and start of Gautama Buddha. Passage Word Count: 1,307 Format: Passage of text followed by multiple choice questions and 1 short essay question Skills Assessed: fact-finding, making summaries, understanding vocabulary in context, and making inferences Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Roell, Kelly. "Nonfiction Reading Comprehension Worksheets." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/nonfiction-reading-comprehension-worksheets-3211349. Roell, Kelly. (2020, August 27). Nonfiction Reading Comprehension Worksheets. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/nonfiction-reading-comprehension-worksheets-3211349 Roell, Kelly. "Nonfiction Reading Comprehension Worksheets." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/nonfiction-reading-comprehension-worksheets-3211349 (accessed March 20, 2023). copy citation Watch Now: Top 3 Tips for Improving Your Memory