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 9 (Age 14-15 years). More information about Flesch–Kincaid readability tests can be found here.
156 items in this section. Displaying page 6 of 16
What does SOS mean?
Recently, sailors on the nuclear submarine that sank in the Baltic Sea were isolated from rescue workers as their radio set got damaged. Luckily their radio operators knew the Morse code and were able to communicate by knocking on the sides of the ship. There are many explanations for what the words stand for: Save Our Souls; Save Our Ship; Send Our Succour… The meaning of all three is the same – it is a plea for help by someone in distress....
Rediscovering a Smoke-less Diwali
Think of Diwali and firecrackers start exploding in the mind – that is how strong the association of crackers is with the festival of lights. Legend has it that on Diwali, the sound of firecrackers resounds through the universe, announcing the homecoming of Lord Rama after a long period of exile. Another legend says that people began exploding crackers to convey to the gods, their joy at being alive and well on earth. Rediscovering a Smoke-less Diwali [Illustration by Sudheer Nath] Now come back to the present when the uncontrolled celebration of the victory of good over evil itself seems to have become a source of pollution....
Who is the real McCoy?
Ever heard the expression, is that the “real McCoy?” No, its not the musical group we are talking about. Real McCoy is actually a reference to one of America’s most prolific inventors, Elijah McCoy. McCoy invented and patented all kinds of mechanical things to help them work smoothly, efficiently and safely. Over time, the expression “real McCoy” has been used for anything that means the real thing, the real solution. Elijah McCoy Elijah McCoy was born in 1843 at Colchester, in Ontario, Canada to George and Mildred McCoy....
Jellyfish: Fragile Creature of the Sea
A sudden influx of jellyfish, in the Gulf of Mexico in the Atlantic Ocean is worrying both scientists and fisher folk alike. The Gulf of Mexico is bordered on the north by the United States, on the east by Cuba, and on the south and west by Mexico. Fragile Creature of the Sea [Illustration by Sudheer Nath] Jellyfishes are invertebrates (animals without a spinal column). Some are also venomous and their sting can cause paralysis....
Lech Walesa
Born to a family of peasant farmers on Sept 23, 1943 in Popowo in Poland, Lech Walesa started of as an electrician at shipyard in Gdansk. A devout Roman Catholic, he was shocked by the repression of workers’ protests and made inroads with small opposition groups. Despite being sacked from his job, he climbed over the perimeter wall of the Lenin shipyard at the age of 37 to join the occupation strike. With his electrifying personality, quick wit and gift of the gab, he was soon leading it....
What is Physiotherapy?
If you’ve ever been laid up in bed because of a broken leg, or with an arm in a cast, you’ll know how limp that limb feels when it is finally out of bandages. That’s because the muscles in that particular part of the body have not been used for so long that they’ve ‘forgotten’ how to function. They need to be re-taught their work, and this is where physiotherapy comes in. Physiotherapy is that branch of medicine, which makes use of physical agents or exercises to treat a disease or an injury....
What is Ribotyping?
Consider this, in a murder case, the culprit has left no clues. There are no fingerprints or eye witnesses. A perfect crime, you would say. But on close inspection, the crime branch discovers a tiny strand of hair. Back in the forensic laboratories, scientists use this strand of hair to track down the criminal and solve the murder case. But, how can you crack a mystery with a strand of hair, you would exclaim. The technique used by forensic scientists to track down the culprit is called DNA-fingerprinting....
Dealing With the Potential Danger of a Meteor Hitting Earth
Our solar system is like a busy traffic round-about. The sun is at the centre of this round-about which drives a large number of heavenly bodies, including planets, comets and large and small rocks around it. While the earth and the other planets chart fairly fixed paths around the sun, our smaller solar siblings, like rocks, do not believe in staying in their lanes. As a result, a large rock – the size of a small city – bangs into the earth every once in a while....
Ginger, the New Wonder Medicine
Ginger has always been an essential part of most Indian kitchens and grandmothers’ medicine boxes. This spice has been used to treat the feeling of vomiting and indigestion. Now the Western world has also discovered the wonderful qualities of ginger. They see it as a powerful medicine against nausea across the world. Ginger, the new wonder medicine In India, grandmothers have known all along that the juice squeezed from ginger mixed with lime juice can stop one from feeling like vomiting....
Space Tourism: Ready for a Skyrocketing Holiday
Do you wish for an “unearthly " vacation? American astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin, famous for being the second man to land on the moon, is one of the few people working to promote tourism in space. But if the thought of a holiday in space is mind-boggling, the cost of that thought is even more so – almost $200 million for an out-of-the-world experience! Realising the need to make space travel as normal as buses or trains, an American company called the X Prize Foundation is trying to cut down the cost of space travel....