Question 13
EasyOriginal questionThe ball went higher than any of them had ever hit it, over the neem tree, over Sharma-ji's wall, and through his kitchen window with a crash that stopped the game at once.
For a second nobody moved. Then eight boys discovered that they all had somewhere to be. Within a minute the lane was empty except for Kabir, who had hit the ball, and his little sister Tara, who had been watching from the steps.
"Run," she . "Nobody saw."
"You saw," said Kabir.
He walked to Sharma-ji's gate and rang the bell. His heart was beating so hard he was sure the old man could hear it. Sharma-ji came out holding the ball in one hand and a piece of glass in the other, and looked at him for a long time.
"I hit it," Kabir said. "I'll pay for the glass. It might take a few months."
Sharma-ji turned the ball over in his fingers. "Thirty years I have lived in this lane," he said , "and every summer at least one window. You are the first to ring the bell." He handed back the ball. "Pay for half. The other half is for ringing."
"'Thirty years I have lived in this lane,' he said at last." The phrase "at last" shows that
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Before he speaks, Sharma-ji "looked at him for a long time" and then "turned the ball over in his fingers".
"At last" means after a long wait, so he spoke only after a long pause.
Worth noting
"At last" does not mean "the last thing he said"; it means "finally, after a while".
- Concept
- Understanding a common phrase in context
- Typical timeTypical
- 30 s
- Your timeYours
- —
Ten questions from Narrative passages, at your own pace.