Question 14
HardOriginal 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."
Why does Sharma-ji ask Kabir to pay for only half the glass?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
He says Kabir is "the first to ring the bell" in thirty years, and then: "The other half is for ringing."
The half he forgives is his way of rewarding honesty.
Worth noting
The other boys are never mentioned by Sharma-ji. The reason he gives is about ringing the bell.
- Concept
- Inferring a character's reason from what he says
- Typical timeTypical
- 55 s
- Your timeYours
- —
Ten questions from Narrative passages, at your own pace.