Question 137
MediumOriginal questionRohit went into the library the first time only because it was raining and the bus shelter had no roof. He stood by the door, hoping nobody would ask him to leave.
The , a thin man with glasses pushed up on his forehead, looked at him over the counter. "You'll need a card," he said, "if you want to stay."
"I don't want to read anything," said Rohit. "I'm waiting for the rain to stop."
"Then you'll need a card to wait," said the librarian, and began filling in a form without asking whether Rohit agreed.
The card cost nothing. It had Rohit's name spelt wrongly on it, and a stamp that said MEMBER. Rohit put it in his pocket and forgot it.
He found it again a week later, and because it was raining again, he went back. The librarian nodded at him as if he had been expected. That day Rohit took down a book about volcanoes, only to have something to hold. He read it standing up, then sitting down, and when he looked up the rain had stopped and the lights had been switched on.
He came back the next day, when it was not raining at all.
Years later, when he had his own name on the of a book, he sent the first copy to the district library. Inside, he wrote only one line: "For the man who said I needed a card to wait."
Why did the librarian say "Then you'll need a card to wait"?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Rohit says he does not want to read, only to wait. The librarian turns this into another reason for a card, and fills in the form without asking.
It is a gentle trick to make Rohit a member, not a real rule.
Worth noting
The card "cost nothing", so the librarian was not after money.
- Concept
- Inferring a character's motive
- Typical timeTypical
- 50 s
- Your timeYours
- —
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