Question 37
MediumOriginal questionIt began to rain just as the school bell rang, and within a minute the gate was full of children waiting for the rain to stop.
Nikhil had an umbrella. It was large and black and had been his father's, and it had one broken that made it lean to one side like a tired bird. He was about to open it when he saw the small boy from the first standard standing at the edge of the crowd, holding his school bag over his head.
"Where do you live?" Nikhil asked.
The boy pointed down the road, towards the market, which was the opposite way from Nikhil's house.
Nikhil thought about his mother, who would be waiting, and about the long walk back. Then he opened the umbrella.
They walked together to the market, the small boy talking the whole way about a frog he had once found in his shoe. The umbrella leaned. The rain came in on Nikhil's side. By the time he had delivered the boy to a mother at a sweet shop, his left shoulder was through.
The mother pressed a paper bag into his hand. Inside were two warm jalebis.
He walked home in the rain, eating them, and decided that it had been an excellent .
Why did Nikhil hesitate before opening the umbrella?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The boy lived the "opposite way from Nikhil's house", and Nikhil "thought about his mother, who would be waiting, and about the long walk back".
Helping the boy had a real cost to him, which is why he paused.
Worth noting
He then opens the umbrella and helps, so he did not dislike the boy.
- Concept
- Inferring a character's thoughts
- Typical timeTypical
- 45 s
- Your timeYours
- —
Ten questions from Narrative passages, at your own pace.