Question 303
HardOriginal questionWhen Arjun's grandfather lost his sight, the family he would stop playing chess. He had played every evening for fifty years, first with his brother, then with his friends at the club, and in the last few years with Arjun, who almost always lost.
For a month the chess set stayed in its box. Then one evening his grandfather called Arjun and asked him to bring it.
"You'll have to tell me your moves," he said. "And tell me mine, when I make them, so I know I've put the piece where I meant to."
The first game was slow and . Arjun forgot to say his moves out loud, and twice his grandfather's hand knocked over a piece while searching for another. They gave up after twenty moves.
The second game went a little better. By the end of the week, his grandfather was holding the whole board in his head, asking "Is your bishop still on c4?" in a voice that suggested he knew perfectly well that it was.
On the tenth evening, Arjun won. He was so pleased that he said "!" before he remembered, and then felt terrible.
His grandfather laughed for a long time. "Fifty years I've been waiting for you to beat me," he said, "and you had to wait until I couldn't see it."
How did the grandfather's question "Is your bishop still on c4?" sound?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The story says it came "in a voice that suggested he knew perfectly well that it was".
By the end of the week, he no longer needed help; the question showed his confidence.
Worth noting
Early on he was confused, but this question comes when he has mastered the board.
- Concept
- Reading how something is said
- Typical timeTypical
- 55 s
- Your timeYours
- —
Ten questions from Narrative passages, at your own pace.