Question 304
MediumOriginal 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."
Why did Arjun "feel terrible" after saying "Checkmate!"?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
He was so pleased he shouted it "before he remembered", that is, remembered his grandfather's blindness.
He feared his joy might seem unkind to someone who had lost his sight.
Worth noting
His grandfather's laughter shows he was not angry at all.
- Concept
- Inferring a character's feelings
- Typical timeTypical
- 50 s
- Your timeYours
- —
Ten questions from Narrative passages, at your own pace.