Question 197
HardOriginal questionThe results were due at noon. By eleven, Farhan had the page so often that his thumb hurt.
His friend Nikhil had already rung twice. Nikhil was sure he had done well, and he wanted to compare. Farhan was not sure of anything. The physics paper had gone badly, and he had spent the weeks since telling himself that it did not matter, which is what you say about things that matter very much.
At noon the website . At twelve-fifteen it came back. At twelve-twenty, Farhan typed in his roll number with fingers that did not seem to belong to him.
He had passed. Physics was his lowest mark, lower than he had hoped, but not as low as he had feared. His other marks were good. His English mark was the best in his class.
His phone rang. It was Nikhil. His voice was small.
"I didn't maths," Nikhil said. "I'll have to take it again."
Farhan looked at his own screen, at the numbers he had wanted so badly to share. Then he closed the page.
"I'm coming over," he said. "Don't tell me your marks. Tell me what we're going to eat."
What does "telling himself that it did not matter, which is what you say about things that matter very much" suggest?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The writer points out a common habit: people insist something does not matter when it matters a great deal.
So Farhan was hiding his worry, even from himself.
Worth noting
The writer's comment turns the phrase around; it matters very much.
- Concept
- Understanding irony in a narrator's comment
- Typical timeTypical
- 55 s
- Your timeYours
- —
Ten questions from Narrative passages, at your own pace.