Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows. Emperor…
2023
Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows.
Emperor Akbar was greatly respected by the rulers and people of the other countries. Ambassadors visited his kingdom, and he too sent his ministers on foreign missions. Once the Shah of Persia requested Akbar to send him Birbal, the wise and witty minister in Akbar’s court. Akbar was pleased and instructed Birbal to go to Persia. The Shah of Persia had heard a lot about the wisdom of Birbal and he decided to test him. When Birbal reached Persia, he was given a splendid reception. A meeting was fixed with the Shah. On the appointed day, Birbal was escorted to the palace and he noticed a strange sight. He saw that there were five thrones on which five Shahs sat in style. Their faces were similar and they wore clothes of the same style. He walked comfortably up to the five thrones and observed carefully. He then bowed before one of them. Everyone was amazed because Birbal had indeed bowed before the true Shah. Nobody had a clue how he had arrived at the true judgement, so he was asked to explain. He replied that he had observed that the other four men appeared nervous and they kept looking at the real Shah and tried to imitate his moves. The Shah, on the other hand, looked relaxed. Thus, Birbal won everyone’s admiration through his quick wit and wisdom. The Shah asked Birbal to stay on at his court permanently. Birbal refused politely and went back to Akbar’s court.
Why did the Shah of Persia make this experiment?
Answer: C. He wanted to test Birbal’s reputation — CONCEPTA purpose question asks for the motive that caused an action, not merely an event that happened before or after it. The strongest answer is the one…
- A.
He was jealous of Akbar
- B.
He wanted to harm Birbal
- C.
He wanted to test Birbal’s reputation
- D.
More than one of the above
- E.
None of the above
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
CONCEPT
A purpose question asks for the motive that caused an action, not merely an event that happened before or after it. The strongest answer is the one linked by an explicit cause-and-effect statement in the passage.
APPLICATION
Locate the action named in the question: the Shah arranged five similarly dressed men on five thrones.
Read backward for the stated trigger: the Shah had heard much about Birbal’s wisdom and decided to test him.
Connect the setup to that trigger: identifying the true Shah would demonstrate whether Birbal’s reputed observation and judgement were genuine.
CONTRAST
“He was jealous of Akbar” introduces rivalry, but the passage gives no jealousy as the motive for the scene.
“He wanted to harm Birbal” conflicts with the splendid reception, later admiration, and invitation to remain at court.
“More than one of the above” needs at least two supported motives, whereas the passage states one direct purpose.
“None of the above” cannot apply because one offered motive is explicitly supported by the narrative.
CROSS-CHECK
Birbal’s success made everyone admire his quick wit and wisdom, which is exactly the ability the staged scene was designed to examine.
Therefore, the Shah made the experiment because he wanted to test Birbal’s reputation.