Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow. As the New…
2023
Read the passages given below and answer the questions that follow.
As the New Year approached, like many others, I found myself making resolutions in my mind. The usual suspects made their appearance: waking up earlier, eating healthier, spending more time with loved ones, tackling household chores, being kinder to those I don’t particularly like, driving cautiously, and taking the dog for a daily walk. But this time, I was determined to make my resolutions unique and achievable, learning from past failures. I realized that one of the reasons why most of us fail in our efforts to self-improve is because our goals are often too ambitious, and we struggle to find time to follow through with them. So, I decided to keep my resolution to myself, limiting them to just two modest ambitions: exercising every morning and reading more every evening. The first resolution was to exercise for just eleven minutes every morning before anyone else in my household was awake. The challenge was real, as dragging myself out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual required significant self-discipline. But for the first two days, I managed to sneak down to the living room and jump around on the carpet without being caught. However, my cover was blown when my exhausted state after the exercise gave me away at the breakfast table. Soon, my family caught on and my morning exercise routine became a subject of amusements for them. Despite their teasing, I tried to stick to it, but gradually, my enthusiasm waned, and I found myself back to square one by January 10th, giving up on the morning exercise routine. Undeterred by my failure in the first resolution, I focused on my second resolution to read more every evening. I resisted the allure of television and spent a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book in my room. However, one cold and lonely night, I succumbed to the temptation of television and pretended to read while dozing off in front of the screen. It became a habit again, and I realized I had fallen back into my old ways. Despite these setbacks, I refused to give up on my resolution to read more. In fact, I took a bold step and bought a book titled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute. However, the irony was not lost on me that I hadn’t found the time to read it yet, showcasing the challenges I faced in keeping up with my resolutions.
What does the term ‘resisted the allure’ used in the passage mean?
Answer: B. Fought back against the attraction — CONCEPTThe meaning of a phrase in context is found by combining its ordinary sense with the action and contrast around it. A sound substitution must preserve…
- A.
Gave in to temptation
- B.
Fought back against the attraction
- C.
Do nothing about something
- D.
More than one of the above
- E.
None of the above
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
CONCEPT
The meaning of a phrase in context is found by combining its ordinary sense with the action and contrast around it. A sound substitution must preserve both the sentence’s meaning and the passage’s sequence of events.
APPLICATION
For several evenings, the writer avoids television and reads instead. The next event says that the writer later “succumbed to the temptation of television,” so the earlier action describes actively opposing television’s attraction rather than yielding to it.
CONTRAST
“Gave in to temptation” describes the later act of succumbing, which reverses the earlier behaviour.
“Do nothing about something” describes passivity, while the writer deliberately avoided television and chose to read.
“More than one of the above” would require at least two listed meanings to fit, but the contextual contrast supports only one.
“None of the above” would apply only if no listed meaning fit the context, but a precise match is present.
RESULT
Therefore, “resisted the allure” means “fought back against the attraction.”