Read the passage and answer the questions that follow on the basis of the…
2025
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow on the basis of the information provided in the passage.
Male lions are rather reticent about expending their energy in hunting. More than three quarters of kills are made by lionesses who are in front, tensely scanning ahead, the cubs lagging playfully behind and the males bringing up the rear, walking slowly, their massive heads nodding with each step as if they were bored with the whole matter. But slothfulness may have survival value. With lionesses busy hunting, the males function as guard for the cubs, protecting them particularly from hyenas.
When the lionesses go in search for their prey, they are very
- A.
serious
- B.
cautious
- C.
playful
- D.
sluggish
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
In a vocabulary-in-context question, you must pick the word that matches the specific behavior or feeling the passage describes at that point, not any word loosely associated with the passage's general topic.
The passage says the lionesses are in front, ‘tensely scanning ahead’ while hunting — a description of heightened alertness and watchfulness for prey. This state of being deliberately watchful and on guard is exactly what ‘cautious’ means, so it is the word that fits the blank.
serious — describes a general seriousness of mood or manner, not the specific watchful scanning behavior the passage attributes to the lionesses.
playful — the passage assigns this quality to the cubs (‘lagging playfully behind’), not to the hunting lionesses.
sluggish — describes slow, lazy movement; the passage assigns this to the males (‘walking slowly’… ‘bored’), the opposite of the lionesses’ tense alertness.