A fact that draws our attention is that, according to his position in life, an…
2025
A fact that draws our attention is that, according to his position in life, an extravagant man is either admired or loathed. A successful business man does nothing to increase his popularity by being prudent with his money. A person who is wealthy is expected to lead a luxurious life and to be lavish with his hospitality. If he is not so, he is considered mean, and his reputation in business may even suffer in consequence. The paradox remains that had he not been careful with his money in the first place, he would never have achieved his present wealth.
Among the low income group, a different set of values exists. The young clerk, who makes his wife a present of a new dress when he has not paid his house rent, is condemned as extravagant. Carefulness with money to the point of meanness is applauded as a virtue.
Nothing in his life is considered more worthy than paying his bills. The ideal wife for such a man separates her housekeeping money into joyless little piles – so much for rent, for food, for the children’s shoes; she is able to face the milkman with equanimity every month, satisfied with her economizing ways, and never knows the guilt of buying something she can’t really afford.
As for myself, I fall into neither of these categories. If I have money to spare I can be extravagant, but when, as is usually the case, I am hard up, then I am the meanest man imaginable.
What is the meaning of the word “equanimity”?
- A.
Calmness
- B.
Discomposure
- C.
Equivocal
- D.
Dubious
Attempted by 4 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Equanimity is a quality noun referring to mental or emotional composure — steadiness of mind maintained even under pressure, stress, or provocation. It describes a calm, unruffled state of mind, not a specific emotion tied to any one situation.
In the passage, the housewife divides her money into strict little piles for rent, food and the children’s shoes. Despite this tight budgeting, she faces the milkman — that is, handles a recurring bill — without any visible anxiety, remaining satisfied and settled. That steady, unruffled attitude in the face of a recurring financial demand is exactly what ‘equanimity’ describes, so the word means Calmness.
Why the other options do not fit:
Discomposure: means the opposite — agitation or loss of composure — which contradicts a wife who is described as satisfied and settled.
Equivocal: means ambiguous or deliberately unclear in meaning; it describes language, not a state of mind, so it does not fit ‘faces ... with equanimity.’
Dubious: means doubtful or of questionable character; it does not describe an emotional or mental state at all, so it cannot substitute for a word describing how she faces the milkman.