Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows. As the New…
2023
Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows.
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 resolutions 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 amusement 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.
Why did the author find it ironic that he bought a book but had not read it yet?
Answer: A. Because he did not have time to read it — CONCEPTIrony arises when an outcome sharply contrasts with an intention or a reasonable expectation. In a reading-comprehension question, identify the stated…
- A.
Because he did not have time to read it
- B.
Because the book was too difficult to understand
- C.
Because he lost interest in reading
- D.
More than one of the above
- E.
None of the above
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
CONCEPT
Irony arises when an outcome sharply contrasts with an intention or a reasonable expectation.
In a reading-comprehension question, identify the stated fact and explain the contrast without adding an unstated motive.
APPLICATION
The narrator buys How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute to support the resolution to read more. A book promising extremely fast reading should reduce the time needed, yet the narrator says there has not been enough time even to read that book. This contrast creates the irony.
CONTRAST
“The book was too difficult to understand” is unsupported because the narrator never describes attempting to read or understand it.
“He lost interest in reading” conflicts with the statement that the narrator still has not given up the resolution to read more.
“More than one of the above” is not supported because the passage supplies only the lack-of-time explanation.
“None of the above” is not supported because the passage explicitly gives a time-related explanation.
RESULT
The irony is that he bought a speed-reading book but did not have time to read it.