ComprehensionRead the passage carefully and answer the question that follows.…
2026
Comprehension
Read the passage carefully and answer the question that follows.
Some people believe that insect behaviour shows signs of intelligence. However, a closer look shows that most insect actions are ingrained, automatic, and hard to change.
The female Sphex wasp challenges the idea of insect intelligence because her behaviour resembles a fixed routine rather than flexible thought. She paralyses a grasshopper, places it near her burrow, inspects the burrow, and then pulls the grasshopper inside by its antennae. Darwin observed that when the grasshopper’s antennae were removed, the wasp could not finish the task even though she could have used its legs. She could not adjust when a small detail changed.
Fabre disrupted the same routine by moving the grasshopper slightly while the wasp was inside the burrow. Each time, the wasp brought it back and restarted the inspection. He repeated this forty times, and the wasp reacted in the same way every time. Such repetition suggests a fixed pattern triggered by particular signals. The behaviour may be efficient and useful for survival, but efficiency is not the same as adaptability.
Which of the following real-world scenarios uses the word ‘ingrained’ most appropriately?
Answer: D. The music of ‘500 Miles’ by Hedy West is ingrained in my memory. — Concept‘Ingrained’ is generally an adjective for a belief, habit, pattern, or memory that is so deeply established that it is difficult to change or remove.…
- A.
Pablo Picasso ingrained his painting with vibrant and bold colours.
- B.
He ingrained the information given by his HR on the flashcard.
- C.
The coffin was ingrained with sturdy nails.
- D.
The music of ‘500 Miles’ by Hedy West is ingrained in my memory.
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
‘Ingrained’ is generally an adjective for a belief, habit, pattern, or memory that is so deeply established that it is difficult to change or remove. In this sense, it commonly appears in the frame ‘ingrained in’ a person, culture, system, or memory.
Application
The sentence about the music of ‘500 Miles’ places the expression in the frame ‘ingrained in my memory.’ It describes music that remains deeply and persistently fixed in the speaker’s memory, which is the intended sense of the word.
Contrast
‘Ingrained his painting with colours’ uses the word as though it meant decorated or filled a painting with colours.
‘Ingrained the information on the flashcard’ uses it as though it meant wrote or recorded information on an object.
‘The coffin was ingrained with nails’ uses it as though it meant fastened or constructed with nails.
‘Ingrained in my memory’ uses the established adjective-and-preposition pattern for something deep-seated and lasting.
Cross-check
Replace ‘ingrained’ with ‘deeply fixed.’ The phrase ‘the music is deeply fixed in my memory’ keeps a natural meaning, whereas the other sentences describe decorating, recording, or fastening actions.
Result
Therefore, the sentence about the music of ‘500 Miles’ by Hedy West uses ‘ingrained’ appropriately.