Comprehension: (Que No. 1 - 5) Read the following passage carefully and answer…
2024
Comprehension: (Que No. 1 - 5)
Read the following passage carefully and answer the given set of questions.
Since the Pre-Vedic era, the 'Idea of India' has been defined by the Monsoons, a season which brings torrential rains to the plains and mountains of the sub-continent. Awaited anxiously by millions, the Monsoons turn India into a soothing, green vision year after year, even as they fertilize its sprawling farms and orchards. No wonder then that India's agriculture, art, music, dance, literature and religious texts are replete with magical vignettes of rain. Indeed, the Monsoon is likened to Prana, the life-force of fecundity in India's ornate culture. Practically everyone in India has some personal signal that the monsoon is coming: The delicious summer mangoes from Lucknow, southeast of New Delhi, lose their tartness. The large, black Indian ants become frantic in their search for food, massing over the scorched earth with a collective desperation. A locust-type insect swarms over light fixtures. The late afternoon sky turns a dirty yellow and the midnight heavens thunder impotently, like a god with a hacking dry cough. India is the only country in the world which has the mighty barrier of the Himalayas to block the passage of rain-bearing clouds that bring a magical rain-dance to India in a specific season every year. India is endowed with the largest water-bearing cloud system in the world. It is estimated to be the size of the entire continent of Europe. It feeds innumerable rivers and their huge network of tributaries to fertilize the subcontinent which is called Bharat Varsha or the Monsoon Island of the Bharatas in religious literature. It is no wonder then, that the 'Idea of India' has been illuminated by the literature, art, culture, music, religion and way of life inspired by the Monsoon tradition. The Indian Monsoon turns large parts of India from a kind of semi-desert into green lands. It is therefore crucial for farmers to have the right timing for putting the seeds on the fields, as it is essential to use all the rain that is available for growing crops.
Question:
How has the author indicated that monsoon rains have become a part of every day life of Indians?
- A.
India's agriculture productivity is completely dependent on the monsoon rains.
- B.
Indians wait anxiously for the rain as it remains extremely hot in India throughout the year.
- C.
India's rivers would have dried completely had it not been for the monsoon rains.
- D.
India's agriculture, art, music, dance, literature and religious texts are incomplete without mentioning the monsoon rains.
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
A literal-comprehension question asks for a detail the passage states directly and explicitly -- the correct choice must restate something the passage actually says, not something inferred, exaggerated, or invented beyond the text.
Right after describing the monsoon's cultural role, the passage explicitly states that India's agriculture, art, music, dance, literature and religious texts are replete with magical vignettes of rain -- a direct textual statement naming several everyday and cultural domains touched by the monsoon.
Option stating agriculture alone: narrows the passage's list to a single domain and ignores the other domains the passage names.
Option stating extreme heat all year: the passage never claims India remains extremely hot throughout the year; it only describes anxious anticipation of the rains.
Option stating rivers would have dried up completely: overstates the passage, which only says the monsoon feeds the rivers, not that they would otherwise fully dry up.
Option stating agriculture, art, music, dance, literature and religious texts are incomplete without mentioning monsoon rain: this closely paraphrases the passage's own statement that these domains are replete with references to rain, making it the option that best matches the passage among those offered.
Because it names the very domains the passage says are filled with references to rain, this is the best-supported choice among the options offered.