Read the following passage and select the correct option. We planned to travel…
2014
Read the following passage and select the correct option.
We planned to travel Calcutta towards the end of last November. We arranged tickets for the journey from an agency and began our long cherished journey on the third day of the fourth week. It was a very clear day without a cloud in the sky. We felt very little motion as the vehicle moved smoothly into the air. The hostess brought water bottle for each passenger along with a light meal packet in a card board box. She also served tea or coffee according to the demands of the passengers. One passenger asked her when to open the box. She replied, ‘you can take it now or keep it to be used later’. We did not open the box then and there as we did not feel any urge for we just took our meals.
Passengers were asked to eat the food
- A.
immediately
- B.
later
- C.
now or later
- D.
throw away
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Literal, detail-based reading comprehension questions are answered by locating the exact sentence in the passage that addresses the question and matching its stated meaning to the option that expresses the same idea in full, without adding or dropping any part of what was said.
In the passage, when a passenger asked the hostess when to open the box, she replied, “you can take it now or keep it to be used later.” This single sentence explicitly offers two alternatives for the timing of eating the meal, consuming it right away, or delaying it, and leaves the choice to the passenger.
Checking each timing phrase against this reply: a phrase that names only immediate consumption captures half of what was said, and a phrase that names only delayed consumption captures the other half; a phrase combining both timings mirrors the hostess's reply in full, while a phrase about disposing of the food does not appear in the reply at all.