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.
We did not open the box as
- A.
there was no immediate demand
- B.
we wanted to leave the food behind
- C.
we wanted to donate the food to someone
- D.
the food was not good
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
A reading-comprehension 'reason' question is answered by matching the stem to the exact justification given in the passage itself — a choice must be confirmed by what the text actually states, not by any generally plausible reason for the character's behaviour.
The passage gives the reason directly: ‘We did not open the box then and there as we did not feel any urge for we just took our meals.’ Having just had their meals, the passengers felt no pressing need to open the box right away — that is, there was no immediate demand for its contents.
'We wanted to leave the food behind' would mean a decision to abandon the meal for good; the passage describes only a delay in opening the box, never an intention to discard it.
'We wanted to donate the food to someone' would require an intention to give the food away to another person; no such plan is mentioned anywhere in the passage.
'The food was not good' would be a judgement on the meal's quality; the passage makes no comment at all about taste or quality.
Since the passage's own stated reason is the absence of any pressing need at that moment, the passage-supported answer is 'there was no immediate demand.'