Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. A certain…
2020
Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.
A certain king was travelling from one place to another in disguise because he wanted to check on his officers.
One day he was resting under a tree near a house which belonged to a goldsmith. He overheard a conversation between the father and the son in that house. The son was saying, "Father, don't worry, I shall cheat my customers fully." The king wanted to test him.
The next day the King sent for the son and said, "Make a gold crown for the temple goddess. Come to the palace every day and work on the crown."
The son agreed. He went every day and worked on the gold crown. In the evening when he returned home, he closed his room and used to work on something. He would go to bed late at night.
After some days he finished the work. On the last day before he went to the palace, he went to the river early in the morning to do puja. Then he went to the palace. After finishing the work he took the gold crown to the river to wash it. The soldiers went with him. He came back with the crown. The king was pleased at the work and also that the young man could not cheat him. He said, "You promised your father that you would cheat people fully. But now you know that you cannot." After some silence the young man replied, "I did cheat you fully, my lord."
Which of these words describes the tone of the passage accurately?
- A.
sentimental
- B.
objective
- C.
moralistic
- D.
mysterious
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Tone in a comprehension passage is the narrator's attitude and the emotional colouring conveyed through word choice, narrative style, and what is revealed versus withheld — it is read from HOW a story is told, not just WHAT happens in it.
Applying this here: several narrative choices work together to keep information hidden and build intrigue — the king travels in disguise to secretly test his officers; he overhears a private conversation not meant for him; the son secludes himself and works on an unnamed 'something' behind closed doors every night; and the closing line, 'I did cheat you fully, my lord,' is dropped without any explanation of how the trick was carried out. This build-up of disguise, secrecy, and an unresolved riddle-like ending is what gives the passage its tone.
Checking against the other options confirms the same reading: 'sentimental' would need language steeped in tenderness, nostalgia or pathos, but the passage moves briskly through plot and terse dialogue instead; 'objective' would need neutral, unembellished factual reporting, but the narrator dramatizes disguise, secrecy and a surprise twist, well beyond plain reporting; 'moralistic' would need the narrator to spell out a lesson or verdict, but the passage ends on an unexplained riddle, leaving interpretation open rather than preaching a moral.
The consistent thread of concealment, disguise, and an unexplained twist makes 'mysterious' the tone that fits the passage.