Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.…
2024
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.
The great sage once had a group of disciples. They were all very bright and eager students and the sage had all the reasons to be proud of them. One day the sage realized that he had imparted enough knowledge to his disciples. Now they were all very learned. There was only one thing the sage had not taught them, and that was the special verse that could bring the dead back to life. The sage knew that such knowledge was too wonderful and could prove to be a dangerous thing in the hands of someone who was not very wise. The sage pondered over this for a long time. But he also knew that if he did not pass on this secret verse, it could die with him. So, at last he called his cleverest disciple aside and said “I am going to teach you a very special verse. If you chant this you can bring to life a dead person or animal. Use only when you need it to and never misuse or test your powers vainly.” He then called all the disciples together and said, “I am sending you all into the forest for forty days. Go together and come back together. Each one of you has to guide one another and do good things.” So the disciples started out together into the forest. They were all united. But the clever disciple who knew the verse wanted to show he was better than the others. As they walked into the forest, they came across a dead tiger on the way. It was huge and looked wickedly fierce even when dead. The clever disciple stopped and said to the others. “Now I am going to show you what our teacher has taught me alone. He has taught me how to bring life back into the dead.”
The others would not believe him and he said, “I would prove it to you by bringing this tiger back to life. But another disciple said “do not do anything to prove your knowledge vainly. Moreover, if you put life into this tiger, it will only turn on us and kill us all. This will not be a wise thing to do.” But the clever disciple had decided to prove himself and prepared to recite the verse. But before he did so, the other disciples scrambled up to the topmost branches of a big tree nearby. The disciple then recited the magical verse. The tiger slowly began to breathe. “It’s working” cried the disciple in excitement and joy. The tiger opened its eyes and saw him jumping and shouting in front of him. Roaring loudly, the tiger pounced on the poor disciple and killed him. The other disciples on the tree watched helplessly as the tiger threw down the dead body of the disciple and went away into the forest. After some time the disciples came down, took the body and went to the sage. The sage looked at them and said, “Now you see what can happen if you don’t use your learning wisely. Let this be a lesson for you.” With that, the sage uttered the magic verse and brought the dead disciple back to life. The sage then taught the verse to all his disciples and sent them into the world to do good. He was sure that after such a lesson, they would be wiser and use their knowledge and learning only for doing good.
Why did the sage decide to pass on his secret verse to his disciples?
- A.
So that the cleverest of the disciples may teach other disciples as well.
- B.
He did not want the verse to die with him.
- C.
So that the tiger may eat the cleverest disciple.
- D.
So that he could prove his genius to his disciples.
Attempted by 232 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Answer: He did not want the verse to die with him.
Support from the passage: “He also knew that if he did not pass on this secret verse, it could die with him.”
Why this is correct: The sentence quoted above explicitly states the sage's motive—he wanted to preserve the verse by passing it on.
Why the idea that he wanted only the cleverest to teach others is incorrect: Although he first taught one disciple privately for safety, he later taught the verse to all, showing his aim was preservation, not appointing a single teacher.
Why the suggestion that he intended the tiger to harm anyone is incorrect: The tiger episode demonstrates the danger of misuse; it is not evidence of the sage's intent.
Why the idea that he wanted to prove his genius is incorrect: The sage is portrayed as cautious and responsible; withholding the verse was to prevent harm, not to show off.