Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.…
2025
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 send his disciples to the forest?
- A.
He wanted to get rid of them.
- B.
He had imparted all the knowledge he had and was left with nothing to teach.
- C.
He wanted them to be killed by a tiger so that he could test his secret verse.
- D.
So that the disciples could practice his secret verse on the wild animals.
Attempted by 163 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Correct answer: None of the four given choices accurately states the reason.
Explanation:
The sage sent the disciples into the forest for forty days so they could put into practical use the learning they had already received, do good things, and look after one another.
The statement 'He wanted to get rid of them.' is not supported by the passage; instead the sage gave clear instructions to go together, come back together, and guide one another.
The statement 'He had imparted all the knowledge he had and was left with nothing to teach.' is incorrect because the sage had deliberately withheld a special verse (the resurrection verse) as it was dangerous; withholding it does not mean he had nothing left to teach, and his reason for sending them was practical training and moral work.
The idea that he wanted them to be killed so he could test the special verse is not in the passage and contradicts the sage's warning against misusing that verse.
The suggestion that they were sent to practice the secret verse on wild animals is also unsupported: only one disciple knew the verse at first, and the sage warned not to misuse it.
Passage evidence: The sage told them to go together for forty days, to guide one another and do good things. That shows his purpose was practical training and moral guidance, not any of the alternatives given.
Recommended correct answer (not provided among choices): He sent them so they could put their learning into practice, do good deeds, and support and guide one another.