Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow. Untouchable, a…
2024
Read the given extract and answer the questions that follow.
Untouchable, a charming French comedy about two friends who have almost nothing in common, has been a huge international success. But before the story became a cinematic sensation, how exactly did a rich French aristocrat and an Algerian immigrant with a criminal past become good friends? Philip and Abdul first met in Paris in 1993 when Philip was looking for a nurse. He was from a very wealthy family. At one time he had been a successful business man, living a life of great luxury. Then he had a terrible paragliding accident and lost the use of his arms and legs. Life in a wheelchair was lonely and boring. Philip was struggling to imagine the future, and he needed practical help with his day-to-day life.
Philip interviewed more than 80 people for the job of a nurse. But none of them seemed right. Then he met Abdul, who had quit a life of crime in Algeria and moved to France to look for work. He was lively, intelligent and quick-thinking, with a crazy sense of humour. Philip got on with Abdul immediately, and he offered him the job. The two men didn't have much in common. Abdul loved pop music, but Philip preferred classical music. Philip loved modern art, but Abdul hated it. Philip's family was sure that he had made a bad choice. They believed that Philip needed someone much more sensible. Meanwhile, Abdul wasn't planning on staying in the job for long.
However, their working relationship quickly developed into a close friendship. Abdul gave Philip the support he needed. More importantly, his energy and sense of humour brought fun and excitement back into Philip's life. Abdul helped Philip make trips to other countries. Both of them now live in different countries, each with a wife and family. They keep in touch regularly. All that really matters to their friendship, though, is their shared love of laughter and adventure.
What bound the two very different men together for years?
- A.
their love for adventure sports
- B.
warm friendship
- C.
love for music
- D.
their immigration status
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept: In reading-comprehension questions, the right choice must be a statement the passage itself directly supports in its own words - not merely a detail that shares a topic word with the passage. When the text explicitly names the relationship between two people, that direct textual statement outweighs a loosely related idea introduced elsewhere in the passage.
Application: The passage's own closing line names what mattered most to their bond as their shared love of laughter and adventure, and it earlier states that their working relationship 'quickly developed into a close friendship.' Among the answer choices, the value that best captures this enduring, affectionate bond -- rather than any specific activity, taste, or background detail -- is warm friendship.
Cross-check - why the other options don't fit:
their love for adventure sports - the passage only speaks of a shared love of 'laughter and adventure' in the abstract; it never mentions any sport, and Philip's paragliding accident had already left him without the use of his arms and legs, ruling out a shared sporting activity.
love for music - the passage explicitly says their musical tastes differed ('Abdul loved pop music, but Philip preferred classical music'), directly contradicting a shared love of music.
their immigration status -- only Abdul is described as having immigrated (from Algeria to France); Philip is described only as a wealthy French aristocrat, so this is not something the two men share.
Hence, the value that the passage supports as what bound the two very different men together for years is their warm friendship.