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, it is their shared love of laughter and adventure.
Why did Philip need a nurse?
- A.
To wipe out Abdul’s criminal past.
- B.
To help him with day-to-day practical things of life.
- C.
To listen to classical music together.
- D.
To resolve Abdul’s immigration status.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept: In a reading-comprehension passage, a literal/detail question is answered by locating the exact sentence that states the fact the question asks about. The correct option must restate that explicitly stated fact — not merely something associated with a person or topic mentioned elsewhere in the passage.
Application: The passage states that after Philip's paragliding accident left him unable to use his arms and legs, “Philip was struggling to imagine the future, and he needed practical help with his day-to-day life.” This sentence directly gives the reason he was hiring someone for the nurse's job: to help him with everyday practical tasks.
Cross-check — why the other options do not fit:
Abdul's criminal past is mentioned only as background on Abdul; the passage never links Philip's search for a nurse to erasing anyone's criminal record.
Philip's preference for classical music (against Abdul's liking for pop) is listed later as one of the differences in their tastes, not as a reason he needed a nurse.
The passage says Abdul had quit a life of crime and moved to France to look for work; no immigration-status problem needing to be resolved is raised anywhere in the text.