Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting…
2023
Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate option.
In the middle of her solo trip to Mizoram last month, Geeta Garud, 69, was walking on a narrow ledge, ‘‘making my way behind a waterfall, trying out something I wouldn’t have in my younger years. And I realised how travelling solo was such a liberating experience.’’
Before going on her week-long holiday, she was hesitant about travelling by herself. Garud had asked friends and family but found no takers. Yet there she was, alone, relishing a challenging trek. ‘‘Why was I being dependent on others? Being alone gives you a sense of freedom.’’
She ended up having many firsts. She danced impromptu at a festival in Reiek, waded into a river, and went horse-riding. ‘‘I had opportunities to try horse-riding when I was younger, but could not work up the courage. This time, I thought, if not now, I may not get another chance,’’ says Garud, who was an athlete in her youth and had played cricket.
She was at her farm in Koregaon during the lockdown and had felt the lack of social connections. It motivated her to travel as soon as things eased.
‘‘Travel is also about meeting people; I felt that sense of joy and freedom when I finally did it.’’ She is planning to travel to Europe next and has decided not to take a friend or relative along. She intends to revisit the joy of travelling alone and relishing a sense of freedom all over again.
Garud travelled alone as :
- A.
a companion would have offered her unasked for advice.
- B.
it was less expensive.
- C.
no one agreed to accompany her.
- D.
she did not like company.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
In a literal-comprehension question, the correct option is the reason stated explicitly by the passage for the character's action — not a plausible-sounding reason the reader might infer from general context. The method is to locate the specific sentence in the passage that addresses the exact circumstance asked about, and match the option that restates that sentence's content.
Application
The question asks why Garud travelled alone. The passage states directly: “Before going on her week-long holiday, she was hesitant about travelling by herself. Garud had asked friends and family but found no takers.” This sentence gives the specific, stated circumstance: she wanted company, sought it out, and nobody agreed to join her — so the option matching “no one agreed to accompany her” is the one directly supported by the text.
Cross-check
“a companion would have offered her unasked for advice” is never stated anywhere in the passage — there is no mention of advice-giving at all.
“it was less expensive” has no support either; cost is never discussed in the passage.
“she did not like company” is actually contradicted by the passage, since Garud says “travel is also about meeting people” and describes the joy of social connection — the opposite of disliking company.
Only the option grounded in the explicit sentence about asking friends and family and finding no takers survives this check, confirming it as the answer.