Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions by…
2019
Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions by selecting the correct/most appropriate options :
The other day I received an unusual and very gratifying gift : I was given a tree. Or rather, I was given half-a-dozen trees, which would be planted on my behalf. I had been invited to give a talk to an organisation. After such events, the speaker is usually given a token gift. Sometimes the gift is that of a pen, or something useful. Often, the gift is in the form of a plaque or similar commemorative token. However well-meant, such gifts are destined to gather dust in forgotten corners. Which is why I was agreeably surprised to be given a scroll which attested that, in a designated plantation established for the purpose, six trees would be added in my name, as part of ‘green’ movement being sponsored by the organization.
In an increasingly environmentally conscious world, the gift of a living tree or plant makes for a perfect present. The tradition of giving and receiving gifts has increasingly become a highly evolved marketing exercise. Apart from festivals like Diwali, Holi, Christmas, Eid and others, a whole new calendar of celebratory events has been created to promote the giving of gifts : Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Teacher’s Day, Valentine’s Day and so on and on.
What do you give to people – friends, relatives, spouses, children, parents, employees, clients, well-wishers who have more or less everything, or at least everything that you could afford to give them as a gift ? Another shirt or kurta ? Another bottle of scent or after shave ? Another box of chocolates ? Another any other ?
What usually happens to the gifts he/she receives ?
- A.
He uses them if he needs them.
- B.
He gives them away as gifts to others.
- C.
They are put away and forgotten.
- D.
He keeps them religiously as mementoes.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept:
A literal (basic) comprehension question asks you to identify information the passage states directly, and to match an option to the passage's own wording rather than to any outside inference or opinion.
Application:
The first paragraph describes what usually happens to common token gifts such as pens or commemorative plaques after they are given: “However well-meant, such gifts are destined to gather dust in forgotten corners.” This sentence directly answers the question – the recipient sets such gifts aside, and they go unused and unnoticed over time.
Cross-check (why the other options don't fit):
“He uses them if he needs them” – the passage does not describe the recipient drawing on these gifts for any practical use; it describes them sitting untouched in forgotten corners.
“He gives them away as gifts to others” – the passage does not mention the recipient re-gifting or redistributing these items to other people; it only describes where the items end up after being received.
“He keeps them religiously as mementoes” – “gather dust in forgotten corners” describes neglect, not the deliberate, careful preservation implied by keeping something religiously as a memento.
Therefore the correct option is “They are put away and forgotten,” as directly supported by the passage's own words.