Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow…
2019
Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options :
There's an air of excitement on the platform as the train's departure time draws close. You've found your name on the passenger's list, together with the names of those in the compartment with you; so you already know your 'fellow passengers' names, ages, sex and destination. People are pushing past you to get on, as you show your coupon to the conductor and he tells you to board.
Your fellow passengers are settling in, staking out their claims to territory with too much luggage. A bell clangs but there is no slamming of carriage doors, no blowing of whistles and no shout of "All aboard !" as in the states. The train simply draws out of the station while people stroll alongside and with studied nonchalance, clamber on, one after the other through the still-open doors.
You claim your own seat, pleased to be on the move. Since you have a long journey ahead in the company of strangers, what happens next will govern your enjoyment of the trip. You can start up a conversation and make friends, allies quickly, or be anti-social and lonely for the whole of the journey. Of course, it depends on your personality but if you are travelling alone you'll need an ally, someone you feel you can trust to watch your luggage when you go to the washroom. You can't isolate yourself completely on a train so if that's your style, train travel isn't for you.
I get a thrill out of the start of every train journey. It's not just the excitement of moving on to a new place, there's the anticipation of what's going to happen during the journey; the pleasure at the new acquaintances I'm going to make; the dissolving of city skyline into lush, rural landscape beyond the windows; and the heightened emotions of everyone on board. Indians love to travel by train; they are used to it and prepare properly so it becomes a picnic on wheels. I get excited when I am part of it, you will too.
The phrase, 'draws out' as used here means :
- A.
clears out
- B.
moves out
- C.
hurries out
- D.
breaks away
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
The phrasal verb 'draw out', used of a train or vehicle, means to move away from a stopping point and set off, without saying anything about speed - it simply marks the shift from standing still to being in motion. Related phrasal verbs built on 'out' carry different, more specific senses: 'clear out' means to empty a place of its people or contents; 'hurry out' means to leave with noticeable speed; and 'break away' means to separate from something suddenly or forcefully.
Application
In the passage, the departure is deliberately unhurried: there is 'no slamming of carriage doors, no blowing of whistles and no shout of "All aboard!"', and passengers 'stroll alongside' and 'clamber on, one after the other' even as the train 'simply draws out of the station'. These details describe a train easing gently into motion, not a sudden or noisy event. So 'draws out' here describes the train moving out of the station and beginning its journey.
Cross-check / Contrast
Checking each phrase against the passage's own description of the departure:
'Clears out' describes emptying a place of its occupants or contents, which does not match a train that is filling with boarding passengers as it leaves.
'Hurries out' implies a quick, urgent exit, which contradicts the passage's calm, unhurried picture of the departure.
'Breaks away' implies a sudden, forceful separation, whereas the passage describes a smooth, gradual departure with no abrupt break.
So the phrase 'draws out', as used in the passage, means the train moves out of the station.