Read the given passage and answer the four questions that follow:-
In July 1973, Amitav Ghosh joined St. Stephen's College in Delhi. Like every other freshman, he was nervous about the first few weeks, when one was 'ragged' - shorthand for being verbally harassed, harangued, interrogated, and intimidated - by seniors. Twenty-five years later, by now an established novelist, Amitav Ghosh wrote: The year I joined College, the word among us freshers was that the most terrifying ragger in College lived in Rudra Court, in L5. Terrifying because he wasn't the usual kind of bullying, bellowing senior. No, he was to them as the panther is to the elephant. He was bearded, and soft-spoken, so stealthy that you never sensed his presence until he had you square in his sights. Young Amitav was able to escape the clutches of this fearful senior for a fortnight. But then he 'was "nabbed while attempting to abscond" as the Indian Express used to say'. The 'legend of L5' caught hold of the fresher, and quizzed him about his interests. 'I like classical music,' answered Ghosh, nervously. 'You do?' said the legend and walked him into his room in Rudra North. The legend put a record on the turntable and began to play it. He asked Ghosh to identify the composer and composition. Beethoven's Emperor Concerto answered the fresher, correctly. Three or four more records were played and all except one accurately identified. At this, 'The legend stuck out his hand. "I'm Rukun Advani," he said. "Let's go down to Maurice Nagar and have a cup of tea."
What aspect of ragging does the phrase "nabbed while attempting to abscond" humorously highlight?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → It likens ragging to a criminal pursuit which freshers tried to avoid but were inevitably caught.
The words nabbed (caught or arrested) and abscond (run away secretly, usually to escape the law) are words from crime reports in newspapers. Using them for a fresher caught by a senior turns the fresher into a runaway criminal and the senior into a policeman. The humour lies in this comparison: Ghosh had escaped for a fortnight, but was caught in the end.
Example: The cashier absconded with the money.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: To indicate that the ragging episode was formally reported in newspapers. — Incorrect. Misread: Ghosh only borrows the style of the Indian Express. Nothing says his ragging was ever reported.
Option 3: The seniors used strategic timing to capture freshers when they least expected it. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the phrase is about being caught while trying to run away. The passage says nothing about timing.
Option 4: The tendency of newspapers to exaggerate minor events. — Incorrect. Wrong focus: the phrase is used to make ragging sound funny, not to criticise newspapers.
Note: In the original NTA paper, Option 2 read "Ragging in elite institutions was so relentless that escape was futile". NTA accepted this option as a correct answer as well. To leave only one correct answer and avoid confusion for students, it has been changed here to "To indicate that the ragging episode was formally reported in newspapers".
Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.