CUET Preparation Today
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? |
It likens ragging to a criminal pursuit which freshers tried to avoid but were inevitably caught. To indicate that the ragging episode was formally reported in newspapers. The seniors used strategic timing to capture freshers when they least expected it. The tendency of newspapers to exaggerate minor events. |
It likens ragging to a criminal pursuit which freshers tried to avoid but were inevitably caught. |
The correct answer is Option (1): It likens ragging to a criminal pursuit which freshers tried to avoid but were inevitably caught. * The phrase is presented as a mock newspaper headline, "as the Indian Express used to say," which is a key indicator of its humorous intent.
By using this language, the author (Amitav Ghosh) humorously frames the freshman's attempt to avoid the senior as a failed escape from a crime or jail, suggesting the intense pressure and the desperate, yet futile, attempts by freshers to evade the seniors who were determined to "catch" them for ragging. |
