Read the given passage and answer the four questions that follow:-
The stranger came early in February, one wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow, the last snowfall of the year, over the down, walking from Bramblehurst railway station, carrying a little black portmanteau in his thickly gloved hand. He was wrapped up from head to foot, and the brim of his soft felt hat hid every inch of his face but the shiny tip of his nose; the snow had piled itself against his shoulders and chest, and added a white crest to the burden he carried. He staggered into the 'Coach and Horses' more dead than alive, and flung his portmanteau down. "A fire," he cried, "in the name of human charity! A room and a fire!" He stamped and shook the snow from off himself in the bar, and followed Mrs. Hall into her guest parlour to strike his bargain. And with that much introduction, and a couple of sovereigns flung upon the table, he took up his quarters in the inn.
Mrs. Hall lit the fire and left him there while she went to prepare him a meal with her own hands. A guest to stop at Iping in winter time was an unheard-of piece of luck, let alone a guest who was no "haggler," and she was resolved to show herself worthy of her good fortune.
Complete the sentence with the appropriate option:-
All these indicate the cold weather conditions except ______
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → the stranger carried a black portmanteau.
A portmanteau is a large travelling bag. Carrying luggage tells us only that the stranger was a traveller; it says nothing about the weather, so it is the exception.
Example: He packed his clothes into a leather portmanteau before the journey.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: there was a biting wind — Incorrect. True in the passage: the stranger came "through a biting wind"; a biting wind is so cold that it seems to hurt the skin, a clear sign of cold weather.
Option 2: it was snowing — Incorrect. True in the passage: the stranger came through "a driving snow"; snow is a sign of cold weather.
Option 3: the stranger wore thick gloves — Incorrect. True in the passage: his "thickly gloved hand" shows that he had dressed against the cold.