Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:
At 50 and on the cusp of celebrating 25 years in the fashion industry with a grand show in Mumbai, the couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee is refreshingly unromantic about his achievements. "A lot of people think I'm a big deal, but for me, it's like running any other business. I'm not an engineer nor a doctor. I don't save lives or build bridges. I make clothes and get undue amount of attention for that."
His modesty is engaging. At heart, Mukherjee is still the boy who, back in the day as a 20-something designer, had famously said, 'Want to make it big? Be in Bengal.' While many thought the idea was bonkers, he stayed put in Kolkata unlike many of its youth who continued to move out for better opportunities. City-proud and stubbornly resistant to all advice to shift base, Mukherjee turned the narrative on its head. From his workshop in Topsia, a suburb on the eastern fringe of Kolkata dotted with tanneries, he built collections steeped in the city with a roaring Royal Bengal tiger as his logo. "Everyone told me staying in Kolkata was suicidal, but I persevered. Now, I'm bringing the whole world to Kolkata", he says, adding that his 25th anniversary show is a homage to the city that has been the core of who he is or what he creates.
Choose a word from the passage to fill in the blank.
With the advent of AI, the world of innovation and technology is at the _____ of astounding progress.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → cusp
A cusp is the point at which something is about to begin or change; "on the cusp of" means "just about to". The passage uses it in its first line: Mukherjee is "on the cusp of celebrating 25 years" in fashion. In the given sentence, the world of technology is just about to make astounding progress with AI, so "at the cusp of astounding progress" fits.
Example: The young singer is on the cusp of national fame.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: suburb — Incorrect. A suburb is an area on the outer edge of a city, where people live; the passage calls Topsia "a suburb on the eastern fringe of Kolkata". A place cannot describe a stage of progress.
Example: They moved from the crowded city centre to a quiet suburb.
Option 2: care — Incorrect. Care means attention and caution or looking after someone; it is not in this passage, and "at the care of progress" makes no sense.
Example: Handle the glass vase with care.
Option 4: rolling stones — Incorrect. The phrase is not in the passage. "A rolling stone" is a person who keeps moving from place to place and never settles; it cannot fill a blank about a point in time.
Example: He changed jobs every year, a real rolling stone.