Read the poem and answer the questions given below it.
The Umbrella Mender
Under the neem tree by the post office
old Kasim sits on a sack, his tools laid out:
a coil of wire, black thread, a pair of pliers,
spare ribs and handles in a biscuit tin.
All summer no one stops. The sun is harsh,
and people hurry past him to the shade.
But when the first clouds gather over the hills,
the lane remembers him and his small trade.
They bring him broken things: a schoolgirl’s red one,
a clerk’s black giant with three ribs snapped,
a grandmother’s faded one with flowers on it,
older than the lane, and patched and patched.
He turns each one slowly, like a doctor
who listens to a heartbeat through his hands,
then bends a wire, ties a knot, and gives it back
with the same nod for coins or for thanks.
And when the rain comes down at last in sheets,
the lane goes home beneath the roofs he made.
Kasim pulls a plastic sheet over his head
and waits, unhurried, in the dripping shade.
What does the word “unhurried” mean in the line “and waits, unhurried, in the dripping shade”?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → calm and in no rush
Unhurried means calm, relaxed and not in a hurry.
- The rain is falling “in sheets” and everyone is going home. Kasim does not rush to leave.
- He covers his head and “waits, unhurried”. His work is done and he is at peace. Example: After the exams, Neha took an unhurried walk through the park.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: unwilling to work — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: This is the meaning of lazy. Kasim has just mended the whole lane’s umbrellas.
Option 2: worried and restless — Incorrect. Opposite meaning: An unhurried person is calm. Nothing shows Kasim is worried.
Option 4: slow because of old age — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: Kasim is old, but unhurried is about a calm choice, not about being unable to move fast.