Read the passage and answer the question that follow:
When things aren't going well, we tend to think we are lacking in something. But if we want to change our current situation, we should first part with something, before we look to acquire something else. This is a fundamental tenet of simple living.
Discard your attachments. Let go of your assumptions. Reduce your possessions. Living simply is also about discarding your physical and mental burdens.
It's amazing how refreshed we can feel after a good cry. Crying clears out whatever weight you were carrying in your heart. You feel energized to try again. I have always felt that the Buddhist concept of the 'enlightened mind' - the Japanese characters for which depict a 'clean mind' - refers to this 'refreshment' of the spirit.
The act of discarding, of detaching from mental and physical burdens, from the baggage that weighs us down, is extremely difficult. Sometimes it can be accompanied by real pain, as when we part with someone who is dear to us.
But if you want to improve the way things are, if you want to live with a light heart, you must start by discarding. The moment you detach, a new abundance will flow into your life.
According to the passage, what are the qualities of 'a good cry'?
(A) A good cry makes you feel light and energized.
(B) A good cry is a way of detaching and discarding the unpleasant.
(C) A good cry is a sign of weakness.
(D) A good cry makes you realise that crying is a waste of time.
(E) A good cry is an illusion in the path of attaining enlightenment.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A) and (B) Only
(A) A good cry makes you feel light and energized. — True.
- Crying "clears out whatever weight you were carrying in your heart", so you feel lighter, and "You feel energized to try again."
(B) A good cry is a way of detaching and discarding the unpleasant. — True.
- By clearing out the weight in the heart, a good cry does what the passage asks of us: it discards the mental burdens that weigh us down.
(C) A good cry is a sign of weakness. — False.
- Not mentioned: the passage says nothing about weakness.
- It speaks of how refreshed we feel after it.
(D) A good cry makes you realise that crying is a waste of time. — False.
- Contradicted: crying is shown as useful: it refreshes us and makes us want to try again.
(E) A good cry is an illusion in the path of attaining enlightenment. — False.
- Wrong link: the writer links the 'enlightened mind' to the real refreshment of the spirit that crying brings, not to an illusion.