Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:-
When I was a small child my grandparents would take me blackberry picking. It was usually late August when the blackberries had fully ripened. Grandad would drive us in his old van. Despite not being comfortable or particularly safe, Grandad's van had a character you would not find in a sleek new car, complete with the latest innovations and a silent engine. Being seven or eight at the time. I always enjoyed a trip as we bounced along to our destination.
My grandparents always chose the same spot. Wild blackberry bushes stretched along the roadside as far as the eye could see in both directions. The road overlooked a small pitch and putt course. On such sunny summer days it was always full. Golfers ambled sedately from hole to hole and the crack of metal striking ball was a constant accompaniment.
Several hours of picking berries ensued. Nana warned me not to eat any until they had all been washed, but turned a knowing blind eye while I gorged anyway. I also helped myself to the occasional unripe red berry as I had a particular taste for anything bitter. The fully immature green berries proved a step too far for even my palate and were merely unpleasant.
When at last we were finished the bright scenery had turned to lengthy shadows and the afternoon had elapsed into evening. Grandad hauled a big bag half full of berries back to the van. Juice bled slowly onto the ground. Nana would later make apple and blackberry tarts and fill several jars with jam. When I reached the van my stomach hurt from too much fruit. My hands stung from constant thorn pricks and were stained dark purple. I always enjoyed those days.
Choose an appropriate title for the essay.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Purple Hands
The essay builds up to its closing image: "My hands stung from constant thorn pricks and were stained dark purple. I always enjoyed those days." The purple-stained hands sum up the whole blackberry-picking day - hours of picking, eating berries on the sly, thorns and juice - and the memory the narrator treasures. That makes Purple Hands the most fitting title.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Grand parents' Van — Incorrect. Too narrow: the van is only the means of getting there, described in the first paragraph; the essay is about the berry picking.
Option 2: Green Berries — Incorrect. Wrong focus: the green berries are mentioned once, as too unpleasant even for the narrator; they are not the subject of the essay.
Option 3: Nana and Me — Incorrect. Too narrow: it leaves out Grandad, who drives and carries the berries, and says nothing about the berry picking itself.