Read the passage carefully. Attempt Question:
To those of you who may be inclined to indulge in the sport of the man-eater hunting on foot, it will be of interest to know that the birds and animals of the jungle, and the four winds of heaven, play a very important part in this form of sport. This is not the place to give the names of the jungle folk on whose alarm-calls the sportsman depends, to a great extent, for his safety and knowledge of his quarry's movements; for in a country in which a walk up or down hill of three or four miles might mean a difference in altitude of as much as a thousand feet, the variation in fauna, in a well-stocked area, is considerable. The wind, however, at all altitudes, remains a constant factor, and a few words relevant to its importance in connection with man-eater hunting on foot will not be out of place.
Tigers do not know that human beings have no sense of smell, and when a tiger becomes a man-eater it treats human beings exactly as it treats wild animals, that is, it approaches its intended victims up-wind, or lies up in wait for them down-wind.
The significance of this will be apparent when it is realized that, while the sportsman is trying to get a sight of the tiger, the tiger in all probability is trying to stalk the sportsman, or is lying up in wait for him. The contest, owing to the tiger's height, colouring, and ability to move without making a sound, would be very unequal were it not for the wind-factor operating in favour of the sportsman.
What is the idea expressed in the passage?
A. A difference in altitude
B. Variation in flora
C. Variation in fauna
D. The Hunter and the Hunted
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → D only
The passage is about hunting a man-eating tiger on foot: while the sportsman tries to get a sight of the tiger, the tiger is probably trying to stalk the sportsman. Each is at once the hunter and the hunted.
A. A difference in altitude — Incorrect.
- Too narrow: altitude is mentioned only to explain why the jungle animals vary from place to place.
- It is a side detail, not the main idea.
B. Variation in flora — Incorrect.
- Not mentioned: Flora means the plants of an area.
- The passage says nothing about plants.
C. Variation in fauna — Incorrect.
- Too narrow: Fauna means the animals of an area.
- The variation in fauna is mentioned in passing, and the writer says this is "not the place" to discuss it.
D. The Hunter and the Hunted — Correct.
- The whole passage turns on the contest between the sportsman and the man-eater, and on the wind that decides it.