Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:-
Uma could not sing; but since learning to write, she had developed the habit of writing down any song she heard, to lessen the pain of not being able to sing it. Today the beggar woman was singing...
Resentful anguish welled up in Uma's heart. She called the singer secretly to her room, shut the door and began to write down the song in her eccentric spelling.
Tilakmanjari, Kanakmanjari and Anangamanjari observed everything through the crack in the door, and burst out, clapping their hands, "Boudidi, we've seen what you're doing!"
Uma quickly unfastened the door and began to plead with them, "Darling sisters, please don't tell anybody. I beg you, please don't. I'll never do it again. I'll never write again _"
At length, Uma noticed that Tilakmanjari was eyeing her exercise-book. She ran and clutched the book to her chest. Her sisters- in-law tried to take it away from her by force, but when they did not succeed, Anangamanjari went to summon her brother.
Pyarimohan arrived and sat down grimly on the bed. He said in a voice like thunder, "Give me the exercise-book."
The little girl clasped the exercise-book to her chest and directed a glance of utter supplication at her husband's face. But when she saw Pyarimohan was getting up to snatch the book from her, she flung it down, covered her face with her hands and collapsed on the floor.
Why did Uma develop the habit of writing down any song she heard?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → To alleviate her anguish at her lack of skill at singing.
The passage says that Uma could not sing, and that she wrote down any song she heard to lessen the pain of not being able to sing it. To alleviate means to make pain or suffering less severe, and anguish is great mental pain; so the option repeats the reason given in the passage.
Example: Her kind words helped to alleviate his grief.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: To work upon and enhance her recently acquired skill at writing. — Incorrect. Wrong reason: the passage mentions that she had learnt to write, but improving her writing is not the reason it gives; the reason is the pain of not being able to sing.
Option 3: To compile all the songs in her exercise book. — Incorrect. Wrong reason: the songs do end up in her exercise-book, but making a collection is not her purpose in the passage.
Option 4: To be able to learn to sing the song later. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: nothing in the passage says she hoped to sing later; she writes because she cannot sing.