Read the passage carefully. Attempt Question:

At the table, a man unlike ordinary people was sitting motionless. He was a skeleton with the skin drawn tight over his bones, with long curls like a woman's and a shaggy beard. His face was yellow with an earthy tint in it, his cheeks were hollow, his back long and narrow, and the hand on which his shaggy head was propped was so thin and delicate that it was dreadful to look at it. His hair was already streaked with silver, and seeing his emaciated, aged-looking face, no one would have believed that he was only forty. He was asleep. In front of his bowed head, there lay on the table a sheet of paper on which there was something written in fine handwriting.

"Poor creature!" thought the banker, "he is asleep and most likely dreaming of the millions. And I have only to take this half-dead man, throw him on the bed, stifle him a little with the pillow, and the most conscientious expert would find no sign of a violent death. But let us first read what he has written here..."

The banker took the page from the table and read as follows:

Tomorrow at twelve o'clock, I regain my freedom and the right to associate with other men, but before I leave this room and see the sunshine, I think it necessary to say a few words to you. With a clear conscience I tell you, as before God, who beholds me, that I despise freedom and life and health, and all that in your books is called the good things of the world.

Choose the best option:

Why did the narrator decide to kill the MAN?

Because he wanted to avoid paying the man

The correct answer is Option (4) - Because he wanted to avoid paying the man

This para is taken from the short story "The Bet" by Anton Chekhov.

"The Bet" is a short story by Anton Chekhov that explores themes of greed, materialism, and the value of human life. The story revolves around a banker and a young lawyer who argue over whether life imprisonment is better than the death penalty. To prove his point, the lawyer accepts a bet to spend fifteen years in solitary confinement in exchange for two million rubles.

During his isolation, the lawyer spends time reading books, studying languages, and reflecting on life. As the years pass, he loses interest in wealth and material possessions, realizing their futility. The night before he is set to win the bet, he writes a note stating that he despises riches and renounces the money. Before his time is up, he voluntarily leaves the confinement, proving that wisdom and knowledge are more valuable than wealth.

The banker, who had considered killing the lawyer to avoid paying earlier, is left feeling ashamed and disillusioned. The story delivers a powerful message about the emptiness of materialism and the pursuit of true knowledge.