Read the following passage carefully and answer the next 5 questions by choosing the correct option:
No one could understand where he got his money from. But the person who marvelled most at the dashing and luxurious life led by Alphonse was his friend and partner.
After they dissolved their partnership, most of the custom and the best connection passed by degrees into Charles's hands. This was not because he in any way sought to run counter to his former partner; on the contrary, it arose simply from the fact that Charles was the more capable man of the two. And as Alphonse had now to work on his own account, it was soon clear to any one who observed him closely, that in spite of his promptitude, his amiability, and his prepossessing appearance, he was not fit to be at the head of an independent business.
And there was one person who did observe him closely. Charles followed him step by step with his sharp eyes; every blunder, every extravagance, every loss - he knew all to a nicety, and he wondered how Alphonse could keep going so long.
They had as good as grown up together. Their mothers were cousins; the families had lived near each other in the same street; and in a city like Paris, proximity is as important as relationship in promoting closeness. Moreover, the boys went to same school.
The passage is about:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → two friends who turned rivals
Alphonse and Charles grew up together and were friends and partners. After they dissolved the partnership, each worked on his own account in the same trade, and "most of the custom and the best connection passed by degrees into Charles's hands". Charles then watched every blunder of his former partner. The passage is about two friends who became rivals, that is, competitors in the same business.
Example: The two shops on the corner have been rivals for customers for years.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: two brothers — Incorrect. Contradicted: they were not brothers: their mothers were cousins, and they had grown up together as neighbours.
Option 3: two enemies — Incorrect. Overstated: there is no hostility between them; Charles never sought "to run counter to his former partner".
Option 4: two strangers — Incorrect. Contradicted: they had grown up together, lived in the same street and went to the same school.