After reading the following passage, answer the questions which follow:
I must say that, beyond occasionally exposing me to laughter, my constitutional shyness has been of no great disadvantage to me. In fact, I can see that, on the contrary, it has been all to my advantage. My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest pleasure has been that it has taught me the economy of words. I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts. And I can now, give myself the certificate that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes my tongue or pen. I do not recollect ever having had to regret anything in my speech or writing. I have thus been spared many a mishap and waste of time. Experience has taught me that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man and silence is necessary in order to surmount it. A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word.
The author as a matured individual believes that his shy nature brought him ______.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Great advantage in life
Looking back, the author says his shyness has been of no great disadvantage to him and that, on the contrary, "it has been all to my advantage". It taught him the economy of words and spared him many a mishap and waste of time.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Unmatched joy and enchantment in life — Incorrect. Overstated: Enchantment is a feeling of great delight, as if under a spell. The author speaks of the usefulness of his shyness, not of joy beyond compare; his hesitancy in speech is "now a pleasure", which is far less than unmatched joy.
Example: The children watched the magic show in enchantment.
Option 3: Disadvantage while performing rituals — Incorrect. Contradicted: the author says the opposite: his shyness has been of no great disadvantage. Rituals are not mentioned at all.
Option 4: Media coverage — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage says nothing about the media.