Read the given passage and answer the four questions that follow:-
Once I was an archaeologist's assistant. I wandered the country probing, exploring, and digging, in search of antiquities, a most interesting occupation, although cynics sometimes called us " grave-diggers." I enjoyed the work immensely.
My master-a famous archaeologist, was a superb, timeless being, who lived a thousand years behind the times, and wanted neither food, roof or riches if only he was allowed to gaze on undisturbed at an old coin or chip of a burial urn. He had torn up the earth in almost all parts of India and had brought to light very valuable information concerning the history and outlook of people of remote centuries. His monographs on each of his excavations filled several shelves in all the important libraries. And then, as our good fortune would have it, he received an inspiration that Malgudi district was eminently diggable. I am not competent to explain how he got this idea, but there it was. Word was brought to me that he needed an assistant. Within an hour of hearing it I stood before the great man. He had the craziest collection of articles in front of him -pots, beads, useless coins and palm leaves, all rusty and decaying. He had a lens by his side, through which he looked at these articles and made notes. He asked me: "What do you know of the archaeological factors of your district? "I blinked. Honestly, I didn't know there was any archaeology in our place. I realized that my living depended upon my answer.
The phrase "received an inspiration that Malgudi district was eminently diggable" suggests that the archaeologist ______.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → thought that Malgudi was, culturally, a famous site for excavations
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, there appears to be a discrepancy in the key: the correct answer should be Option (1) → had a sudden realization that Malgudi had great archaeological potential, as explained below.
An inspiration is a sudden idea, and eminently diggable is a playful way of saying "very much worth digging", that is, likely to yield finds. The narrator adds that he cannot explain "how he got this idea", which confirms it was a sudden notion about a place nobody had thought of digging.
Option 1: had a sudden realization that Malgudi had great archaeological potential — Should be Correct. (Incorrect as per NTA) "Inspiration" gives the suddenness and "eminently diggable" gives the promise of finds.
Option 2: felt that the soil in Malgudi was easy to dig through for excavations — Incorrect. Misread: this takes "diggable" literally, as if it were about soft soil. The phrase is about what the digging might reveal.
Option 3: thought that Malgudi was, culturally, a famous site for excavations — Should be Incorrect. (But this is the correct answer in the NTA Answer Key.) Contradicted: Malgudi was not famous for excavations: even the local narrator "didn't know there was any archaeology in our place". The archaeologist only had a hunch about its potential.
Option 4: was unsure about Malgudi's historical significance — Incorrect. Contradicted: "Eminently diggable" shows strong belief, not doubt. He at once sent for an assistant.
Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.