Target Exam

CUET

Subject

English

Chapter

Comprehension - (Narrative / Factual)

Question:

Read the passage carefully and answer the questions from:

You and I can help handicapped people by letting them define happiness for themselves. We can make life more miserable for them if we constantly remind them of how terrible we feel because of what they are missing. When we do that we are really saying to them, "Please get rid of your handicap because it makes me so uncomfortable."

Let me illustrate how differently abled people can be happy in their ignorance. Sometimes during a long Iowa winter, I walk to class in the morning and decide, "It's a nice day because I can feel the sun warming my back". Then some sighted person comes along and says, "It's such a dull, depressing day." To him it is dull because the sun is under the clouds. That doesn't really destroy my happiness, and I do need to be aware that other people perceive the world in ways other than I do. I need to recognise that, just as I need to turn on lights in a room for the benefit of others even though I don't need them. So I will continue to be happy about the warm sun while my friend is depressed by the gray clouds. And, on other days, I will be depressed by the cold while he enjoys the bright, but cold, sunshine. We can each find happiness in our own way.

Is this so different from what happens to any of you? You are all missing out on some success or happiness. Your fathers are all disabled in some ways. Some of you are too short to be successful basketball players, and others of you are too scrawny to be professional football players. Do you cry yourselves to sleep every night because of what you are missing? I doubt it.

The author doesn't feel depressed listening to the comments of a sighted person as:

Options:

Ignorance was his bliss

He felt the day was normal

The sighted person perceives the day differently

He was aware of his sorrounding

Correct Answer:

Ignorance was his bliss

Explanation:

The correct option is Option 1: Ignorance was his bliss

Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA answer key (Option 1: Ignorance was his bliss). However, based on the passage, this appears to be conceptually debatable. The author explicitly states that he is aware that others perceive the world differently, which contradicts the idea of “ignorance.” The answer that aligns more directly with the textual reasoning is Option 3: The sighted person perceives the day differently.

The author does not feel depressed because he understands that the sighted person perceives the day differently from him. In the passage, the author clearly says that he needs to be aware that other people perceive the world in ways different from his own. While he feels happy because he can sense the warmth of the sun, the sighted person feels depressed because he sees gray clouds. The author accepts this difference in perception and continues to find happiness in his own way.