Read the passage and answer the questions given below it.
In the summer of 2016, people flocked to parks, beaches and old monuments in many cities. They would stop, stare at their phones and set off in a new direction. They were not lost. They were playing Pokémon GO, a game released that July by the American company Niantic.
The trick was augmented reality, a digital picture laid over the real world. The game showed small cartoon creatures on the camera view of the street around the player, so a creature might seem to sit on a bus-stop bench or a temple step. Real landmarks such as statues, fountains and post offices became PokéStops, where players picked up free items, or gyms, where they battled one another. Nothing could be caught from the sofa. Even the eggs in the game hatched only after the player had walked a set distance.
Doctors have long found it hard to get people to walk more. A phone game seemed to manage it in a week. Studies of players’ daily steps found that they did walk a good deal more in the first weeks. Then the extra walking slowly tapered off, and after some weeks most players were walking about as much as they had before.
The game brought other worries as well. Some players stepped into traffic with their eyes on the screen. Others wandered into private gardens and buildings, chasing a creature that existed only on a phone. By the time Pokémon GO was launched in India in December 2016, such stories had already travelled ahead of it.
Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → A Game That Got People Walking, for a While
This title covers both halves of the passage.
- Most of the passage shows how Pokémon GO sent people out to walk.
- The words “for a While” match the third paragraph. The extra walking faded after some weeks.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Safety on the Streets in the Age of Phones — Incorrect. Too narrow: Safety comes up only in the last paragraph. The passage is mainly about one game and walking.
Option 2: How Video Games Have Changed Our Lives — Incorrect. Too broad: The passage talks about one game only, not video games in general.
Option 3: The Game That Did What Doctors Could Not — Incorrect. Overstated: The game only “seemed to manage it”. After some weeks most players were walking about as much as before.