When I was growing up, my father said something to me I will never forget, "Son when you were born, you cried while the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries while you rejoice". We live in an age when we have forgotten what life is all about. We can easily put a person on the Moon, but we have trouble walking across the street to meet a new neighbour. We can fire a missile across the world with pinpoint accuracy, but we have trouble keeping a date with our children to go to the library. We have e-mail, fax machines and digital phones so that we can stay connected and yet we live in a time where human beings have never been less connected. We have lost touch with our humanity. We have lost touch with our purpose. We have lost sight of the things that matter the most.
When did the father give the precious advice to his son ?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → When he was growing up
The passage opens with the words "When I was growing up, my father said something to me I will never forget". The advice was given while the writer was growing up, that is, during his boyhood and youth.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: When he was a toddler — Incorrect. Not mentioned: a toddler is a very young child who has just learnt to walk; such a child could not understand such advice, and the passage does not say so.
Example: The toddler held his mother's finger and took a few steps.
Option 3: When he was a grown-up man — Incorrect. Misread: the passage says "growing up", not grown up; he was still a boy.
Option 4: When he was married — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage says nothing about marriage.