Read the passage and answer the questions given below it.
Most visitors to the Sun Temple at Konark in Odisha come to see its carvings. Sooner or later a guide stops the group beside one of the stone wheels and points to the shadow a spoke casts on the rim. This wheel, he says, can tell you the time.
The temple was built in the thirteenth century under King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty. It was planned as the chariot of Surya, the Sun god, with twenty-four carved wheels and seven stone horses to pull it. Each wheel has eight thick spokes and eight thinner ones. Guides explain that the gap between two thick spokes stands for about three hours, so the shadow gives a rough idea of the hour.
It is a pleasing story, and on a bright morning the shadow does seem to behave. Whether the builders meant it that way is harder to say. A wheel set in a wall faces one direction only, so for part of each day it stands in shade. A clock that works only some of the time is an odd thing to build in stone. The wheels may have been carved first as signs of the Sun’s journey, with the time-telling read into them later.
None of this has harmed the wheel’s fame. The temple was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, and the wheel now appears on the back of the ten-rupee note. Millions who have never seen Odisha carry it in their pockets, and few have tried to read the time from it.
The writer’s attitude towards the claim that the wheels are sundials can best be described as:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Interested but doubtful: enjoys the story but questions what the builders intended
The writer likes the sundial story but is not sure it is the whole truth.
- The writer calls it “a pleasing story” and admits that on a bright morning the shadow “does seem to behave”. This shows interest.
- The writer then says the builders’ plan is “harder to say” and calls a clock that works only some of the time “an odd thing to build in stone”. This shows doubt about what the builders intended, or meant to do.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: Firmly convinced: treats the guides’ account as proof of the builders’ skill — Incorrect. Contradicted: Firmly convinced means completely sure. The writer is not sure, and says the time-telling may have been “read into them later”.
Option 3: Mildly mocking: presents the guides’ account as a trick to please tourists — Incorrect. Overstated: Mocking means making fun of something. The writer doubts the story but calls it “pleasing” and never says the guides are fooling anyone.
Option 4: Disappointed: regrets that the wheels cannot really be used to tell the time — Incorrect. Misread: Disappointed means sad that something is not as hoped. The writer shows no sadness, and even says the shadow seems to work on a bright morning.