Read the following passage and answer the questions.
Martin Luther King was born on January 15, 1929. His family lived on the outskirts of Atlanta. The fact that he could not play with white children, or that he had to offer a seat in the bus to a white, disturbed him. When he was eight years old, his father told him a sad incident. Bessie Smith, a great singer, met with an accident. An ambulance rushed her to nearest hospital, but she was not admitted because she was a black. She died for want of treatment. From that day, Martin Luther King dreamt of becoming the liberator of the Blacks. King completed his studies at More House College, then he earned a doctor's degree in theology at Boston University, in 1955, he married Alabama Soprano Coretta Scott. That very year he became a pastor and preached his first sermon in the Baptist Church of Atlanta. He was greatly impressed by Mahatma Gandhi's success in the political field and the power of non-violence. King decided to follow the path of non-violence and get millions of blacks their due.
Soon he became a powerful orator. He led and continued a peaceful fight demanding the rights of the Blacks. In 1964, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1967, he led many peaceful demonstrations against the Vietnam War. On April 4, 1968, he was shot dead by an assassin.
What is the meaning of the word 'assassin'
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A person who kills someone for political or malicious reasons
An assassin is a person who murders an important or well-known person, usually for political reasons, for money or out of malice. King, a leader of the civil rights movement, was shot dead by an assassin in 1968.
Example: The president's assassin was arrested within hours.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: A librarian gone away — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: the phrase has no connection with the word or with the passage.
Option 2: A shepherd — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: a shepherd is a person who looks after sheep.
Example: The shepherd led his flock down the hill.
Option 4: A gunman — Incorrect. Too broad: a gunman is any person armed with a gun, such as a robber; an assassin may use a gun, but the word means one who kills an important person for a political or similar motive.
Example: A masked gunman robbed the bank.