Read the given passage and answer the four questions that follow:-
An old beggar cried for alms at the gate. They told her not to pester them when they were engaged in a snake-hunt. On hearing it, the old woman became happy. "You are fortunate. It is God Subramanya who has come to visit you. Don't kill the snake." Mother was in hearty agreement: "You are right. I forgot all about the promised abhishekam. This is a reminder." She gave a coin to the beggar, who promised to send down a snake-charmer as she went. Presently an old man appeared at the gate and announced himself as a snake-charmer. They gathered around him. He spoke to them about his life and activities and his power over snakes. They asked admiringly:- "How do you catch them?" "Thus," he said, pouncing upon a hypothetical snake on the ground. They pointed to the direction in which the cobra had gone and asked him to go ahead. He looked helplessly about and said: "If you show me the snake, I'll at once catch it. Otherwise, what can I do?" He gave his name and address and departed. At five in the evening, they threw away their sticks and implements and retired to the veranda to rest. They had turned up every stone in the garden and cut down every grass-blade and shrub so that the tiniest insect coming into the garden should have no cover.
What does this passage tell us about the snake-charmer?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The snake-charmer was boastful about his power over snakes.
The snake-charmer spoke about his power over snakes and even acted out how he would pounce on one. But when shown where the cobra had gone, he looked helplessly about and said he could catch it only if they showed it to him. A man who praises his own power and then cannot use it is boastful.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: The snake-charmer was very brave. — Incorrect. Contradicted: he never went after the snake; he only pounced on an imaginary one and then left. Nothing shows bravery.
Option 3: The snake-charmer was hesitant to kill the snake. — Incorrect. Wrong link: killing is not his concern in the passage; it is the beggar who asks the family not to kill the snake. The snake-charmer's problem was that he could not find it.
Option 4: The snake-charmer was lazy. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the passage says nothing about laziness; he came at once and said he would catch the snake if it were shown to him.