Read the given passage and answer the four questions that follow:-
If my younger self could see me now, she would be incredulous. That I work in the field of dance or decipher and translate dance for my own comprehension, call it choreography if you wish, would have been unbelievable. In this respect, I am particularly envious of dancers who claim that they are 'born to dance', implying that it was clearly laid out for them from the beginning. I must say, I find this assertion dubious; it is rarely that easy. To dance' means 'to struggle'.
In all truth, as a child, I never did want to dance; it was forced upon me by a doting mother and a silent father. My father probably kept his peace to avoid argument. From the beginning, my lessons took place under trying conditions, though I believe that the conditions were more trying for my mother than for me. She travelled in local, over-crowded trains to the dance class with an unwilling child, tired from a whole day at school.
Interestingly, when I was seven, we went to see a movie starring Mumtaz Ali, who did a dance number in the film. When we arrived home, I began prancing around the house imitating the film actor and my mother, who was quietly watching, was the one who said, 'Kumudini, you are born to dance.' Ironically, I have no recollection of this story; it was my mother who saw this innate ability in me.
The seeds of the narrator's future vocation were sown when she _____.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → pranced around the house imitating the dance steps from a movie
"The seeds were sown" means the beginning of something that grew later. The passage names that moment: at seven, after a film with Mumtaz Ali, she began prancing around the house imitating the actor, and her mother said, "Kumudini, you are born to dance." From then on her mother saw a dancer in her, even though the child herself was unwilling.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: went willingly to the dance class — Incorrect. Contradicted: the passage calls her ‘an unwilling child’; dance was forced upon her.
Option 3: was born with an innate ability to dance — Incorrect. Wrong focus: the mother did see an ‘innate ability’ in her, but the question asks when the seeds were sown, that is, the event. Also, the narrator herself doubts the idea of being ‘born to dance’.
Option 4: was encouraged by her father to take up dancing — Incorrect. Wrong link: the father stayed silent; the encouragement came from her mother.