Comprehension:
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:-
When Tao Ying rides on the bus alone, quite often she does not bother to buy a ticket.
Why should she? Without her, the bus would still be stopping at every stop, a driver and a conductor would still have to be employed, and the same amount of petrol used.
Clearly Tao Ying has to be astute. When the bus conductor looked like the responsible type, she would buy a ticket as soon as she got on board. But if he appeared to be casual and careless, she would not dream of paying, considering it a small punishment for him and a little saving for herself.
Tao Ying works as a cook in the canteen of a factory. She spends all day next to an open fire, baking screw-shaped wheat cakes with sesame butter.
Today she is with her son Xiao Ye. She follows him onto the bus. As the doors shut her jacket is caught, ballooning up like a tent behind her. She twists this way and that, finally wrenching herself free.
‘Mama, tickets?’ Xiao Ye says. Children are often more conscious of rituals than adults. Without a ticket in his hand, the ride doesn’t count as a proper ride.
On the peeling paint of the door somebody has painted the shape of a pale finger. It points at a number: 1.10 m.
Xiao Ye pushed through. His hair looks as fluffy as a bundle of straw-dry and without lustre. As a rule, Tao Ying is very careful with her purse, but she has never skimped on her child’s diet. Nonetheless, the goodness in his food refuses to advance beyond his hairline. As a result, Xiao Ye is healthy and clever, but his hair is a mess.
Which of the following holds true for the protagonist of the story?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → She is astute.
Astute means clever and quick to judge a situation to one's own advantage, shrewd. The passage says that Tao Ying "has to be astute": she watches the conductor and buys a ticket only when he looks like the responsible type, and does not pay when he looks careless.
Example: An astute businessman can spot a good deal at once.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: She is a law abiding citizen. — Does not hold true. Contradicted: a law-abiding citizen obeys the rules, but the passage says that when riding alone she "quite often" does not bother to buy a ticket.
Option 3: Plentitude is her second name. — Does not hold true. Contradicted: plentitude (more often "plenitude") means abundance, plenty. "X is her second name" means she is known for X. Tao Ying is "very careful with her purse" and treats an unpaid fare as "a little saving for herself", so she is not known for plenty.
Option 4: She works in highly conducive environment. — Does not hold true. Contradicted: conducive means favourable, helpful. She spends all day "next to an open fire" baking wheat cakes, which is hard, hot work, not a highly favourable setting.
Note: In the original NTA paper, the question read "Which of the following does not hold true for the protagonist of the story?" NTA accepted Options 1, 3 and 4 as correct answers. To leave only one correct answer and avoid confusion for students, the question has been changed here to "Which of the following holds true for the protagonist of the story?"
Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.