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.
Tao Ying is 'very careful with her purse'. This means that :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → She is frugal by nature.
Frugal means careful not to spend more money than necessary. "Very careful with her purse" means careful with her money (the purse stands for the money in it). The passage shows this habit when she treats an unpaid bus fare as "a little saving for herself".
Example: His frugal habits helped him save enough to buy a house.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: She is paranoid about being robbed. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: paranoid means unreasonably afraid or suspicious; the passage says nothing about any fear of theft.
Example: He became paranoid about his neighbours spying on him.
Option 2: She is particular about carrying the most fashionable purse. — Incorrect. Misread: "purse" here stands for her money; the passage says nothing about fashion.
Option 3: Her purse is an unwanted burden. — Incorrect. Not mentioned: a burden is something heavy or troublesome to carry; nothing in the passage suggests she finds her purse a burden.
The following words have also been asked in other CUET (UG) English papers:
| Word | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| frugal | 11-05 S2 22-05 S2 30-05 S1 | 24-05 S1 29-05 S1 02-06 S2 | – | 22-05 S2 07-06 S1 | – |