Passage – 1 We had just passed Tenali, where I roused myself in order to hear the name of the station. As I was falling asleep again, a violent jolt shot me into the arms of somebody in the seat opposite. The engine with one wheel broken was lying across the track and beside it was the luggage van, likewise, derailed. Groaning, wheezing, gasping, sputtering in its death agony, the engine was like a fallen horse which, snorting, trembling in every limb, its flanks heaving, its chest labouring, seems incapable of making the smallest effort to struggle on to its legs again. The author had roused himself as he wanted to
- (a)get off
- (b)meet someone
- (c)know the name of the station
- (d)keep himself awake
Correct — C, know the name of the station. The passage states the purpose outright in its opening line, where the narrator says he roused himself 'in order to hear the name of the station' as the train passed Tenali.
- (a)get off — Nothing in the passage suggests he meant to leave the train; he starts falling asleep again immediately afterwards.
- (b)meet someone — The only person mentioned is the passenger opposite, into whose arms the jolt throws him, and that happens by accident after the derailment.
- (d)keep himself awake — He is described as falling asleep again straight away, so staying awake was clearly not his aim; the stated purpose was to catch the station name.
A comprehension item answered by the stated purpose in the first sentence of the passage about a train derailment near Tenali.
Purpose questions are usually settled by a phrase such as 'in order to' or 'so that'. Locating that phrase is faster and safer than reasoning from the rest of the passage.
- Choosing an option that fits the situation in general when the passage names the reason directly.
Asked as a direct-detail comprehension item whose answer is a phrase in the opening sentence.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Read the lines and answer. 'The porter shouted a warning, but the crowd on the platform surged forward all the same.' The crowd's behaviour shows that they
- (a)obeyed the porter
- (b)ignored the warning
- (c)heard nothing at all
- (d)left the platform
Answer(b) ignored the warning — 'all the same' shows they moved forward in spite of it.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Read the lines and answer. 'I checked my watch in order to see how long the halt had lasted.' The speaker checked his watch to
- (a)find the time of departure
- (b)measure the length of the halt
- (c)see whether the watch worked
- (d)avoid missing a meal
Answer(b) measure the length of the halt — the purpose is stated after 'in order to'.