English Reading Comprehension

Why was the writer afraid?

Directions: Given below is a brief passage followed by a question. Read the passage carefully and choose the best alternative out of the four given alternatives.

I was in a mysterious place. The place was like frozen in time. Everything was black and white. I was running on a dirty road with lots of stones and holes. I had long brown hair and extremely pale skin. I was afraid, afraid of whatever that was chasing me. For a moment I looked back to see what my pursuer was doing but there was no one. Then I came face to face with a door which was not there earlier. It was ajar. I entered the room which was very dark. I could not see anything. I stumbled forward to find myself falling down the step of stairs. I quickly stood up as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I could feel pain from falling earlier. Blood was slowly trickling down my arm where a small cut had formed. I felt dizzy for a second and then the next moment it looked like I was being strangled. I struggled for breath fighting my invisible enemy. I moved forward in the room which seemed to be a basement. Then as suddenly as it had come, the feeling of being choked disappeared.

Which of the following incidents happened with the author in the dark room?

Directions: Given below is a brief passage followed by a question. Read the passage carefully and choose the best alternative out of the four given alternatives.

I was in a mysterious place. The place was like frozen in time. Everything was black and white. I was running on a dirty road with lots of stones and holes. I had long brown hair and extremely pale skin. I was afraid, afraid of whatever that was chasing me. For a moment I looked back to see what my pursuer was doing but there was no one. Then I came face to face with a door which was not there earlier. It was ajar. I entered the room which was very dark. I could not see anything. I stumbled forward to find myself falling down the step of stairs. I quickly stood up as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I could feel pain from falling earlier. Blood was slowly trickling down my arm where a small cut had formed. I felt dizzy for a second and then the next moment it looked like I was being strangled. I struggled for breath fighting my invisible enemy. I moved forward in the room which seemed to be a basement. Then as suddenly as it had come, the feeling of being choked disappeared.

Why did the author use the phrase "invisible enemy"?

Directions: Given below is a brief passage followed by a question. Read the passage carefully and choose the best alternative out of the four given alternatives.

I was in a mysterious place. The place was like frozen in time. Everything was black and white. I was running on a dirty road with lots of stones and holes. I had long brown hair and extremely pale skin. I was afraid, afraid of whatever that was chasing me. For a moment I looked back to see what my pursuer was doing but there was no one. Then I came face to face with a door which was not there earlier. It was ajar. I entered the room which was very dark. I could not see anything. I stumbled forward to find myself falling down the step of stairs. I quickly stood up as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I could feel pain from falling earlier. Blood was slowly trickling down my arm where a small cut had formed. I felt dizzy for a second and then the next moment it looked like I was being strangled. I struggled for breath fighting my invisible enemy. I moved forward in the room which seemed to be a basement. Then as suddenly as it had come, the feeling of being choked disappeared.

'Strangled' implies

Directions: Given below is a brief passage followed by a question. Read the passage carefully and choose the best alternative out of the four given alternatives.

I was in a mysterious place. The place was like frozen in time. Everything was black and white. I was running on a dirty road with lots of stones and holes. I had long brown hair and extremely pale skin. I was afraid, afraid of whatever that was chasing me. For a moment I looked back to see what my pursuer was doing but there was no one. Then I came face to face with a door which was not there earlier. It was ajar. I entered the room which was very dark. I could not see anything. I stumbled forward to find myself falling down the step of stairs. I quickly stood up as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I could feel pain from falling earlier. Blood was slowly trickling down my arm where a small cut had formed. I felt dizzy for a second and then the next moment it looked like I was being strangled. I struggled for breath fighting my invisible enemy. I moved forward in the room which seemed to be a basement. Then as suddenly as it had come, the feeling of being choked disappeared.

The narrator was running on a road which was

Directions: Given below is a brief passage followed by a question. Read the passage carefully and choose the best alternative out of the four given alternatives.

I was in a mysterious place. The place was like frozen in time. Everything was black and white. I was running on a dirty road with lots of stones and holes. I had long brown hair and extremely pale skin. I was afraid, afraid of whatever that was chasing me. For a moment I looked back to see what my pursuer was doing but there was no one. Then I came face to face with a door which was not there earlier. It was ajar. I entered the room which was very dark. I could not see anything. I stumbled forward to find myself falling down the step of stairs. I quickly stood up as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I could feel pain from falling earlier. Blood was slowly trickling down my arm where a small cut had formed. I felt dizzy for a second and then the next moment it looked like I was being strangled. I struggled for breath fighting my invisible enemy. I moved forward in the room which seemed to be a basement. Then as suddenly as it had come, the feeling of being choked disappeared.

The following are all meanings of the highlighted word 'flagrant' in Passage II, except

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
To the Editor:
Life is too restrictive today. There are too many too-rigid rules. No smoking, no cell phone use, parking for handicapped people only, no loitering, no skateboarding, shirts and shoes required; these signs scream out at you everywhere you go. Next, someone will be passing a law against talking in public. Things have gone too far.
Civility is all very well, but what has happened to liberty? Why can't I use my cell phone in a restaurant? Why do I have to turn off the alarm on my watch in the movie theater?

Things reached the height of absurdity today when I was sitting in my car, waiting to pick up my girlfriend after work at Valley Hospital. There I was, parked at the ambulance entrance, listening to a Lou Reed tape on my newly installed custom sound system. I mean, I wasn't bothering anyone. But this security guard came over to me, asked me to move my car out of the way, and told me he would call the police if I didn't turn the music down! There are sick people inside the hospital, and they need peace and quiet, he whined. Sick people need good music to stir them up, I replied. And the next thing I knew, a police officer was writing out a parking ticket and telling me to move my car.
That's just one little example of my point, but I could go on and on. There are too many rules, too little liberty. Is everyone else out there as mad as I am? Let's join together and fight against restrictive rules!

Yours truly, 
Richard Sylvester

Passage – II
Dear Richard,
Various rules and regulations have been put in place to ensure that our society is peaceful and orderly. Indiscipline implies the lack of self-control and disobedience resulting in flagrant violation of rules and regulations which in turn creates disorder and chaos. Some acts of indiscipline result from lack of self-control. It accounts for immorality, bad temper and greed which in turn lead to stealing, robbery and other related crimes. In short, crimes of all kinds are perpetuations of indiscipline. Therefore, if one fights indiscipline, he or she is also fighting crime. In fact indiscipline and crime are bedfellows. It is discipline that creates productivity and wealth in a country. The economic, social and moral growth of the country and its resulting prosperity depends on discipline. If the workers of the country are not disciplined, production automatically goes down. If teachers are indisciplined, the educational system will certainly break down. Similarly, indisciplined parents or family create a breed of children who lack discipline and may turn out to be criminals. If our pastors and church leaders are indisciplined, there will be no harmony in the churches and the moral growth of the nation will suffer. Politicians who possess no discipline cannot lead the people and the end result will be chaos. Disturbances in the country may be attributed to lack of discipline on the part of the security personnel. Chiefs who are not disciplined cannot retain the confidence of their subjects and anarchy may reign in that community. Obviously, the importance of discipline in the lives of the people of any nation or society cannot be gainsaid since that nation or society can only be organised with discipline.

Yours truly,
Editor

The purpose of Passage I is to

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
To the Editor:
Life is too restrictive today. There are too many too-rigid rules. No smoking, no cell phone use, parking for handicapped people only, no loitering, no skateboarding, shirts and shoes required; these signs scream out at you everywhere you go. Next, someone will be passing a law against talking in public. Things have gone too far.
Civility is all very well, but what has happened to liberty? Why can't I use my cell phone in a restaurant? Why do I have to turn off the alarm on my watch in the movie theater?

Things reached the height of absurdity today when I was sitting in my car, waiting to pick up my girlfriend after work at Valley Hospital. There I was, parked at the ambulance entrance, listening to a Lou Reed tape on my newly installed custom sound system. I mean, I wasn't bothering anyone. But this security guard came over to me, asked me to move my car out of the way, and told me he would call the police if I didn't turn the music down! There are sick people inside the hospital, and they need peace and quiet, he whined. Sick people need good music to stir them up, I replied. And the next thing I knew, a police officer was writing out a parking ticket and telling me to move my car.
That's just one little example of my point, but I could go on and on. There are too many rules, too little liberty. Is everyone else out there as mad as I am? Let's join together and fight against restrictive rules!

Yours truly, 
Richard Sylvester

Passage – II
Dear Richard,
Various rules and regulations have been put in place to ensure that our society is peaceful and orderly. Indiscipline implies the lack of self-control and disobedience resulting in flagrant violation of rules and regulations which in turn creates disorder and chaos. Some acts of indiscipline result from lack of self-control. It accounts for immorality, bad temper and greed which in turn lead to stealing, robbery and other related crimes. In short, crimes of all kinds are perpetuations of indiscipline. Therefore, if one fights indiscipline, he or she is also fighting crime. In fact indiscipline and crime are bedfellows. It is discipline that creates productivity and wealth in a country. The economic, social and moral growth of the country and its resulting prosperity depends on discipline. If the workers of the country are not disciplined, production automatically goes down. If teachers are indisciplined, the educational system will certainly break down. Similarly, indisciplined parents or family create a breed of children who lack discipline and may turn out to be criminals. If our pastors and church leaders are indisciplined, there will be no harmony in the churches and the moral growth of the nation will suffer. Politicians who possess no discipline cannot lead the people and the end result will be chaos. Disturbances in the country may be attributed to lack of discipline on the part of the security personnel. Chiefs who are not disciplined cannot retain the confidence of their subjects and anarchy may reign in that community. Obviously, the importance of discipline in the lives of the people of any nation or society cannot be gainsaid since that nation or society can only be organised with discipline.

Yours truly,
Editor

Directions: Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the twin passage.

Passage – I
To the Editor:
Life is too restrictive today. There are too many too-rigid rules. No smoking, no cell phone use, parking for handicapped people only, no loitering, no skateboarding, shirts and shoes required; these signs scream out at you everywhere you go. Next, someone will be passing a law against talking in public. Things have gone too far.
Civility is all very well, but what has happened to liberty? Why can't I use my cell phone in a restaurant? Why do I have to turn off the alarm on my watch in the movie theater?

Things reached the height of absurdity today when I was sitting in my car, waiting to pick up my girlfriend after work at Valley Hospital. There I was, parked at the ambulance entrance, listening to a Lou Reed tape on my newly installed custom sound system. I mean, I wasn't bothering anyone. But this security guard came over to me, asked me to move my car out of the way, and told me he would call the police if I didn't turn the music down! There are sick people inside the hospital, and they need peace and quiet, he whined. Sick people need good music to stir them up, I replied. And the next thing I knew, a police officer was writing out a parking ticket and telling me to move my car.
That's just one little example of my point, but I could go on and on. There are too many rules, too little liberty. Is everyone else out there as mad as I am? Let's join together and fight against restrictive rules!

Yours truly, 
Richard Sylvester

Passage – II
Dear Richard,
Various rules and regulations have been put in place to ensure that our society is peaceful and orderly. Indiscipline implies the lack of self-control and disobedience resulting in flagrant violation of rules and regulations which in turn creates disorder and chaos. Some acts of indiscipline result from lack of self-control. It accounts for immorality, bad temper and greed which in turn lead to stealing, robbery and other related crimes. In short, crimes of all kinds are perpetuations of indiscipline. Therefore, if one fights indiscipline, he or she is also fighting crime. In fact indiscipline and crime are bedfellows. It is discipline that creates productivity and wealth in a country. The economic, social and moral growth of the country and its resulting prosperity depends on discipline. If the workers of the country are not disciplined, production automatically goes down. If teachers are indisciplined, the educational system will certainly break down. Similarly, indisciplined parents or family create a breed of children who lack discipline and may turn out to be criminals. If our pastors and church leaders are indisciplined, there will be no harmony in the churches and the moral growth of the nation will suffer. Politicians who possess no discipline cannot lead the people and the end result will be chaos. Disturbances in the country may be attributed to lack of discipline on the part of the security personnel. Chiefs who are not disciplined cannot retain the confidence of their subjects and anarchy may reign in that community. Obviously, the importance of discipline in the lives of the people of any nation or society cannot be gainsaid since that nation or society can only be organised with discipline.

Yours truly,
Editor

Directions: This question presents a sentence, all or part of which is underlined. Beneath the sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the original; the other four are different. If you think the original is the best, choose the first answer; otherwise choose any one of the others.

Henry found himself behind the scenes of a theatre, and instantly begins to experience all the complex emotions which come to the layman in that situation.

Directions: This question presents a sentence, all or part of which is underlined. Beneath the sentence you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the original; the other four are different. If you think the original is the best, choose the first answer; otherwise choose any one of the others.

Poecilotheria Nallamalar is a shy but lethal, palm sized ambush predator that preyed on lizards, insects and small snakes injecting them with deadly venom before sucking out their body fluids.

What did Guna-Vara say to the king after being told of her imprisonment?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

In the city of Vardhamana in India, there lived a powerful king named Vira-Bhuja, who, as was the custom in his native land, had many wives, each of whom had several sons. Of all his wives, this king loved best the one named Guna-Vara, and of all his sons her youngest-born, called Sringa-Bhuja, was his favourite. Guna-Vara was not only very beautiful but very good. She was so patient that nothing could make her angry, so unselfish that she always thought of others before herself, and so wise that she was able to understand how others were feeling, however different their natures were from her own.
Sringa-Bhuja, the son of Guna-Vara, resembled his mother in her beauty and her unselfishness; he was also very strong and very clever, whilst his brothers were quite unlike him. They wanted to have everything their own way, and they were very jealous indeed of their father's love for him. They were always trying to do him harm, and though they often quarrelled amongst themselves, they would band together to try and hurt him.
It was very much the same with the king's wives. They hated Guna-Vara, because their husband loved her more than he did them, and they constantly came to him with stories they had made up of the wicked things she had done. Amongst other things they told the king that Guna-Vara did not really love him but cared more for someone else than she did for him. The most bitter of all against her was the wife called Ayasolekha, who was cunning enough to know what sort of tale the king was likely to believe. The very fact that Vira-Bhuja loved Guna-Vara so deeply made him more ready to think that perhaps after all she did not return his affection, and he longed to find out the truth. So, he in his turn made up a story, thinking by its means to find out how she felt for him. Therefore, he went one day to her private apartments, and having sent all her attendants away, he told her that he had some very sad news for her which he had heard from his chief astrologer. Astrologers, you know, are wise men, who are supposed to be able to read the secrets of the stars, and learn things from them which are hidden from ordinary human beings. Guna-Vara therefore did not doubt that what her husband was about to tell her was true, and she listened eagerly, her heart beating very fast in her fear that some trouble was coming to those she loved.

Great indeed was her sorrow and surprise, when Vira-Bhuja went on to say that the astrologer had told him that a terrible misfortune threatened him and his kingdom and the only way to prevent it was to shut Guna-Vara up in prison for the rest of her life. The poor queen could hardly believe that she had heard rightly. She knew she had done no wrong, and could not understand how putting her in prison could help anybody.
She was quite sure that her husband loved her, and no words could have expressed her pain at the thought of being sent away from him and her dear son. Yet she made no resistance, not even asking Vira-Bhuja to let her see Sringa-Bhuja again. She just bowed her beautiful head and said: "Be it unto me as my Lord wills. If he wishes my death, I am ready to lay down my life."
This submission made the king feel even more unhappy than before. He longed to take his wife in his arms and tell her he would never let her go; and perhaps if she had looked at him then, he would have seen all her love for him in her eyes, but she remained perfectly still with bowed head, waiting to hear what her fate was to be. Then the thought entered Vira-Bhuja's mind: "She is afraid to look at me: what Ayasolekha said was true."

What did the king do to find out the truth about his wives tales about Guna-Vara?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

In the city of Vardhamana in India, there lived a powerful king named Vira-Bhuja, who, as was the custom in his native land, had many wives, each of whom had several sons. Of all his wives, this king loved best the one named Guna-Vara, and of all his sons her youngest-born, called Sringa-Bhuja, was his favourite. Guna-Vara was not only very beautiful but very good. She was so patient that nothing could make her angry, so unselfish that she always thought of others before herself, and so wise that she was able to understand how others were feeling, however different their natures were from her own.
Sringa-Bhuja, the son of Guna-Vara, resembled his mother in her beauty and her unselfishness; he was also very strong and very clever, whilst his brothers were quite unlike him. They wanted to have everything their own way, and they were very jealous indeed of their father's love for him. They were always trying to do him harm, and though they often quarrelled amongst themselves, they would band together to try and hurt him.
It was very much the same with the king's wives. They hated Guna-Vara, because their husband loved her more than he did them, and they constantly came to him with stories they had made up of the wicked things she had done. Amongst other things they told the king that Guna-Vara did not really love him but cared more for someone else than she did for him. The most bitter of all against her was the wife called Ayasolekha, who was cunning enough to know what sort of tale the king was likely to believe. The very fact that Vira-Bhuja loved Guna-Vara so deeply made him more ready to think that perhaps after all she did not return his affection, and he longed to find out the truth. So, he in his turn made up a story, thinking by its means to find out how she felt for him. Therefore, he went one day to her private apartments, and having sent all her attendants away, he told her that he had some very sad news for her which he had heard from his chief astrologer. Astrologers, you know, are wise men, who are supposed to be able to read the secrets of the stars, and learn things from them which are hidden from ordinary human beings. Guna-Vara therefore did not doubt that what her husband was about to tell her was true, and she listened eagerly, her heart beating very fast in her fear that some trouble was coming to those she loved.

Great indeed was her sorrow and surprise, when Vira-Bhuja went on to say that the astrologer had told him that a terrible misfortune threatened him and his kingdom and the only way to prevent it was to shut Guna-Vara up in prison for the rest of her life. The poor queen could hardly believe that she had heard rightly. She knew she had done no wrong, and could not understand how putting her in prison could help anybody.
She was quite sure that her husband loved her, and no words could have expressed her pain at the thought of being sent away from him and her dear son. Yet she made no resistance, not even asking Vira-Bhuja to let her see Sringa-Bhuja again. She just bowed her beautiful head and said: "Be it unto me as my Lord wills. If he wishes my death, I am ready to lay down my life."
This submission made the king feel even more unhappy than before. He longed to take his wife in his arms and tell her he would never let her go; and perhaps if she had looked at him then, he would have seen all her love for him in her eyes, but she remained perfectly still with bowed head, waiting to hear what her fate was to be. Then the thought entered Vira-Bhuja's mind: "She is afraid to look at me: what Ayasolekha said was true."

What story did the king tell Guna-Vara?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

In the city of Vardhamana in India, there lived a powerful king named Vira-Bhuja, who, as was the custom in his native land, had many wives, each of whom had several sons. Of all his wives, this king loved best the one named Guna-Vara, and of all his sons her youngest-born, called Sringa-Bhuja, was his favourite. Guna-Vara was not only very beautiful but very good. She was so patient that nothing could make her angry, so unselfish that she always thought of others before herself, and so wise that she was able to understand how others were feeling, however different their natures were from her own.
Sringa-Bhuja, the son of Guna-Vara, resembled his mother in her beauty and her unselfishness; he was also very strong and very clever, whilst his brothers were quite unlike him. They wanted to have everything their own way, and they were very jealous indeed of their father's love for him. They were always trying to do him harm, and though they often quarrelled amongst themselves, they would band together to try and hurt him.
It was very much the same with the king's wives. They hated Guna-Vara, because their husband loved her more than he did them, and they constantly came to him with stories they had made up of the wicked things she had done. Amongst other things they told the king that Guna-Vara did not really love him but cared more for someone else than she did for him. The most bitter of all against her was the wife called Ayasolekha, who was cunning enough to know what sort of tale the king was likely to believe. The very fact that Vira-Bhuja loved Guna-Vara so deeply made him more ready to think that perhaps after all she did not return his affection, and he longed to find out the truth. So, he in his turn made up a story, thinking by its means to find out how she felt for him. Therefore, he went one day to her private apartments, and having sent all her attendants away, he told her that he had some very sad news for her which he had heard from his chief astrologer. Astrologers, you know, are wise men, who are supposed to be able to read the secrets of the stars, and learn things from them which are hidden from ordinary human beings. Guna-Vara therefore did not doubt that what her husband was about to tell her was true, and she listened eagerly, her heart beating very fast in her fear that some trouble was coming to those she loved.

Great indeed was her sorrow and surprise, when Vira-Bhuja went on to say that the astrologer had told him that a terrible misfortune threatened him and his kingdom and the only way to prevent it was to shut Guna-Vara up in prison for the rest of her life. The poor queen could hardly believe that she had heard rightly. She knew she had done no wrong, and could not understand how putting her in prison could help anybody.
She was quite sure that her husband loved her, and no words could have expressed her pain at the thought of being sent away from him and her dear son. Yet she made no resistance, not even asking Vira-Bhuja to let her see Sringa-Bhuja again. She just bowed her beautiful head and said: "Be it unto me as my Lord wills. If he wishes my death, I am ready to lay down my life."
This submission made the king feel even more unhappy than before. He longed to take his wife in his arms and tell her he would never let her go; and perhaps if she had looked at him then, he would have seen all her love for him in her eyes, but she remained perfectly still with bowed head, waiting to hear what her fate was to be. Then the thought entered Vira-Bhuja's mind: "She is afraid to look at me: what Ayasolekha said was true."

Why did the king think Ayasolekha’s story was true?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

In the city of Vardhamana in India, there lived a powerful king named Vira-Bhuja, who, as was the custom in his native land, had many wives, each of whom had several sons. Of all his wives, this king loved best the one named Guna-Vara, and of all his sons her youngest-born, called Sringa-Bhuja, was his favourite. Guna-Vara was not only very beautiful but very good. She was so patient that nothing could make her angry, so unselfish that she always thought of others before herself, and so wise that she was able to understand how others were feeling, however different their natures were from her own.
Sringa-Bhuja, the son of Guna-Vara, resembled his mother in her beauty and her unselfishness; he was also very strong and very clever, whilst his brothers were quite unlike him. They wanted to have everything their own way, and they were very jealous indeed of their father's love for him. They were always trying to do him harm, and though they often quarrelled amongst themselves, they would band together to try and hurt him.
It was very much the same with the king's wives. They hated Guna-Vara, because their husband loved her more than he did them, and they constantly came to him with stories they had made up of the wicked things she had done. Amongst other things they told the king that Guna-Vara did not really love him but cared more for someone else than she did for him. The most bitter of all against her was the wife called Ayasolekha, who was cunning enough to know what sort of tale the king was likely to believe. The very fact that Vira-Bhuja loved Guna-Vara so deeply made him more ready to think that perhaps after all she did not return his affection, and he longed to find out the truth. So, he in his turn made up a story, thinking by its means to find out how she felt for him. Therefore, he went one day to her private apartments, and having sent all her attendants away, he told her that he had some very sad news for her which he had heard from his chief astrologer. Astrologers, you know, are wise men, who are supposed to be able to read the secrets of the stars, and learn things from them which are hidden from ordinary human beings. Guna-Vara therefore did not doubt that what her husband was about to tell her was true, and she listened eagerly, her heart beating very fast in her fear that some trouble was coming to those she loved.

Great indeed was her sorrow and surprise, when Vira-Bhuja went on to say that the astrologer had told him that a terrible misfortune threatened him and his kingdom and the only way to prevent it was to shut Guna-Vara up in prison for the rest of her life. The poor queen could hardly believe that she had heard rightly. She knew she had done no wrong, and could not understand how putting her in prison could help anybody.
She was quite sure that her husband loved her, and no words could have expressed her pain at the thought of being sent away from him and her dear son. Yet she made no resistance, not even asking Vira-Bhuja to let her see Sringa-Bhuja again. She just bowed her beautiful head and said: "Be it unto me as my Lord wills. If he wishes my death, I am ready to lay down my life."
This submission made the king feel even more unhappy than before. He longed to take his wife in his arms and tell her he would never let her go; and perhaps if she had looked at him then, he would have seen all her love for him in her eyes, but she remained perfectly still with bowed head, waiting to hear what her fate was to be. Then the thought entered Vira-Bhuja's mind: "She is afraid to look at me: what Ayasolekha said was true."

Guna-Vara was very

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.

In the city of Vardhamana in India, there lived a powerful king named Vira-Bhuja, who, as was the custom in his native land, had many wives, each of whom had several sons. Of all his wives, this king loved best the one named Guna-Vara, and of all his sons her youngest-born, called Sringa-Bhuja, was his favourite. Guna-Vara was not only very beautiful but very good. She was so patient that nothing could make her angry, so unselfish that she always thought of others before herself, and so wise that she was able to understand how others were feeling, however different their natures were from her own.
Sringa-Bhuja, the son of Guna-Vara, resembled his mother in her beauty and her unselfishness; he was also very strong and very clever, whilst his brothers were quite unlike him. They wanted to have everything their own way, and they were very jealous indeed of their father's love for him. They were always trying to do him harm, and though they often quarrelled amongst themselves, they would band together to try and hurt him.
It was very much the same with the king's wives. They hated Guna-Vara, because their husband loved her more than he did them, and they constantly came to him with stories they had made up of the wicked things she had done. Amongst other things they told the king that Guna-Vara did not really love him but cared more for someone else than she did for him. The most bitter of all against her was the wife called Ayasolekha, who was cunning enough to know what sort of tale the king was likely to believe. The very fact that Vira-Bhuja loved Guna-Vara so deeply made him more ready to think that perhaps after all she did not return his affection, and he longed to find out the truth. So, he in his turn made up a story, thinking by its means to find out how she felt for him. Therefore, he went one day to her private apartments, and having sent all her attendants away, he told her that he had some very sad news for her which he had heard from his chief astrologer. Astrologers, you know, are wise men, who are supposed to be able to read the secrets of the stars, and learn things from them which are hidden from ordinary human beings. Guna-Vara therefore did not doubt that what her husband was about to tell her was true, and she listened eagerly, her heart beating very fast in her fear that some trouble was coming to those she loved.

Great indeed was her sorrow and surprise, when Vira-Bhuja went on to say that the astrologer had told him that a terrible misfortune threatened him and his kingdom and the only way to prevent it was to shut Guna-Vara up in prison for the rest of her life. The poor queen could hardly believe that she had heard rightly. She knew she had done no wrong, and could not understand how putting her in prison could help anybody.
She was quite sure that her husband loved her, and no words could have expressed her pain at the thought of being sent away from him and her dear son. Yet she made no resistance, not even asking Vira-Bhuja to let her see Sringa-Bhuja again. She just bowed her beautiful head and said: "Be it unto me as my Lord wills. If he wishes my death, I am ready to lay down my life."
This submission made the king feel even more unhappy than before. He longed to take his wife in his arms and tell her he would never let her go; and perhaps if she had looked at him then, he would have seen all her love for him in her eyes, but she remained perfectly still with bowed head, waiting to hear what her fate was to be. Then the thought entered Vira-Bhuja's mind: "She is afraid to look at me: what Ayasolekha said was true."