Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
My grandmother and I were good friends. My parents left me with her when they went to live in the city and we were constantly
together. She used to wake me up in the morning and get me ready for school. She said her morning prayer in a monotonous sing-song
while she bathed and dressed me in the hope that I would listen and get to know it by heart; I listened because I loved her voice but
never bothered to learn it. Then she would fetch my wooden slate which she had already washed and plastered with yellow chalk, a tiny
earthen ink-pot and a red pen, tie them all in a bundle and hand it to me. After a breakfast of a thick, stale chapatti with a little butter
and sugar spread on it, we went to school. She carried several stale chapattis with her for the village dogs.
My grandmother always went to school with me because the school was attached to the temple. The priest taught us the alphabet and
the morning prayer. While the children sat in rows on either side of the verandah singing the alphabet or the prayer in a chorus, my
grandmother sat inside reading the scriptures. When we had both finished, we would walk back together. This time the village dogs
would meet us at the temple door. They followed us to our home growling and fighting with each other for the chapattis we threw to
them. When my parents were comfortably settled in the city, they sent for us. That was a turning-point in our friendship. Although we
shared the same room, my grandmother no longer came to school with me. I used to go to an English school in a motor bus. There
were no dogs in the
streets and she took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of our city house. As the years rolled by we saw less of each other. For some
time she continued to wake me up and get me ready for school. When I came back she would ask me what the teacher had taught me.
I would tell her English words and little things of western science and learning, the law of gravity, Archimedes’ Principle, the world being
round, etc. This made her unhappy. She could not help me with my lessons. She did not believe in the things they taught at the English
school and was distressed that there was no teaching about God and the scriptures.
What kind of woman was the grandmother?
This questions was previously asked in
SSC CPO 26th July 2021 Paper 2
Illiterate
Incorrect AnswerSelf-centred
Incorrect AnswerExplanation:
- Option 1: Illiterate
- The grandmother might be illiterate as she could not help with English or science lessons.
- However, she could read scriptures, indicating some degree of literacy.
- Option 2: Modern
- A modern person would likely embrace new ideas and technology.
- The grandmother was distressed by Western teachings and did not embrace them.
- Option 3: Self-centred
- A self-centred person prioritizes themselves over others.
- The grandmother showed selflessness, caring for her grandchild and feeding animals.
- Option 4: Religious
- She was devoted to morning prayers and read scriptures daily.
- Her distress about the lack of religious teachings in school supports her religious nature.
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