Choose the word / group of words which is most similar the meaning to the word / group of words printed in bold as used in the passage.
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words/phrases have been printed in bold to help you locate them while answering some of the questions.
There was a famous temple on a high hill in Assam. The priest of this temple was widely respected and was known to be a great scholar. When he grew old, he started searching for a younger priest who could take charge of the temple after his death. But, much to his dismay, he could not find any suitable person. As the priest lay on his deathbed, he called the trustee of the temple and told him, “After my death, make sure that only a ‘human being’ replaces me as the priest of this temple”. As soon as he said these words, he died. Information travelled far and wide that the head priest of the famous temple had died and now there was an urgent need for a replacement. A day was set for the selection of the successor. That day, starting at dawn, aspirants started trekking the steep and torturous climb to the temple. The route to the temple was indeed difficult; it was full of thorns, and stones. By the time most people managed to reach the temple, they had received minor cuts and bruises on their feet and hands.
After breakfast, the selection process started. The trustee asked all the aspirants to recite difficult shlokas, or verses from the sacred texts, and explain various procedures of priesthood. By afternoon, as the selection process was about to end, one young man walked slowly into the temple. The trustee noticed him and said, “Young man, you are very late. What took you so long ? And what happened to your clothes, why are they torn ? Your feet and hands are bleeding so badly.” The man replied, “I know sir, I am late, so I will not participate in the competition. If I have your permission, I will just get my wounds treated, rest for a while and then go back to my village.” But the trustee was curious to know about this man. He asked again, “But how did you manage to hurt yourself so badly, did you not follow the same route as the others ?” “Yes sir, I did,” replied the man, “But I thought I must remove the thorns and other sharp, stones from the path so that when people come to pray in this temple they must not get hurt. That is why I got late and that is how I hurt myself. I apologize for the delay, but as I said, I know I am late and hence I don’t wish to participate in the competition. It will not be fair to the others if I participated.” Hearing this, the trustee smiled and said, “Congratulations, you have been chosen. I am sure that when our noble priest was dying and he said that he wanted a “human being” to be his successor, he meant that he wanted someone like you. “This statement infuriated the other participants. “What do you mean ?” they demanded. “Are we not humans ?This man just said that he did not wish to participate. How can you choose him as he has not gone through any of the tests ?”
The trustee replied, “Our old priest used to say that even animals know how to watch for their self interest; they know how to avoid danger, search food and so on. Only a ‘human being’ knows how to watch for other people’s interests and well being. All of you climbed the same torturous path. But only this man thought about the others and cleared the path so that no one would get hurt. By this definition, only he qualifies as a ‘human being’ and hence only he should be the successor of the great old priest.”
QUESTIONS:
1. Qualifies
(A) Is trained in
(B) Meets the criteria
(C) Excels in
(D) Is impressive
(E) Is dynamic
2. Noticed
(A) Recognized
(B) Liked
(C) Saw
(D) Informed
(E) Accepted
3. Demanded
(A) Claimed
(B) Questioned
(C) Stated
(D) Requested
(E) Inquired
4. Minor
(A) Chief
(B) Main
(C) Complete
(D) Distinct
(E) Severe
5. Torturous
(A) Trouble-free
(B) Liberating
(C) Exciting
(D) Demanding
(E) Boring
(Source: Bank of India Clerk Exam Paper 2010)
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