Question

What use was the kabadiwala (wastepicker) to the author?

• A. The kabadiwala bought up all her magazines.
• B. The kabadiwala’s stock of books and magazines were of interest to the author.
• C. The kabadiwala was about to steal the author’s magazines.
• D. The author ordered books online which the kabadiwala delivered.
• A. Belatedness in the sense of coming late for everything.
• B. Over-eagerness.
• C. Accepting a temporal gap between what was current in the wider world and the time at which these arrived in the provincial location.
• D. None of the above.
• A. Because the things that felt special and unique to the author were already established and accepted thought in the wider world.
• B. Because the author was less well-read than others.
• C. Because the author missed being in a big city.
• D. All the above.
• A. Rooted in a non-urban setting
• B. Related to a mofussil area
• C. Connected with another time
• D. Opposed to prevailing sensibilities
• A. Though the author feels provincial, she pretends to be from the metropolis.
• B. Though the author feels dated in her access to intellectual ideas, her lack of metropolitan sophistication lets her engage with the ideas with some originality.
• C. Though the author is aware of the limitedness of her knowledge, she is confident and can hold her own in a crowd. She is also proud of her roots in the small town.
• D. All the above.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1 (Identify kabadiwala’s role).
From the passage, the kabadiwala visited the neighbourhood collecting old papers and magazines at very low prices from those who no longer needed them. Step 2 (Author’s interest).
The author rummaged through the kabadiwala’s sacks of old magazines, eager to find reading material due to the scarcity in her town. Sometimes, she even got magazines for free. Step 3 (Interpretation).
The kabadiwala was important to the author as a source of magazines and reading material, not for buying her magazines or delivering online orders, nor for stealing anything. \[ \boxed{\text{Option B}} \]

Answer 2

Step 1 (Extract from passage).
The author clearly mentions the “sense of belatedness” — everything, including ideas and magazines, arrived late in her provincial town. Step 2 (Understanding provincial reader’s life).
This delay meant provincial readers had to accept that news, trends, and ideas would reach them much later than when they were fresh elsewhere. Step 3 (Option match).
Option (C) exactly captures this concept — the acceptance of the temporal gap. \[ \boxed{\text{Option C}} \]

Answer 3

Step 1 (Locate reason in passage).
The author mentions that in provincial life, people often felt they had discovered something new, only to later realize it was already known elsewhere — a realization that led to “deep sadness.” Step 2 (Eliminate wrong options).
There is no evidence that the sadness was due to being less well-read (B) or missing city life (C). Step 3 (Match correct option).
This matches exactly with option (A). \[ \boxed{\text{Option A}} \]

Answer 4

Step 1 (Understand context).
The passage uses “anachronistic” for discoveries or ideas that are out of sync with the current time — they belong to another era. Step 2 (Meaning match).
This matches the dictionary meaning of “connected with another time” or “chronologically out of place.” Step 3 (Elimination).
Options (A) and (B) refer to location, not time; (D) is too broad. \[ \boxed{\text{Option C}} \]

Answer 5

Step 1 (Interpret the last sentence).
The last sentence speaks of the “unpredictability” and “haphazardness” of provincial discoveries — implying a unique, original way of connecting ideas because it hasn’t been professionalized. Step 2 (Option match).
Option (B) reflects this — despite being dated, her lack of metropolitan polish lets her approach ideas freshly. Step 3 (Eliminate).
Option (A) is about pretending — not stated; Option (C) speaks of confidence and pride in roots — also not the focus here. \[ \boxed{\text{Option B}} \]