UPSC Prelims 2013·CSAT·Reading Comprehension·Passage Comprehension

English Passage - 3 A stout old lady was walking with her basket down the middle of a street in Petrograd to the great confusion of the traffic and no small peril to herself. It was pointed out to her that the pavement was the place for foot-passengers, but she replied, "I'm going to walk where I like. We've got liberty now." It did not occur to the dear lady that if liberty entitled the foot-passenger to walk down the middle of the road it also entitled the taxi-driver to drive on the pavement, and that the end of such liberty would be universal chaos. Everything would be getting in everybody else's way and nobody would get anywhere. Individual liberty would have become social anarchy. It was pointed out to the lady that she should walk on the pavement because she was

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Last updated 23 May 2026, 3:31 pm IST
  1. Aa pedestrianCorrect
  2. Bcarrying a basket
  3. Cstout
  4. Dan old lady.

Explanation

The passage states, "It was pointed out to her that the pavement was the place for foot-passengers." A "foot-passenger" is a pedestrian. Therefore, she was told to walk on the pavement because she was a pedestrian. A) a pedestrian: This is correct. The passage explicitly states the pavement is for "foot-passengers," which is another term for pedestrians. B) carrying a basket: While she was carrying a basket, this is a descriptive detail and not the reason given for why she should be on the pavement. C) stout: Her being stout is a physical description, not the reason for pavement usage. D) an old lady: Her age is a descriptive detail, not the reason for pavement usage. The pavement is for all foot-passengers, regardless of age.
Reading Comprehension: English Passage - 3 A stout old lady was walking with her basket down the middle of a street in Petrograd to the great c
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