UPSC Prelims 2014·CSAT·Reading Comprehension·Passage Comprehension

Passage Cynthia was a shy girl. She believed that she was plain and untalented. One day her teacher ordered the entire class to show up for audition for the school play. Cynthia nearly died of fright when she was told that she would have to stand on stage in front of the entire class and deliver dialogues. The mere thought of it made her feel sick. But a remarkable transformation occurred during the audition. A thin, shy girl, her knees quaking, her stomach churning in terror, began to stun everyone with her excellent performance. Her bored classmates suddenly stopped their noisy chat to stare at her slender figure on the state. At the end of her audition, the entire room erupted in thunderous applause. Cynthia's classmates were chatting because

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Last updated 23 May 2026, 3:31 pm IST
  1. Ait was their turn to act next
  2. Bthey were bored of the performancesCorrect
  3. CCynthia did not act well
  4. Dthe teacher had no control over them.

Explanation

The passage explicitly states, "Her bored classmates suddenly stopped their noisy chat to stare at her slender figure on the state." This directly indicates that their chatting was a result of being bored with the performances. A) it was their turn to act next - The passage does not provide any information to support this. B) they were bored of the performances - This is directly stated in the passage ("bored classmates"). C) Cynthia did not act well - This is incorrect. The passage states Cynthia gave an "excellent performance" and received "thunderous applause." D) the teacher had no control over them - While they were chatting, the passage attributes their behavior to boredom, not a lack of teacher control. The teacher had ordered the audition, indicating some authority.
Reading Comprehension: Passage Cynthia was a shy girl. She believed that she was plain and untalented. One day her teacher ordered the entire c

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