Directions—(Q. 1–15) 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.
Once upon a time, there was a rich merchant who had four
wives. He loved the fourth wife the most and adorned her with
rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her
nothing but the best. He also loved the third wife very much. He was very proud
of her and always wanted to show her off to his friends. However, the merchant
was always in great fear that she might run away with some other men. He loved
his second wife too. She was a very considerate person, always
patient and in fact was the merchant’s confidant. Whenever the merchant faced
some problems, he always turned to his second wife and she would always help him
out and tide him through difficult times. Now, the merchant’s first wife was a
very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth
and business as well taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not
love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of
her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he
was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, “Now I
have four wives with me. But when I die, I’ll be alone. How lonely I’ll be !”
Thus, he asked the fourth wife, “I loved you most, endowed you with the finest
clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I’m dying
will you follow me and keep me company ?” “No way !” replied the fourth wife and
she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife
right into the merchant’s heart. The sad merchant then asked the third wife, “I
have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I’m dying will you follow me
and keep me company ?” “No !” replied the third wife, “Life is so good over here
! I’m going to remarry when you die !” The merchant’s heart sank and turned
cold. He then asked the second wife. “I always turned to you for help and you’ve
always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me
and keep me company ?” “I’m sorry, I can’t help you out this time !” replied the
second wife. “At the very most, I can only send you to your grave.” The answer
came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out, “I’ll leave with you. I’ll follow you no matter where
you go.” The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny,
almost like she suffered from malnutition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said,
“I should have taken much better care of you while I could have !”
Actually, we all have four wives in our lives. The fourth
wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look
good, it’ll leave us when we die. Our third wife is our possessions, status and
wealth. When we die, they all go to others. The second wife is our family and
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research | Nationwide Written Test 2009
