GATE CE 2025 Set 1 — Question 6

MCQ+2 / -0.67EasyReading ComprehensionVerbal AptitudeGeneral Aptitude

General Aptitude → Verbal Aptitude → Reading Comprehension

Last updated 5 September 2026

Question

“Why do they pull down and do away with crooked streets, I wonder, which are my delight, and hurt no man living? Every day the wealthier nations are pulling down one or another in their capitals and their great towns: they do not know why they do it; neither do I. It ought to be enough, surely, to drive the great broad ways which commerce needs and which are the life-channels of a modern city, without destroying all history and all the humanity in between: the islands of the past.” (From Hilaire Belloc’s “The Crooked Streets”) Based only on the information provided in the above passage, which one of the following statements is true?

Correct answer (B) The wealthier nations are pulling down the crooked streets in their capitals. Solution The passage explicitly states, "Every day the wealthier nations are pulling down one or another in their capitals and their great towns...". This directly supports statement (B). Statement (A) is incorrect because the author takes delight in "crooked streets", not in the act of "wondering". Statement (C) is incorrect as it misinterprets the metaphorical phrase "islands of the past". Statement (D) is incorrect because the author suggests that broad ways are needed for commerce but they destroy history, rather than protecting it. Turn this into a strength. Explore AI-powered practice and doubt support with Success Tracker.

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Correct answer (B) The wealthier nations are pulling down the crooked streets in their capitals. Solution The passage explicitly states, "Every day the wealthier nations are pulling down one or another in their capitals and their great towns...". This directly supports statement (B). Statement (A) is incorrect because the author takes delight in "crooked streets", not in the act of "wondering". Statement (C) is incorrect as it misinterprets the metaphorical phrase "islands of the past". Statement (D) is incorrect because the author suggests that broad ways are needed for commerce but they destroy history, rather than protecting it.

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