GATE CE 2025 Set 2 — Question 6

MCQ+2 / -0.67EasyReading ComprehensionVerbal AptitudeGeneral Aptitude

General Aptitude → Verbal Aptitude → Reading Comprehension

Last updated 5 September 2026

Question

“His life was divided between the books, his friends, and long walks. A solitary man, he worked at all hours without much method, and probably courted his fatal illness in this way. To his own name there is not much to show; but such was his liberality that he was continually helping others, and fruits of his erudition are widely scattered, and have gone to increase many a comparative stranger’s reputation.” (From E.V. Lucas’s “A Funeral”) Based only on the information provided in the above passage, which one of the following statements is true?

Correct answer (A) The solitary man described in the passage is dead. Solution The passage mentions that the man "probably courted his fatal illness" and the source is titled "A Funeral", which strongly implies the subject is deceased. Option (B) is incorrect because the text states his erudition increased strangers' reputations, not vice versa. Option (C) is a literal misinterpretation of the metaphorical "fruits of his erudition". Option (D) misinterprets the verb "courted" (meaning to invite or risk) as a noun referring to a legal court. Turn this into a strength. Explore AI-powered practice and doubt support with Success Tracker.

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Correct answer (A) The solitary man described in the passage is dead. Solution The passage mentions that the man "probably courted his fatal illness" and the source is titled "A Funeral", which strongly implies the subject is deceased. Option (B) is incorrect because the text states his erudition increased strangers' reputations, not vice versa. Option (C) is a literal misinterpretation of the metaphorical "fruits of his erudition". Option (D) misinterprets the verb "courted" (meaning to invite or risk) as a noun referring to a legal court.

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