GATE EC 2017 Set 2 — Question 61

MCQ+2 / -0.67EasyReading ComprehensionVerbal AptitudeGeneral Aptitude

General Aptitude → Verbal Aptitude → Reading Comprehension

Last updated 5 September 2026

Question

"If you are looking for a history of India, or for an account of the rise and fall of the British Raj, or for the reason of the cleaving of the subcontinent into two mutually antagonistic parts and the effects this mutilation will have in the respective sections, and ultimately on Asia, you will not find it in these pages; for though I have spent a lifetime in the country, I lived too near the seat of events, and was too intimately associated with the actors, to get the perspective needed for the impartial recording of these matters." Which of the following statements best reflects the author's opinion?

Correct answer (A) An intimate association does not allow for the necessary perspective. Solution The author states, "for though I have spent a lifetime in the country, I lived too near the seat of events, and was too intimately associated with the actors, to get the perspective needed for the impartial recording of these matters." This directly implies that an intimate association (being too near and intimately associated) prevents one from gaining the necessary perspective for impartial recording. Therefore, option (A) best reflects the author's opinion. Option (B) contradicts the author's statement that he could not get the impartial perspective. Option (C) also contradicts the author's statement. Option (D) is a general statement about actors, but the author's point is specifically about his own intimate association hindering his perspective, not a general rule about all actors. Turn this into a strength. Explore AI-powered practice and doubt support with Success Tracker.

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Correct answer (A) An intimate association does not allow for the necessary perspective. Solution The author states, "for though I have spent a lifetime in the country, I lived too near the seat of events, and was too intimately associated with the actors, to get the perspective needed for the impartial recording of these matters." This directly implies that an intimate association (being too near and intimately associated) prevents one from gaining the necessary perspective for impartial recording. Therefore, option (A) best reflects the author's opinion. Option (B) contradicts the author's statement that he could not get the impartial perspective. Option (C) also contradicts the author's statement. Option (D) is a general statement about actors, but the author's point is specifically about his own intimate association hindering his perspective, not a general rule about all actors.

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