Question

[114]. Read the following passage carefully:

Passage: "As a schoolboy, the future scientist was less interested in memorising answers than in asking why a train whistle sounds different as it passes, or why the sky looks blue at noon and red at sunset. His teachers sometimes found his questions distracting, but one teacher lent him books and let him test small ideas with simple apparatus. Years later, when he studied how light scatters, he traced his curiosity back to those schoolboy questions. His life suggests that science begins not in a laboratory but in the habit of noticing ordinary things closely and refusing to accept an answer without understanding it." What is the main idea of the passage?

1.
Simple preventive habits such as handwashing and safe water storage can reduce illness more cheaply and surely than treatment alone.
2.
A forest works as a web of many species, so its protection means preserving variety and relationships, not merely planting trees.
3.
The postal system mattered — and still matters — because it reaches people reliably, even where faster technologies are weak.
4.
Science begins in the habit of noticing ordinary things closely and asking why, rather than in memorising answers.
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)

Option 4 : Science begins in the habit of noticing ordinary things closely and asking why, rather than in memorising answers.

Advertisement

Detailed Solution

सही उत्तर Science begins in the habit of noticing ordinary things closely and asking why, rather than in memorising answers. है।

Key Points

The passage as a whole supports this idea; the other options are narrow, opposite or absent from the passage.

Helpful?
Latest Exam & Job Updates
Last updated on Oct 26, 2026

Recommended Test Series

Attempt full-length mock tests, sectional papers & All India Rank

Explore All
NEW
Nursing, AIIMS & Madical Exams

AIIMS CRE Social Security Officer, Manager Grade-II & Superintendent Test Series 2026

PREPSNAP STUDY
AIIMS CRE Social Security Officer, Manager Grade-II & Superintendent Test Series 2026 Logo

AIIMS CRE Social Security Officer, Manager Grade-II & Superintendent Test Series 2026

0.4k Users

20 Total Tests


English, Hindi
  • •20 Full Test (Prelims)
SSC Exams

SSC GD Constable Test Series

PREPSNAP STUDY
SSC GD Constable Test Series Logo

SSC GD Constable Test Series

7.5k Users

145 Total Tests


English, Hindi
  • •15 Full Test (Prelims)
  • •50 Sectional Test
  • •55 Chapter Test
  • +25 more tests
NEW
DSSSB

DSSSB Junior Scientific Assistant (LieDetection) Test Series 2026 | 25+ Mock Tests

PREPSNAP STUDY
DSSSB Junior Scientific Assistant (LieDetection) Test Series 2026 | 25+ Mock Tests Logo

DSSSB Junior Scientific Assistant (LieDetection) Test Series 2026 | 25+ Mock Tests

2.5k Users

120 Total Tests


English, Hindi
  • •20 Full Test (Prelims)
  • •100 Sectional Test
NEW
Nursing, AIIMS & Madical Exams

AIIMS CRE Assistant Security Officer Test Series 2026

PREPSNAP STUDY
AIIMS CRE Assistant Security Officer Test Series 2026 Logo

AIIMS CRE Assistant Security Officer Test Series 2026

0.4k Users

70 Total Tests


English, Hindi
  • •20 Full Test (Prelims)
  • •50 Sectional Test

More Mock Test Questions

PrepSnapprepsnap.in • Mock Test

Question:

[114]. Read the following passage carefully:

Passage: "As a schoolboy, the future scientist was less interested in memorising answers than in asking why a train whistle sounds different as it passes, or why the sky looks blue at noon and red at sunset. His teachers sometimes found his questions distracting, but one teacher lent him books and let him test small ideas with simple apparatus. Years later, when he studied how light scatters, he traced his curiosity back to those schoolboy questions. His life suggests that science begins not in a laboratory but in the habit of noticing ordinary things closely and refusing to accept an answer without understanding it." What is the main idea of the passage?

1.
Simple preventive habits such as handwashing and safe water storage can reduce illness more cheaply and surely than treatment alone.
2.
A forest works as a web of many species, so its protection means preserving variety and relationships, not merely planting trees.
3.
The postal system mattered — and still matters — because it reaches people reliably, even where faster technologies are weak.
4.
Science begins in the habit of noticing ordinary things closely and asking why, rather than in memorising answers.

Correct Answer: Science begins in the habit of noticing ordinary things closely and asking why, rather than in memorising answers.

The passage as a whole supports this idea; the other options are narrow, opposite or absent from the passage.

Downloaded from PrepSnap (prepsnap.in)