Comprehension : Comprehension

Q 4 / 466

UPSC CSE Prelims 2026

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the items that follow. Your answers should be based solely on the passage.
Passage: Was it the sun-dappled ambience, the strawberries and cream, the frustration of Flavio Cobolli's unforced errors against Serbian Novak Djokovic on Centre Court or simply the crushing weight of being a 64-year-old man in the third act of a very public life? Whatever the reason, Hugh Grant, the actor, deserves empathy. There he was, in the Royal Box at Wimbledon, flanked by Britain's well-dressed and well-rested spectators, watching the men's singles quarterfinals, when the actor did something quietly radical: head at a tilt, eyes closed, utterly unbothered, he took a nap. So praise be to Grant for serving up an unexpected ace. In that small, delicious moment, he didn't merely catch forty winks, he made an elegant case for surrender. Not to laziness, but to limits. To the body's quiet wisdom over society's relentless performance metrics. Wimbledon had its tennis. The perpetually sleep-deprived discovered a leading man, not of action, but of rest.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
  1. Radical action can also be attributed to mild surrender where one acts against societal expectations.
  2. Submitting to one's limitations, given the effect of age and other factors, ought not to be conflated with laziness.
  3. 'Leading man' usually refers to one who plays the lead role in a movie; in this instance the implication is that Hugh Grant is performing the role of not an action hero, but that of a resting one!
Select the answer using the code given below.

EXPLANATION

The correct option is C - 1, 2 and 3.

[as per provisional answerkey]

Why this is correct

The passage uses the incident of Hugh Grant napping at Wimbledon to explore deeper themes of societal expectations versus personal needs.
Statement 1 is correct: The author describes Grant’s nap as "quietly radical" and an "unexpected ace." This suggests that choosing to surrender to one's physical needs (sleep) in a public setting where one is expected to perform as a spectator is a radical act against societal norms.
Statement 2 is correct: The passage explicitly states that Grant made a case for surrender "not to laziness, but to limits" and "the body's quiet wisdom over society's relentless performance metrics." This directly supports the idea that submitting to limitations (like age or fatigue) should not be confused with laziness.
Statement 3 is correct: The passage plays on Grant's profession as an actor. It concludes by saying the sleep-deprived found a "leading man, not of action, but of rest." This is a clever linguistic shift from the traditional cinematic "leading man" (action hero) to a figure who leads by example through the act of resting.

Why the other options are incorrect

  • Option (a) - 1 and 2 only: This option is incorrect because it excludes Statement 3. The passage clearly uses the term "leading man" in the final sentence to redefine Grant's role from a traditional actor to a symbol of rest, making Statement 3 a valid interpretation of the text's wordplay.
  • Option (b) - 2 and 3 only: This option is incorrect because it excludes Statement 1. The passage explicitly uses the word "radical" to describe Grant's action of napping, framing his surrender to sleep as a defiance of the "performance metrics" expected of a public figure.
  • Option (d) - 3 only: This option is incorrect because it ignores the primary philosophical arguments made in the passage regarding the distinction between laziness and physical limits (Statement 2) and the radical nature of non-conformity (Statement 1).

Key Concept

Contextual interpretation of metaphors and the distinction between societal performance and biological necessity.