Question

partition
a gautam
1 i didnt think i would make it to the village, let alone the border. first, there was the old man who carried his sick daughter on his back and hid in the forest. he told us he couldnt walk anymore. he said he had decided to wait it out until he found his son. he told us to pass along the message to the storekeeper who was staying. we told the storekeeper that an old man was hiding in the forest, five kilometers west, near a mango tree and waiting for his son rahim.
2 then, there was a caravan of bullock carts. we saw thousands of people and everything they could carry to the new country. little miserable children were crying. i saw a sick man calling out to god as the carts slowly moved to the border. it seemed like the bullock carts would take years to reach the border. but the people kept moving like rows of black ants.

1. more than anything i saw in those weeks, my family surprised me. my little sister munni had suddenly grown up. even a few months ago, she would throw a fit for a lollipop. now, she had stopped whining. she was scared about what she saw all around us. but she never said a word. i held her hand, and i hugged her tight. we used to pull each others hair out. now, not even an enemy could tear us apart. no matter what, i was going to protect munni like father was looking out for all of us.

4 i saw how people really loved each other. our neighbor, mr khan was carrying his feeble mother in a makeshift palanquin. i will always remember the sturdy bamboo stick with a sturdy swing that hung on it. mr khans mother was as thin as a rose stem. she must have weighed very little, but mr khan and his sons had to make a very long journey.
5 i wish we could have traveled at night. then the air was cool, and we werent parched and sunburned. it would be less safe. i had heard about the horror of the partition. i had covered munnis ears every time a neighbor told a scary story about another traveler. so that august, we risked all we had and moved a few kilometers a day.
how does the author use the narrators experiences to convey the prevailing perspective on the partition?
a by recounting acts of kindness, resilience, and suffering, the author emphasizes the emotional and physical toll of partition.
b by focusing on the narrators fears and complaints about the journey, the author portrays partition as an inconvenience.
c by highlighting the narrators interactions with family and strangers, the author minimizes the historical significance of partition.
d by describing the natural environment and weather conditions, the author presents partition as an ordinary migration.

Explanation:

The text shows acts like the old man hiding with his sick daughter (suffering), Mr. Khan carrying his mother (kindness), and the narrator's sister growing up (resilience). These elements emphasize the emotional and physical toll of partition. Option B is wrong as the text isn't just about fears/complaints. Option C is incorrect as it doesn't minimize historical significance. Option D is wrong as the focus isn't on natural environment/weather presenting it as ordinary migration.

Answer:

A. By recounting acts of kindness, resilience, and suffering, the author emphasizes the emotional and physical toll of partition.