Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the most appropriate option :

The Ghost in the Forest

Many people who live near the Theme Park are afraid to go into the forest area. There is a legend, that a woman who once lived in the forest as an outlaw hundreds & hundreds of years ago, still walks there as a ghost at night. The legend says, she was a great warrior from a rich family, but the wicked king, who ruled the country, killed her family and burned her castle, that is quite close to the Theme Park. Her name was Maureen. Maureen escaped being killed, by running into the forest. Because of this, the king made an announcement to reward the person who reported anything about Maureen by giving a handsome amount of 500 gold coins. Many of the poor people, who knew Maureen liked her very much and they told her what the king was going to do. Maureen decided to fight the king. She did this by helping the poor, robbing the rich and giving their money to the poor. Every time someone rich come through the forest, she would rob him. Maureen was a heroine for the poor, but in the end, one of the poor betrayed her. She was caught by the king's soldiers and hung in the forest by the king from one of the old oak trees. The legend says, that her ghost still walks there by night. So Beware! ! !

What was the king like?

Question

Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the most appropriate option :

The Ghost in the Forest

Many people who live near the Theme Park are afraid to go into the forest area. There is a legend, that a woman who once lived in the forest as an outlaw hundreds & hundreds of years ago, still walks there as a ghost at night. The legend says, she was a great warrior from a rich family, but the wicked king, who ruled the country, killed her family and burned her castle, that is quite close to the Theme Park. Her name was Maureen. Maureen escaped being killed, by running into the forest. Because of this, the king made an announcement to reward the person who reported anything about Maureen by giving a handsome amount of 500 gold coins. Many of the poor people, who knew Maureen liked her very much and they told her what the king was going to do. Maureen decided to fight the king. She did this by helping the poor, robbing the rich and giving their money to the poor. Every time someone rich come through the forest, she would rob him. Maureen was a heroine for the poor, but in the end, one of the poor betrayed her. She was caught by the king's soldiers and hung in the forest by the king from one of the old oak trees. The legend says, that her ghost still walks there by night. So Beware! ! !

What was the king like?

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 3:
The passage explicitly introduces the king with a descriptive adjective right at the beginning of the central conflict: "but the wicked king, who ruled the country, killed her family and burned her castle." The actions that follow—killing Maureen's family, destroying her home, and later having her betrayed and hung—are all characteristic of a wicked or cruel ruler. Therefore, the passage directly provides the answer, making "wicked" the definitive description of the king's personality and actions towards Maureen and her family.

The incorrect option is 1:
"He was good" is incorrect because the king's actions, such as murder, arson, and public execution, are inherently evil and directly contradict the definition of a good ruler. His tyranny caused Maureen to become an outlaw.

The incorrect option is 2:
"He was nice" is incorrect as this word suggests pleasantness and amiability, which is completely contrary to the violence and persecution he inflicted upon Maureen and her family. He is the central antagonist in the legend, not a pleasant figure.

The incorrect option is 4:
"He was generous" is incorrect, even though he offered a "handsome amount of 500 gold coins" as a reward. This reward was an instrument of his cruelty—a bribe to encourage betrayal—and was not an act of true generosity for the welfare of his people. His motive was purely selfish and malicious: to capture and punish Maureen.