CUET UG English Booster Test 1-Conflict
📌 Answers are locked once submitted — results and explanations appear at the end.
QUESTION 1 OF 20
Yumi was "stubborn" and refused to wash the dirty white man. Choose the synonym for stubborn.
QUESTION 2 OF 20
Assertion (A): The servants threatened to leave because they wanted a higher salary from Dr. Sadao.
Reason (R): They felt they could not stay if Sadao hid the American prisoner in the house any longer.
QUESTION 3 OF 20
QUESTION 4 OF 20
QUESTION 5 OF 20
The servants' courtesy was as careful as ever, but their eyes were ______ upon the pair to whom they were hired.
QUESTION 6 OF 20
Which statement is NOT true regarding the isolation of the couple?
QUESTION 7 OF 20
Arrange Sadao's actions reflecting his duty vs patriotism in the correct chronological order.
1. Washing the wounded man's back carefully
2. Discovering the man is an American POW
3. Operating to successfully remove the bullet
4. Dragging the man from the sea
QUESTION 8 OF 20
Match Sadao's varying thoughts/actions with their descriptions.
| List I | List II |
|---|---|
| 1. Put back in sea | a. Actual action taken by the couple |
| 2. Carry into house | b. Expected duty as a patriot |
| 3. Turn over to police | c. Gardener's preferred method |
| 4. Let him bleed | d. Initial thought of the kindest thing |
QUESTION 9 OF 20
He carefully typed a "report" to the Chief of police. What is the meaning of report here?
QUESTION 10 OF 20
If Sadao had finished the letter and sent it, he _________.
QUESTION 11 OF 20
Hana was "dismayed" by the uncleaned house. Choose the antonym for dismayed.
QUESTION 12 OF 20
Match the phrasal verbs related to the servants' departure.
| List I | List II |
|---|---|
| 1. Pay off | a. Give final wages |
| 2. Break down | b. Return quickly to a place |
| 3. Cry over | c. Shed tears for the baby |
| 4. Run back | d. Lose emotional control |
QUESTION 13 OF 20
Hana was "exhausted" from her fright when the messenger arrived. Choose the synonym for exhausted.
QUESTION 14 OF 20
Arrange the events of Sadao's medical duty to the General in the correct chronological order.
1. Sadao eventually operates on the General's gall bladder
2. Messenger arrives at Sadao's house
3. General experiences pain again
4. Sadao is summoned to the palace
QUESTION 15 OF 20
Assertion (A): The General refused to let Sadao be arrested.
Reason (R): The General wanted to protect the American prisoner from execution.
QUESTION 16 OF 20
The General admitted he forgot to send assassins because he was suffering and thought of nothing but ________.
QUESTION 17 OF 20
Which statement is NOT true about the assassination plan?
QUESTION 18 OF 20
If the assassins had come as arranged, ___________.
QUESTION 19 OF 20
Match terms related to external authority in Japan.
| List I | List II |
|---|---|
| 1. Absolute state | a. Secret killers employed by the General |
| 2. Execution | b. The General's power over Sadao |
| 3. Assassins | c. Japan's strict political regime |
| 4. Authority | d. Putting an enemy to death |
QUESTION 20 OF 20
"Unconsciously this thought made him ruthless and he proceeded swiftly." What does "ruthless" mean here?
Test Complete!
Answer Review
1 Yumi was "stubborn" and refused to wash the dirty white man. Choose the synonym for stubborn.
The term "stubborn" denotes an unyielding, fixed attitude. "Obstinate" shares the exact semantic definition of refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action. Yumi adamantly rejects Hana's command to wash Tom due to her deep-rooted prejudices and fear.
In the chapter, Yumi displays extreme resistance when ordered to clean the wounded white soldier. "Stubborn" describes a person who is determined not to change their attitude or position on something. Among the options given, "Obstinate" directly matches this description, representing an inflexible mindset or firm refusal to comply with authority. While options A and B present opposites of the word, option D describes physical or mental frailty, making option C the most appropriate contextual and linguistic synonym.
- Option A → Flexible means compliant or adaptable, which is the exact antonym of stubborn.
- Option B → Obedient indicates a willingness to follow rules or commands, whereas Yumi openly defies Hana.
- Option D → Weak implies a lack of strength or resolve, which contradicts Yumi's firm and unshakeable stance.
Used: Elimination
Application: By eliminating positive behavior traits (Flexible, Obedient) and a word denoting lack of power (Weak), the only remaining word that aligns with an unyielding mindset is selected.
Final Logic: Eliminating antonyms and irrelevant descriptive words isolates option C as the true synonym.
Obstinate = Ob-Stub-nate (Associate the "Ob" in Obstinate with the "Stub" in Stubborn).
2 Assertion (A): The servants threatened to leave because they wanted a higher salary from Dr. Sadao.
Reason (R): They felt they could not stay if Sadao hid the American prisoner in the house any longer.
The assertion makes a false historical claim regarding a salary dispute. The reason provides the true patriotic and fearful rationale behind the servants' discontentment. The servants' rebellion is entirely ideological and political, not monetary.
The assertion claims that the servants wanted a higher salary, which is entirely unsupported by the text; they were actually well-profiled, loyal employees troubled by patriotic conflict and superstitious fear. The reason accurately highlights their true motive: they believed that sheltering an American prisoner of war made the household treasonous and endangered everyone under Sadao's roof. Thus, Assertion (A) is completely false, while Reason (R) is true.
- Option A → Incorrect because Reason (R) is completely true according to the story's plot line.
- Option B → Incorrect because Assertion (A) is factually wrong; salary was never an issue.
- Option C → Incorrect because it validates Assertion (A), which is a false statement.
Used: Elimination
Application: Testing the absolute factual validity of the Assertion statement immediately cancels out options B and C, leading directly to the correct evaluation.
Final Logic: Recognizing that salary is completely unmentioned in the text instantly classifies the Assertion as false.
Servants left for the Nation, not for Compensation.
3
The passage explicitly states that the servants believe the couple spent too much time in America. This long stay supposedly caused them to forget to put Japan first. The servants interpret their medical mercy as a sentimental affection for the enemy.
According to the explicit dialogue provided in the text excerpt, Hana communicates that the servants feel she and Sadao "have forgotten to think of our own country first" because of their extensive education and stay in America. The servants deduce that the couple has developed a fondness for Americans ("They think we like Americans"), which guides their decision to save the injured soldier. The accusation is an ideological criticism of misplaced national allegiance.
- Option B → Incorrect because the servants knew Sadao was highly trusted by the General.
- Option C → Incorrect because no financial or material theft from the military is ever suggested.
- Option D → Incorrect because there is no plot point or servant gossip regarding a mutual escape plan.
Used: Contextual/Tonal Matching
Application: Directly matching the text expression "They think we like Americans" from the provided passage to option A.
Final Logic: The exact text provided in the passage directly mirrors option A.
Long stay away makes servants say "They like USA".
4
Sadao speaks "harshly" to emphasize his alignment with Japan's wartime stance. He seeks to clear any doubt about his internal patriotism. He separates his professional medical ethics from his political allegiance.
Sadao responds aggressively because the accusation of being a sympathizer to the enemy hits a sensitive nerve during a period of fierce nationalistic wartime pride. By stating firmly that "Americans are our enemies," he defends his fundamental patriotism against the household gossip, clarifying that his actions are dictated solely by his humanitarian Hippocratic Oath, not an emotional attachment to the adversary.
- Option A → Incorrect because Sadao does not hold a personal, petty grudge against Hana's past acquaintances.
- Option C → Incorrect because if he wanted to kill him immediately, he would not have saved him on the operating table.
- Option D → Incorrect because the text shows he is speaking directly to his wife, Hana, inside their house.
Used: Elimination
Application: Dropping options that introduce incorrect settings (talking to police) or internal contradictions (wanting to kill the man immediately) narrows the options down to the psychological defense of loyalty.
Final Logic: The harshness is a protective reaction to reaffirm allegiance, making option B correct.
Harsh voice = Clear choice to protect loyalty.
5 The servants' courtesy was as careful as ever, but their eyes were ______ upon the pair to whom they were hired.
The passage depicts a clear emotional estrangement between the servants and the masters. While professional habits remain polite, their emotional expression turns distant. "Cold" signifies the underlying judgment, suspicion, and disapproval they maintain.
The narrative text describes the growing socio-political divide inside the household during this crisis. While the domestic staff retains their ritualistic, polite behavioral patterns out of ingrained professional habit, their emotional expression shifts completely. Their gaze becomes distant and critical ("their eyes were cold upon the pair"), symbolizing their deep disapproval of the couple's choice to nurse an American back to health.
- Option A → Incorrect because warmth implies approval and affection, which is opposite to their internal protest.
- Option B → Incorrect because joyful implies happiness, which is mismatched with a stressful treason scenario.
- Option C → Incorrect because the servants were critical and judgmental, not crying in sorrow over the couple.
Used: Contextual/Tonal Matching
Application: Identifying the tense, judgmental, and defensive atmosphere of the household allows for the selection of an emotionally detached descriptor.
Final Logic: The textual environment of suspicion requires an adjective like "cold" to describe their gazes.
Polite but cold, a story often told.
6 Which statement is NOT true regarding the isolation of the couple?
The question asks for the false narrative choice. The servants did not interact in a warm or conversational manner; they were uncommunicative and left the house. All other options represent correct plot events that occurred on the morning of their departure.
When the servants decided to leave the estate in protest, they stopped executing tasks and maintained a strict, quiet, and cold distance before finally walking away. They did not engage in light, casual, or friendly everyday chatter with Hana. Therefore, statement C is completely untrue, while statements A, B, and D correctly chronicle the historical sequence of events surrounding their departure.
- Option A → Incorrect because this is a true fact; the couple was forced to take over all manual labor.
- Option B → Incorrect because this is a true description of the servants pack-up and departure ritual.
- Option D → Incorrect because this is true; Hana had to step in to manage the kitchen duties directly.
Used: Odd One Out
Application: Analyzing the statements reveals three negative or stressful conditions resulting from the departure (A, B,
- D) and one positive, normal condition (C), which must be the false claim.
Final Logic: The false statement stands out as it presents a friendly atmosphere that contradicts the household strike.
No staff on site means no friendly chat in sight.
7 Arrange Sadao's actions reflecting his duty vs patriotism in the correct chronological order.
1. Washing the wounded man's back carefully
2. Discovering the man is an American POW
3. Operating to successfully remove the bullet
4. Dragging the man from the sea
The events must match the strict timeline of the narrative progression. The couple first pulls the body out of the surf line on the beach. Identifying his prisoner status happens right before he is taken in, followed by washing and surgery.
The plot unfolds with specific physical interactions: First, Sadao and Hana encounter the body washed ashore and actively pull him clear of the water line (4). Upon turning him over, they clean the sand off his face and read the lettering on his cap, discovering he is a US sailor/POW (2). Once moved inside, Hana refuses to wash him, prompting Sadao to prepare the wound site by cleansing him (1), before finally proceeding with the deep surgical operation to extract the lead bullet (3). This makes 4, 2, 1, 3 the correct sequence.
- Option A → Incorrect because they discover his identity (2) before any washing or medical care (1) occurs inside the house.
- Option C → Incorrect because it incorrectly suggests that washing occurred before pulling the body out of the ocean.
- Option D → Incorrect because the identity discovery happens at the beach site, not before they physically encounter him.
Used: Elimination
Application: Locating the absolute starting event (dragging the man from the sea - 4) instantly eliminates options C and D, narrowing down the choice.
Final Logic: Chronological reading confirms that identity recognition (2) occurs prior to physical home care (1).
Sea > Identity > Wash > Operate (Some Indians Win Olympics).
8 Match Sadao's varying thoughts/actions with their descriptions.
| List I | List II |
|---|---|
| 1. Put back in sea | a. Actual action taken by the couple |
| 2. Carry into house | b. Expected duty as a patriot |
| 3. Turn over to police | c. Gardener's preferred method |
| 4. Let him bleed | d. Initial thought of the kindest thing |
"Put back in sea" is explicitly identified by the couple as the kindest, least complicated escape route initially. "Carry into house" is the definitive physical action they chose to execute. Turning him over to law enforcement is the expected state patriotic solution, while letting him die of natural wounds is the old gardener's superstitious choice.
Sadao and Hana debate their moral choices at length on the beach. They note that tossing a wounded man back into the ocean currents is the kindest thing to do for an enemy (1-d). However, their ethical impulses drive them to carry him inside their personal home to give him medical aid (2-a). Handing him over to the authorities represents their duty as citizens of a nation at war (3-b). Later, the gardener argues that if the sea and gun wounds failed to kill him, letting him bleed out naturally was wiser than fighting nature (4-c).
- Option B → Incorrect because it connects item 1 with action 'a', but they did not throw him back.
- Option C → Incorrect because it pairs item 1 with patriotic duty 'b', which is logically inconsistent.
- Option D → Incorrect because it links item 1 with the gardener's preference 'c'.
Used: Option Grouping
Application: Pairing the definitive, undisputed action taken ("Carry into house" > 'a') simplifies the matching process across options.
Final Logic: Only Option A accurately pairs 2 with 'a' and 1 with 'd'.
Carry = Action (2-a); Police = Patriot (3-b).
9 He carefully typed a "report" to the Chief of police. What is the meaning of report here?
The word "report" has multiple meanings depending on the context. In a legal or police framework, it refers to an official summary of events. Sadao writes this document to state the facts of finding an escaped POW.
Sadao sits at his office desk to compose a formal statement detailing how the white man washed up on the coast. In a legal context, a report is an official account or statement detailing facts and events for institutional review. This matches option A. While "report" can mean an explosive sound in firearms terminology (Option B), that definition does not fit the context of typing out a document.
- Option B → Incorrect because while a gunshot makes a report, you cannot type a physical sound effect on paper.
- Option C → Incorrect because a police file is completely distinct from a doctor's medical prescription.
- Option D → Incorrect because an official notification to a Chief of police is not a casual friendly letter.
Used: Contextual/Tonal Matching
Application: The phrase "Chief of police" indicates an official law enforcement environment, requiring a formal, legal definition of the noun.
Final Logic: The administrative context clarifies that a report must be a formal statement or document.
Police Report = Official Statement.
10 If Sadao had finished the letter and sent it, he _________.
The question explores a hypothetical scenario involving the unfinished letter. The letter was addressed directly to the Chief of Police to report the prisoner. Sending it would have alerted the authorities to the prisoner's location.
Sadao leaves the official report incomplete in his desk drawer. Had he completed the text and delivered it, the immediate consequence would be informing the state apparatus of Tom's presence, effectively handing the prisoner over to the police authorities. This conditional outcome matches option D.
- Option A → Incorrect because the General valued Sadao's peace of mind and preferred a quiet assassination plan over a public trial.
- Option B → Incorrect because sending a report means law enforcement handles the prisoner, not Sadao doing it himself.
- Option C → Incorrect because notifying the local police would not trigger a trip to America during a world war.
Used: Substitution
Application: Completing the clause logically based on who the letter was addressed to (the Chief of Police) points directly to option D.
Final Logic: A letter addressed to the police inevitably leads to the police handling the matter.
Letter to police = Handed to police.
11 Hana was "dismayed" by the uncleaned house. Choose the antonym for dismayed.
"Dismayed" means feeling distress, disappointment, or concern. The question asks for an antonym (the opposite meaning). "Delighted" represents a feeling of great pleasure or happiness, making it the perfect opposite.
When the domestic workers leave, Hana walks into rooms that have been left untidy and unkept, leaving her distressed and upset ("dismayed"). An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning. While terrified, shocked, and panicked all match her feelings of distress and anxiety, "Delighted" represents joy and satisfaction, making it the correct antonym.
- Option A → Incorrect because terrified is a synonym that describes fear and distress.
- Option B → Incorrect because shocked is a close synonym that indicates surprise and distress.
- Option D → Incorrect because panicked is a synonym that reflects a state of anxious distress.
Used: Extreme Word Filter / Odd One Out
Application: Options A, B, and D all describe negative, anxious emotions. Option C is the only positive emotion listed, making it the odd one out.
Final Logic: Grouping the negative synonyms leaves the single positive word as the correct antonym.
Dismayed is Distressed; the opposite is Delighted.
12 Match the phrasal verbs related to the servants' departure.
| List I | List II |
|---|---|
| 1. Pay off | a. Give final wages |
| 2. Break down | b. Return quickly to a place |
| 3. Cry over | c. Shed tears for the baby |
| 4. Run back | d. Lose emotional control |
Pay off means to give someone their final wages before they leave. Break down means to lose emotional control. Cry over means to shed tears for someone or something. Run back means to return quickly to a place.
The meanings of the phrasal verbs are: Pay off (1) = a. Give final wages Break down (2) = d. Lose emotional control Cry over (3) = c. Shed tears for the baby Run back (4) = b. Return quickly to a place This corresponds to Option C (1-a, 2-d, 3-c, 4-b).
- Option A incorrectly matches Pay off with returning quickly.
- Option B incorrectly associates Pay off with emotional breakdown.
- Option D incorrectly links Pay off with crying over the baby.
Used: Elimination
Application: Match each phrasal verb with its standard dictionary meaning before checking the options.
Final Logic: Only Option C correctly pairs all four phrasal verbs with their meanings.
Pay = Wages • Break = Emotions • Cry = Tears • Run = Return
13 Hana was "exhausted" from her fright when the messenger arrived. Choose the synonym for exhausted.
"Exhausted" describes a state of complete physical and mental fatigue. Hana is worn down by fear and the physical labor of cleaning the house alone. "Drained" means completely emptied of energy, which matches her state perfectly.
Hana works through the morning performing heavy chores she isn't used to, all while living in fear of arrest. When she sees a uniformed messenger arrive, her anxiety peaks. "Exhausted" means being completely worn out. "Drained" is an exact synonym that captures this total loss of physical strength and mental energy.
- Option A → Incorrect because energized means full of energy, which is the exact opposite of her state.
- Option B → Incorrect because excited implies a high-energy emotional state, which doesn't fit her fatigue.
- Option C → Incorrect because relaxed means calm and rested, which contradicts her stress and tiredness.
Used: Elimination
Application: Eliminating options A, B, and C because they describe positive or high-energy states helps isolate the correct answer.
Final Logic: Removing the high-energy options leaves "Drained" as the only word that means tired.
Exhausted = Battery is Drained.
14 Arrange the events of Sadao's medical duty to the General in the correct chronological order.
1. Sadao eventually operates on the General's gall bladder
2. Messenger arrives at Sadao's house
3. General experiences pain again
4. Sadao is summoned to the palace
The messenger arrives at the house, which panics Hana. The messenger explains that the General is in pain again. Sadao is then summoned to the palace and later performs the surgery.
The sequence begins when the official messenger in uniform arrives at Sadao's house (2). Hana fears the worst, but the messenger explains he is there because the General is suffering from another bout of pain (3). Because of this medical emergency, Sadao is summoned to the palace immediately (4). This medical treatment later leads to the surgical operation on the General's gall bladder (1). This makes 2, 3, 4, 1 the correct sequence.
- Option B → Incorrect because it places the surgery at the very beginning of the timeline.
- Option C → Incorrect because the General's internal pain occurs before the messenger is sent out to the house.
- Option D → Incorrect because it reverses the actual order of events.
Used: Elimination
Application: Identifying that the surgery (1) is the final outcome of this sequence helps eliminate options B, D, and C.
Final Logic: Recognizing that the surgery comes last leaves option A as the only logical choice.
Messenger > Pain > Summons > Surgery.
15 Assertion (A): The General refused to let Sadao be arrested.
Reason (R): The General wanted to protect the American prisoner from execution.
The assertion is true; the General protects Sadao from wartime laws. The reason is completely false; the General has no interest in saving the American prisoner. The General protects Sadao purely out of self-interest, as he needs him for surgery.
The General values Sadao because he is the only surgeon he trusts to perform his upcoming operation. This makes the assertion true: the General cannot afford to let Sadao be arrested for treason. However, the reason given is completely false. The General does not care about the American's survival and even offers to send secret assassins to eliminate him. His actions are driven by self-interest, not mercy for the prisoner.
- Option A → Incorrect because Assertion (A) is a true statement; the General does protect Sadao.
- Option C → Incorrect because it validates Reason (R), which is factually wrong.
- Option D → Incorrect because it claims the Assertion is false and the Reason is true.
Used: Elimination
Application: Testing the truth of the Reason statement reveals it is false, which immediately eliminates options C and D.
Final Logic: Evaluating the Assertion as true and the Reason as false leads directly to option B.
The General acts for self-preservation, not for the prisoner's protection.
16 The General admitted he forgot to send assassins because he was suffering and thought of nothing but ________.
The General promises to send private assassins to kill the prisoner but fails to do so. He later confesses that his health problems made him forget the plan. This reveals his complete self-absorption and focus on his own survival.
During their meeting after the operation, the General realizes he never sent the promised assassins to Sadao's house. He confesses that his severe illness made him forget his duty to the state. He admits that he was thinking only of himself and his own survival, showing that his personal health mattered more to him than his national responsibilities.
- Option B → Incorrect because if he were thinking of his country, he would have prioritized eliminating the enemy prisoner.
- Option C → Incorrect because he views Sadao simply as a tool for his own medical care.
- Option D → Incorrect because his family is never mentioned as a priority during his medical crisis.
Used: Contextual/Tonal Matching
Application: The General's character is defined by his selfishness, which points directly to option A.
Final Logic: The text shows the General's focus is entirely on his own health, matching option A.
The General forgot the shelf because he thought only of himself.
17 Which statement is NOT true about the assassination plan?
The question asks for the false statement about the plan. The General offered his own private assassins as a personal favor to handle the problem quietly. Sadao did not have to hire anyone or pay for the service.
The General comes up with the plan to eliminate the American prisoner quietly to save Sadao from political trouble. He offers to send his own private assassins at his own expense (making statement C false). Statements A, B, and D are all accurate details from their conversation: the plan involved two assassins, using a technique that caused inward bleeding, and required Sadao to leave the bedroom door open.
- Option A → Incorrect because it is a true fact; the General offered two skilled assassins.
- Option B → Incorrect because it is true that they were trained to leave no signs of outward trauma.
- Option D → Incorrect because it is true that the bedroom door needed to be left open for access.
Used: Elimination
Application: Identifying statements A, B, and D as accurate plot points from the text allows them to be eliminated.
Final Logic: Spotting the false detail about Sadao paying for the assassins isolates option C as the correct answer.
The plan was the General's plot, so Sadao paid not a jot.
18 If the assassins had come as arranged, ___________.
The question asks about the intended outcome of the assassination plan. The assassins were trained to kill quietly without leaving any signs of a struggle. This would have solved Sadao's problem without causing a public scandal.
The goal of the secret plan was to remove the prisoner without creating a public scene or involving the police. If the assassins had arrived as planned, they would have entered through the open garden door and killed Tom quietly while he slept, removing the body afterward. This matches the scenario described in option A.
- Option B → Incorrect because Hana knew nothing about the plan and would not have been able to fight off professional killers.
- Option C → Incorrect because Sadao had agreed to the plan and was waiting for them to arrive.
- Option D → Incorrect because the General's health was completely separate from the execution of this plan.
Used: Substitution
Application: Completing the conditional sentence based on the General's description of his assassins' skills leads directly to option A.
Final Logic: The purpose of the plan was a quiet removal, which matches option A perfectly.
Assassins in the deep night = Quiet death out of sight.
19 Match terms related to external authority in Japan.
| List I | List II |
|---|---|
| 1. Absolute state | a. Secret killers employed by the General |
| 2. Execution | b. The General's power over Sadao |
| 3. Assassins | c. Japan's strict political regime |
| 4. Authority | d. Putting an enemy to death |
"Absolute state" refers to Japan's wartime government system. "Execution" is the official punishment of putting an enemy to death. The terms connect the political background of the story to the characters' actions.
The story is set during World War II, a time when Japan was ruled by a strict political regime (1-c). This government used execution as the standard legal punishment for enemies and traitors (2-d). The General has access to private assassins to handle threats quietly (3-a), and holds absolute authority over Sadao's life and career due to his high military rank (4-b). This matches Option B.
- Option A → Incorrect because it matches the absolute state with execution, confusing the system with the action.
- Option C → Incorrect because it incorrectly pairs the absolute state with private assassins.
- Option D → Incorrect because it connects the absolute state with the General's personal influence.
Used: Option Grouping
Application: Matching "Assassins" with "Secret killers" (3-a) helps filter the options quickly.
Final Logic: Finding the correct match for item 3 narrows the choices down to Option B.
Assassins = Killers (3-a); State = Regime (1-c).
20 "Unconsciously this thought made him ruthless and he proceeded swiftly." What does "ruthless" mean here?
"Ruthless" describes an action performed with zero pity or hesitation. Sadao focuses entirely on the technical challenge of the surgery to block out his stress. He treats the patient's body purely as a medical task, ignoring his identity as an enemy.
During the operation, Sadao experiences intense stress because of the danger he is putting his family in. To get through it, he focuses entirely on his surgical training, working quickly and without any emotional softness ("ruthless"). In this context, ruthless means working with complete clinical detachment, showing no pity or compassion for the patient's suffering in order to finish the job successfully.
- Option A → Incorrect because kind is the exact opposite of how he acts during this stressful surgery.
- Option B → Incorrect because pity is the emotion he is actively trying to suppress while working.
- Option C → Incorrect because hesitant means pausing out of doubt, but the text states he worked "swiftly."
Used: Contextual/Tonal Matching
Application: The phrase "proceeded swiftly" shows he worked without pausing, which contradicts options that mean slow or soft actions.
Final Logic: Clinical detachment during a difficult surgery requires a word that means showing no pity.
Ruthless = Ruth (pity) + Less (none) > No pity.
