According to the passage about the musical play "The Way Across", many plays have depicted the life of Gautama Buddha, but this play was said to be unique for a particular reason. What specific feature made "The Way Across" unique?

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: Regional focus

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question is based on a reading comprehension passage about the musical play "The Way Across". The passage compares this play to many other plays and films about the life of Gautama Buddha. You are asked to identify the particular feature that made this play unique, according to the author. Such questions test careful reading of the opening lines of a passage, where the writer often states the main distinguishing characteristic.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The passage begins by noting that many plays and films have depicted Buddha's life story.
  • It then states that what made "The Way Across" unique was its regional focus.
  • Later, the passage mentions that the play was a musical, used English, and was adapted from the book "Telangana lo Buddhism".
  • The question asks: "What was unique about the play, 'The Way Across'?"


Concept / Approach:
To answer this, you must identify which feature the author explicitly labels as unique. The key sentence is that many works have covered Buddha's life, but this play was unique because of its regional focus on Telangana and on the enlightenment of a specific cursed Brahmin Bawari and his sixteen disciples. Although being musical and English are notable features, the writer clearly emphasises "regional focus" as the unique quality distinguishing it from other depictions.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Re-read the first two or three lines of the passage, where the uniqueness of the play is discussed.Step 2: Note the contrast: many plays and films tell Buddha's life story, but "The Way Across" is different.Step 3: Identify the phrase that directly follows "what made the musical play 'The Way Across' unique". It is "was its regional focus".Step 4: Recognise that "regional focus" refers to its emphasis on Telangana and Buddhist traditions there.Step 5: Match this phrase with the given options and select the one that repeats or clearly reflects it: "Regional focus".


Verification / Alternative check:
If you consider each option, ask whether the passage specifically calls that feature unique. Being a musical is mentioned but not presented as unique, since other musical plays may also exist. Being in English is discussed in the context of compromising native essence, not as the main point of uniqueness. The story line is indeed focused on Bawari and his disciples, but the author frames this within a regional Telangana context. Only "regional focus" is explicitly connected with the word "unique" in the text, which confirms that it is the right answer.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, "Story line", is too vague; many plays have different story lines yet the passage specifically mentions regional focus as the unique aspect. Option C, "It was a musical", is true but not singled out as unique in comparison to all other plays and films. Option D, "It was in English", is discussed as a reason for loss of native essence, not as a point of uniqueness to celebrate. Therefore, none of these options matches the passage's stated reason for uniqueness as directly as "Regional focus" does.


Common Pitfalls:
A frequent error is to confuse "unique" with "unfamiliar" or to choose the first unusual feature that comes to mind, such as the use of English. Another pitfall is not noticing the author's exact wording. In reading comprehension, you must pay attention to phrases like "what made it unique was..." or "the most important feature is...", because these directly guide you to the correct option. Quoting or mentally repeating such phrases is an effective strategy.


Final Answer:
The correct answer is Regional focus, because the passage explicitly states that what made "The Way Across" unique was its focus on the region of Telangana and its Buddhist heritage.

More Questions from English

Discussion & Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Join Discussion