After several defeats in wars, Robert Bruce went into exile and wanted to commit suicide. Just before committing suicide, he came across a spider attempting tirelessly to have its net. Time and again, the spider failed but that did not deter it from making attempts. Such attempts by the spider encouraged Bruce not to commit suicide. And then, Bruce went back again and won a battle.
Which one of the following assertions is best supported by the above information?
A. Failure is the pillar of success.
B. Life ends with all its difficulties.
C. Honesty is the best policy.
D. Life begins after giving up hope.
GATE 2013 · General Aptitude · Passage Reading · medium
Answer: D. Life begins after giving up hope.
Identify the critical turning point in the story: Bruce had given up entirely — he wanted to commit suicide. The spider's persistence inspired him precisely at the moment of total despair. He then went on to win. The moral is that a new beginning is possible even after total loss of hope.
Match the moral to the options: A — about failure and success generally, does not capture the hopelessness angle. B — unrelated to the passage. C — about honesty, completely off-topic. D — directly mirrors the story: Bruce had given up hope, the spider inspired him, and life (success) began anew.