"Popular Hindi fiction, despite - or perhaps because of - its wide reach, often does not appear in our cinema. As ideals that viewers are meant to look up to rather identify with, Hindi film protagonists usually read books of aspirational value: textbook, English books, or high-value literature."
Which one of the following CANNOT be inferred from the above passage?
A. Though popular Hindi fiction has wide reach, it often does not appear in the movies.
B. Protagonists in Hindi movies, being ideals for viewers, read only books of aspirational value.
C. Textbooks, English books, or high-value literature have aspirational value.
D. People do not look up to writers of books or high-value literature.
GATE 2019 · General Aptitude · Passage Reading · medium
Answer: B and D cannot be inferred. B overstates 'usually' as 'only'; D introduces writers who are not discussed in the passage.
Check statement A: The passage says: 'Popular Hindi fiction ... often does not appear in our cinema.' Statement A rephrases this accurately. It CAN be inferred.
Check statement B: The passage uses the word 'usually' — 'Hindi film protagonists USUALLY read books of aspirational value.' Statement B replaces 'usually' with 'only', making it an absolute claim. 'Usually' allows for exceptions; 'only' does not. This is a logical overstatement.
Check statement C: The passage explicitly lists 'textbook, English books, or high-value literature' as examples of 'books of aspirational value.' Statement C simply restates this classification. It CAN be inferred.
Check statement D: The passage says viewers look up to Hindi film protagonists. Statement D claims people do NOT look up to writers. The passage never discusses writers — it only discusses what the protagonists (fictional characters) read. Introducing attitudes toward writers is entirely outside the passage's scope.