Concerned paragraph:
[Background: a master and his servant (a water tubewell technician) have been living happily for several years. The master owns seven farms spread across a large river. The master "became familiar with this ubiquitous man, who not only accompanied him on his tours of inspection, but morning and night could be found standing on the master bed rewiring the light fixture or in the bathroom poking at the water heater". Now, on this one day, the servant has hesitatingly said this to his master]
[i've redacted the proper nouns for these people's names with "the master" and "the servant" to avoid confusion]
“Sir, as you know, your lands stretch from here to the Indus, and on these lands are fully seventeen tube wells, and to tend these seventeen tube wells there is but one man, me, your servant. In your service I have earned these gray hairs”—here he bowed his head to show the gray—“and now I cannot fulfill my duties as I should. Enough, sir, enough. I beg you, forgive me my weakness. Better a darkened house and proud hunger within than disgrace in the light of day. Release me, I ask you, I beg you.”
Question asked related to this quote
The servant's comments primarily serve to:
flatter the master by mentioning how vast his lands are.
boast to the master about how competent and reliable the servant is.
emphasize the servant's diligence and loyalty to his master.
notify the master that the servant intends to quit his job tending the tube wells.
My question:
Notice the lines of the paragraph: "now I cannot fulfill my duties as I should" and "Release me". Don't they clearly indicate that the servant intends to quit his job? Hence, option 4 should clearly be correct.
However, option 3 has been given as correct by KhanAcademy, saying that option 4 is incorrect because "The servant doesn’t say he intends to quit his job, asking instead only for help doing it"
So, my question is:
Isn't the above a clear example of misinterpretation of the paragraph by KA?
All options with KhanAcademy's explanations - for reference
Even though it initially highlights the vastness of the master’s lands, it primarily focuses on the servant’s dedication and service to the master.
This emphasizes not that the servant is competent and reliable but that the servant feels he is no longer able to adequately fulfill his duties.
The main purpose of the servant’s comments is to highlight the labor and service he has provided for the master over the years. the servant says “there is but one man, me, your servant” to take care of the tube wells on all the master’s vast lands and that the extensive work has resulted in the servant earning gray hairs on his employer’s behalf.
The servant doesn’t say he intends to quit his job, asking instead only for help doing it.
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