Read and complete the following sentence suitably: 'Break the chains of your thought and you break the chains of your body', suggests: (para-3). Choose the correct response from the two options to complete the sentence:
Read and complete the following sentence suitably: 'Break the chains of your thought and you break the chains of your body', suggests: (para-3). Choose the correct response from the two options to complete the sentence:
Options
Official answer
The correct option is (B) mental liberation is the key to true freedom.
Jonathan's line is a metaphor: 'chains of thought' stand for mental limits such as fear, doubt and convention, while 'chains of the body' stand for physical restriction. Breaking free mentally is shown as the true first step to overcoming every other constraint.
Marking scheme
- 1.1 mark for selecting option (B); this is a single-response MCQ with no partial credit.
Hint
Notice which comes first in the sentence — thought or body — to see which one is the cause.
Quick oral answer
The line means that true freedom starts in the mind — once you free your thoughts from fear and convention, physical/behavioural freedom naturally follows.
Common mistakes
- 1.Selecting (A) because of the surface-level mention of 'body', ignoring that the sentence structure makes thought the cause, not the effect.
- 2.Failing to read the line as figurative language and interpreting 'chains' literally.
Analysis and explanation
Why (B) is correct: The sentence's structure — 'break X and you break Y' — presents thought as the cause and bodily freedom as the effect. This directly supports the idea that liberating the mind (mental liberation) is what enables true, complete freedom, matching option B exactly.
Why (A) is incorrect: Option A inverts the passage's logic, suggesting physical strength causes freedom. But nowhere does the extract link muscle or physical power to liberation — the entire passage is about overcoming fear, tradition and mental limits, not building physical strength.
Exam trap: Students who skim may pick (A) because the sentence mentions 'body', missing that the body is only freed as a consequence of freeing the mind, not the other way round.
Interesting facts
The metaphor of 'chains of the mind' is common in existentialist and self-help literature, notably echoed in Marcus Aurelius's 'Meditations', which similarly argues that freedom begins with mastering one's own thoughts.
Richard Bach was influenced by Zen and Eastern philosophy while writing the original novella, which explains the passage's recurring theme that the mind, not the body, is the true barrier to freedom.
Question details
Q3 of 29 questions
- Board
- CBSE
- Class
- Class 12
- Subject
- English Core
- Year
- 2026
- Section
- Section A
- Marks
- 1
- Type
- MCQ
- Chapter
- Reading Comprehension — Unseen Literary Passage (adapted from Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach)
- Topic
- Reading Comprehension – Interpretation of Figurative Language
- Bloom's level
- understand
- Syllabus topic
- Unit 1: Reading Skills — Comprehension of an unseen literary passage (interpreting metaphor)
- Author
- CBSE
- Reviewed by
- Padhantu Academic Team
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Frequently asked questions
Why is option A wrong even though it also mentions the body?
Option A reverses the passage's cause-effect logic; the text says freeing the mind (thought) leads to freeing the body, not that physical strength creates freedom.
What literary device is used in the quoted line?
It is a metaphor — 'chains' figuratively represent mental and physical limitations rather than literal restraints.