Directions: Read the given passage carefully and choose the best answer to the question out of the four alternatives.
A flock of pigeons, led by a fine bird that had been chosen as king, came flying rapidly along, and noticed white rice, but did not see the net that hung before it because it was the same colour as the ground. Down swooped the king and all the other pigeons. Alas, their joy was short lived! They were all caught in the net and began struggling to escape, beating the air with their wings and uttering loud cries of distress.
A crow and a man behind the tree kept very quiet, watching them; the man with his stick ready to beat the poor birds to death, the crow watching out of mere curiosity. Now a very strange thing came to pass. The king of the pigeons, who had his wits about him, said to the imprisoned birds: "Take the net up in your beaks, all of you spread out your wings at once, and fly straight up into the air as quickly as possible."
In a moment all the pigeons did as they were bid; each little bird seized a separate thread of the net in his beak and up, up, up, they all flew, looking very beautiful with the sunlight gleaming on their white wings. Very soon they were out of sight; and the man, who thought he had hit upon a very clever plan, came forth from his hiding-place, very much surprised at what had happened. He stood gazing up after his vanished net for a little time, and then went away muttering to himself, whilst the wise old crow laughed at him.