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Question 1
Quick RecallWhy did Satyajit withdraw his hand brusquely when reaching for a cigarette on the train?
Satyajit withdrew his hand because he was forcing himself to adapt to his new reality of poverty. After the collapse of his bank and the loss of his private assets, he realized he could no longer afford the 'unrestricted luxury' of chain smoking. He had rationed his smokes as part of a 'fast-growing list of denials' he had imposed on himself over the past month. This small act symbolizes his internal struggle to accept his fall from wealth and the 'sharpening realities' of his new life.