What symbolic meaning does the stage have in the lives of both artists?

A public space to prove ability and give prestige to art

The governing concept is the stage as a symbol of public recognition and artistic agency. For Evelyn, performing before audiences proves that hearing loss does not define the limits of her talent. The stage turns private effort and training into visible achievement and challenges the audience’s assumptions about disability. For Bismillah Khan, public and classical stages give the shehnai a respected artistic status that it had not previously enjoyed. His performances help move the instrument from restricted traditional settings into the national cultural imagination. Hence option A is correct. B treats performance as fear, whereas C and D have no connection with either artist’s musical purpose.

This is a Class 9 English question. Chapter: The Sound of Music. Topic: Overcoming physical disabilities (Evelyn Glennie) and the life of Shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan.