Read the following passage and answer questions 46 to 50: Gandhi's speech in…
2022
Read the following passage and answer questions 46 to 50:
Gandhi's speech in Banaras in February 1916 was, at one level, merely a statement of fact namely, that Indian nationalism was an elite phenomenon, a creation of lawyers and doctors and landlords. But, at another level, it was a statement of intent—the first public announcement of the returning expatriate's own desire to make Indian nationalism more properly representative of the Indian people. In the last month of that year, Gandhi was presented with an opportunity to put his precepts into practice. At a meeting held in Lucknow in December 1916, he was approached by a peasant from Champaran in Bihar. The peasant told him about the harsh treatment of peasants by British Indigo planters. Gandhi was to spend most of 1917 in Champaran. He was seeking to obtain for the peasants security of tenure as well as the freedom to cultivate the crops of their choice. In 1918, Gandhi was involved in two campaigns in his home State of Gujarat. First, he intervened in a labor dispute in Ahmedabad to better the conditions of textile mill workers. Then he joined peasants in Kheda for remission of taxes on peasants following the failure of their harvest. These initiatives marked Gandhi as a nationalist with sympathy for the poor. These were local struggles. During World War I, the British had instituted press censorship and permitted detention without trial. The Rowlatt committee recommended the continuation of these tough measures. Gandhiji's call for a countrywide campaign brought life to a standstill in north and west India.
Which was the Statement of fact in the Speech of Mahatma Gandhi at Banaras?
Answer: B. The Indian nationalism was elitist — ConceptIn a reading-comprehension question, a statement of fact reports a claim the passage presents as an existing condition. It must be distinguished from a…
- A.
Lawyers, doctors and landlords sided with the British.
- B.
The Indian nationalism was elitist
- C.
Nationalism was of another level in India
- D.
The existing Indian nationalism was highly effective
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Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
In a reading-comprehension question, a statement of fact reports a claim the passage presents as an existing condition. It must be distinguished from a statement of intent, which expresses a proposed aim or future course of action.
Application
The passage itself labels the existing elite character of Indian nationalism as the statement of fact. It says that Indian nationalism was an elite phenomenon created by lawyers, doctors and landlords. The separate statement of intent was Gandhi's desire to make nationalism more representative of the Indian people.
Contrast
“Lawyers, doctors and landlords sided with the British” changes the passage's point about who formed the social base of nationalism into a claim about political allegiance.
“Nationalism was of another level in India” misreads the passage's phrase “at another level,” which introduces Gandhi's statement of intent rather than describing nationalism itself.
“The existing Indian nationalism was highly effective” adds a judgment about effectiveness that the passage does not make.
Result
Therefore, the stated fact is that Indian nationalism was elitist.