18 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in every exam-style shape used in the paper. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markWhat does the Republic Day parade show about Indian nationalism?
(A) Both power/strength and diversity(B) Only military strength(C) Only religious unity(D) Only economic progress - 1 markWhich two modern nation-states were formed through the unification of small kingdoms in nineteenth-century Europe?
(A) Spain and Portugal(B) Germany and Italy(C) France and Russia(D) Austria and Hungary - 1 markWhich of the following movements aims to unite existing states rather than divide them?
(A) The Basque movement(B) The Kurdish movement(C) The Quebec movement(D) Arab nationalism (pan-Arab union) - 1 markWhat does the textbook compare a nation to?
(A) A family(B) A team(C) A legal contract(D) A business company - 1 markIn “The Discovery of India”, what did Nehru emphasise about the Indian nation?
(A) Military strength(B) Economic prosperity(C) Linguistic uniformity(D) Civilisational continuity and unity - 1 markWhat danger can arise from making a shared cultural identity (such as one religion) the sole basis of a nation?
(A) A more prosperous society(B) An authoritarian, oppressive society(C) A more secular society(D) A more democratic society - 1 markWhat is the right to national self-determination essentially about?
(A) Only economic development(B) Only military expansion(C) Only language policy(D) Governing oneself and deciding one’s own future - 1 markThe Treaty of Versailles was signed after which war?
(A) The Spanish Civil War(B) The Second World War(C) The First World War(D) The Cold War - 1 markWhat does the Indian Constitution have elaborate provisions to protect?
(A) Only foreign policy(B) Only the rights of the majority community(C) Only economic policy(D) Religious, linguistic and cultural minorities - 1 markIn which country is the Basque region located?
(A) France(B) Italy(C) Spain(D) Portugal
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): A nation is different from a family or a tribe.
Reason (R): Members of a family or tribe are linked by face-to-face relationships or traceable ties of descent, while most members of a nation never meet each other and need not share any tie of descent.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A(C) A is true, R is false(D) A is false, R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Tagore was a sharp critic of narrow nationalism.
Reason (R): Tagore was completely opposed to learning anything from Western civilisation.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A(C) A is true, R is false(D) A is false, R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch the following:
(P) Nehru (Q) Tagore (R) Franco (S) The Jewish people
(i) Regarding Palestine as a homeland (ii) Criticism of narrow patriotism (iii) The argument of civilisational continuity (iv) Banning the Basque language
(A) P-i, Q-ii, R-iii, S-iv(B) P-iii, Q-ii, R-iv, S-i(C) P-ii, Q-iv, R-i, S-iii(D) P-iv, Q-i, R-ii, S-iii
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markStatement I: The process of redrawing the boundaries of nations continues even today.
Statement II: Since 1960, even apparently stable nation-states have faced new nationalist demands.
(A) Both statements are true(B) Statement I is true, Statement II is false(C) Statement I is false, Statement II is true(D) Both statements are false
5 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 markTagore said, “My refuge is _______.”
(A) nationalism(B) humanity(C) religion(D) the state
6 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markWhich of the following is NOT one of the bases for imagining a nation (the other three are named in the chapter)?
(A) History(B) Shared beliefs(C) Wearing the same clothing(D) Territory
7 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
Basque is a hilly, prosperous region of Spain, which the Spanish government has given the status of an autonomous region within the Spanish federation. Leaders of the Basque Nationalist Movement are not satisfied with this autonomy and want full independence. The Basque language is completely different from Spanish, and today only one-third of Basque people can understand it. In the twentieth century, the Spanish dictator Franco banned the Basque language in public places and even in homes.
- 1 markAccording to the passage, which Spanish dictator banned the Basque language in the twentieth century?
(A) Franco(B) Hitler(C) Mussolini(D) Stalin
8 True / False
True / False
- 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) A nation is understood to rest on four bases: shared beliefs, history, territory and political ideals.
(ii) According to the textbook, descent or race is the only test of a nation.
(A) Only (i) is true(B) Both are true(C) Only (ii) is true(D) Both are false
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (A) According to the textbook, the Republic Day parade in Delhi shows power and strength as well as India’s diversity.
- (B) Present-day Germany and Italy were formed through the unification and consolidation of small kingdoms in the nineteenth century.
- (D) Arab nationalism hopes to unite Arab countries in a pan-Arab union, while the Basque, Kurdish and Quebec movements struggle to divide existing states.
- (B) A nation is compared to a team: just as a team is a team only when its members think of themselves as one group, a nation too rests on belief.
- (D) Nehru wrote that despite outward diversity, a tremendous impress of oneness held India together across ages, that is, civilisational continuity.
- (B) Ignoring internal religious diversity and forging identity on the basis of one religion risks creating a highly authoritarian and oppressive society.
- (D) The right to national self-determination means that a nation governs itself and decides its own future development.
- (C) After the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles reorganised state boundaries using the idea of ‘one culture, one state’.
- (D) The Indian Constitution has an elaborate set of provisions for the protection of religious, linguistic and cultural minorities.
- (C) Basque is a hilly, prosperous, autonomous region of Spain.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) A is true: the textbook says a nation is different from a family, tribe or clan. R is true and correctly explains A, because the difference lies exactly in this: family and tribe rest on face-to-face relationships or ties of descent, a nation does not.
- (C) A is true. R is false, because Tagore clearly said Indians should not resist learning freely from the outside world, even while staying rooted in their own culture.
Match the Following
- (B) Nehru gave the argument of civilisational continuity (iii); Tagore criticised narrow patriotism (ii); Franco banned the Basque language (iv); the Jewish people regarded Palestine as their homeland (i).
Statement-Based Questions
- (A) Both statements are true; the textbook clearly says this process has not ended, and since 1960 such demands have continued to arise.
Fill in the Blanks
- (B) Tagore said: my refuge is humanity.
Odd One Out
- (C) Wearing the same clothing is not a stated basis for imagining a nation; shared beliefs, history, territory and political ideals are the four bases.
Passage-Based Questions
- (A) According to the passage, the Spanish dictator Franco banned the Basque language in public places and even in homes.
True / False
- (A) Statement (i) is true. Statement (ii) is false, because the textbook clearly says no single feature, including descent or race, is present equally in all nations.
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