Read the passage carefully and answer the questions based on it.
If capitalism became the dominant economic system, nation states became the dominant political form. Societies however are not always organised along the lines of nation-states. Nation state pertains to a particular type of state, characteristic of the modern world. A government has sovereign power within a defined territorial area and the people are citizens of a single nation. Nation-states are closely associated with the rise of nationalism. The principle of nationalism assumes that any set of people have a right to be free and exercise sovereign power. It is an important part of the rise of democratic ideas. Nationalism implied that the people of India have an equal right to be sovereign. Indian nationalists during the colonial rule declared 'Swaraj' as their birth-right and fought for both political and economic freedom.
Which one of the following is not a characteristic of nation-states?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Capitalism
Option (1) Territoriality — A characteristic of nation-states (Incorrect). In a nation-state the government has sovereign power within a defined territorial area.
Option (2) Citizenship — A characteristic of nation-states (Incorrect). The people of a nation-state are citizens of a single nation; everyone has a nationality or a national citizenship.
Option (3) Sovereignty — A characteristic of nation-states (Incorrect). The government of a nation-state has sovereign power: it is the supreme authority within its territory.
Option (4) Capitalism — Not a characteristic of nation-states (Correct). Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and run for profit. The passage places it beside the nation-state: capitalism became the dominant economic system, while nation-states became the dominant political form. It belongs to the economy, not to the features of the state.
NCERT (2025-26): “1.1 Understanding Colonialism … If capitalism became the dominant economic system, nation states became the dominant political form. That we all live in nation states and that we all have a nationality or a national citizenship may appear natural to us today. Before the First World War passports were not widely used for international travel, and in most areas few people had one. Societies were, however, not always organised on these lines. Nation state pertains to a particular type of state, characteristic of the modern world. A government has sovereign power within a defined territorial area, and the people are citizens of a single nation. Nation states are closely associated with the rise of nationalism. The principle of nationalism assumes that any set of people have a right to be free and exercise sovereign power. It is an important part of the rise of democratic ideas. You will be reading more about this in Chapter 3. It must have struck you that the practice of colonialism and the principle of nationalism and democratic rights are contradictory. For colonial rule implied foreign rule such as British rule over India. Nationalism implied that the people of India or of any colonised society have an equal right to be sovereign. Indian nationalist leaders were quick to grasp this irony. They declared that freedom or swaraj was their birthright and fought for both political and economic freedom.” |