Case studies and analyses demonstrate that enduring democracies can be established in polities that are multicultural. … India's constitution incorporates this notion. … Recent communal violence raises serious concerns for the prospects for social harmony and threatens to undermine the country's earlier achievements. And these achievements have been considerable. Historically, India's constitutional design recognised and responded to distinct group claims and enabled the polity to hold together despite enormous regional, linguistic and cultural diversity.
According to the lines left out of the passage, what grave challenge does modern India face?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The rise of groups that seek to impose a singular Hindu identity on the country
Option (1) The rise of groups that seek to impose a singular Hindu identity on the country — Correct. The left-out lines say modern India faces a grave challenge to its commitment to multiple and complementary identities. The challenge comes from the rise of groups that seek to impose a singular Hindu identity on the country.
Option (2) The rise of groups that demand a separate state on religious lines — Incorrect. A demand for a separate state on religious lines is a call to divide the country. The groups in these lines want the opposite: one religious identity imposed on the whole country.
Option (3) The rise of groups that seek to impose one official language on the country — Incorrect. Imposing one official language belongs to the chapter's discussion of language and regional identity. The grave challenge in these lines is about religion: a single Hindu identity forced on a diverse country.
Option (4) The rise of movements that seek separate States on the basis of language — Incorrect. Movements for States based on language came soon after the Constitution and led to linguistic reorganisation of States. The chapter presents that reorganisation as a way of accommodating regional and linguistic diversity.
NCERT (2026-27): “Cultural Diversity and India as a Nation-state … |