The discussions within the Constituent Assembly were also influenced by the opinions expressed by the public. As the deliberations continued, the arguments were reported in newspapers, and the proposals were publicly debated. Criticisms and counter-criticisms in the press in turn shaped the nature of the consensus that was ultimately reached on specific issues. Important issues of cultural rights and social justice raised in these public discussions were debated on the floor of the Assembly.
Some lines have been left out of the passage above. They say the public was also asked to send in their views on what needed to be done. Why, according to these lines, was this done?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → To create a sense of collective participation
Option (1) To make up for the voices lost through the League's boycott — Incorrect. The Muslim League did boycott the Assembly, but the views of the public were not sought to fill that gap. The left-out lines give a different purpose.
Option (2) To answer the charge that the Assembly was a British creation — Incorrect. The Socialists did see the Assembly as a creation of the British. But asking for public views is not linked to answering that charge.
Option (3) To create a sense of collective participation — Correct. The public was asked to send in its views so that people would feel they were taking part in making the Constitution. This is the sense of collective participation.
Option (4) To draw the unwilling Socialists into the work of the Assembly — Incorrect. The Socialists were at first unwilling to join, for they doubted the Assembly could be truly autonomous. Public views were not sought to win them over.
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