Read the passage and answer the question:
"The rapid political developments in Gujarat are being closely watched here. To what extent and in what directions they will affect political condition in this province, it is difficult to surmise at present. The peasantry is for the moment engaged in harvesting a good rabi, students are pre-occupied with their impending examination".
Identify the nature of source that has been used to know about the Gandhian Movement.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Report of the Home Department
The passage is an extract from the Fortnightly Reports of the Home Department (Confidential). These reports were prepared by the Home Department from the early twentieth century and were based on police information from the localities; they were secret at the time but can now be read in the archives.
Option (1) Autobiography — Incorrect. An autobiography is a person’s own account of his or her life. The passage does not speak of the writer’s life; it describes the political condition of a province in an official voice.
Option (2) Diary — Incorrect. A diary is a private, day-to-day record kept by one person for himself or herself. This passage is a report for the government, covering a fortnight.
Option (3) Report of the Home Department — Correct. It is one of the government records: the colonial rulers kept close tabs on those they regarded as critical of the government, and these reports often expressed what the higher officials saw, or wanted to believe.
Option (4) Letter — Incorrect. A letter is written by one person to another. The passage is not addressed to anyone; it is part of a regular official report on the provinces.
NCERT (2026-27): “6.3 Through police eyes … Another vital source is government records, for the colonial rulers kept close tabs on those they regarded as critical of the government. The letters and reports written by policemen and other officials were secret at the time; but now can be accessed in archives. Let us look at one such source: the fortnightly reports that were prepared by the Home Department from the early twentieth century. These reports were based on police information from the localities, but often expressed what the higher officials saw, or wanted to believe. While noticing the possibility of sedition and rebellion, they liked to assure themselves that these fears were unwarranted.…”
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