Read the passage carefully and answer the questions based on the passage:
The background to the SRC is as follows. In the 1920s, the Indian National Congress was reconstituted on lingusitic lines. Its provincial units now followed the logic of language - one for Marathi speakers, another for Oriya speakers, etc. At the same time, Gandhi and other leaders promised their followers that when freedom came, the new nation would be based on a new set of provinces based on the principle of language. However, when India was finally freed in 1947, it was also divided. Now, when the proponents of linguistic states asked for this promise to be redeemed, the Congress hesitated. Partition was the consequence of intense attachment to one's faith; how many more partitions would that other intense loyalty, language, lead to?
In which year Andhra Pradesh was declared as the first linguistic state?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → 1953
Note 1: The passage of Q1-Q5 is Box 6.3, ‘Linguistic States Helped Strengthen Indian Unity’, of the NCERT chapter ‘The Challenges of Cultural Diversity’. NTA built a whole passage of five questions on one short box, so give every box in the chapter the same attention as the main text.
Note 2: The NCERT book (2025-26) does not give the year in which Andhra Pradesh was created; Box 6.3 says only that the martyrdom of Potti Sriramulu led to the creation of the state, and that the States Reorganisation Commission followed in 1956. The Andhra State, the first state formed on the basis of language, came into being on 1 October 1953. The answer is marked as per the NTA answer key.
NCERT (2025-26): “Linguistic States Helped Strengthen Indian Unity … However, the most militant protests ensued from the very large community of Telugu speakers. In October 1953, Potti Sriramulu, a former Gandhian, died seven weeks after beginning a fast unto death. Potti Sriramulu’s martyrdom provoked violent protests and led to the creation of the state of Andhra Pradesh. It also led to the formation of the SRC, which in 1956 put the formal, final seal of approval on the principle of linguistic states.…” |