In the view of Indian nationalists, images of the fabled riches of pre-colonial India stood in contrast with
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → the poverty of British India
Option (1) the poverty of British India — Correct. Indian nationalists set the old picture of a rich India against the poverty of India under British rule. This contrast showed them how colonial rule had exploited the economy.
Option (2) the wealth drained to colonial Britain — Incorrect. The drain of wealth to Britain belongs to the nationalists' wider charge of economic exploitation. The contrast they drew was between a rich past and a poor present at home, so wealth sent abroad is the wrong side of it.
Option (3) the simple life of Indian villages — Incorrect. The simple life of villages is not what the old riches were compared with. The contrast was between a rich past and a poor present under British rule.
Option (4) the luxury of British planters in India — Incorrect. The luxury of British planters is a separate picture of colonial life in the tea estates of Assam. The nationalists' image of past riches was contrasted with the poverty of the people of British India.
NCERT (2026-27): “Industrialisation in Independent India … |