Read the passage and answer the following questions given:
The Indian nation-state is socially and culturally one of the most diverse countries of the world. It has a population of about 1.21 billion people, according to Census of India 2011 (Provisional), currently the second largest- and soon to become the largest- national population in the world. These billion-plus people speak about 1,632 different languages and dialects. As many as eighteen of these languages have been officially recognised and placed under the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, thus guaranteeing their legal status. In terms of religion, about 80.5% of the population are Hindus, who in turn are regionally specific, plural in beliefs and practices, and divided by castes and languages. About 13.4% of the population are Muslims, which makes India the world's third largest Muslim country after Indonesia and Pakistan. The other major religious communities are Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%), Buddhists (0.8%) and Jains (0.4%). Because of India's huge population, these small percentages can also add up to large absolute numbers.)
The passage describes the Indian nation-state as what kind?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Multi-Lingual, multi-religious
Option (1) Multi-Lingual, multi-religious — Correct. The passage says that India’s people speak about 1,632 different languages and dialects, several of them officially recognised under the 8th Schedule, so the nation-state is multi-lingual. It then names Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains, so it is multi-religious as well.
Note: The passage of Q1-Q5 is taken from the NCERT chapter ‘The Challenges of Cultural Diversity’, from its section ‘Cultural Diversity and India as a Nation-state’. NTA builds whole passages from the book’s paragraphs, so read every section of a chapter, not only its headings.
NCERT (2025-26): “Cultural Diversity and India as a Nation-state … The Indian nation-state is socially and culturally one of the most diverse countries of the world. It has a population of about 1.21 billion people, according to Census of India 2011, currently the second largest – and soon to become the largest – national population in the world. These billion-plus people speak about 1,632 different languages and dialects. As many as twenty two of these languages have been officially recognised and placed under the 8th Schedule of the Constitution, thus guaranteeing their legal status. In terms of religion, about 80% of the population are Hindus, who in turn are regionally specific, plural in beliefs and practices, and divided by castes and languages. About 14.2% of the population are Muslims, which makes India the world’s second largest Muslim country after Indonesia and Pakistan. The other major religious communities are Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.7%), Buddhists (0.7%) and Jains (0.4%). Because of India’s huge population, these small percentages can also add up to large absolute numbers.” |