A research scholar in a Delhi archive is reading newspaper files from 1942 to 1947. She marks reports of a nationwide movement against British rule, of an upsurge in the spring of 1946 that won wide public support, and of strikes by workers and peasants in different regions. She notes who took part in these protests and how they behaved towards one another. She then turns to reports on talks between the major political parties and to news of communal violence in 1946, trying to see how the period led up to the work of the Constituent Assembly.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The degree of Hindu-Muslim unity they showed
Option (1) The degree of Hindu-Muslim unity they showed — Correct. One striking feature of these popular upsurges was the degree of Hindu-Muslim unity they showed. This stood in contrast to the failure of the parties to reach a settlement.
Option (2) The communal rioting that marked them — Incorrect. The year of almost continuous rioting began with the Great Calcutta Killings of August 1946, and it stands apart from the popular upsurges, which showed Hindu-Muslim unity.
Option (3) The settlement reached by the Congress and the League — Incorrect. The Congress and the Muslim League repeatedly failed to arrive at a settlement that would bring about religious reconciliation.
Option (4) The social harmony brought about by the leading parties — Incorrect. Social harmony was what the two leading parties failed to bring about; the unity in these years came from the popular upsurges themselves.
NCERT (2026-27): “1. A Tumultuous Time … “One striking feature of these popular upsurges was the degree of Hindu-Muslim unity they manifested.” |