Read the given passage carefully and answer the next five questions.
My grandfather, like most Nagas who had come into close contact with Europeans, was convinced that education was the only way to get ahead in life. He aspired for his children the kind of life he had seen being lived by the British administration and missionaries. He sent my mother away to school, first in neighbouring Assam, then as far as Shimla. My mother was encouraged by one of the more educated men in her village who told her that with an education in these new times, she could even become like the Indian lady who spoke before the world: Vijaylaxmi Pandit, who represented India at the UN. My father, by dint of his own intelligence and hard work, put himself through the local mission school and college in Shillong. All Nagas of my parents' generation who were able to, chose to get educated in English. For them, it was more than a gateway to upward mobility. In a region where tribes that live no more than 20 kms apart speak completely different languages, it was a medium through which they could communicate amongst themselves and with the world. They became the voice of their people and made English the official state language.
Which of the following is the main reason for opening up of new opportunities for the people of North-East?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Western education
Option (1) Urbanization — Incorrect. Urbanisation is the growth of towns and cities and the movement of people into them. The mother did go to school in Assam and Shimla, but the passage gives schooling, not city life, as the source of the new opportunities.
Option (2) Sanskritization — Incorrect. Sanskritisation is a group’s adoption of the customs and rituals of a high caste to raise its status. The Nagas of the passage looked to the Europeans, the British administrators and missionaries, not to any high caste.
Option (3) Western education — Correct. Nagas who came into close contact with Europeans were convinced that education was the only way to get ahead in life. The children went to mission schools and colleges, and the whole generation that could chose to get educated in English. This education in the western pattern opened new opportunities: the mother could even dream of becoming like Vijaylakshmi Pandit, who represented India at the UN.
Option (4) Modernization — Incorrect. Modernisation is the wide process of change towards new technology, rational ideas and modern institutions. It is a general trend, whereas the passage points to one specific means, education in English, as what opened the new opportunities.
NCERT: Social Change and Development in India — Chapter 2: Cultural Change (2025-26)
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