Read the passage given below and answer the questions / complete the…

2016

Read the passage given below and answer the questions / complete the statements with the help of the options that follow:
In the twenty-three years since Aurangzeb had marched north to seize the throne, the area of the Deccan had been dominated by a small Maratha chieftain, Shivaji, whose guerilla tactics were to prove fatal to the Moghuls and who thereby became a very special hero to Hindus in the political climate of the early twentieth century. With the independence movement under way to eject the British and to restore India to the Indians after nine centuries of domination by rulers whose roots were outside the subcontinent, there was a magnetic appeal about a Hindu who, from comparatively humble beginnings, had risen to shake the very foundations of the Moghul Empire. In the words of Sir Jadunath Sarkar, the leading Hindu biographer of Aurangzeb, writing in about 1915, Shivaji 'proved by his example that the Hindu race can build a nation, found a State, defeat enemies; they can conduct their own defence; they can protect and promote literature and art, commerce and industry; they can maintain navies and ocean-trading fleets of their own, and conduct naval battles on equal terms with foreigners. He taught the modern Hindus to rise to the full stature of their growth. So, when viewed with hindsight through twentieth-century glasses, Aurangzeb on one side and Shivaji on the other come to be seen as key figures in the development of India. What Shivaji began, Gandhiji could complete the addition of ji is in both cases a mark of respect, and Indians today speak in conversation of Gandhiji rather than Gandhi and what Aurangzeb stood for --would lead to the establishment of the separate state of Pakistan.
Q. The expression 'what Shivaji began, Gandhiji could complete' refers to

Answer: C. India's struggle against foreign domination culminating in freedom.Answer: India's struggle against foreign domination culminating in freedom. Explanation: The phrase links Shivaji's early resistance to foreign rulers with…

  1. A.

    atrocities committed by the Moghuls and the British.

  2. B.

    India's longing for a just and equitable society.

  3. C.

    India's struggle against foreign domination culminating in freedom.

  4. D.

    sacrifices made by the Indian people.

Attempted by 44 students.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C

Answer: India's struggle against foreign domination culminating in freedom.

Explanation: The phrase links Shivaji's early resistance to foreign rulers with Gandhi's later leadership of the independence movement. Both figures are presented as part of a continuous effort to end rule by outsiders and restore self-rule.

  • Shivaji is described as resisting the Moghuls and becoming a hero for Hindus in the political climate of the early twentieth century.

  • The passage explicitly mentions the independence movement aiming to "eject the British and to restore India to the Indians," linking the historical resistance to the modern struggle.

  • Thus, the sentence means that the political and military resistance started by Shivaji could be completed by Gandhi through the movement that achieved independence from foreign domination.

Therefore, the best interpretation of the expression is that it refers to the long struggle against foreign domination culminating in freedom.

Explore the full course: Iisc Administrative Assistant 2026

Loading lesson…