Given below are two statements: Statement I: The earliest part of the British…
2023
Given below are two statements:
Statement I: The earliest part of the British policy on education was to withdraw from higher education.
Statement II: The British policy completely supported the idea of mother tongue as the medium of instruction as against English.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer: C. Statement I is true but Statement II is false — ConceptBritish colonial education policy was not a single uniform rule. Its major phases combined a policy emphasis on English and higher learning with later…
- A.
Both Statement I and Statement II are true
- B.
Both Statement I and Statement II are false
- C.
Statement I is true but Statement II is false
- D.
Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
British colonial education policy was not a single uniform rule. Its major phases combined a policy emphasis on English and higher learning with later support for instruction in Indian languages at the primary level.
Absolute claims such as ‘withdraw’ and ‘completely supported’ must therefore be tested against the institutional level and the language policy actually adopted.
Application
Statement I: An early strand of the British policy envisaged the government’s gradual withdrawal from directly managing higher education and greater reliance on aided private institutions. In the sense used by this item, the statement is true.
Statement II: British policy did not completely prefer the mother tongue in opposition to English. British policy promoted English, especially for higher instruction, while Indian languages were supported mainly at the primary level. The statement is false.
Cross-check and contrast
The two claims concern different policy dimensions and must be judged separately:
‘Both statements are true’ overstates the language policy by treating support for primary instruction in Indian languages as complete rejection of English.
‘Both statements are false’ misses the policy of reducing direct government management of higher education.
‘Statement I is false but Statement II is true’ reverses both historical conclusions.
Therefore, Statement I is true but Statement II is false.