Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow…
2021
Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct / most appropriate options.
The goal of independence was achieved in India through a prolonged struggle, during which, the far-sightedness of the leaders of the freedom movement resulted in giving a final shape to our social and economic goals to be achieved after freedom. This vision imagined to build a self-reliant nation through maximum utilization of the resources in men and materials, and the establishment of a noble and liberal society. It has been an article of faith amongst the policy planners in India that while economic strength determined the scope and quality of political freedom for millions, the quality of freedom depends on increased work and production in factories. It leads to just and equal distribution of wealth among the people so that the poor can also enjoy the benefit of freedom. This, it is recognized, is possible only through increased employment opportunities in the society.
In human terms, democracy means availability of equal opportunities to all the people irrespective of caste, creed, sex and religion to develop their personalities. It means access to education in Arts, Science and Humanities and also awareness of our age old values and traditions. It needs to be emphasized that the Indian policy has been based on a concern for the individual not only as a worker working for the economic development of the society but also as an end in itself.
In the Indian context, the concept of national development goes far beyond economic growth; it is concerned with the creation of a nation united in one purpose, of people speaking different languages, professing different religions and rooted in a variety of cultures.
The Independence was achieved in India
- A.
through a long struggle
- B.
by self-reliant leadership
- C.
through violent means
- D.
by making use of every resource available
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
In a passage-based reading comprehension item that asks how or by what means an event happened, the correct completion must match an EXPLICIT statement the passage makes about that specific event — not a detail from a nearby sentence describing a related but different idea, such as a future goal, a vision, or a consequence of the event.
Application
The passage opens: “The goal of independence was achieved in India through a prolonged struggle...” This sentence is the passage's own explicit answer to how independence was achieved — a long, drawn-out struggle. Every other clause in that same opening paragraph (far-sighted leaders shaping social and economic goals, a self-reliant nation, maximum utilisation of resources) describes what was ENVISIONED for India after independence, not the means by which independence itself was won.
Cross-check / Contrast
The completion “by self-reliant leadership” misreads the passage's actual mention of self-reliance, which is about the NATION the leaders wanted to build after freedom — a different clause answering a different question.
The completion “through violent means” proposes a confrontational method that nothing in the passage supports; the passage's own account of the movement does not use any such description.
The completion “by making use of every resource available” borrows the passage's phrase about utilising resources, but that phrase describes the post-independence nation-building strategy, not the historical process of achieving independence itself.
Result
Only the option that restates the passage's own explicit description of how independence was achieved is correct.