Passage:
The last Great War, which nearly shook the foundations of
the modern world had little impact on Indian Literature beyond aggravating the
popular revulsions against violence and adding to growing disillusionment with
the ‘humane pretensions’ of the Western World. This was eloquently voiced in Tagore’s
poems and his last testament, “Crisis in Civilization”. The Indian intelligentsia
was in a state of moral dilemma. On the one hand, it could not help but
sympathize with the England’s dogged courage in the hour of peril, with the
Russians fighting with their backs on the wall against ruthless Nazi hordes,
and with the China groaning under the heel of Japanese militarism; on the other
hand their own country was practically under the military occupation of their
own soil and the Indian army under Subhas Bose was trying from the opposite
camp to liberate their country. No creative impulse could issue from such
confusion of loyalties. One would imagine that the achievement of Indian
independence in 1947, which came in the wake of the Allies victory and was
followed by collapse of colonialism in the neighbouring countries of South East
Asia, would have released an upsurge of the creative energy. No doubt it did,
but it was soon submerged in the great agony of partition with the inhuman
slaughter of innocents and the uprooting of the millions of the people from
their homeland followed by the martyrdom of Mahatma Gandhi. These tragedies
along with Pakistan’s Invasion of Kashmir and its later atrocities in
Bangladesh, did indeed provoke a pregnant writing, particularly in the
languages of the regions most affected Bengali, Hindi, Kashmiri, Punjabi,
Sindhi and Urdu. Both poignant or passionate writing does not by itself make
great literature. What reserves of enthusiasm and confidence served these
disasters have been mainly absorbed in the task of national reconstruction and
economic development. Great literature has always emerged out of chains of
convulsions. Indian literature is richer today in terms of volume, range and
variety than it ever was in past.
Q1)
What was the impact of the last great war on Indian literature?
1.
It had no impact
2.
It aggravated popular revulsion against violence
3. It shook the foundations of literature
4.
It offered eloquent support to the Western World
Answer:
2
Q2)
What did Tagore articulate in his last testament?
1.
Offered support to Subhas Bose
2.
Exposed the humane pretensions of the Western World
3.
Expressed loyalty to England
4.
Encouraged the liberation of countries
Answer:
2
Q3)
What was the stance of Indian intelligentsia during the period of great war?
1.
Indifference to Russia’s plight
2.
They favoured Japanese militarism
3.
They prompted creativity out of confused loyalties
4.
They expressed sympathy for England’s dogged courage.
Answer:
4
Q4)
Identify the factor responsible for the submergence creative energy in India literature.
1.
Military occupation of one’s own soil
2.
Resistance to colonial occupation
3.
Great agony of partition
4.
Victory of Allies
Answer:
3
Q5)
What was the aftermath that survived tragedies in Kashmir and Bangladesh?
1.
Suspicion of other countries
2.
Continuance of rivalry
3.
Menace of war
4.
National reconstruction
Answer:
4
Q6)
The passage has the message that
1.
Disasters are inevitable
2.
Great literature emerges out of chains of convulsions
3.
Indian literature does not have a marked landscape
4.
Literature has no relation with war and independence.
Answer:
2