Q1. [4] deep exam-ready
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:
'A nation is the culmination of a long past of endeavours, sacrifice and devotion. A heroic past, great men, glory, that is the social capital upon which one bases a national idea. To have common glories in the past, to have a common will in the present, to have performed great deeds together, to wish to perform still more, these are the essential conditions of being a people. A nation is therefore a large-scale solidarity … Its existence is a daily plebiscite … A province is its inhabitants; if anyone has the right to be consulted, it is the inhabitant. A nation never has any real interest in annexing or holding on to a country against its will.'
— Ernst Renan, lecture at the University of Sorbonne, 1882
(i) According to Renan, what forms the 'social capital' upon which a national idea is built? (1 mark)
(ii) Why does Renan say that a nation is a 'daily plebiscite'? What does this suggest about the basis of nationhood? (1 mark)
(iii) How does Renan's view of what constitutes a nation differ from the notion that a nation is formed by a common language, race, or religion? (2 marks)
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:36 · grounding rag
Model Answer
(i) According to Renan, a heroic past, great men, and glory form the social capital upon which a national idea is built — specifically, common glories in the past and great deeds performed together.
(ii) Renan says a nation is a 'daily plebiscite' because its existence depends on the continuous will and consent of its people to live together. This suggests that nationhood is not a fixed, permanent condition but a living bond based on ongoing collective choice, not birth or geography.
(iii) Renan's view is based on shared memory, common will, and collective sacrifice — subjective, voluntary bonds. This differs from the view that a nation is defined by objective factors like common language, race, or religion, which are inherited and fixed. For Renan, what unites a nation is the people's desire to live together and continue building a shared future, not any single cultural or biological characteristic.
Source: Chapter 1 — The French Revolution and the Idea of the Nation, Nationalism in Europe
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Explanation
- (i) is a direct retrieval question — quote the exact phrase "heroic past, great men, glory" from the passage.
- (ii) requires you to explain 'plebiscite' (direct vote/consent) and connect it to the idea that nationhood rests on will, not static facts.
- (iii) is a 2-mark contrast question — examiners want TWO sides clearly stated: Renan's view vs. the language/race/religion view. Use terms like "voluntary/subjective" vs. "objective/fixed" to score full marks.
- Do not bring in outside examples unless directly relevant; the passage is sufficient.