AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.
Strengthening Nationalist Feeling:
The passage from Tarinicharan Chattopadhyay glorified ancient India's power — Hindus conquering Tartar, China and distant lands — and contrasted it sharply with the humiliation of British colonial rule ("a few soldiers from a tiny island far away are lording it over the land of India"). This contrast stirred pride in a glorious past and aroused anger against colonialism. As the textbook notes, nationalist historians urged readers to "take pride in India's great achievements in the past and struggle to change the miserable conditions of life under British rule," making such writing a powerful tool for mobilising people against colonial oppression.
Risk of Communal Divisions:
However, when the glorious past celebrated was specifically Hindu ("Arya vamsa," Hindu conquests), people of other communities — Muslims, Christians, and others — could feel excluded. The textbook explicitly warns: "When the past being glorified was Hindu, when the images celebrated were drawn from Hindu iconography, then people of other communities felt left out." This selective glorification risked dividing Indians along religious lines rather than uniting them against British rule.
Source: The Sense of Collective Belonging, Chapter 2
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Examiners expect both sides addressed: (1) how the contrast between past glory and present subjugation fuelled anti-colonial nationalism, and (2) how framing that glory in exclusively Hindu terms alienated non-Hindu communities. Cite Source E directly ("Arya vamsa," the tiny island quote) and link it to the textbook's warning about Hindu iconography causing communal exclusion. Balanced treatment of both aspects is essential for full marks.