Question

Identify the speaker of this passage:

• A. Jawaharlal Nehru
• B. Vallabhbhai Patel
• C. Jaipal Singh
• D. Govind Ballabh Pant
• A. Working Class
• B. Religious Minorities
• C. Tribal People
• D. Farmers
• A. Prosperity and development by the aboriginals of India
• B. Continuous exploitation and dispossession by the non-aboriginals of India
• C. Ignorance and isolation from the global network
• D. Modern education and social advancement in all sectors
• A. A, B and D only
• B. A, B and C only
• C. A, B, C and D
• D. B, C and D only
• A. Reservation of seats in the legislature for the tribals
• B. Separate electorates for the tribals
• C. Development of modern education
• D. Establishment of special department for tribals

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept:
The passage comes from the debates surrounding the Objectives Resolution in the Constituent Assembly and focuses on the political representation and protection of tribal communities.
The speaker identifies himself explicitly as an Adibasi and discusses the historical exploitation, dispossession, and marginalisation of tribal people.

Step 1: Identifying the Speaker from the Content:
The speaker repeatedly refers to “my people” and explains the experience of tribal communities in India.
He argues that the tribes had been dispossessed of their lands, forests, and pastures and had suffered neglect for generations.
This indicates that the speaker was himself an important representative of tribal interests.

Step 2: Understanding Jaipal Singh's Role:
Jaipal Singh was a prominent tribal leader and a member of the Constituent Assembly.
He represented the interests of Adivasi communities and strongly advocated political safeguards and representation for tribal people.
His speeches in the Constituent Assembly emphasised equality, dignity, and protection against historical marginalisation.

Step 3: Interpreting the Demand for Representation:
The speaker specifically rejects separate electorates but argues for reservation of seats in legislatures.
This demand was intended to ensure that tribal communities would have representatives who could articulate their interests within the constitutional system.
The argument reflects Jaipal Singh's approach to tribal political representation.

Step 4: Eliminating the Other Options:
Jawaharlal Nehru was the principal mover of the Objectives Resolution but was not the tribal leader speaking in this passage.
Vallabhbhai Patel was a major member of the Constituent Assembly and handled several important constitutional and administrative matters, but he was not the speaker described here.
Govind Ballabh Pant was another prominent Congress leader but does not fit the passage's identity and tribal advocacy.
Final Answer:
Therefore, the correct answer is (C) Jaipal Singh.

Answer 2

Concept:
This question is directly based on the passage concerning Jaipal Singh's intervention in the Constituent Assembly.
The central theme of the passage is the historical treatment of tribal communities and the need to ensure their protection, representation, and integration into independent India.

Step 1: Identifying the Speaker's Main Concern:
The speaker begins by identifying himself as an Adibasi and then refers to “my people”.
He describes their long history of exploitation and dispossession and emphasises that they had been neglected by the wider society.
This immediately establishes the social group that forms the focus of his argument.

Step 2: Examining the Specific Grievances:
The passage states that tribal people had been dispossessed of the lands where they had settled.
They had also been deprived of forests and pastures and forced to move in search of new homes.
The speaker further explains that society had regarded them as primitive and backward and had maintained both emotional and physical distance from them.

Step 3: Understanding the Proposed Safeguards:
The speaker argues that the tribes required protection even though he did not regard them simply as a numerical minority.
He advocated reservation of legislative seats so that tribal representatives could make their voices heard within the constitutional system.
This confirms that the central concern was the political and social position of tribal communities.

Step 4: Eliminating the Other Options:
The working class is not the principal subject of the passage.
Religious minorities are also not the group being discussed.
Although farmers could experience land-related problems, the passage specifically discusses Adivasi communities and their historical dispossession.
Final Answer:
Therefore, the correct answer is (C) Tribal People.

Answer 3

Concept:
This is a direct comprehension question based on the speaker's description of the historical experience of tribal communities.
The speaker presents a critical account of the treatment of his people and connects their historical difficulties with exploitation, dispossession, and political and social marginalisation.

Step 1: Identifying the Relevant Statement:
The speaker states that the whole history of his people had been one of continuous exploitation and dispossession by non-aboriginals of India.
This sentence directly provides the answer to the question.
Therefore, there is no need to infer an alternative historical interpretation.

Step 2: Understanding Exploitation:
The speaker refers to the long-term exploitation of tribal communities by groups from outside their traditional social and geographical environments.
This exploitation affected their economic and social position and contributed to their marginalisation.
The passage therefore presents tribal history through the experience of loss and dispossession.

Step 3: Understanding Dispossession:
The passage later explains that tribal people had been deprived of lands where they had settled, as well as forests and pastures on which their communities depended.
They were consequently forced to move in search of new homes.
These details reinforce the meaning of the statement about continuous dispossession.

Step 4: Evaluating the Options:
Option (A) is the opposite of the speaker's description because he emphasises exploitation rather than prosperity.
Option (C) introduces global isolation, which is not the historical claim made in the passage.
Option (D) describes modern advancement and education, which again contradicts the speaker's emphasis on long-term marginalisation.
Option (B) reproduces the central historical claim made by the speaker.
Final Answer:
Therefore, the correct answer is (B) Continuous exploitation and dispossession by the non-aboriginals of India.

Answer 4

Concept:
The passage explains why Jaipal Singh believed that tribal communities required constitutional and social protection.
He identifies several interconnected forms of disadvantage, including loss of land and natural resources, social prejudice, and exclusion from wider society.

Step 1: Examining Statement A:
The speaker states that tribal people had been dispossessed of the land they had settled.
Loss of land directly affected their economic security, social stability, and ability to maintain their established communities.
Therefore, statement A is correct.

Step 2: Examining Statement B:
The passage states that tribal people were perceived as primitive and backward by the rest of society.
Such perceptions contributed to discrimination and social exclusion.
The speaker presents this negative social attitude as one of the reasons why greater protection was necessary.
Therefore, statement B is correct.

Step 3: Examining Statement C:
The speaker explicitly states that the rest of society had turned away from tribal people and had spurned them.
He therefore called for the emotional and physical distance separating tribal communities from the rest of society to be overcome.
Thus, statement C is correct.

Step 4: Examining Statement D:
The passage also explains that tribal people had been deprived of their forests and pastures.
These resources were important for their livelihood and way of life.
Therefore, statement D is also correct.

Step 5: Final Evaluation:
All four statements are supported by the passage.
The speaker's argument for protection rests on economic dispossession, loss of natural resources, social prejudice, and exclusion from the wider society.
Final Answer:
Therefore, the correct answer is (C) A, B, C and D.

Answer 5

Concept:
The passage discusses Jaipal Singh's argument that tribal communities needed political representation and social integration in independent India.
He rejected the idea of separate electorates but supported legislative reservation as a mechanism through which tribal people could ensure that their voices were heard.

Step 1: Understanding the Problem of Distance:
The speaker describes an emotional and physical distance between tribal communities and the rest of Indian society.
This distance had developed through long-term social exclusion, prejudice, and the perception of tribal people as primitive or backward.
He therefore sought a mechanism that would bring tribal concerns into the political and constitutional mainstream.

Step 2: Examining the Proposal for Representation:
The speaker explicitly states that he was not asking for separate electorates.
Instead, he argued that reservation of seats in the legislature was essential to allow tribals to represent themselves.
This would ensure that elected institutions could hear the concerns of tribal communities directly.

Step 3: Understanding the Purpose of Reservation:
According to the speaker, reserved representation would compel others to hear the voice of tribal people and come closer to them.
Thus, reservation was not presented merely as an electoral arrangement but as a means of reducing political and social distance.
It would give tribal communities a formal voice within the institutions of independent India.

Step 4: Evaluating the Other Options:
Separate electorates are specifically rejected by the speaker, making option (B) incorrect.
Although education could contribute to social development, the specific constitutional measure suggested in the passage is not modern education.
The establishment of a special department is also not identified as the proposed measure.
Final Answer:
Therefore, the correct answer is (A) Reservation of seats in the legislature for the tribals.