Question

Use the passage below to answer all parts of the question that follows.

"Now, suppose that all the English and the whole English army were to leave India, taking with them all their cannon and their splendid weapons and everything, then who would be rulers of India? Is it possible
that under these circumstances two nations--the Muslims and the Hindus-could sit on the same throne and remain equal in power? Most certainly not.
The aims and objects of the Indian National Congress are based upon an ignorance of history and present-day realities, they do not take into consideration that India is inhabited by different nationalities, they
presuppose that the various religions, castes, and ethnic groups of India can all be treated alike and all of them belong to the same nation. For the successful running of a democratic government, it is essential
that the majority should have the ability to govern not only themselves but also unwilling minorities. I consider the experiment that the Indian National Congress wants to make fraught with dangers and
suffering for all the nationalities of India, but especially for the Muslims. The Congress cannot rationally prove its claim to represent the opinions, ideals, and aspirations of the Muslims."

Syed Ahmad Khan, Indian Muslim educator and political reformer, speech given before the Muslim community of Meerut in northern India, 1888

a) Explain ONE way that the passage illustrates a response to European colonialism

b) Explain ONE way in which the circumstances of the speech might have affected the author's argument in the passage

c) Explain ONE way in which the author's point of view is significant for illustrating how European ideologies influenced the development of Indian society in the nineteenth century

Answer 1

a) One way that the passage illustrates a response to European colonialism is when the passage first starts off. As it begins with the statement, "suppose that all the English and the whole English army were to leave India", implying that the Muslims and Hindus would not remain in equal power and leads to the inference that it would cause chaos. It shows that British Government has colonized India and had taken control over the country both politically and economically. Although, it was not just the British Government Ahmad Khan was frustrated about because he mentions that "...they do not take into consideration that India is inhabited by different nationalities; they presuppose that the various religions, castes, and ethnic groups of India can all be treated alike and all of them belong to the same nation." His statement explains that India was controlled by various countries, so it barely had any power, nonetheless, any say about its people and ethnic groups because they were treated all the same.

b) One way that the circumstances of the speech may have affected the author's argument in this passage is that since the speech was most likely made to oppose the Indian National Congress, the author seems to have biased on their part due to their point of view that the European colonialism taking place in India is a good thing that retained the peace and order. The statement, "the Congress cannot rationally prove its claim to represent the opinions, ideals, and aspirations of the Muslims" provides the author's argument against the Indian National Congress' interests and aims in mobilizing and integrating India as one united country.

c) One way in which the author's point of view is significant for illustrating how European ideologies influenced the development of Indian society in the nineteenth century is how Ahmad Khan, though he may have wished to keep the peace and equality among religion and differing opinions, thought that keeping that a tense-but-mutual understanding was better than going through any violent wars. While it may seem confusing and backwards, there were some things that humans, when faced with a situation like in India, cannot get over with words alone. Most, if not all, largely united and successful countries had gone through wars (civil or otherwise) or were going to, and keeping that peace between the European colonialism could be seen as a barrier of protection from development and a nationalistic viewpoint. This can be found when the statement, "....then who would-be rulers of India?....they presuppose that the various religions, castes, and ethnic groups of India can all be treated alike and all of them belong to the same nation" is said, as it illustrates that European ideologies have influenced the development of Indian society in the nineteenth century as well as become the central power of rule.

Answer 2

a) One way that the passage illustrates a response to European colonialism is when the passage first starts off, it begins with a statement that the Muslims and Hindus would not remain in equal power and leads us to infer that it would cause chaos. This shows a rather positive response to European colonialism as the author is implying that the English and the English armies were the things keeping the peace in India.

b) A way that the circumstances of the speech may have affected the author's argument in this passage is that since the speech was most likely made to oppose the Indian National Congress, the author may have been a bit biased on their part due to their point of view that the European colonialism taking place in India is a good thing that retained the peace and order.

c) One way in which the author's point of view is significant for illustrating how European ideologies influenced the development of Indian society in the nineteenth century is how they, while wishing to keep the peace and equality among religion and differing opinions, thought that keeping that kind of tense but mutual understanding is better than going through any violent wars. While it may seem brutal, there are some things that humanity cannot get over with words alone. Most, if not all largely united and successful countries have gone through wars (civil or otherwise) and keeping the European colonialism to keep the peace can be seen as a barrier from development and a nationalistic viewpoint.

Step-by-step explanation:

I feel like the answer was explanatory enough.