24/09/2026
Read the passage carefully and choose the correct option for each blank.
Young Bengal was a well-known intellectual and activist group that emerged in 19th-century Bengal. According to historian Rosinka Chaudhuri, the group’s ideas continue to have relevance because struggles for (1) ______ speech, social freedom, and political rights remain important even today. Her research on Young Bengal was based on rare archival materials, many of which are preserved in the (2) ______ Library in London.
The group emerged soon after the establishment of Hindu College in Calcutta. Chaudhuri argues that Young Bengal did not appear suddenly but had intellectual (3) ______ in earlier reform movements such as Rammohun Roy’s Atmiya Sabha. The members of Young Bengal studied European political thought, Scottish Enlightenment ideas, Romantic poetry, and Indian texts rediscovered by (4) ______ scholars.
Henry Louis Vivian Derozio played an important role in shaping the minds of Young Bengal members. As their teacher and mentor, he encouraged ideas of liberty, (5) ______, and reform. However, their radical thinking was also influenced by wider cultural changes and extensive reading beyond the college syllabus.
Unlike Rammohun Roy, Young Bengal avoided creating a religious platform and focused mainly on social and (6) ______ issues. Their ideas included opposition to caste discrimination, support for women’s education, equality, freedom of the press, and representative (7) ______.
Although the group had limitations, Chaudhuri argues that Young Bengal transformed modern Indian thought by challenging social inequality, patriarchy, and religious ( 8 ) ______ during a period before nationalism and mass politics became widespread.
Questions
1. The word that best fits blank (1) is:
A. restricted
B. free
C. commercial
D. private
Answer: B. free
2. The word that best fits blank (2) is:
A. National
B. British
C. Indian
D. Calcutta
Answer: B. British
3. The word that best fits blank (3) is:
A. enemies
B. roots
C. failures
D. objections
Answer: B. roots
4. The word that best fits blank (4) is:
A. colonial
B. military
C. Orientalist
D. religious
Answer: C. Orientalist
5. The word that best fits blank (5) is:
A. reason
B. wealth
C. tradition
D. authority
Answer: A. reason
6. The word that best fits blank (6) is:
A. civil
B. military
C. economic
D. agricultural
Answer: A. civil
7. The word that best fits blank (7) is:
A. government
B. education
C. trade
D. empire
Answer: A. government
8. The word that best fits blank (8) is:
A. tolerance
B. orthodoxy
C. diversity
D. freedom
Answer: B. orthodoxy
Vocabulary Focus:
Legacy = something handed down from the past
Archival = related to historical records
Radical = supporting major social or political change
Orthodoxy = traditional beliefs or accepted doctrines
Franchise = the right to vote in elections
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