This question asks us to fill in the blank in a passage related to Lokmanya Tilak and the Ganapati festival. We need to choose the most appropriate word from the given options for blank number (1).

Understanding the Passage Context

The passage talks about how Lokmanya Tilak changed the nature of the Ganapati festival. It says he "converted" it ______ a national celebration. The word "converted" suggests a change from one state or form to another.

Analyzing the Options for Blank (1)

Let's look at the options provided for the first blank:

• with: Using "with" here ("converted... with a national celebration") doesn't make grammatical sense in this context of transformation. "With" usually indicates accompaniment or instrumentality.
• into: The phrase "convert something into something else" is a standard English construction used to describe a change of form, nature, or purpose. Converting the Ganapati festival "into" a national celebration means changing its role or scope to become national.
• for: Using "for" ("converted... for a national celebration") implies a purpose or reason, but not the result of the conversion. Tilak converted the festival *so that* it became a national celebration, not *for the purpose of* being a national celebration in this specific phrasing.
• to: While "convert" can sometimes be followed by "to" when changing systems (like converting currency to dollars), converting something *to* a celebration isn't the typical or most accurate phrasing. "Into" is used for transforming one thing *into* another thing or state.

Determining the Correct Preposition

Based on the analysis, the phrase "converted the Ganapati festival into a national celebration" correctly describes the transformation of the festival's scope and purpose. The preposition "into" indicates the result of the conversion – what the festival was changed *to* become.

Step-by-Step Derivation

1. Read the sentence containing blank (1): "In 1893, Lokmanya Tilak converted the Ganapati festival ______ (1) a national celebration."
2. Identify the verb "converted" and the object being converted "the Ganapati festival", and the target state "a national celebration".
3. Consider the standard prepositions used after "convert" when indicating a change of state or form.
4. Evaluate each option: "with", "into", "for", "to".
5. Determine which option best fits the grammatical structure and the meaning of changing the festival's status to a "national celebration".
6. The preposition "into" is the correct choice to indicate this transformation.

Therefore, the most appropriate word for blank (1) is "into".

Revision Table: Filling the Blanks

Here is the blank with the selected word:

Additional Information: Lokmanya Tilak and Festivals

Lokmanya Tilak utilized public festivals like the Ganapati festival and the Shivaji Jayanti (celebration of Shivaji's birthday) as platforms to unite people and promote nationalist ideas during the Indian independence movement. By transforming these traditional or local events into large-scale public celebrations, he was able to mobilize large sections of society and foster a sense of shared identity and purpose against British rule. This strategy helped bypass restrictions on political meetings and allowed for widespread dissemination of nationalist messages through cultural and religious gatherings.