Jawaharlal Nehru gave the following speech on the eve of India’s Independence. Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity. At the dawn of history, India started on her unending quest, and trackless centuries are filled with her striving and the grandeur of her success and her failures. Through good and ill fortune alike she has never lost sight of that quest or forgotten the ideals which gave her strength. We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future? Freedom and power bring responsibility. That responsibility rests upon this Assembly, a sovereign body representing the sovereign people of India. Before the birth of freedom, we have endured all the pains of labour and our hearts are heavy with the memory of this sorrow. Some of those pains continue even now. Nevertheless, the past is over and it is the future that beckons to us now. That future is not one of ease or resting but of incessant striving so that we may fulfill the pledges we have so often taken and the one we shall take today. The service of India means the service of the millions who suffer. It means the ending of poverty and ignorance and disease and inequality of opportunity. The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over. Jawaharlal Nehru
Why was the soul of the nation long suppressed?
Because India was under the British rule
The passage highlights India's struggle under British colonial rule. The phrase "the soul of the nation long suppressed" refers to the oppression and lack of freedom experienced under British rule. Thus, option 2 is the correct answer.
Important Questions from Reading Comprehension
Which of the following things are found on the boat?
A. Cushion
B. Rusty boat-hook
C. Fishing net
D. A coil of rope
E. Compass
Match the words in List I with their meanings in List II:
LIST I LIST II A. Intensity I. Unpleasant thick liquid substance B. Gaze II. To be very afraid of something C. Dread III. Extreme and forceful D. Gaze IV. To look steadily for a long time What is the relation between the two on the boat?
Choose the correct meaning of the word SODDEN.
Who adopted the pen-name Premchand?
