GATE ECE 2017 Set 1 | GA | Question: 6

Question

“If you are looking for a history of India, or for an account of the rise and fall of the British Raj, or for all reason of the cleaving of the subcontinent into two mutually antagonistic parts and the effects this mutilation will have in the respective sections, and ultimately on Asia, you will not find it in these pages; for though I have spent a lifetime in the country, I lived too near the seat of events, and was too intimately associated with the actors, to get the perspective needed for impartial recording of these matters”.

Here, the word ‘antagonistic’ is closest in meaning to,

• A. Impartial
• B. Argumentative
• C. Separated
• D. Hostile

Comments

mutilation: severe damage

cleaving: splitting into two.

hostile: showing dislike or opposition

Answer 1

cleaving of the subcontinent into two mutually antagonistic parts and the effects this mutilation will have in the respective sections

This shows that the two parts are hostile towards each other and is also the meaning of "antagonistic".

Correct Option: D.

Answer 2

Ans D)

https://gateoverflow.in/313526/gate2017-ec-1-ga-6

Answer 3

Let’s break this down.

The sentence says:

“…cleaving of the subcontinent into two mutually antagonistic parts…”

“Mutually antagonistic” means the two parts are opposed or hostile to each other.

Impartial → neutral, not taking sides → opposite of antagonistic.

Argumentative → more about tendency to argue, not strong enough for nations/groups in conflict.

Separated → describes the state of division, not the relationship.

Hostile → actively opposed, unfriendly, fits “antagonistic” closely.

Correct answer: D. Hostile