Question

In a lecture delivered at the University of Sorbonne in 1882, the French philosopher

Ernst Renan (1823-92) outlined his understanding of what makes a nation. The lecture

was subsequently published as a famous essay entitled ‘Qu’est-ce qu’une nation?’

(‘What is a Nation?’).In this essay Renan criticises the notion suggested by others

that a nation is formed by a common language, race, religion, or territory:

‘A nation is the culmination of a long past of endeavours, sacrifice and devotion. A

heroic past, great men, glory, that is the social capital upon which one bases a

national idea. To have common glories in the past, to have a common will in the

present, to have performed great deeds together, to wish to perform still more, these

are the essential conditions of being a people. A nation is therefore a large-scale

solidarity … Its existence is a daily plebiscite … A province is its inhabitants; if anyone

has the right to be consulted, it is the inhabitant. A nation never has any real interest in

annexing or holding on to a country against its will. The existence of nations is a

good thing, a necessity even. Their existence is a guarantee of liberty, which would be

lost if the world had only one law and only one master.’

4

Answer the following MCQs by choosing the most appropriate option

23.1.Which of the following statements best describes Sorbonne’s idea of a nation?

A. It’s a bond among people who share common language, religion and territory.

B. It’s a firm unity among the people who live together in a territory and have

common goals.

C. It’s a power that is interested in expanding its territorial limits.

D. It’s a territory not necessarily formed on the basis of common glorious past,

sacrifice and devotion towards it.

[1]

23.2. What does the world ‘plebiscite’ mean?

A. Common culture

B. Expression of religious unity

C. Expression of public will

D. Common national resources

[1]

23.3. Who among the following are the supreme authority of a nation?

A. Those who rule the nation B. The wealthy people

C. The imperialists

D. Its inhabitants

23.4. The existence of a nation is a guarantee of its ______________.

A. Liberty

B. Monarchy

C. Equality

D. Common religion​

Answer 1

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