“If you are looking for a history of India, or for an account of the rise and fall of the British Raj, or for the 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 the impartial recording of these matters.” Which of the following is closest in meaning to ‘cleaving’?
Options:
(A) deteriorating
(B) arguing
(C) departing
(D) splitting
Official Answer Key:
D
Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation
• In context, “cleaving of the subcontinent into two mutually antagonistic parts” refers to the Partition of India — the act of dividing/splitting the subcontinent into two nations.
• “Cleave” (in this sense) means to split or divide, which is best matched by “splitting.” The other options do not capture the sense of a physical/political division into two parts.
• Final Answer: (D) splitting
Practice This in Real CBT Exam Interface
Test yourself with the official TCS-iON palette, virtual calculator, and immediate performance analytics.