Q1.
Explain how the example of the sari reflects both unity and diversity (in 100-150 words).
Answer
Before writing, set out what goes in each half — that is what earns the marks.
| Unity — one thing | Diversity — many forms of it |
|---|---|
| A single unstitched length of cloth | Made of cotton, silk or, nowadays, synthetic fabric |
| Worn in most parts of India | Banarasi, Kanjivaram, Paithani, Patan Patola, Muga, Mysore — and many more cotton kinds; “hundreds of varieties” |
| One name — the sari | Different methods of weaving and designing; some designs woven in, others printed after weaving; endless variation in colours from many pigments |
| A history running back at least to the Vaiśhali relief, a few centuries BCE | Many ways of draping it, varying by region and community — and new ways still being invented |
Sample answer (about 135 words):
The sari is a single plain length of cloth, worn with no stitching at all, in most parts of India — that is its unity. Everything else about it varies. It may be woven from cotton, from silk or, these days, from synthetic yarn. Banarasi, Kanjivaram, Paithani, Patan Patola, Muga and Mysore are only some of the famous silk kinds, and the cotton kinds are many more, so that this one garment comes in hundreds of varieties. The varieties are produced by different methods of weaving and designing: some patterns are woven into the cloth itself, others are printed on it afterwards, and the colours come from many kinds of pigments. The ways of draping it differ from region to region and community to community, and new ones are still being invented. Yet in the end it remains one dress — the sari.
Why this example is so convincing: the sari is not made uniform by any rule, factory or authority. Weavers in Varanasi and in Kanchipuram have never coordinated their designs, and no one decides how a sari must be draped. The unity survives anyway, because it lies in the simplest possible idea — a length of cloth, worn as it is. Diversity has almost unlimited room precisely because the shared core is so small.