Q. Why did British resort to the ‘Downward Filtration Theory’ till 1854
(a) To justify their social policy in India
(b) To justify their education policy in India
(c) To justify their industrial policy in India
(d) To justify their commercial policy in India
Ans: (b) To justify their education policy in India
Explanation: The British resorted to the ‘Downward Filtration Theory’ till 1854 in order to (b) justify their education policy in India.
The ‘Downward Filtration Theory’ was an ideology adopted by the British colonial administration in India. According to this theory, the British believed that by providing Western education to a select few Indians, knowledge and benefits would gradually trickle down to the broader Indian population. The British aimed to educate a small elite class of Indians who would act as intermediaries between the British rulers and the Indian population. By justifying their education policy using the ‘Downward Filtration Theory,’ the British sought to maintain control and influence over the education system in India while limiting access to Western education to a privileged few. This approach was seen as a means to maintain colonial power and control by selectively imparting education to a section of the Indian population.
