Question

In Sri Lanka, which one of the following changes to the 1956 law gave rise to the possibility of civil war?

• A. Ensuring power sharing among all sections.
• B. Declaring Sinhala as the official language.
• C. Declaring Tamil as the official language.
• D. Implementing a policy of preference for Sinhalese in government jobs.

Hint:

Remember: \[ \boxed{\text{1956} \Rightarrow \text{Sinhala Only Act}} \] This law declared Sinhala as the official language and became a major reason for ethnic conflict and civil war in Sri Lanka.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Recall the timeline.
After independence in 1948, Sri Lanka's Sinhala majority government wanted to secure its own position, and in 1956 it passed a law making one language the sole official language of the country.
Step 2: Identify what that law actually did.
That law declared Sinhala as the only official language, sidelining Tamil completely from government use, education, and jobs.
Step 3: Connect the law to the conflict.
This step alienated the Tamil minority, who felt shut out of opportunities and treated as second class citizens, and that resentment eventually grew into demands for a separate state and then into civil war.
Step 4: State the final answer.
So the change that opened the door to civil war was declaring Sinhala the official language. Hence, the correct answer is option (B).