Political Science – 13
Marks
Important
terms
Patriarchy: Literally,
rule by father, this concept is used to refer to a system that values men
more and gives them power over women.
Caste hierarchy: A ladder like
formation in which all the caste groups are placed from the ‘highest’ to the
‘lowest’ castes.
Urbanisation: Shift of
population from rural areas to urban areas.
Ethnic: A social division based on shared culture. People
belonging to the same ethnic group believe in their common descent because of
similarities of physical type or of culture or both. They need not always
have the same religion or nationality.
Majoritarianism: A belief
that the majority community should be able to rule a country in whichever way
it wants, by disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority.
Prudential: Based on
prudence, or on careful calculation of gains and losses. Prudential decisions
are usually contrasted with those decisions based purely on moral considerations.
Jurisdiction: The area over
which someone has legal authority. The area may be defined in terms of
geographical boundaries or in terms of certain kinds of subjects.
Coalition government: A government formed by the coming together of at least two political
parties. Usually partners in a coalition form a political alliance and adopt
a common programme.
Maoists: Those
communists who believe in the ideology of Mao, the leader of the Chinese
revolution. They seek to overthrow the government through an armed revolution
so as to establish the rule of the peasants and workers.
Partisan: A person who
is strongly committed to a party, group or faction. Partisanship is marked by
a tendency to take a side and inability to take a balanced view on an issue.
Ruling Party: Political
party that runs government.
Defection: Changing party
allegiance from the party on which a person got elected (to a legislative
body) to a different party.
Affidavit: A signed
document submitted to an officer, where a person makes a sworn statement
regarding her personal information.
Source: NCERT
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UNIT-I:
WORKING OF DEMOCRACY
Q.
Examine two ways in which Caste
influence Indian politics. 1+1=2
(2016)
Ans: (i) All parties including the so called secular parties
select their candidates for elections with an eye on the caste composition of
the constitution of the constituencies concerned.
(ii) Political parties and
candidates in elections make appeals to caste sentiments to get support.
Q. What kind of loyalty is shown by a
communal person? 1 (2015)
Ans: A communal person subordinates his loyalty to
the nation or the society to the promotion of narrow and selfish interest of
his community.
Q. State three basic features of Indian
secularism. 1+1+1=3 (2015)
Ans: i)
There is no official religion for the Indian state.
ii)
The Indian Constitution provides to all individuals and communities freedom to
profess, practice and propagate any religion or not to follow any religion.
iii) The
constitution prohibits discrimination on the ground of religion.
iv)
The constitution allows the state to intervene in the matters of religion in
order to ensure equality among religious communities.
Q. Identify the action taken up by the
Government of India to solve the low percentage of women participation in
politics.
1 (2014)
Ans: To solve low
percentage of women participation in politics, one third of seats in local
government bodies in panchayats and municipalities are now reserved for women
by the Government of India.
Q. In what way does caste system play a
progressive role in modernizing Indian society?
2 (2014)
Ans: Caste
system has become a means of leveling the old order of inequality and uplifting
the down trodden sections of society.
Q. The animosity between the Hindus and
Muslims was largely the creation of the British rulers. Analyse the statement.
2 (2013)
Ans: British foresee a great threat to their authority in
the unity among the Hindus and Muslims communities. Thus they deliberately
adopted the policy of ‘divide and rule’ by providing special electorate for the
Muslims. It promoted hostility and confrontation among the Hindus and Muslims
for achieving their own selfish end.
Q. Identify the social evil practice
that still persists hurting the sentiments of low caste despite constitutional
prohibition.
1 (2012)
Ans: Untouchability is the social evil still persists
despite constitutional prohibition.
Q.
“It is not politics that gets
caste ridden, it is caste that gets politicized”. Prove the statement by giving
two reasons.
2 (2012)
Ans: i) Each
caste group tries to become bigger by incorporating its neighbouring castes or
sub-castes which were excluded earlier from it.
ii) Various
caste groups are required to enter into a coalition with other castes or
communities for dialogue and negotiation.
iii) New kinds
of caste groups have come up in the political arena like ‘backward’ and
‘forward’ caste groups.
Q. List any five points to prove that
India is a Secular Country. 5. (2011)
Ans: 1. There is no official religion for the Indian
State.
2. The Indian Constitution provides to all
individuals and communities freedom to profess.
3. The Indian constitution provides to all
individual freedom to practice and propagate any religion or not to follow any
religion.
4. The constitution prohibits discrimination on
the ground of religion.
5. The constitution allows the state to intervene
in the matters of religion in order to ensure equality among religious
communities.
Q. What is the main purpose for the
establishment of the Manipur State Commission for Women? Give two reasons.
2 (2010)
Ans: The main purpose for the establishment of the Manipur
State Commission for Women is to hear cases from aggrieved women relating to
domestic violence, physical assault, harassment, forcible kidnapping and
divorce. They should ensure social justice, peace and harmony of women in the
society.
Q. Identify two constitutional devices
to combat communalism in India. 2 (2010)
Ans: i) The
Indian Constitution provides to all individuals and communities freedom to
profess, practice and propagate any religion or not to follow any religion.
ii) The
constitution prohibits discrimination on the ground of religion.
iii) The
constitution allows the state to intervene in the matters of religion in order
to ensure equality among religious communities.
Probable questions for HSLC examination 2017
Q.
Why every candidate does needs
to win the confidence of more than one caste and community to win elections? 1
Q. According to Rig Veda which castes
did enjoy privileges where denied to the Sudras? 1
Q. What is communal politics? 1
Q. Why do parents prefer to have sons
and find ways to have the girl child aborted in India? 2
Q. What do you meant by feminist
movement? 2
Q. “The role of women in public life is
minimal.” Justify the statement. 2
Q. Give two ways explaining how the
caste gets politicized. 2
Q. How Jawaharlal Nehru pronounced his
thesis of “Unity in diversity” 2
Q. What is the role of Manipur State
Commission for Women? 2
Q. What is communalism? Explain how communalism
results in a society. What are the means to combat communalism India? 5
Q. Explain the role of Meira Paibis in
Manipur. 5
UNIT-II:
POWER SHARING
Q.
Whose decision will be final in
case of any dispute about the division of powers between the centre and the
states of India?
1 (2016)
Ans:
The decision of the Supreme Court of India
will be the final in case of any dispute about the division of powers between
the centre and the states of India.
Q.
Find out a neighbouring country
where the majority community wants to force its dominance over others and
refuses to share power. 1 (2016)
Ans:
Sri Lanka.
Q. What is prudential reason of Power
Sharing? 3 (2016)
Ans: Power sharing is desirable because it reduces the
possibility of conflict between social groups. Since social conflicts often
lead to violence and political instability, power sharing is a good way to
ensure the political stability.
Q. Identify the dual objectives of a
federation. 1 (2015)
Ans:
The dual objectives of a federation are – (i) to safeguard and promote unity of
the country and (ii) to accommodate regional diversity.
Q. Explain the way in which the
American type of federation was formed. 2 (2015)
Ans: The American type of federation was formed by
involving independent states coming together on their own to form a bigger
unit. By pooling sovereignty and retaining identity they can increase their
security.
Q. Give one point of advantage of local
self-government. 1 (2014)
Ans:
Local self-government makes possible for the
people to directly participate in decision making and is the best way for
realization of democracy.
Q. State vertical power sharing taken
at three different levels. 3 (2014)
Ans:
In local self-government the power sharing is
taken at three different levels- the village level, block level and district
level. Gram Panchayat is a council consisting of directly elected ward members
and works for village level. Panchayat Samiti is a group of Gram Panchayats
headed by the Block Development Officer and works for development of a
Block. And finally, all the Panchayat
Samities in a district together constitute the Zilla Parishad headed by the chairperson
and works for the development of a district.
Q. Identify five basic features of a
government by which we can call it a federation. 5 (2013)
Ans: Basic features of a federal government.
i) There
are two or more levels of tiers of government.
ii) The same citizens are governed by different
forms of government. But each tier has its own jurisdiction in administration.
iii) The constitution lays down clearly the
jurisdictions of the respective levels of governments.
iv) The fundamental provisions of the constitution
cannot be amended unilaterally. For such changes the consent of both the levels
of government is required.
v) Courts have the power to interpret the
constitution and powers of different tiers of government. The highest court
acts as an umpire when there are conflicts or disputes between different
governments in the exercise of their respective powers.
vi) To
ensure financial autonomy sources of revenue for each level of government are
clearly specified.
vii) A
federal government has dual objectives- to safeguard and promote unity of the
country, while at the same time accommodate regional diversity. For the
institutions and practice of federalism two aspects are very important. The
governments at different levels should agree to some rules of power sharing.
They also trust that each would abide by its part agreement. Mutual trust and
agreement to live together are ideal for a federal system.
Q. Why federal power sharing has been
more effective after 1990 than it was in the past? 1 (2012)
Ans: After 1990, no single party got a clear
majority in the Lok Sabha; the major national parties had to enter into an
alliance with many parties to form a coalition government at the Centre.
Q. Why did the Constitution declare
India as a Union of States deliberately avoiding the word ‘federation’?
3 (2012)
Ans:
Q. “In India the constitutional
arrangement of division of power seems to be heavily tilted towards the
Centre”. Justify the statement by citing examples. 2 (2011)
Ans: Since Indian federation was formed by ‘holding
together’ process it does not give equal power to its constituent units. Both
the Central and state governments can make laws on the subjects mentioned in
the Concurrent List. However, if their laws conflict with each other, the union
law will prevail. The residuary power is given to the Centre. Thus the central
government tends to be more powerful.
Q. How is the power of the government
distributed horizontally among the three organs of the government?
1 (2010)
Ans: Power is
shared horizontally among the three organs of the government in the system of
checks and balances where none of the organs can exercise unlimited power.
Q. Distinguish between Federal
Government and Unitary Government in two points. 2 (2010)
Ans: In federal
system of government, power is divided between the national government and the
state governments or units whereas in the unitary system the Central government
can pass orders to the provincial or regional governments.
Q. Write two drawbacks of the working
of Panchayati Raj in India. 2 (2010)
Ans: i) Election
for the Gram Sabha is not held regularly.
ii) Most state
government including that of Manipur has not transferred significant power to
the local government.
iii) They have
not been given adequate resources.
Q.
State a situation in which
sharing of power among the political parties is direct. 1 (2010)
Ans:
Sharing of power is direct when two or more political parties form a coalition
government.
Probable questions for HSLC examination 2017
Q. Define
check and balance system. 1
Q.
UNIT-III:COMPETITION
AND CONTESTATION IN DEMOCRACY
Q.
Identify the most important
course of event for the success of a mass mobilization. 1 (2016)
Ans: Spontaneous public participation is the most important
course of event for the success of a mass mobilization.
Q. In what ways do the pressure groups
and movements influence politics? 5 (2015)
Ans:
(i) They try to draw public attention and
support for their goals by carrying out information campaigning, organizing
meetings etc.
(ii) They try to influence the media
into giving more attention to their cause.
(iii) They often organise protest
activity like strikes and disruptions of government programmes.
(iv) Business groups often employ
professional lobbyists or sponsor expensive advertisement. Some of their
members may participate in official bodies and committees that advise
government.
(v) Sometimes pressure groups are either led or
formed by leaders of political parties and most of the leaders of such pressure
groups are usually activists and leaders of party.
Q. Explain five important functions of
the political parties in a democratic government. 5 (2014)
Ans: (1) Political parties contest elections
which are held regularly in a democratic country. Contestations are mainly
among the candidates put up by the political parties.
(2) Every political party prepares
its programmes and policies which is published in the election manifesto and
distribute it to the people. A government is supposed to follow the policies of
the ruling party.
(3) Every political party moulds
public opinion. The parties organise, educate and discipline the electorate.
They present clearly political problems to the people and create awakening
among the people.
(4) Political parties form and run
the governments. Parties recruit leaders, train them and then make ministers to
run the government in the way they like.
(5) In making laws parties play a
decisive role. But laws are debated and passed in the legislature.
(6) Those parties that cannot win
majority in the legislature will act as opposition.
(7) Parties provide people access to
government machinery and welfare schemes.
Q. Give one point of difference between
pressure groups and political parties. 1 (2013)
Ans: Pressure groups
do not aim to direct control or share of political power whereas political
parties do.
Q. Suggest one way by which conflicts
in democracy can be easily and successfully resolved? 1 (2013)
Ans: Conflicts in democracy can be easily and successfully
resolved by mass mobilization.
Q. Identify the reason of the makers of
the Indian Constitution to have opted for a democracy. 1 (2012)
Ans: India had a
bitter experience of subjugation and poverty during the British authoritarian
regime for a long time. This is the reason the makers of Indian Constitution to
have opted for a democracy.
Q.
What are Pressure Groups?
Mention any two techniques used by them to influence politics. 3 (2011)
Ans: Pressure groups are organisations that attempt to
influence government policies in order to achieve a common objective. They
carry out information campaigning, organizing meetings etc. They try to
influence the media into giving more attention to their cause. They often
organize protest activity like strikes and disruption of government programmes.
UNIT-IV:OUTCOME
OF DEMOCRACY
Q. Inspite of so many social and ethnic
differences what sustains democracy in India? 5 (2016)
Ans:
Since independence India has been able to
sustain democracy. Democracy in India accommodates all social and religious
differences. India has strengthened the claims of the disadvantaged and
discriminated castes for equal status and equal opportunity. Because of the
diversities of caste, creed, religions, race etc. India has to adopt democracy
to accommodate all these differences. India’s political institutions are all
democratic in structure while the political parties are capable of management
of the machineries of administration. At present people’s participation in
politics is much higher than before. At the same time they have become active,
alert and vigilant. For all these factors India has to sustain democracy so as
there is “Unity in diversity”.
Q. Analyse the reason why democratic
government is more accountable than any other alternative governments.
1 (2015)
Ans: Because, people have the right to choose
their rulers and people will have control over the rulers.
Q. Analyse one reason showing that
majority and minority opinions are not permanent in democracy.1 (2014)
Ans: Majority and
minority opinions are not permanent in democracy because the rule by majority
does not become the rule by the majority opinion and the majority must consult
and respect the views of the minority.
Q. Why decisions in democracies are
more acceptable to the people and more effective? 1 (2013)
Ans: In democracies
more time is taken to follow procedures before arriving at a decision.
Q. How does a challenge in democracy
carry with an opportunity for progress? 3 (2013)
Ans: Once a challenge
is overcome then the government goes up to a higher level than before. In India
communalism, casteism, regionalism, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, movement
for women empowerment etc. are great challenges faced by our democracy. Most of
the challenges have been overcome to a large extent and India has been known as
one the greatest democratic countries in the world.
Q. How can we say that democracy is
better than other non-democratic governments? 5 (2012)
Ans: Democracy is better than other non-democratic
governments because;
(i)
Democracy promotes equality among
citizens;
(ii)
It enhances the dignity of individuals;
(iii)
It provides a method to resolve
conflicts;
(iv)
It improve the quality decision making;
(v)
It allows room to correct mistakes.
Q. Why did India adopt the democratic
form of Government? 1 (2011)
Ans: India had a
bitter experience of subjugation and poverty during the British authoritarian
regime for a long time. This is the reason the makers of Indian Constitution to
have opted for a democracy.
Q. How does the Right to Information
Act, help in bringing transparency in the working of our Government?
1 (2011)
Ans: The Right to Information Act allows a citizen to know
whether a decision is taken through correct procedures and examine the process
of decision making. Thus it help to keep transparency in working of our
government.
Q. How does the problem of Unemployment
pose a challenge to democracy? 1 (2011)
Ans: Problem of unemployment poses a challenge to democracy
because it cannot be resolved during a short period.
Q. Why is it said that expecting more
and complaining more is itself a testimony to the success of democracy? Write
by giving two points. 2 (2010)
Ans: (i) As people
get some benefits of democracy they ask for more and want to make democracy
even better.
(ii) People have developed
awareness and the ability to expect and look critically at power holders. A
public expression of dissatisfaction with democracy shows the success of
democratic government.
Q.
Explain in five reasons for the
sustenance of democracy in India. 5 (2010)
Ans: Since independence India has been able to
sustain democracy. Democracy in India accommodates all social and religious
differences. India has strengthened the claims of the disadvantaged and
discriminated castes for equal status and equal opportunity. Because of the
diversities of caste, creed, religions, race etc. India has to adopt democracy
to accommodate all these differences. India’s political institutions are all
democratic in structure while the political parties are capable of management
of the machineries of administration. At present people’s participation in
politics is much higher than before. At the same time they have become active,
alert and vigilant. For all these factors India has to sustain democracy so as
there is “Unity in diversity”.
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