Here you will find all the questions, solutions, answers, and notes of chapter 11 Working of Democracy of Social Science for class 10 students studying under Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE). However, the study materials should be used only for references and nothing more. The notes can be modified/changed according to needs.
Summary
In this chapter, you will learn more about democracy and how different aspects of society affects the system of democracy of a country like India, Democracy is affected by communalism (thinking that one religion is better and above another religion), gender division (thinking that women and men are different and they cannot do each other’s work), casteism (thinking one caste is better than another caste), etc.
Politicians take advantage of communalism, castism, etc. and try to win elections using these differences. Like you can see presently some political parties fight elections using the name of gods, caste, etc. These weaken the system of democracy and prevents real development.
Social divisions do exist in most of countries and their political expression is obvious and desirable in a democracy. It strengthens as well as weakens democracy. It all depends on a country’s citizens, the political parties and their leaders. If they place the nation above social differences, the unity, integrity and prosperity of a nation are ensured. If the social divisions are given priority, democracy and the very unity of a country are in jeopardy. In light of this, let us examine the three prominent social differences in our own country – Gender, religion and caste.
Textual questions and answers
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is meant by ‘gender division’?
(a) Division between the rich and the poor
(b) Division between males and females
(c) Division between educated and uneducated
(d) None of the above
Answer: b. Division between males and females
2. A man was having a discussion regarding communal politics with his friend. Aman’s friend spoke a few statements given below.
(i) State power is used to establish the domination of one religious group over the rest.
(ii) Communal politics is based on the idea that religion is the principal basis of a social community.
(iii) Beliefs of one religion are presented as superior to those of other religions.
Select the correct option
(a) i and ii (b) ii and iii (c) i, ii and iii (d) iii only
Answer: c. i, ii and iii
3. What does the term “communalism” refer to?
(a) Cooperation among different religious groups
(b) Excessive involvement of religious leaders in politics
(c) Religious expression within a democracy
(d) Religious division and conflict in politics
Answer: d. Religious division and conflict in politics
Very Short Answer Questions
1. Name a famous leader who was associated with Muslim League?
Answer: M.A. Jinnah was a famous leader who was associated with Muslim League.
2. Name one factor which influences Indian politics.
Answer: Casteism is one factor that influences Indian politics.
Short Answer Questions
1. What is the main demand of women organisations and activists regarding reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies?
Answer: The main demand of women organisations and activists regarding reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies is to have one-third of seats reserved for women.
2. What is the meaning of patriarchal society?
Answer: Its literal meaning is rule by father. It is a system where father is the head of the family and all important decisions are taken by male members of a family to the exclusion and seclusion of women.
Long Answer Questions
1. State two reasons to say that caste alone cannot determine elections in India.
Answer: No parliamentary constituency has a clear majority of one single caste. More than two castes generally inhabit a constituency. A candidate or a party needs to secure the confidence of more than one caste to win elections. It is impossible to secure votes of all the voters of a caste in a constituency. There are a host of other factors that count. If a large proportion of voters from a particular caste vote for a candidate, we call it the ‘vote bank’ of a particular party.
2. ‘Caste can take various forms in politics.’ Give any six reasons in support of the statement.
Answer: Six reasons in support of the statement are:
- Each caste group has a tendency to grow bigger by including in its fold most immediate castes or sub-castes.
- Many caste groups form some sort of coalition with other caste groups around some important social and political issues.
- Recently new kind of caste groups have come up, especially after the implementation of the Mandal Commission report. All upper castes are referred as ‘Forward’ castes and others as ‘Backward’ castes.
- Generally, people of a same caste vote en bloc for a candidate of the same or different caste.
- When they do not vote en bloc they prefer a candidate of their own caste irrespective of the merits or demerits of the candidates.
- While selecting a candidate for a particular constituency, parties keep in mind the caste composition of the electorate, and whether the candidate would be able to get the support of the majority caste.
3. Describe the influence of politics on caste system.
Answer: There is a two-way relationship between caste and politics. Politics influences the caste system and the caste system influences politics. There is politicisation of the castes who are drawn into the political arena.
- Each caste group has a tendency to grow bigger by including in its fold most immediate castes or sub-castes.
- Many caste groups form some sort of coalition with other caste groups around some important social and political issues.
- Recently new kind of caste groups have come up, especially after the implementation of the Mandal Commission report. All upper castes are referred as ‘Forward’ castes and others as ‘Backward’ castes.
4. Explain the main features of communalism.
Answer: The main features of communalism are:
- Religion is the principal basis of social community.
- The followers of a particular religion belong to one community.
- Fundamental interests – socio-economic and political interests – of a particular religious community are the same.
- People who follow different religions cannot belong to the same social community
- Whatever similarities are there among followers of different religions, these are superficial and insignificant.
- Interests of various religious communities are different and mutually conflicting
- Ultimate ideological conclusion is that people belonging to different religions cannot live together as equal citizens. Either one of them has to dominate the rest or they have to form different nations.
Extra/additional MCQs
1. What does the existence of social divisions depend on?
A. A country’s citizens B. Political parties C. Leaders D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
30. What is a system where the father is the head of the family and important decisions are made by male members?
A. Matriarchy B. Patriarchy C. Equality D. Feminism
Answer: B. Patriarchy
Extra/additional questions and answers/solutions
1. What is meant by ‘gender division’?
Answer: Division between males and females.
47. Discuss the positive and negative outcomes of caste politics in India.
Answer: The political expression of caste has led to both positive and negative outcomes in India. On the positive side, caste politics has led to the reservation of seats in government jobs for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes, giving these caste groups more presence in the three organs of the government. Several lower castes are now demanding more share in land, resources, and other opportunities, leading to greater social inclusion. On the negative side, caste division has also resulted in conflict and violence, and politics based on caste identity alone is not healthy for democracy, as it often overshadows important issues like poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, and corruption. The politicization of the caste system has also led to the emergence of new kinds of caste groups, with all upper castes referred to as ‘Forward’ castes and others as ‘Backward’ castes, further entrenching caste divisions.
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