CLASS X CBSE SOCIAL SCIENCE CIVICS SA1

CIVICS

Chapter 1 POWER SHARING

1. Describe the ethnic composition of the people in Belgium.

i. The ethnic composition of Belgium is very complex. Of the country’s total population, 59 per   cent lives in the Flemish region and speaks Dutch language.

ii. Another 40 per cent people live in the Wallonia region and speak French.

iii. Remaining 1 per cent of the Belgians speak German.

iv. In the capital city Brussels, 80 per cent people speak French while 20 per cent are Dutch-speaking.

v. The minority French-speaking community was relatively rich and powerful. This as resented by the Dutch-speaking community who got the benefit of economic development and education much later. This led to tension between the Dutch speaking and French-speaking communities during the 1950s and 1960s

2) State the basic reason for the tension between the French speaking and DuDutch speaking   communities in Belgium. (Answer is point v above)

3. Describe the ethnic diversity of the people in Sri Lanka.

i. The major social groups in Sri Lanka are the Sinhala-speakers (74 per cent) and the Tamil-speakers (18 per cent). Among Tamils, there are two subgroups. Tamil natives of the country are called ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ (13 per cent). The rest, who’s fore fathers came from India as plantation workers during colonial period, are called ‘Indian Tamils’.

ii. Most of the Sinhala-speaking people are Buddhist, while most of the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims. There are about 7 per cent Christians, who are both Tamil and Sinhala.

3. State the basic reasons for the tension (Civil War) between Sinhala and Tamil speaking people in Sri Lanka. Or why do the Sri Lankan Tamils feel alienated in their country?

i. In Sri Lanka, the Sinhala community enjoyed a bigger majority and could impose its will on the entire country. The leaders of the Sinhala community sought to secure dominance over government by virtue of their majority. As a result, the democratically elected government adopted a series of majoritarian measures to establish Sinhala supremacy.

ii. There was a feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils. They felt that none of the major political parties led by the Buddhist Sinhala leaders was sensitive to their language and culture. They felt that the Constitution and government policies denied them equal political rights, discriminated against them in getting jobs and other opportunities and ignored their interests.

iii. The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for- the recognition of Tamil as an official language,- for regional autonomy and- equality of opportunity in securing education and jobs. But their demand for more autonomy to provinces populated by the Tamils was repeatedly denied.

iv. By 1980s, several political organizations were formed demanding an independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. The distrust between the two communities turned into widespread conflict. It soon turned into a civil war.

4. What were the majoritarian measures adopted by the Sri Lankan Government?

i. In 1956, an Act was passed to recognize Sinhala as the only official language, disregarding Tamil.

ii. The governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.

iii. A new constitution stipulated that the state should protect and foster Buddhism. All these government measures, coming one after the other, gradually increased the feeling  of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils.

5. How did the Belgian Government resolve the ethnic diversities and tension between them? Or How was power shared between the people in Belgium?

i. The Belgian Government recognized the existence of regional differences and cultural diversities.

ii. Between 1970 and 1993 they amended their constitution four times to work out an arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within the same country. The arrangement they worked out is different from any other country and is very innovative.

iii. Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the central government. Some special laws require the support of majority of members from each linguistic group. Thus, no single community can make decisions unilaterally.

iv. Many powers of the central government have been given to state governments of the two regions of the country. The state governments are not subordinate to the Central Government.

v. Brussels has a separate government in which both the communities have equal representation. The French-speaking people accepted equal representation in Brussels because the Dutch-speaking community has accepted equal representation in the Central Government.

vi. Apart from the Central and the State Government, there is a third kind of government. This ‘community government’ is elected by people belonging to one language community – Dutch, French and German-speaking – no matter where they live. This government has the power regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues.

vii. They helped to avoid- civic strife between the two major communities and- a possible

division of the country on linguistic lines.

6. State two sets of reasons in favour of power sharing. Or What are the

prudential and moral reasons for power sharing?

i. Prudential Reasons: Power sharing is good because it helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. Since social conflict often leads to violence and political instability, power sharing is a good way to ensure the stability of political order.

ii. Moral Reasons: Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have to live with its effects. People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed. A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a chance in the system.

7. Describe the horizontal distribution of power. What are its advantages?

i. Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature, executive

and judiciary. We call this horizontal distribution of power because it allows different organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers.

ii. Such a separation ensures that none of the organs can exercise unlimited power. Each organ checks the others. This results in a balance of power among various institutions.

 iii. Similarly, although judges are appointed by the executive, they can check the functioning of executive or laws made by the legislatures. This arrangement is called a system of checks and balances.

8. Describe the vertical division of power. Or What is meant by federal division of power?

i. Power can be shared among governments at different levels – a general government for the entire country and governments at the provincial or regional level. Such a general government for the entire country is usually called federal government. In India, we refer to it as the Central or Union Government.

ii. The governments at the provincial or regional level are called by different names in different countries. In India, we call them State Governments. This is called federal division of power.

iii. The same principle can be extended to levels of government lower than the State government, such as the municipality and Panchayat. Division of powers involving higher and lower levels of government is called vertical division of power.

9. Describe the power sharing among different social groups.

i. Power may be shared among different social groups, such as the religious and linguistic groups. ‘Community government’ in Belgium is a good example of this arrangement.

ii. In some countries, there are constitutional and legal arrangements whereby socially weaker sections and women are represented in the legislatures and administration.

10. Describe the power sharing among political parties, pressure groups and movements.

i. Power sharing arrangements can also be seen in the way political parties, pressure groups and movements control or influence those in power. In contemporary democracies, political competition ensures that power does not remain in one hand.

ii. In the long run, power is shared among different political parties that represent different ideologies and social groups. Sometimes this kind of sharing can be direct, when two or more parties form an alliance to contest elections. If their alliance is elected, they form a  coalition government and thus share power.

iii. In a democracy, we find interest groups such as those of traders, businessmen, industrialists, farmers and industrial workers. They also will have a share in governmental power, either through participation in governmental committees or bringing influence on the decision making process

11. Describe the different forms of power sharing in democracies. Give examples.

      (Write the 1^st point of answers 7, 8, 9 and 10)

Chapter 2 FEDERALISM

1. What is federalism?

i. Federalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the country.

ii. Usually, a federation has two levels of government. One is the government for the entire country that is usually responsible for a few subjects of common national interest. The others are governments at the level of provinces or states that look after much of the day to day administering of their state.

iii. Both these levels of governments enjoy their power independent of the other.

2. What are the objectives of federalism? What are the two aspects that are crucial in the practice of federalism?

i. To safeguard and promote unity of the country, while at the same time accommodate regional diversity, are the objectives of federalism.

ii. The two aspects that are crucial in the practice of federalism are:

(a) Governments at different levels should agree to some rules of power sharing.

(b) They should also trust that each would abide by its part of the agreement. An ideal federal system has both aspects : mutual trust and agreement to live together.

3. What are the two kinds of routes through which federations have been formed?

Or

What are the two types of federations?

                                          Or

What are ‘holding together and coming together federations?

 i. Coming together’ federations: The first route involves independent States coming together on their own to form a bigger unit, so that by pooling sovereignty and retaining identity they can increase their security. This type of ‘coming together’ federations include the USA, Switzerland and Australia. In this first category of federations, all the constituent States usually have equal power and are strong in comparison with the federal government.

ii. Holding together’ federations: The second route is where a large country decides to divide its power between the constituent states and the national government. India, Spain and Belgium are examples of this kind of ‘holding together’ federations. In this second category, the central government tends to be more powerful in comparison with the States. Very often different constituent units of the federation have unequal powers. Some units are granted special powers.

4. Distinguish between federal and unitary governments.

i. Under the unitary system, either there is only one level of government or the sub-units are subordinate to the central government. The central government can pass on orders to the provincial or the local government.

ii. But in a federal system, the central government cannot order the state government to do something. State government has powers of its own for which it is not answerable to the central government. Both these governments are separately answerable to the people.

5. What are the key features of federalism?

i. There are two or more levels (or tiers) of government.

ii. Different tiers of government govern the same citizens, but each tier has its own jurisdiction in specific matters of legislation, taxation and administration.

iii. The jurisdictions of the respective levels or tiers of government are specified in the constitution. So the existence and authority of each tier of government is constitutionally guaranteed.

iv. The fundamental provisions of the constitution cannot be unilaterally changed by one level of government. Such changes require the consent of both the levels of government.

v. Courts have the power to interpret the constitution and the powers of different levels of government. The highest court acts as an umpire if disputes arise between different levels of government in the exercise of their respective powers.

vi. Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.

6. What are the power sharing arrangements in India? (Describe the three-fold distribution of legislative powers between the Union Government and State Government.)

i. The Constitution originally provided for a two-tier system of government, the Union Government (or what we call the Central Government) and the State governments.

ii. Later, a third tier of federalism was added in the form of Panchayats and Municipalities. As in any federation, these different tiers enjoy separate jurisdiction. The Constitution clearly provided a threefold distribution of legislative powers between the Union Government and the State Governments. Thus, it contains three lists.

iii. Union List includes subjects of national importance such as defence of the country, foreign affairs, banking, communications and currency. They are included in this list because we need a uniform policy on these matters throughout the country. The Union Government alone can make laws relating to the subjects mentioned in the Union List.

iv. State List contains subjects of State and local importance such as police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation. The State Governments alone can make laws relating to the subjects mentioned in the State List.

v. Concurrent List includes subjects of common interest to both the Union Government as well as the State Governments, such as education, forest, trade unions, marriage, adoption and succession. Both the Union as well as the State Governments can make laws on the subjects mentioned in this list. If their laws conflict with each other, the law made by the Union Government will prevail.

7. What are the residuary powers of the Central Government?

According to our constitution, the Union Government has the power to legislate on the subjects that do not fall in any of the three lists. It is known as ‘residuary’ subjects. E.g. Laws related to Computer software.

8. Prove by giving examples that in India we have holding together type of

federation. Or. State an example to prove that in India equal power is not granted to its constituent units.

i. Very often different constituent units of the federation have unequal powers. Some units are granted special powers.

ii. All States in the Indian Union do not have identical powers. Some States enjoy a special status. Jammu and Kashmir has its own Constitution. Many provisions of the Indian Constitution are not applicable to this State without the approval of the State Assembly.

iii. Indians who are not permanent residents of this State cannot buy land or house here. Similar special provisions exist in some other States of India as well.

9. What are Union Territories?

There are some units of the Indian Union, which enjoy very little power. These are areas which are too small to become an independent State but which could not be merged with any of the existing States. These areas, like Chandigarh, or Lakshadweep or the capital city of Delhi, are called Union Territories.

These territories do not have the powers of a State. The Central Government has special powers in running these areas.

10. What is the third category amendment procedure?

Any change to the Indian Constitution has to be first passed by both the Houses of Parliament with at least two-thirds majority. Then it has to be ratified by the legislatures of at least half of the total States.

11. What role does judiciary play in the implementation of the Constitutional provisions?

The judiciary plays an important role in overseeing the implementation of Constitutional provisions and procedures. In case of any dispute about the division of powers, the High Courts and the Supreme Court make a decision.

12. How is federalism practiced in India?

i. By organizing Linguistic States: The creation of Linguistic States was the first and a major test for democratic politics in our country. This was done to ensure that people who spoke the same language lived in the same State. Some States were created not on the basis of language but to recognize differences based on culture, ethnicity or geography. It has actually made the country, more united. It has also made administration easier.

ii. By developing a language policy: A second test for Indian federation is the language policy. Our Constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language. Hindi was identified as the official language. But Hindi is the mother tongue of only about 40 per cent of Indians. Therefore, there were many safeguards to protect other languages. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages recognized as Scheduled Languages by the Constitution. States too have their own official languages.

iii. By re-structuring the Centre-State relations: Restructuring the Centre-State relations is one more way in which federalism has been strengthened in practice. The constitutional arrangements for sharing power work in reality depends to a large extent on how the ruling parties and leaders follow these arrangements. Rise of a number of regional parties and establishment of coalition governments led to a new culture of power sharing and respect for the autonomy of the state governments.

13. Examine the language policy adopted by the Government of India.

Our Constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language. Hindi was identified as the official language. But Hindi is the mother tongue of only about 40 per cent of Indians. Therefore, there were many safeguards to protect other languages. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages recognized as Scheduled Languages by the Constitution. States too have their own official languages. According to our Constitution, the use of English as official language was to stop in 1965 and to use Hindi in its place. However, it was extended on the request of non-Hindi speaking states like Tamil Nadu.

14. What is meant by Coalition Governments?

When no single party get a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, two or more national parties or regional parties join together to form a government at the Centre. This type of government is known as Coalition Governments.

15. State any two changes in the Central- State relationship after 1990 that strengthened power sharing effectively.

i. Change in the attitude of the central Government: For a long time, the same party ruled both at the centre and most of the states. It did not allow states to become autonomous federal units. When the parties were different, the Centre tried to undermine the powers of the state Governments and even dismissed state Governments. This situation changed after 1990.

ii. Rise of a number of regional parties and establishment of coalition governments at the centre: Forming of coalition Government at the centre led to a new culture of power sharing and respect for the autonomy of state Governments. This trend was supported by the Supreme Court and Central Government by a judgment and now it is difficult to dismiss state Governments.

16. What are scheduled languages?

The Census in 1991, found 114 major Languages in India. Of these 22 languages are included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and are therefore called ‘Scheduled Languages’. Eg. Hindi, Bangla, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil etc

 17. What is the rationale for the decentralization of power in India? Or What is the basic idea behind the decentralization of power?

i. India is a vast country with a huge population. It is not possible to rule the country by a single Government.

ii. Even the States in India are bigger than many of the European countries. They are internally very diverse. There is a need for power sharing with in the state too. Large number of problems and issues are best solved at the local level.

18. What are the arguments in favour of local self Government in India?

i. Large number of problems and issues are best solved at the local level. People have better knowledge of problems in their localities. They also have better ideas on where to spend money and how to manage things more efficiently.

ii. Besides, at the local level it is possible for the people to directly participate in decision making. This helps to inculcate a habit of democratic participation. Forming Local government is the best way to realize one important principle of democracy, namely local self-government.

19. What were the drawbacks of the local Government bodies formed earlier?

i. The local Government bodies like village panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations were under the direct control of state Governments

ii. Elections to these local Governments were not held regularly.

iii. Local Self Governments did not have any powers or resources of their own, thus there was no decentralization in reality.

20. What were the Constitutional provisions as per the Amendment in 1992 for the setting up of Panchayati Raj in India?

i. Now it is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.

ii. Seats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.

iii. At least one-third of all positions are reserved for women.

iv. An independent institution called the State Election Commission has been created in each State to conduct Panchayat and municipal elections.

v. The State governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies. The nature of sharing varies from State to State.

21. What is Grama Sabha? What are its functions?

i. All the adult members of a village constitute the Gram Sabha.

ii. It has to meet at least twice or thrice a year to approve the annual budget of the Grama Panchayat and to review the performance of the Gram Panchayat

22. How is Panchayati Raj constituted?

i. It is a three-tier system of administration. At the lower level, it is the Village Panchayat. Each village, or a group of villages in some States, has a Gram Panchayat. This is a council consisting of several ward members, often called panch, and a president or sarpanch. They are directly elected by all the adult population living in that ward or village.

ii. Bloch Samiti or Panchayat Samiti: A few gram panchayats are grouped together to form what is usually called a Panchayat Samiti or block or mandal. The members of this representative body are elected by all the Panchayat members in that area.

iii. Zilla Parishad: All the Panchayat Samitis or Mandals in a district together constitute the Zilla (district) Parishad. Most members of the Zilla Parishad are elected. Members of the Lok Sabha and MLAs of that district and some other officials of other district level bodies are also its members. Zilla Parishad chairperson is the political head of the Zilla Parishad.

iv. Similarly, local government bodies exist for urban areas as well. Municipalities are set up in towns. Big cities are constituted into municipal corporations. Both municipalities and municipal corporations are controlled by elected bodies consisting of people’s representatives. Municipal chairperson is the political head of the municipality. In a Municipal Corporation such an officer is called the mayor.

23. What are the difficulties faced by local government bodies?

i. While elections are held regularly and enthusiastically, ‘Gram Sabhas’ are not held regularly.

ii. Most state governments have not transferred significant powers to the local governments. Nor have they given adequate resources. We are thus still a long way from realizing the ideal of self-government.

24. Point out one feature in the practice of federalism in India that is similar to and 

     one feature that is different from that of Belgium.

i. In both countries the units of federation are Central Government and state governments. The central government has given some of its powers to the state governments both in Belgium and India. ii. Unlike in India, the state government in Belgium is not a subordinate to the central government.

25. State any two differences between the local government before and after the Constitutional amendment in 1992.

i. The local Government bodies like village panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations were under the direct control of state Governments before and these have become autonomous bodied after the amendment.

ii. Elections to these local Governments were not held regularly before but it has become mandatory after the amendment.

iii. Local Self Governments did not have any powers or resources of their own, thus there was no decentralization in reality before. But after the amendment the State governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies

Answer the following Questions

1 What is a system of ‘checks & balances’?

2 Examine the main elements of Belgium model of power sharing

3 What is ‘ethnic composition’? Give an a/c of the ethnic composition of Sri Lanka

Chapter 3 DEMOCRACY AND DIVERSITY

1. What was the Civil Rights Movement?

Civil Rights Movement in the USA (1954-1968) refers to a set of events and reform movements aimed at abolishing legal racial discrimination against African-Americans. Led by Martin Luther King Jr., this movement practiced non-violent methods of civil disobedience against racially discriminatory laws and practices.

2. Who are the African Americans?

African-American, Afro-American, Black American, or Black are the terms used to refer mainly to the descendants of Africans who were brought into America as slaves between the 17th century and early 19th century.

3. What was the Black Power Movement?

The Black Power movement emerged in 1966 and lasted till 1975, which was a more militant anti-racist movement, advocating even violence if necessary to end racism in the US.

4. How do American athletes show their anger towards racism in 1968 Olympics?

Tommie Smith and John Carlos were African American athletes. They had won the gold and bronze medals respectively in 200 meters race. They received their medals, wearing black socks and no shoes to represent Black poverty. The two men standing with clenched fists upraised and heads bowed, while the American national anthem was played. With this gesture, they tried to draw international attention to racial discrimination in the United States. The black-gloved and raised clenched fists were meant to symbolize ‘Black Power’.

5. How does social diversity take different forms in Belgium and Sri Lanka?

In the case of Belgium , people who live in different regions speak different languages. In Sri Lanka, linguistic as well as religious differences exist.Thus, social diversity can take different forms in different societies.

6. How do social differences originate?

i. By birth: We all experience social differences based on accident of birth in our everyday lives. We belong to a community simply because we were born into it. People around us are male or female, they are tall and short, have different kinds of complexions, or have different physical abilities or disabilities. ii. By Choice: Some of the differences are based on our choices. For example, some people are atheists. They do not believe in God or any religion. Some people choose to follow a religion other than the one in which they were born. Most of us choose what to study, which occupation to take up and which games or cultural activities to take part. All these lead to formation of social groups that are based on our choices.

7) Prove by giving examples that social differences are either based on accident of

birth or choice. (Write same answer given above)

8. What are the overlapping and cross cutting differences?

i. Social division takes place when some social difference overlaps with other differences. The difference between the Blacks and Whites becomes a social division in the US because the Blacks tend to be poor, homeless and are discriminated.

ii. In our country, Dalits tend to be poor and landless. They often face discrimination and injustice. Situations of this kind produce social divisions, when one kind of social difference becomes more important than the other and people start feeling that they belong to different communities.

iii. If social differences cross cut one another, it is difficult to pit one group of people against the other. It means that, groups that share a common interest on one issue are likely to be in different sides on a different issue.

iv. In Northern Ireland, class and religion overlap with each other. If you are Catholic, you are also more likely to be poor, and you may have suffered a history of discrimination.

v. In the Netherlands, class and religion tend to cut across each other. Catholics and Protestants are about equally likely to be poor or rich. The result is that Catholics and Protestants have had conflicts in Northern Ireland, while they do not do so in the Netherlands.

vi. Overlapping social differences create possibilities of deep social divisions and

tensions. Crosscutting social differences are easier to accommodate.

Examine the over lapping and cross cutting differences of the people in Netherlands

and Northern Ireland. (Answer same above)

Q. When does a social difference become a social division? (Write point i above for answer)

9. How do social differences affect politics?

Democracy involves competition among various political parties. Their competition tends to divide any society. If they start competing in terms of some existing social divisions, it can make social divisions into political divisions and lead to conflict, violence or even disintegration of a country. (Continue points iii & iv below)

10. Politics and social divisions must not be allowed to mix. Substantiate this statement. Or Examine with examples the impact of politics based on social differences.

i. Democracy involves competition among various political parties. Their competition tends to divide any society. If they start competing in terms of some existing social divisions, it can make social divisions into political divisions and lead to conflict, violence or even disintegration of a country.

ii. Hundreds of civilians, militants and security forces were killed in the fight between Unionists and Nationalists and between the security forces of the UK and the Nationalists. It was only in 1998, that the UK government and the Nationalists reached a peace treaty after which the nationalists suspended their armed struggle.

iii. Political competition along religious and ethnic lines led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia into six independent countries.

iv. In a democracy it is only natural that political parties would talk about social divisions, make different promises to different communities, look after due representation of various communities and make policies to redress the grievances of the disadvantaged Communities.

v. Social divisions affect voting in most countries. People from one community tend to prefer some party to others. In many countries, there are parties that focus only on one community.

11. What are the three determinants (factors) deciding the out come of politics of social divisions?

i. First of all the outcome depends on how people perceive their identities. If people see their identities in singular and exclusive terms, it becomes very difficult to accommodate. As long as people in Northern Ireland saw themselves as only Catholic or Protestant, their differences were difficult to reconcile. Most people in our country see their identity themselves as Indian as well as belonging to a state or a language group or a social or religious community.

ii. Second, it depends on how political leaders raise the demands of any community. It is easier to accommodate demands that are within the constitutional framework and are not at the cost of another community. The demand for ‘only Sinhala’ was at the cost of the interest and identity of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. In Yugoslavia, the leaders of different ethnic communities presented their demands in such a way that these could not be accommodated within a single country.

iii. Third, it depends on the how the government reacts to demands of different groups. If the rulers of Belgium and Sri Lanka are willing to share the power and accommodate the reasonable demands of minority community, social divisions become less threatening for the country. But if they try to suppress such a demand in the name of national unity, the end result is often quite the opposite. Such attempts at forced integration often sow the seeds of disintegration.

12. How does social diversity strengthen democracy?

i. In a democracy, political expression of social divisions is very normal and can be healthy. This allows various disadvantaged and marginal social groups to express their grievances and get the government to attend to these.

ii. Expression of various kinds of social divisions in politics often results in their canceling one another out and thus reducing their intensity. This leads to strengthening of a democracy.

iii. People who feel marginalized, deprived and discriminated have to fight against the injustices. Such a fight often takes the democratic path, voicing their demands in a peaceful and constitutional manner and seeking a fair position through elections.

 Chapter 4 GENDER, RELIGION AND CASTE

1. What are the feminists Movements?

These are agitations in different countries for the extension of voting rights to women. These agitations demanded enhancing the political and legal status of women and improving their educational and career opportunities. Women’s movements are aimed at equality in personal and family life as well. These movements are called Feminist movements.

2. Why do women lag much behind men?

i. In India, we have a male dominated, patriarchal society. Therefore, women’s opportunities are less.

ii. Women are discriminated in various aspects like, education, health, and economic opportunities.

3. What is meant by occupational mobility?

When a person changes his occupation from one to another, it is occupational mobility. It was not allowed when caste system was rigid.

4. What do you mean by sexual division of labour?

All works of daily needs are divided among men and women in the traditional society. According to which all household work like cooking, washing, cleaning, looking after children etc are given to women and outside work to earn a living is given to men. It is sexual division of labour.

5. Mention different aspects of life in which women are discriminated or disadvantaged in India.(Give any four points) (imp)

i. Low literacy: The literacy rate among women is only 54 percent compared with 76 per cent among men. Similarly, a smaller proportion of girl students go for higher studies. When we look at school results, girls and boys perform equally, if not better in some places. But they drop out because parents prefer to spend their resources for their boys’ education rather than spending equally on their sons and daughters.

ii. Low Position: The proportion of women among the highly paid and valued jobs is still very small. On an average, an Indian woman works one hour more than an average man every day. Yet much of her work is not paid and therefore often not valued.

iii. Low Pay: The Equal Wages Act provides that equal wages should be paid to equal work. However in almost all areas of work, from sports and cinema, to factories and fields, women are paid less than men, even when both do exactly the same work.

iv. Preference of a male child: In many parts of India, parents prefer to have sons and find ways to have the girl child aborted before she is born. Such sex-selective abortion led to a decline in child sex ratio (number of girl children per thousand boys) in the country to merely 927.

v. Exploitation: There are reports of various kinds of harassment, exploitation and violence against women. Urban areas have become particularly unsafe for women. They are not safe even within their own home from beating, harassment and other forms of domestic violence.

6. What is the status of women’s representation in India’s legislative bodies?(imp)

i. In India, the proportion of women in legislature has been very low. For example, the percentage of elected women members in Lok Sabha has never reached even 10 per cent of its total strength.

ii. Their share in the state assemblies is less than 5 per cent. In this respect, India is among the bottom group of nations in the world. India is behind the averages for several developing countries of Africa and Latin America.

iii. In the government, cabinets are largely all-male even when a woman becomes the Chief Minister or the Prime Minister.

7. What are Gandhiji’s views on religion and politics?

Gandhiji used to say that religion could never be separated from politics. What he meant by religion was not any particular religion like Hinduism or Islam but moral values that inform all religions. He believed that politics must be guided by ethics drawn from religion.

8. State the different forms of communal politics with one example each. Or How does

Communalism take various forms in politics? (Give 4 points)

i. The most common expression of communalism is in everyday beliefs. These routinely involve religious prejudices, stereotypes of religious communities and belief in the superiority of one’s religion over other religions. This is so common that we often fail to notice it, even when we believe in it.

ii. A communal mind often leads to political dominance of one’s own religious community. For those belonging to majority community, takes the form of majoritarian dominance. For those belonging to the minority community, can take the form of a desire to form a separate political unit.

iii. Political mobilization on religious lines is another frequent form of communalism. This involves the use of sacred symbols, religious leaders and emotional appeal, in order to  bring the followers of one religion together in the political arena. In electoral politics, this often involves special appeal of votes in the name of religion.

iv. Sometimes communalism takes its most ugly form of communal violence, riots and massacre. India and Pakistan suffered some of the worst communal riots at the time of the Partition. The post-independence period has also seen large-scale communal

violence.

9. How do political leaders make use of religion to win the election? Or How is politics mixed with religion? ( for answer write the point iii given above)

10 What were the differences between civil rights movement and black power movement?

      ( for answer refer to Answers of Question no 1 & 3)

 10. Mention any two constitutional provisions that make India a secular state.

(Or Why do we call India a secular country?)

i. There is no official religion for the Indian state. Unlike the status of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, that of Islam in Pakistan and that of Christianity in England, our Constitution does not give a special status to any religion.

ii. The Constitution provides to all individuals and communities freedom to practice and propagate any religion.

iii. The Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.

iv. At the same time, the Constitution allows the state to intervene in the matters of religion in order to ensure equality within religious communities. For example, it bans Untouchability.

11. What are the causes for undergoing changes in the caste system in modern India?

i. Partly due to the efforts of social reformers and partly due to other socio-economic changes, castes and caste system in modern India have undergone great changes.

 ii. With economic development, large scale urbanization, growth of literacy and education, occupational mobility and the weakening of the position of landlords in the villages, the old notions of caste hierarchy is breaking down. Now, most of the times, in urban areas

it does not matter much who is walking along next to us on a street or eating at the next table in a restaurant.

iii. The Constitution of India prohibited any caste-based discrimination and laid the foundations of policies to reverse the injustices of the caste system.

12. State how caste inequalities are still continuing in India. (Examine some of the glimpses of caste system in modern India.)

i. Even now, most people marry within their own caste or tribe.

ii. Untouchability has not ended completely, despite constitutional prohibition. Effects of centuries of disadvantages continue to be felt today.

iii. The caste groups that had access to education under the old system have done very well  in acquiring modern education as well. Those groups that did not have access to education or were prohibited from acquiring it, have naturally lagged behind. That is why there is a disproportionately large presence of ‘upper caste’ among the urban middle classes in our country.

iv. Caste continues to be closely linked to economic status. Even now, teachers prefer their  children to be teachers – carpenters prefer their children to be carpenters.

13. What are the various forms that caste can take in politics?

i. When parties choose candidates in elections, they keep in mind the caste composition of the electorate and nominate candidates from different castes to muster necessary support to win elections. When governments are formed, political parties usually make sure that representatives of different castes and tribes find a place in it.

ii. Political parties and candidates in elections make appeals to caste sentiment to muster support. Some political parties are known to favour some castes and are seen as their representatives.

iii. Universal adult franchise and the principle of one-person-one-vote compelled political leaders to gear up to the task of mobilizing and securing political support. It also brought new consciousness among the people of castes that were hitherto treated as inferior and low. The focus on caste in politics can sometimes give an impression that elections are all about caste and nothing else.

14. State any two reasons for economic inequality in India.

a. Failure in the implementation of land reform and unequal distribution of land.

b. Rigid caste system and lack of occupational mobility are the main reasons for

    economic inequality in India.

15. Why is caste an important source of economic inequality in India?

i. Caste is an important source of economic inequality because it regulates access to resources of various kinds. For example, in the past, the so-called ‘untouchable’ castes were denied the right to own land, while only the so-called ‘twice born’ castes or Brahmins had the right to education.

ii. Caste system prevents occupational mobility. People are not allowed to take up any profession other than their family profession even though they are talented in other fields because of the rigidity of the caste system.

 16. State two reasons to say that caste alone cannot determine election results in India. Or Prove by giving examples that it is not the caste, but other factors matter in electoral politics.

i. No parliamentary constituency in the country has a clear majority of one single caste. So, every candidate and party needs to win the confidence of more than one caste and

community to win elections.

ii. No party wins the votes of all the voters of a caste or community. When people say that a caste is a ‘vote bank’ of one party, it usually means that a large proportion of the voters from that caste vote for that party.

iii. Many political parties may put up candidates from the same caste (if that caste is believed to dominate the electorate in a particular constituency). Some voters have more than one candidate from their caste while many voters have no candidate from their caste.

iv. The ruling party and the sitting MP or MLA frequently lose elections in our country. That could not have happened if all castes and communities were frozen in their political preferences.

v. The voters have strong attachment to political parties, which is often stronger than their attachment to their caste or community.

vi. People within the same caste or community have different interests depending on their economic condition. Rich and poor or men and women from the same caste often vote very differently.

vii. People’s assessment of the performance of the government and the popularity rating of the leaders matter and are often decisive in elections. (You can write any two points)

17. Prove by giving examples that it is not politics that gets caste ridden, but it is the caste that gets politicized.

i. Each caste group tries to become bigger by incorporating within it neighbouring castes or sub-castes, which were earlier excluded from it.

ii. Various caste groups are required to enter into a coalition with other castes or communities and thus enter into a dialogue and negotiation.

iii. New kinds of caste groups have come up in the political arena like ‘backward’ and ‘forward’ caste groups.

18. What role does caste play in democracy?

i. In some situations, expression of caste differences in politics gives many disadvantaged communities the space to demand their share of power. In this sense-caste politics has helped people from Dalits and OBC castes to gain better access to decision making.

ii. Several political and non-political organizations have been demanding and agitating for an end to discrimination against particular castes, for more dignity and more access to land, resources and opportunities.

iii. At the same time exclusive attention to caste can produce negative results as well. As in the case of religion, politics based on caste identity alone is not very healthy in a democracy. It can divert attention from other important issues like poverty, development and corruption. In some cases, caste division leads to tensions, conflict and even violence.

Additional questions: (students are expected to write the answers by themselves)

1. What are Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes? Page No 50

2. Describe the composition of religious diversity in India. Page No 50

3. What is Sachar Committee? ( This committee published its report recently)

4. Prove by giving examples that castes continue to be very strongly linked to economic

   status in many ways. Page 52

5. How can we use religion in politics in a positive way?

6. What do you mean by feminism?

7. Why do girls drop out more from schools?

8. What do you mean by communal politics?

9. What are the disadvantages in using castes in politics?