Class 10 Civics Chapter 1 Case Based Questions - Democratic Politics - II

Q1: Read the source below and answer the questions that follow:

Belgium is a small country in Europe with a complex ethnic composition. The country’s population consists of 59% Dutch-speaking people in the Flemish region, 40% French-speaking people in the Wallonia region, and 1% German-speaking people. In Brussels, the capital city, 80% speak French, while 20% speak Dutch. The French-speaking community was wealthier, which caused resentment among the Dutch-speaking population. To accommodate these differences and prevent conflicts, Belgium introduced a unique power-sharing model, ensuring equal representation for both communities in governance.

i. What were the two main linguistic groups in Belgium? (1 mark)
ii. Why did the Dutch-speaking community resent the French-speaking community? (1 mark)
iii. How did Belgium’s government ensure power-sharing among different communities? (2 marks)

Ans:
i. The two main linguistic groups in Belgium were Dutch-speaking (59%) and French-speaking (40%).
ii. The Dutch-speaking community resented the French-speaking community because the French-speaking people were wealthier and more powerful, despite being a minority.
iii. Belgium ensured power-sharing by:

• Giving equal representation to both linguistic groups in the central government.
• Granting autonomy to regional governments to manage their own affairs.
• Establishing a special community government to handle cultural and linguistic matters, ensuring the rights of all communities were protected.

Q2: Read the source below and answer the questions that follow:

After gaining independence in 1948, Sri Lanka adopted majoritarian policies that favored the Sinhala-speaking majority (74%) over the Tamil-speaking minority (18%). In 1956, Sinhala was declared the only official language, and Buddhism was given state protection, ignoring the interests of Tamil-speaking citizens. These policies led to discrimination in jobs, education, and political representation, creating deep divisions between the Sinhala and Tamil communities. The Sri Lankan Tamils demanded equal rights and regional autonomy, but their demands were denied, leading to a prolonged civil war.

i. What was the majoritarian policy adopted by Sri Lanka in 1956? (1 mark)
ii. Why did Sri Lankan Tamils feel alienated by the government? (1 mark)
iii. What were the consequences of the Sri Lankan government's refusal to share power? (2 marks)

Ans:
i. In 1956, Sri Lanka declared Sinhala as the only official language and gave state protection to Buddhism, disregarding Tamil interests.
ii. Sri Lankan Tamils felt alienated because they were denied equal political rights, faced discrimination in jobs and education, and were excluded from governance.
iii. The refusal to share power led to deep tensions between the Sinhala and Tamil communities, resulting in violent conflicts and demands for autonomy. This eventually escalated into a prolonged civil war, causing thousands of deaths, widespread suffering, and significant economic damage to the country.

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Q3: Read the source below and answer the questions that follow:

The Belgian model of power-sharing ensured equal representation for all communities, preventing ethnic tensions. In contrast, Sri Lanka followed majoritarian policies, which led to discrimination and civil unrest. Belgium distributed power among different levels of government, while Sri Lanka concentrated power in the hands of the majority community. As a result, Belgium remained stable, whereas Sri Lanka faced a civil war.

i. What was the key difference between power-sharing in Belgium and Sri Lanka? (1 mark)
ii. Why did Belgium choose to share power among different communities? (1 mark)
iii. How did the lack of power-sharing lead to civil unrest in Sri Lanka? (2 marks)

Ans:
i. The key difference was that Belgium adopted an inclusive power-sharing model, while Sri Lanka followed majoritarian policies favoring the Sinhala majority.
ii. Belgium shared power to avoid ethnic conflicts and ensure political stability by respecting cultural and linguistic diversity.
iii. The lack of power-sharing in Sri Lanka led to discrimination against Tamils in jobs, education, and political representation, causing feelings of alienation and marginalization. This resulted in protests, demands for autonomy, and eventually a violent civil war, as Tamil grievances were ignored by the government.

Q4: Read the source below and answer the questions that follow:

Power-sharing can take various forms in modern democracies:

• Horizontal Power-Sharing: Power is divided among different organs of government—Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary—to maintain a system of checks and balances.
• Vertical Power-Sharing: Power is divided among different levels of government—Central, State, and Local governments.
• Social Group Power-Sharing: Representation is given to socially weaker sections and minority groups, like the reservation system in India.
• Power-sharing among Political Parties and Pressure Groups: Power is shared through coalition governments, political alliances, and movements influencing government policies.

i. What is horizontal power-sharing? (1 mark)
ii. How does vertical power-sharing function in India? (1 mark)
iii. Give one example of power-sharing among social groups in India. (2 marks)

Ans:
i. Horizontal power-sharing divides power among different organs of government (Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary) to ensure checks and balances.
ii. Vertical power-sharing in India divides power among Central, State, and Local governments, ensuring decentralized governance.
iii. An example of power-sharing among social groups in India is the reservation system , which ensures representation for socially weaker sections like Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in government jobs, educational institutions, and legislatures. This promotes inclusivity and reduces social inequality.

Q5: Read the source below and answer the questions that follow:

Power-sharing is essential for democracy as it prevents conflicts, maintains political stability, and ensures fair governance. There are two main reasons for power-sharing:

• Prudential Reason: It helps in reducing social conflicts and promoting better governance.
• Moral Reason: It upholds the democratic principle of people's participation in governance, ensuring legitimacy.
  A country that fails to share power fairly risks political instability, violence, and breakdown of democracy.

i. What is the prudential reason for power-sharing? (1 mark)
ii. How does power-sharing make democracy more legitimate? (1 mark)
iii. Why can the lack of power-sharing lead to instability in a country? (2 marks)

Ans:
i. The prudential reason for power-sharing is that it reduces social conflicts and promotes political stability.
ii. Power-sharing makes democracy legitimate by ensuring people's participation in governance, making the government more accountable.
iii. The lack of power-sharing can lead to instability in a country because it results in discrimination against minority groups, causing feelings of alienation and resentment. This can escalate into social tensions, protests, and even violent conflicts, as seen in Sri Lanka’s civil war, ultimately threatening the unity and functioning of democracy.

Q6: Read the source below and answer the questions that follow:

In many democracies, no single party wins a majority in elections. In such cases, multiple political parties come together to form a coalition government. This is a form of power-sharing among political parties, ensuring diverse representation. Coalition governments are common in India’s parliamentary system, where parties negotiate policies and share power to run the government.

i. What is a coalition government? (1 mark)
ii. How does power-sharing among political parties strengthen democracy? (1 mark)
iii. What challenges do coalition governments face? (2 marks)

Ans:
i. A coalition government is a government formed when multiple political parties join together to share power, as no single party has a majority.
ii. Power-sharing among political parties strengthens democracy by ensuring broader representation, preventing dominance by one party, and encouraging consensus-based governance.
iii. Coalition governments face challenges such as:

• Political instability due to conflicts or disagreements among coalition partners, which can lead to frequent changes in leadership or early elections.
• Delays in decision-making and policy implementation due to differing opinions and priorities among the parties involved.

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Q7: Read the source below and answer the questions that follow:

India follows a federal system of government, where power is shared between the central, state, and local governments. The Constitution divides power into three lists:

• Union List (Central government controls subjects like defense, foreign affairs, and currency).
• State List (State governments manage police, agriculture, and health).
• Concurrent List (Both central and state governments share power over subjects like education and marriage laws).

i. What is federalism? (1 mark)
ii. Name two subjects from the Union List. (1 mark)
iii. How does federalism ensure better governance in India? (2 marks)

Ans:
i. Federalism is a system of government where power is divided between the central and state governments.
ii. Two subjects in the Union List are defense and foreign affairs.
iii. Federalism ensures better governance in India by allowing states to manage local issues such as agriculture, health, and policing, which leads to more efficient and tailored solutions. It also prevents over-centralization of power, promotes regional autonomy, and ensures that diverse cultural, linguistic, and social needs are addressed effectively.

Q8: Read the source below and answer the questions that follow:

To bring governance closer to the people, India has adopted decentralization, where power is transferred to local governments. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments created Panchayati Raj (rural) and Municipalities (urban) to manage local affairs. These local bodies handle water supply, sanitation, education, and rural development while ensuring people’s direct participation in decision-making.

i. What is decentralization? (1 mark)
ii. Name one institution of local self-government in rural and urban areas. (1 mark)
iii. How does decentralization improve democracy? (2 marks)

Ans:
i. Decentralization is the process of transferring power from the central and state governments to local government bodies.
ii. In rural areas, Gram Panchayat, and in urban areas, Municipal Corporation are institutions of local self-government.
iii. Decentralization improves democracy by enabling people to directly participate in decision-making, ensuring their voices are heard in governance. It also helps address local issues more effectively and reduces dependence on higher-level bureaucracy, leading to quicker and more efficient solutions.

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Q9: Read the source below and answer the questions that follow:

Countries with diverse ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups face challenges in maintaining political stability. Power-sharing is essential to prevent conflicts and discrimination. Belgium successfully accommodated its linguistic groups through power-sharing, while Sri Lanka's failure to do so led to civil war. In India, reservations and special provisions exist for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes to ensure equal representation.

i. Why is power-sharing important in multi-ethnic societies? (1 mark)
ii. How did Belgium prevent ethnic conflicts? (1 mark)
iii. Give one example of power-sharing in India that helps maintain social harmony. (2 marks)

Ans:
i. Power-sharing is important in multi-ethnic societies because it prevents conflicts, ensures equal representation, and promotes political stability.
ii. Belgium prevented ethnic conflicts by giving equal representation to Dutch and French-speaking communities in government and granting regional autonomy.
iii. An example of power-sharing in India is the reservation system. This system:

• Allocates seats in legislatures and jobs for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
• Aims to ensure that these groups have a voice in governance.
• Helps maintain social harmony by promoting inclusivity.

Q10: Read the source below and answer the questions that follow:

Democracy is based on the idea of people’s participation in governance. Power-sharing prevents the concentration of power in one authority and ensures fair decision-making. It also protects minorities and weaker sections by giving them representation in government. Countries that ignore power-sharing, like Sri Lanka, face political instability and social unrest.

i. How does power-sharing prevent dictatorship? (1 mark)
ii. Why is power-sharing necessary in diverse societies? (1 mark)
iii. What could happen if a government refuses to share power? (2 marks)

Ans:
i. Power-sharing prevents dictatorship by dividing power among different groups and institutions, ensuring checks and balances.
ii. It is necessary in diverse societies to protect minority rights, prevent discrimination, and maintain harmony.
iii. If a government refuses to share power, it can lead to oppression of minorities, social unrest, protests, and even civil war, as seen in countries like Sri Lanka, where ignoring power-sharing caused political instability and conflict.