Class 10 Civics Chapter 1 Practice Question Answers - Democratic Politics - II

Q1: Why did India adopt multi-party system?
Ans: India adopted a multi-party system because of its social and geographical diversity. In such a diverse country, two or even three parties cannot absorb all the differences.

Q2: Name any one political party that has national level political organisation but is not recognised as a national political party.
Ans: Samajwadi Party, Samta Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal are the examples of the parties that have national level political organisations but are not recognised as national political parties.

Q3: Why is one-party political system not considered a good option in democratic system?
Ans: One-party system is not considered a good option in democratic system because voters are not offered any choice at the time of voting.

Q4: If all the decisions of a political party are made by a single family and all other members are neglected, than what challenge is being faced by that party?
Ans: If all the decisions of a political party are made by a single family and all other members are neglected, then the party faces the challenge of dynastic succession.

Q5: Why do political parties involve partisanship?
Ans: Political parties involve partisanship because they are part of the society and reflects the fundamental political divisions in a society. They are known by the part they stand for, policies they support and interests of the society they uphold.

Q6: What is a political party?
Ans: A political party is an association or a voluntary group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. They agree on some policies and programmes.

Q7: What is a multiparty system? Why has India adopted a multiparty system? Explain
Ans: A multiparty system is a political system in which several parties contest the election to hold political power. In this system, there is a chance of two or more parties coming to power. This system also advocates coalition government and alliance politics.India adopted a multiparty system because of the following reasons.

• India is blessed with tremendous social and geographical diversity. This diversity cannot be easily accommodated in one or two political parties.
• Because of multiparty system, variety of interests and opinions enjoy political representation.

Q8: ‘Dynastic succession is one of the most serious challenges before the political parties.’ Analyse the statement.
Ans: The challenge of dynastic succession is undoubtedly one of the most serious challenges before the political parties. The statement can be analysed giving the following arguments.

• Most parties do not practise open and transparent procedures, hence, there are very few opportunities for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party.
• Top leaders favour people close to them or even their family members. In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of*one family.
• This is bad for democracy because people without sufficient experience or popular support are able to enjoy positions of power.

Q9: “Serious efforts were made by the legal organisations to reform political parties in India.” Support the statement.
Ans: Serious efforts were made by the legal organisations to reform political parties in India. The following points support the statement.

• The Supreme Court has made it mandatory for the candidates contesting elections to produce an affidavit giving details of property and cases pending against them. It is hoped that this will reduce the influence of money and muscle power in elections.
• Anti-defection law has been passed by amending the constitution to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing their parties.
• The Election Commission has made it mandatory for the political parties to hold organisational elections and file their income tax returns.

Q10: State the conditions laid down by the Election Commission to recognise a state party and a national party.
Ans: A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election to the legislative assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognised as a state party. A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in lok sabha elections or assembly elections in four states and wins at least four seats in the lok sabha is recognised as a national party.

Q11: Name any three national political parties along with their symbols.
Ans:

• Indian National Congress—symbol: hand, palm facing the people
• Bhartiya Janata Party—symbol: a lotus
• Bahujan Samaj Party—symbol: an elephant

Q12: Name the regional political parties predominant in Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand respectively with their symbols.
Ans: The regional political parties predominant in:

• Punjab—Shiromani Akali Dal, symbol: scales
• Haryana—Indian National Lok Dal, symbol: a pair of spectacles
• Uttarakhand—Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, symbol: chair

Q13: ‘About hundred years ago there were few countries that had hardly any political party. Now there are few countries that do not have political parties.’ Examine the statement.
Ans: The statement has two parts.

• About a hundred years ago, there were few countries that had hardly any political party. It shows that very few countries were democratic countries and if they were not democracies, there was no need for political parties.
• Now there are few countries that do not have political parties. In the last
• hundred years many countries became independent from colonial control. After independence, they adopted democratic governments. So there was an increasing necessity for political parties.
• The political parties have become very important in a democratic country because of the following reasons.
• Not having political parties will lead to chaos and turmoil in the society. It will be against democratic principles.
• Without parties, candidates elected will be independent and will not be able to make policies. They will not be responsible and accountable to the people.
• The existence of parties in a democracy ensures that a country runs as per its policies and ideologies and have a government which is answerable to the people.

Q14: How is dynastic succession a major challenge for political parties in India? Explain.
Ans: The challenge of dynastic succession is undoubtedly a major challenge for political parties in India. The following points explain this.

• Usually, an ordinary worker does not rise to the top positions in a party because the functioning of most political parties is not transparent.
• Most of the top leaders favour and choose members of their families. This is unfair to other members.
• The top positions are always controlled by members of one family. This is unhealthy for democracy.
• People who are at top levels usually do no have adequate experience, education or popular support.
• The challenge of dynastic succession is related to the challenge of lack of internal democracy. Non-deserving leaders exercise paramount power and make decisions. Those who disagree with the leadership find it difficult to continue in the party.

Q15: Name the national political party which espouses secularism and welfare of weaker sections and minorities. Mention any four features of that party.
Ans: National Congress Party, formed in 1999, espouses secularism and welfare of weaker sections and minorities. Four features of this party are as follows:

• It wants high offices in the government to be confined to natural-born citizens of the country.
• It stands for social justice, federalism and equity.
• It is a major party in Maharashtra with a significant presence in Meghalaya, Manipur and Assam.
• In Maharashtra, it is a coalition partner in alliance with the Congress.
• It is a member of the United Progressive Alliance since 2004.

Q16: Name the national political party which draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Sahu Maharaj. Mention any four features of that party.
Ans: The national political party which draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Sahu Maharaj is Bahujan Samaj Party.Four features of this party are as follows.

• It wants to secure the interest and welfare of the dalits and oppressed classes.
• It seeks to represent and secure power for the bahujan samaj which includes dalits, adivasis, OBCs and religious minorities.
• It draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Mahatma Phule, Periyar, Ramaswami Naicker and Dr Ambedkar.
• Its main base is in Uttar Pradesh.

Q17: How do political parties shape public opinion? Explain with three examples.
Ans: Political parties shape public opinion in the following ways.

• They highlight and raise issues.
• Parties have lakhs of members spread all over the country. Often pressure groups are an extension of political parties, among different sections of the society. They help in taking up issues and forming public opinion.
• Sometimes, parties launch movements for solving the problems faced by people. Often the public opinion develops on the same lines that the parties take.

Q18: How do state or regional political parties contribute in strengthening federalism and democracy in India? Explain with examples.
Ans: State and regional political parties contribute in strengthening federalism and democracy in India in the following ways.

• They provide a variety of choice to people as each of them has different agendas and focus on different issues.
• They provide a platform for different pressure and social groups, and communities to put forward their demands.
• They help in power sharing by sharing power of government with the help of coalition government.

Q19: What is a political party? State any two points of ideology of Bhartiya Janata Party.
Ans: A political party is an association or a voluntary group of people who come together to contest election and hold power in the government. They agree on some policies and programmes.The ideology of Bhartiya Janata Party is as follows.

• It wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
• It wants to build a strong and modern India by drawing inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values.
• It wants a uniform civil code for all people living in the country, irrespective of religion.
• It wants religious conversions to be banned in India.

Q20: What is meant by a regional party? State the conditions required to be recognised as a regional political party.
Ans: A regional party, also called a state party, is a political party which takes care of regional concerns and state’s interests only. It happens to have succeeded only in some states units of the federation. The following are the conditions required for a party to be recognised as a regional party.

• A party has to secure at least six per cent of the total votes polled in the election to the legislative assembly of a state.
• It has to win at least two seats in the election to the legislative assembly of . a state to be recognised as a state or regional party.