Understanding Marginalisation Class 8 Worksheet Civics Chapter 7

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. What does the term 'marginalisation' refer to?
(a) Being excluded from resources and opportunities
(b) Gaining political power
(c) Advancing economically
(d) Dominating society

Ans. (a) Being excluded from resources and opportunities

Marginalisation refers to the process of exclusion from social, economic, and political participation.

2. Which community is most likely to face displacement due to mining projects?
(a) Urban populations
(b) Adivasis
(c) Farmers
(d) Industrialists

Ans. (b) Adivasis

Adivasis are frequently displaced due to industrial and mining projects on their ancestral lands.

3. Which of these is NOT a reason for Adivasi marginalisation?
(a) Displacement from forests
(b) Limited access to resources
(c) High literacy rates
(d) Discrimination in urban areas

Ans. (c) High literacy rates

Adivasis face marginalisation due to displacement, discrimination, and lack of access to resources, but not due to high literacy rates.

4. According to the Sachar Committee, what percentage of Muslim children attend government schools?
(a) 10%
(b) 50%
(c) 66%
(d) 90%

Ans. (c) 66%

The Sachar Committee found that 66% of Muslim children attend government schools, contrary to the misconception about Madarsa education.

5. What does ghettoisation mean?
(a) Building large houses
(b) Populating an area largely by one community
(c) Destroying communities
(d) Sharing resources equally

Ans. (b) Populating an area largely by one community

Ghettoisation refers to specific communities residing in clustered areas for security or identity preservation.

Fill in the Blanks

1. Marginalisation refers to being excluded from ______ and opportunities. 

Ans. Marginalisation refers to being excluded from resources and opportunities. 

2. Adivasis use around ______ plant species for various purposes. 

Ans. Adivasis use around 10,000 plant species for various purposes. 

3. ______ is a term used to describe the migration of a community to specific localities for security reasons. 

Ans. Ghettoisation is a term used to describe the migration of a community to specific localities for security reasons.

4. ______ were traditionally the primary inhabitants of forests in India. 

Ans. Adivasis were traditionally the primary inhabitants of forests in India. 

5. The ______ Report examined the socio-economic status of Muslims in India. 

Ans. The Sachar Report examined the socio-economic status of Muslims in India.

True/False Questions

1. Marginalisation is only an economic phenomenon.

Ans. False

Marginalisation is a social, economic, and political process.

2. Adivasis were traditionally dependent on forests for their livelihood.

Ans. True

3. The literacy rate of Muslims in India is higher than Hindus.

Ans. False

The Sachar Report mentions that Muslims have a lower literacy rate compared to Hindus.

4. Scheduled Tribes are also referred to as Adivasis.

Ans. True

5. The Sachar Committee found that most Muslim children attend Madarsas.

Ans. False

66% of Muslim children attend government schools, as per the Sachar Report.

Very Short Answer Questions

Q.1. What are the consequences of marginalisation?

Ans. Marginalisation results in having a low social status and not having equal access to education and other resources.

Q.2. Write one reason why you think the Constitution’s safeguards to protect minority communities are very important?

Ans. The Constitution provides safeguards because it is committed to protecting India’s cultural diversity and promoting equality as well as justice.

Q.3. How are Adivasis portrayed today?

Ans. Adivasis are invariably portrayed in very stereotypical ways – in colourful costumes, headgear and through their dancing. Often Adivasis are blamed for their lack of advancement as they are believed to be resistant to change or new ideas.

Q.4. Why groups may be marginalised?

Ans. Their marginalisation can be because they speak a different language, follow different customs or belong to a different religious group from the majority community. They may also feel marginalised because they are poor, considered to be of ‘low’ social status and viewed as being less human than others.

Q.5. How marginalisation affect the community?

Ans. Sometimes, marginalised groups are viewed with hostility and fear. This sense of difference and exclusion leads to communities not having access to resources and opportunities and in their inability to assert their rights. They experience a sense of disadvantage and powerlessness vis-a-vis more powerful and dominant sections of society who own land, are wealthy, better educated and politically powerful.

Short Answer Questions

Q.1. List two reasons why Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalised.

Ans. Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalized because

•  They follow a different culture, language and traditions from mainstream Indian society which leads us to wrongfully classify them as exotic, primitive and backward.
• They are used to a way of life close to nature and with the cutting down of forests they are being forced to migrate to urban areas where they feel out of place and not in sync with a lifestyle so vastly different from their countryside background.

Q.2. Why is Adivasis society most distinctive in nature?

Ans. The Adivasi society is highly distinctive in nature because this community does not follow any hierarchy. When there is no hierarchy there is no discrimination and as a result, makes Adivasis are radically different from communities that follow caste or were ruled by kings. 

Q.3. What were the hardships faced by the Adivasis?

Ans. Hardships faced by the Adivasis were:

• Forest lands have been cleared for timber and to get land for agriculture and industry.
• Adivasis have also lived in areas that are rich in minerals and other natural resources. These are taken over for mining and other large industrial projects.
• Huge tracts of their lands have also gone under the waters of hundreds of dams that have been built in independent India.
•  In the North east, their lands remain highly militarised and war-torn.
• India has 54 national parks and 372 wildlife sanctuaries. These are areas where tribals originally lived but were evicted from.
•  Losing their lands and access to the forest means that tribals lose their main sources of livelihood and food.
•  Adivasis have migrated to cities in search of work where they are employed for very low wages in local industries or at building or construction sites.
• They, thus, get caught in a cycle of poverty and deprivation.

Q.4. Why do other people in India believe Adivasis are exotic, primitive, and backward? 

Ans. History says Adivasis were one of the advanced communities in medicine and farming. In today’s world, these people are not given many chances to prove themselves. Instead, they are portrayed in various stereotypical ways such as in colourful costumes, dancing strangely, headgear, and many more. 

Q.5. Would you agree with the statement that economic marginalisation and social marginalisation are interlinked? Why?

Ans. Yes, economic marginalization and social marginalization are inter-linked. 

Marginalisation implies having a low social status and a consequent lack of access to education and other resources. Social marginalization, as seen in the case of the Muslim community, is based on how their traditions, culture and dressing make us identify Muslims as different from us. This sometimes leads to unfair inequity on the basis of religious differences. As a result, minority groups may find it difficult to rent houses, procure jobs or even send their children to schools. This is economic marginalization. 

Thus, the two are inter-connected.