CBSE Class 10 Social Science Gender Religion and Caste Assertion-Reason Questions Set 01

Assertion–Reason Questions

Question 1. Assertion: Stereotypical gender roles for males and females help in avoiding conflicts.
Reason: India is a patriarchal society.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
Answer:
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
Stereotypical gender roles, where women are expected to do housework and men are expected to earn a living, are unjustifiable, not conflict-avoiding.
India is, however, genuinely a patriarchal society, where men hold authority over women in many aspects of life.

Teacher's Note:
a) Don't be misled by 'avoiding conflict' framing — unequal roles are unjust even if they seem to reduce friction.
b) Patriarchy as a fact about India (reason) is true even though the assertion built on top of it is not.

Question 2. Assertion: Women face discrimination and disadvantage in India in many ways.
Reason: India is a matriarchal society.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
Answer:
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
India is a patriarchal society, where men are often considered superior to women, which is why women face discrimination in many ways.
The reason is false: India is not a matriarchal society.

Teacher's Note:
a) Patriarchal = men hold more power; matriarchal = women hold more power — India is the former, not the latter.
b) A common trap: students sometimes mix up these two terms under exam pressure.

Question 3. Assertion: The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, provides that equal wages should be paid for equal work, irrespective of gender.
Reason: Women are physically weaker, so they are rightly paid less than men.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
Answer:
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, does provide for equal wages for equal work.
The reason is false and unjustified: paying women less because of a belief that they are inferior is not correct, and unequal payment should never be defended on this basis.

Teacher's Note:
a) 1976 is the year to remember for this Act.
b) A 'false' reason here is a discriminatory belief, not a neutral fact — read reasons critically, not just for truth value.

Question 4. Assertion: Sex-selective abortion led to a decline in the sex ratio in India.
Reason: A preference for male children makes Indian families abort girl children.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
Answer:
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
Sex-selective abortion, driven by a preference for sons, has indeed led to a decline in India's sex ratio.
Sex-selective abortion is both immoral and legally banned in India.

Teacher's Note:
a) Sex ratio data (like 929 girls per 1,000 boys) is a specific, frequently tested statistic from this chapter.
b) This practice is illegal under the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act.

Question 5. Assertion: Men and women should be given equal rights.
Reason: Men are superior to women physically and emotionally.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
Answer:
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
Men and women should indeed be given equal rights, since both are equal in every respect.
The claim that men are superior to women is false.

Teacher's Note:
a) A simple but easy-to-miss question: a correct conclusion (assertion) can still be paired with a false, biased reason.

Question 6. Assertion: Communalism is based on the idea that religion is the principal basis of social community.
Reason: Caste should be kept away from politics.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
Answer:
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
Communalism does treat religion as the principal basis of social community, holding that people of different religions cannot be equal citizens, and that one must dominate the other.
Caste creating social conflict, and therefore needing to be kept away from politics, is also true — but it is a separate point about caste, not an explanation of communalism.

Teacher's Note:
a) Communalism (religion) and casteism (caste) are parallel but distinct social divisions — this question tests whether you keep them separate.
b) Both true doesn't always mean linked — check whether the reason actually explains the assertion.

Question 7. Assertion: Universal Adult Franchise gives the right to vote to everyone.
Reason: The right to vote should be given to people of the upper caste and class, for wiser decisions.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
Answer:
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
Universal Adult Franchise does give every adult citizen the right to vote, regardless of caste, religion, colour or gender, based on the principle of equality.
The reason is false: restricting voting to upper castes or classes would contradict the entire basis of democratic, equal representation; class does not determine wisdom.

Teacher's Note:
a) Universal Adult Franchise = every adult citizen, full stop — any 'except for X group' reasoning is automatically wrong.

Question 8. Assertion: India is a secular state.
Reason: The Constitution gives everyone freedom to profess, practice and propagate any religion, without prejudice or discrimination.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
Answer:
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
India is a secular state, with no official religion, and the Constitution guarantees this freedom of religion to everyone, which is exactly what makes it secular.

Teacher's Note:
a) No official religion + freedom to practise any religion = the two pillars of India's secularism.

Question 9. Assertion: Sometimes a caste group becomes a 'vote bank' for a party.
Reason: Selecting a candidate from the same caste helps ensure better governance.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
Answer:
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
A caste group can indeed become a vote bank, as people sometimes favour a candidate from their own caste to better represent their interests.
But selecting a candidate purely on caste, rather than on personal ability, does not actually ensure better governance; the reason is false.

Teacher's Note:
a) 'Vote bank' is a key term — means a large share (not all) of a caste's voters supporting one party.

Question 10. Assertion: A casteist is a person who thinks that caste is the principal basis of community.
Reason: All castes are equal, and are man-made.
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) Both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
(d) Assertion is false but reason is true.
Answer:
(c) Assertion is true but reason is false.
This is an accurate definition of a casteist.
However, the reason as stated is itself a faulty, casteist belief being described, not a straightforward true statement endorsed by the question — the chapter's own position is that no caste is superior to another, and such distinctions are indeed human constructs.

Teacher's Note:
a) Define 'casteist' precisely: someone who treats caste as the central basis of community and status.
b) The chapter's own stance is that caste distinctions are socially constructed, not natural or justified.