CBSE Class 10 Social Science Political Party Important Questions Set 02

Question 1. Assertion: In a democracy, political parties are a must.
Reason: Without political parties, there would be no elections.
(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.
Political parties are indeed necessary in a democracy — without them, it would be impossible to effectively form or choose a government, even if individual candidates could still contest.
The reason is false: the absence of political parties would not stop the election process itself, since independent candidates could still contest.

Teacher's Note:
a) Elections could technically happen without parties, but parties are what make a workable, coordinated government possible.

Question 2. Assertion: Political parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society.
Reason: Parties work to convince people why their policies are better than others, and implement them by seeking popular support.
(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.
Parties agree on certain policies they believe serve the collective good, and seek to persuade and win popular support for them, which is exactly what makes them reflect genuine political divisions in society.

Teacher's Note:
a) This is the root of the term 'partisanship' — a party stands for a 'part' of society's views.

Question 3. Assertion: Large, established parties are called recognised parties.
Reason: These parties have been given specialised symbols that people can rally behind.
(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.
Large, established parties, recognised nationally (and sometimes internationally), are given reserved symbols by the Election Commission, which becomes closely identified with the party itself.

Teacher's Note:
a) A party's symbol is a key part of what makes it 'recognised', especially for voters who may not read well.

Question 4. Case study: The government formed by several political parties coming together to contest elections and win power is known as which of the following?
(a) Community government
(b) Uni-party system
(c) Group
(d) Coalition government
Answer:
(d) Coalition government.
When several parties in a multi-party system join together to contest elections and share power, the resulting government is called a coalition government.

Teacher's Note:
a) This answer was corrected — see the note below the question.
b) 'Community government' is an unrelated Belgian term for a different kind of power sharing; don't confuse the two.

Question 5. Case study: How many types of political party systems are there?
(a) 2
(b) 3
(c) 4
(d) All of these
Answer:
(b) 3.
There are three types of party systems: one-party, two-party, and multi-party.

Teacher's Note:
a) One-party (e.g. China), two-party (e.g. USA/UK), multi-party (e.g. India) — the standard three-way classification.

Question 6. Case study: In which of the following countries does only a two-party system exist?
(a) The USA
(b) India
(c) China
(d) All of these
Answer:
(a) The USA.
The USA is the standard example of a two-party system, where power realistically alternates between two main parties, even though smaller parties also exist.

Teacher's Note:
a) China is one-party, not two-party — a common point of confusion in this kind of question.

Question 7. Case study: In which of the following countries does a multi-party system exist?
(a) India
(b) China
(c) South Korea
(d) Canada
Answer:
(a) India.
India is the clear example of a multi-party system among these options, with several parties having a realistic chance of winning power, alone or in alliance.

Teacher's Note:
a) This case study reuses the same core fact (India = multi-party) tested in several questions above — a strong sign it's worth remembering well.

Question 8. Examine the reason for accepting a multi-party system in India.
Answer:
The reason to accept a multi-party system in India is that this is a more democratic option for a diverse country like India.

Teacher's Note:
a) A multi-party system better represents India's diversity.
b) A two-party system would struggle to capture such varied social and regional interests.

Question 9. Why did India adopt a multi-party system?
Answer:
India is a large country with great social and geographical diversities.
These diversities can only be nurtured by a multi-party system.

Teacher's Note:
a) India's vast social and geographical diversity needs a multi-party system.
b) A single or two-party system could not represent this range of interests adequately.

Question 10. Why is a one-party political system not considered a good democratic system?
Answer:
A one-party system is not considered good because it does not provide any democratic option — voters have no real choice among competing parties.

Teacher's Note:
a) A one-party system denies voters a real choice.
b) Genuine democratic competition requires at least the possibility of more than one party.

Question 11. What is meant by 'Political Party'?
Answer:
A political party is a group of people who have come together to contest elections and to hold power in the government.

Teacher's Note:
a) A political party is a group organised to contest elections and govern.
b) This basic definition underlies all of its other functions.

Question 12. Which of the following countries has a one-party system: (a) China (b) Indo-China (c) Japan (d) Germany?
Answer:
(a) China — which has a one-party system.

Teacher's Note:
a) China is the one-party system example here.
b) Japan and Germany, by contrast, have competitive multi-party systems.

Question 13. Analyse the three components of a political party.
Answer:
The three components of a political party are: (i) leaders, (ii) active members, and (iii) followers.

Teacher's Note:
a) A party consists of leaders, active members and followers.
b) Each plays a distinct role in running and supporting the party.

Question 14. What is a political party? State any two points of the ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Answer:
A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in government; they agree on some policies and programmes for society with a view to promoting the collective good.
The ideologies of the Bharatiya Janata Party are: (a) Cultural Nationalism, and (b) reviving India's ancient culture and values.

Teacher's Note:
a) BJP's ideology centres on Cultural Nationalism and reviving India's ancient heritage.
b) This is distinct from other parties' guiding philosophies.

Question 15. “Political parties are a necessary condition for a democracy.” Analyse the statement with examples.
Answer:
Without political parties, democracies cannot exist.
If we did not have political parties, every candidate in elections would be independent, with only a local point of view.
No one would be able to make promises to the people about any major policy changes.
A government might still form, but its utility would remain uncertain.
Elected representatives would be accountable to their constituency for local matters, but no one would be responsible for how the country as a whole is run.
The role of the opposition party in a democracy also necessitates the existence of political parties.
As societies become large and complex, they need agencies to gather different views on various issues and present these to the government — which is why political parties are needed.

Teacher's Note:
a) Without parties, there'd be no mechanism for nationwide policy promises or accountability.
b) Parties also organise opposition and aggregate diverse views for government to act on.

Question 16. What is a multi-party system? Why has India adopted a multi-party system?
Answer:
A multi-party system is one where several parties compete for power, and more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power, either on their own strength or through alliance with others.
India adopted a multi-party system because: there is social and geographical diversity in India; India is too large a country to be easily represented by just two or three parties; and the system allows a variety of interests and opinions political representation.

Teacher's Note:
a) India's size and diversity required a multi-party system to represent varied interests.
b) A two-party system simply couldn't capture this range of regional and social diversity.

Question 17. Describe any three main features of a Two-Party system.
Answer:
Power usually changes between two parties, though several other parties may exist.
In such a system, people get a clear choice.
The party that wins the majority forms the government, and the other sits in opposition.
A strong opposition is good for democracy.
Prompt decisions are taken and implemented.
It promotes more development and less corruption.

Teacher's Note:
a) A two-party system gives voters a clear choice and tends to produce prompt, decisive governance.
b) Power alternates between two dominant parties, with others playing a smaller role.

Question 18. Why do we need political parties? Explain.
Answer:
We need political parties because of the functions they perform:
They contest in elections.
They put forward different policies and programmes for the betterment of society.
They play a decisive role in making laws that affect everyone.
They form and run the government.
They play the role of opposition to the ruling party.

Teacher's Note:
a) Parties contest elections, propose policies, make laws, run government and provide opposition.
b) These combined functions are why modern democracies cannot function without political parties.