CBSE Class 10 Social Science Political Science and Economics Assignment Set 18

Answer: The belief that the majority community should be able to rule a country in any way it wants, by disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority.

Teacher's Note:
1. Majoritarianism was the root of the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.
2. It runs against the spirit of power sharing.

Answer: The Sinhalas and the Tamils.

Teacher's Note:
1. The Sinhala-speaking people form the majority, about 74 per cent of the population.
2. The Tamils include Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils.

Answer: 1. In horizontal power sharing, power is shared among different organs of government at the same level, namely the legislature, executive and judiciary.
2. In vertical power sharing, power is shared among governments at different levels, such as the Union, state and local governments.
3. Horizontal sharing allows checks and balances among the organs, whereas vertical sharing is the basis of federalism.

Teacher's Note:
1. The horizontal form is also called the system of checks and balances.
2. The vertical form is called federal division of power.

Answer: Prudential reasons:
1. Power sharing reduces the possibility of conflict between social groups, and thus ensures the stability of political order.
2. Imposing the will of the majority on others may seem attractive, but it undermines the unity of the nation in the long run.
3. It avoids the tyranny of the majority, as seen in Sri Lanka, where the civil war was a result of majoritarianism.
Moral reason:
4. Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy, as it respects the voice of people who are affected by decisions.

Teacher's Note:
1. Prudential reasons are based on better outcomes, while moral reasons are based on values.
2. Belgium and Sri Lanka are the two case studies to quote.

Answer: 1. In 'coming together' federations, independent states come together to form a bigger unit, as in the USA, Switzerland and Australia; in 'holding together' federations, a large country decides to divide its power between the national government and the states, as in India, Spain and Belgium.
2. In the first type all the constituent states usually have equal power and are strong vis-a-vis the federal government.
3. In the second type the constituent states usually have unequal powers, and the central government tends to be more powerful.

Teacher's Note:
1. India is a holding together federation.
2. The key point is how the federation came into being and how power is divided.

Answer: 1. The Constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language; Hindi was declared the official language, but only about 40 per cent of Indians have Hindi as their mother tongue.
2. Leaders in non-Hindi speaking states, especially in Tamil Nadu, opposed the imposition of Hindi, and violent agitation followed.
3. As a result, English continued as an associate official language along with Hindi, and the Union government does not impose Hindi on states that do not want it.

Teacher's Note:
1. The language policy is an example of the flexible approach of Indian federalism.
2. India has 22 languages included in the Eighth Schedule.

Answer: 1. After independence, many state boundaries were drawn on the lines of colonial administration, and leaders feared that creating states on the basis of language would lead to disintegration of the country.
2. Under popular pressure, the Central government created linguistic states, starting with Andhra Pradesh in 1953 after a long agitation, and the States Reorganisation Commission of 1956 led to many more.
3. The experience showed that the formation of states on a linguistic basis made the country more united and administration easier.
4. It also showed that democracy can accommodate diversity, and later states like Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand were also created peacefully.

Teacher's Note:
1. The linguistic reorganisation strengthened rather than weakened national unity.
2. Quote Andhra Pradesh as the first example.

Answer: 1. It is now constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.
2. Seats are reserved in the elected bodies for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, and at least one-third of all positions are reserved for women.
3. An independent institution called the State Election Commission has been created in each state to conduct panchayat and municipal elections.
4. State governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local governments, and the State Finance Commission was set up for this purpose.

Teacher's Note:
1. The 73rd and 74th Amendments made local government a third tier of democracy.
2. The reservation for women has brought a large number of women into public life.

Answer: A male-dominated society in which men are given more importance and power than women.

Teacher's Note:
1. The literal meaning is rule by the father.
2. Patriarchy lies at the root of many forms of discrimination against women.

Answer: 1. The sexual division of labour in most families assigns household work and care of children to women, while men are expected to do work outside the home.
2. This is not because of biology: in many parts of the world women do paid work, and in rural areas they do heavy work like carrying water and fuel; and in many places men also cook and look after children.
3. Even when women work outside the home, their work is often valued less or not paid equally for the same work.
4. Women have also been denied rights such as voting for a long time in many countries.
5. Hence the roles come from stereotypes and social expectations, and these can be changed.

Teacher's Note:
1. Gender is a social division and not a biological one.
2. The Equal Remuneration Act of 1976 declared equal wages for equal work.

Answer: 1. The most common form is in everyday beliefs, such as religious prejudices, stereotypes of religious communities and the belief that one's own religion is superior.
2. A communal mind often leads to a quest for political dominance of one's own religious community; for the majority community, this takes the form of majoritarian dominance, and for a minority it may be a desire for a separate political unit.
3. Political mobilisation on religious lines, using sacred symbols, religious leaders and emotional appeals, is another form.
4. Sometimes communalism takes its most ugly form, communal violence, riots and massacres, as seen during the Partition of India.

Teacher's Note:
1. Communalism uses religion as the main basis of social community.
2. India has chosen a secular Constitution to avoid it.

Answer: 1. Parties contest elections by putting up their candidates.
2. They put forward different policies and programmes, and voters choose from them.
3. They play a decisive role in making laws for a country.
4. They form and run governments.
5. Those parties which lose elections play the role of opposition by criticising the government.
6. They shape public opinion and provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes.

Teacher's Note:
1. Parties are necessary for democracy to function.
2. A competitive party system is a mark of a healthy democracy.

Answer: Equal treatment, freedom, security and respect from others.

Teacher's Note:
1. People also seek non-material goals such as respect and a sense of security.
2. Different people have different developmental goals.

Answer: 1. Kerala spends more on education and health, so its literacy rate is higher and its infant mortality rate is lower.
2. Its public distribution system works better, giving people access to food at reasonable prices.
3. Per capita income measures only the average income, whereas human development also depends on health, education and basic facilities.

Teacher's Note:
1. Income alone is not a complete measure of development.
2. The Human Development Index uses education, health and income.

Answer: 1. Average income is the total income of a country divided by its population, so it tells us nothing about how income is distributed.
2. Two countries may have the same average income, but in one country a few people may be very rich while most are poor, and in the other everyone may earn roughly the same.
3. Therefore average income hides inequality, and we also need to know how many people have access to a reasonable standard of living.

Teacher's Note:
1. Averages can give a misleading picture of well-being.
2. A simple example using two countries makes the answer stronger.

Answer: 1. Income is important because it allows people to buy goods and services, which makes a better life possible.
2. But money cannot buy all the things necessary for a good life, such as pollution-free environment, protection from infectious diseases, and unadulterated medicines.
3. Many things, like quality of education, healthcare and public facilities, are available collectively and not just by individual income.
4. Non-material aspects such as security, respect and freedom are not captured by income.
5. That is why the Human Development Index and sustainability are also used to judge development.

Teacher's Note:
1. Development requires both rising incomes and better quality of life.
2. Kerala is the standard example of high human development at lower income.

Answer: Goods and services that reach the consumer for final use and are not used again for production, such as bread, a biscuit or a pair of shoes.

Teacher's Note:
1. Only final goods are counted when GDP is calculated.
2. Intermediate goods are used up in making final goods and are not counted separately.

Answer: 1. Organised sector enterprises are registered with the government and follow its rules, while unorganised sector enterprises are small and scattered and largely outside government control.
2. Organised sector workers have regular working hours, while unorganised workers have irregular hours and little protection.
3. Organised workers get job security, paid leave, provident fund, pension, gratuity and medical benefits; unorganised workers have no such benefits and can be asked to leave without reason.
4. Wages in the organised sector are regular and relatively high, while wages in the unorganised sector are low and often irregular.
5. Examples: a government school teacher belongs to the organised sector, a street vendor or farm labourer to the unorganised.

Teacher's Note:
1. Most workers in India work in the unorganised sector.
2. Government rules protect workers in the organised sector but not in the unorganised one.

Answer: 1. Services such as hospitals, schools, banks and transport are basic services needed by every society.
2. Development of the primary and secondary sectors depends on services such as transport, trade and storage.
3. As income rises, demand for services like tourism, shopping, private hospitals and schools rises.
4. New services based on information and communication technology have become important and have created jobs.
5. The tertiary sector contributes the largest share of the gross domestic product in India today.

Teacher's Note:
1. The tertiary sector has become the largest sector in India's GDP.
2. Services employ many people but not as many as agriculture.

Answer: Because the depositor can withdraw the money from the bank whenever she or he demands it.

Teacher's Note:
1. Demand deposits also give the facility of payment by cheque.
2. They are accepted as a form of money in place of currency.

Answer: A Self Help Group is a small group of about 15 to 20 members, usually women from a neighbourhood, who pool their savings and lend to members in need at a reasonable interest rate.
Objectives:
1. To provide timely loans to the poor without collateral.
2. To free borrowers from the debt trap of moneylenders.
3. To help women become financially independent and organise themselves.

Teacher's Note:
1. Self Help Groups also provide a platform for people to discuss social issues.
2. Loans are given to members mostly for generating self-employment.

Answer: 1. Banks ask for collateral against loans, which poor households do not have.
2. Banks require documents and a complex procedure, which is difficult for poor and illiterate people.
3. Banks are often located far from villages and do not lend small amounts.
4. Banks prefer borrowers with a record of regular income and repayment, which poor households may lack.
5. As a result, they depend on informal lenders who charge high interest and can trap them in debt.

Teacher's Note:
1. Cheap and affordable credit is needed for development.
2. Formal sources of credit should be expanded to all poor households.

Answer: Industrial areas which have world-class facilities such as electricity, water, roads, transport, storage and recreational facilities, where companies set up units and get tax concessions for an initial period of five years.

Teacher's Note:
1. SEZs were set up to attract foreign companies.
2. They are an example of the steps taken by the government to attract investment.

Answer: 1. Consumers benefit because they have a greater choice of goods and lower prices with better quality.
2. Investment by multinational companies raises incomes and creates employment in the country.
3. Some large Indian companies like Tata Motors, Infosys and Asian Paints have gained from competition and have become multinationals themselves.
4. Globalisation also brings new technology.

Teacher's Note:
1. The benefits of globalisation have not been shared equally by all.
2. Small producers face tough competition from imports.