CBSE Class 10 Social Science Power Sharing Important Questions Set 05

Very Short, Short & Long Answer Questions

Question 1. Why is horizontal distribution of power important? Explain
Answer:
(1) Distribution of power keeps different organs at the same level specifying their functions.
(2) It creates a system of checks and balance between different organs of the government.

Teacher's Note:
a) Remember the three organs: Legislature, Executive, Judiciary.
b) ‘Checks and balances’ is the key phrase examiners look for.

Question 2. Why do we think of power sharing? (Why is power sharing in democracy essential?)
Answer:
Power is shared in democracy because of the following reasons:
(1) Power sharing helps in reducing the possibility of conflict between social groups.
(2) Power sharing helps in division of power at various levels of government.
(3) It is the very spirit of democracy, since people are the source of all political power and must have a say in how they are governed.

Teacher's Note:
a) Point (3) was corrected — see note below the question list.
b) Separate the prudential reason (avoids conflict) from the moral reason (spirit of democracy).

Question 3. What two policies of the Sri Lankan government had increased the feeling of alienation among Sri Lankan Tamils?
Answer:
(1) The approval of the Act of 1956 that recognised Sinhala as the only official language.
(2) Preference to Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.
(3) The provision of protecting and fostering Buddhism in the new constitution.

Teacher's Note:
a) These are majoritarian measures — contrast with Belgium's accommodative approach.
b) The 1956 Act is a frequently asked specific date/fact.

Question 4. Describe three functions of government.
Answer:
Every government has to perform the following functions:
1. The formation of laws.
2. The implementation of laws.
3. Awarding punishment to those who do not obey the laws.

Teacher's Note:
a) These three functions map onto Legislature, Executive and Judiciary respectively.
b) Useful as a warm-up answer before a horizontal power-sharing question.

Question 5. What were the demands of the Tamils in Sri Lanka?
Answer:
(1) Recognition of Tamil as an official language.
(2) Regional autonomy.
(3) Equal opportunity for education and Government jobs.

Teacher's Note:
a) Compare directly with the measures Belgium actually granted its communities.
b) A short, high-yield 3-point answer — easy to score full marks on.

Question 6. Write any two features of the Belgium Constitution.
Answer:
(1) It prescribes equal number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers in the Central Government.
(2) The State Governments are not subordinate to the Central Government.
(3) The community government has the power regarding cultural, educational and language related issues.

Teacher's Note:
a) Three features given here, though the question asks for only two — pick any two if marks are limited.
b) This question and the ‘Belgium model’ question below overlap; revise them together.

Question 7. Which two steps were taken by the Belgium government to accommodate social difference?
Answer:
(1) Equal representation was given to Dutch and French-speaking ministers in the Central Government.
(2) Many powers of the central government were given to state government.
(3) Community government was formed.

Teacher's Note:
a) Same facts as the Constitution-features question above, phrased as ‘steps’ instead of ‘features’.
b) Good two-mark answer if only two points are required.

Question 8. Mention any three provisions of the Act passed in 1956 in Sri Lanka as part of the majoritarian measures.
Answer:
(1) Sinhala was recognised as the only official language, discarding Tamils.
(2) The government followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.
(3) The constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.

Teacher's Note:
a) Identical content to the ‘two policies’ question above, with a third point on religion added.
b) Keep this one in mind for 3-mark questions specifically.

Question 9. Mention the factors on which power sharing arrangements work.
Answer:
The following factors are to be considered on which power sharing arrangement works in democracy:
(i) One basic principle of democracy is that people are the source of all political power.
(ii) In a democracy, people rule themselves through institutions of self-governance.
(iii) In a good democratic government, due respect is given to diverse groups and views that exist in a society.
(iv) Everyone has a voice in the shaping of public policies.

Teacher's Note:
a) This is really a restatement of the moral case for democracy — link it to the ‘why share power’ question.
b) Four points given; pick the ones matching the marks on offer.

Question 10. What values does Community Government promote? Where is this type of government established?
Answer:
Community Government is established in Belgium. It promotes the following values:
(1) Cultural interest.
(2) Safeguarding the interest of different linguistic groups.
(3) Safeguarding the interest of social groups.

Teacher's Note:
a) Community Government is the third kind of government in Belgium, alongside Central and Regional.
b) Don't confuse it with the ‘Regional’ governments, which handle different matters.

Question 11. What is a coalition government?
Answer:
A coalition government is a cabinet of parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. It generally happens when no party gets a majority in the parliament and several parties join together to prove their majority.

Teacher's Note:
a) Example to remember: NDA and UPA governments at India's Centre.
b) This illustrates power sharing among political parties specifically.

Question 12. “In modern democracies, power sharing arrangements can take many forms.” Explain the statement.
Answer:
In modern democracies, the power-sharing arrangement can take several forms. It can be horizontal power sharing or vertical power sharing. One of the most common setups of power-sharing in democracy is the distribution of powers among the three sections of the government: Legislature, Executive and Judiciary.
(1) Legislature: The legislature is concerned with passing the laws, controlling the finances of the state and delivering on matters of public importance.
(2) Executive: The executive machinery implements the policies of the government and executes the rules made by the legislative bodies.
(3) Judiciary: The judiciary is concerned with the interpretation of the laws and has the power to punish those who commit crimes or break the laws. The judiciary can also check the functioning of the executives.

Teacher's Note:
a) A good long-answer skeleton: name the form, then describe each organ in one line.
b) This is horizontal power sharing specifically — don't drift into vertical examples here.

Question 13. How did the Belgium government accommodate the social differences? Explain with examples.
Answer:
Belgium accommodated its social differences by working out an arrangement which suited the needs of various communities. It was done in the following ways:
(1) Though the Dutch were in majority in the country, the French and Dutch speaking population was given equal representation in the Central government.
(2) Belgium was declared as a Federal state, and thus State governments were given important powers. The State governments did not act as subordinate to the Central government.
(3) The capital city of Brussels had a separate government. Though the French speaking population was in majority in the city, they accepted equal representation in Brussels. This was because the Dutch speaking people had accepted equal representation in the Central government in spite of being in majority.
(4) Community government also existed in Belgium which was elected by major linguistic groups namely, Dutch, French and German speaking people. This government looked after educational, language and cultural issues.

Teacher's Note:
a) Structure a long answer like this as numbered points — each one is usually worth separate marks.
b) This is the fullest version of the Belgium answer; shorter questions reuse pieces of it.

Question 14. How is the idea of power sharing emerged? Explain different forms that have common arrangements of power sharing.
Answer:
Power sharing has emerged as a strong substitute to the idea of undivided political power, which believed in giving power to one person or a group of people located in one place. The core principle of power sharing is that people are the source of all political powers. Common forms of power sharing are:
(1) Vertical division of power: The sharing of power can be done at different levels of the government — a central government for the entire country and governments at provincial or regional level. This type is usually called federal government.
(2) Horizontal division of power: In this form, the power is divided among different organs of the government, such as the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. It places different organs of the government at the same level.
(3) Power is also shared among different social groups such as religious and linguistic groups, e.g.: community government.
(4) Various power sharing arrangements can also be seen in the way political parties, pressure groups and movements control or influence those in power.

Teacher's Note:
a) Four forms of power sharing in one answer — a frequent 5-mark question.
b) Give one example for each form (federal government, three organs, community government, coalition) to secure full marks.

Question 15. Explain the Belgium model of power sharing.
Answer:
Belgium model of power sharing:
(1) Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the Central Government. No single community can take decisions unilaterally.
(2) The State Governments are not subordinate to the Central Government.
(3) Brussels, the capital, has a separate government where both the communities have equal representation.
(4) A third kind of government, ‘Community Government’ is elected by people belonging to one language community — Dutch, French and German speaking — and has powers related to cultural, educational and language related issues.

Teacher's Note:
a) Essentially the same content as the ‘how did Belgium accommodate’ question, organised model-wise.
b) Belgium shows all three forms of power sharing at once — a favourite comparison topic.

Question 16. What is the difference between the policies adopted by Belgium and Sri Lanka regarding power sharing arrangement?
Answer:
The differences between the policies adopted by Belgium and Sri Lanka regarding power sharing arrangement are as follows:
(1) In Belgium, the leaders have realized that the unity of the country is possible only by respecting the feelings and interests of different communities and regions of French, Dutch and German-speaking people. Such a realization resulted in mutually acceptable arrangements for sharing power.
(2) In Sri Lanka, the majority community of Sinhalas wanted to force its domination over the minority community of Tamils and refused to share power. This was majoritarianism. This undermined the unity of the country and resulted into civil war.

Teacher's Note:
a) One-line summary: Belgium = accommodation, Sri Lanka = majoritarianism.
b) This contrast is the single most frequently tested idea in this chapter.

Question 17. Describe the way in which power can be shared among governments at different levels.
Answer:
Power can be shared among governments at different levels by division of power involving higher and lower levels of government. It is also called vertical division of power.
(1) This can be done by a general government for the entire country, which is usually called Federal Government, and governments at the provincial or regional levels.
(2) In India, Federal Government is called Union or Central Government and governments at provincial level are called State Governments.
(3) This division of power can be extended to levels of government lower than State Governments, such as Municipality, Panchayati Raj, etc.

Teacher's Note:
a) Panchayati Raj is the easiest example to recall for the lowest level of vertical power sharing.
b) Don't mix this up with horizontal power sharing (organs of government) — different question type entirely.

Assertion–Reason Questions

Question 18. Assertion: Tyranny of majority is highly desirable.
Reason: It helps in making the political order more stable.
(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) Both assertion and reason are false.
Answer:
(d) Both assertion and reason are false.

Teacher's Note:
a) Tyranny of the majority is never ‘desirable’ in NCERT's framework — both statements are false.
b) A common trap: students mark (c) by mistake, missing that the assertion itself is false too.

Question 19. Assertion: Sinhala was recognized as only official language of Sri Lanka.
Reason: The government of Sri Lanka wanted to establish the supremacy of Sinhala community.
(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) Both assertion and reason are false.
Answer:
(a) Both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.

Teacher's Note:
a) Both statements are historically accurate and the reason correctly explains the assertion.
b) Pairs well with the 1956 Act question above — revise them together.