CBSE Class 10 Civics HOTs Gender Religion and Caste

Summary

MCQ Questions for Class 10 Social Science Gender Religion and Caste 

Short Questions for Class 10 Social Science Gender Religion and Caste

Question : Why did the framers of the constitution choose the ideals of secularism for India? How is this choice reflected in the constitutional provisions? Explain.
Answer : Secularism in India means equal treatment for all religions by the state. The term ‘Secular’ was added along with the term “Socialist’ through the 42nd Amendment in the Preamble of the Constitution of India in 1976. The Preamble of Constitution of India asserts that India is a secular country. The Indian Constitution does not profess any state religion. The state recognizes and accepts all religions. It enforces parliamentary laws and not religious laws, and respects pluralism. The framers of constitution chose the model of secular state because of the following reasons :
(i) India emerged as an independent country amidst heavy turmoil and faced many problems like partition based on religion. The constitution makers did not want to give importance to any religion as it could again divide the country.
(ii) After getting independence, the important leaders of India made it clear that India has to be a secular state as they could not afford any disturbance in the country based on religion.
(iii) The framers of constitution knew that if any particular religion was promoted then there would be a chance of conflict among people of various religions and that would harm the progress of the country. This would also brings a feeling of insecurity among the people who follow other religions. There is no discrimination among people based on the religious grounds in India. No religion is given superiority over any other religion.

Question : What is Communalism? How does it affect the political life of the people?
Answer :  Communalism : When beliefs of one religion are presented as superior to those of other religions, when the demands of one religious group are formed in opposition to another and when state power is used to establish domination of one religious group over the rest, we call it as communalism. Communalism is a hindrance in the functioning of our democracy because :
(i) Communalism leads to the belief that people belonging to different religions cannot live as equal citizens within one nation. Either, one of them has to dominate the rest or they have to form different nation.
(ii) Any attempt to bring all followers of one religion together is bound to suppress the voices of others. 

Question : Examine the standard of women's representation in India's legislative bodies. 
Answer :  The status of women's representation in India's legislative bodies is as follows :
(i) Central Legislature : Less than 10% of its total strength are women.
(ii) State Legislature : Less than 5% of its total strength are women.
(iii) Panchayati Raj : One-third of the seats are reserved for women.
(iv) India is among the bottom group of nations in the world, in this aspect.
(v) Women's organizations and activists have been demanding a reservation of at least one third of seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. But the bill to this effect has not been passed. 

Question : Secularism is not an ideology of some political parties, but it is one of the foundations of a country. Examine the statement. 
Answer :  Communalism was and to an extent continues to be one of the major challenges to democracy in our country. The makers of our Constitution were aware of this challenge. That is why they chose the model of a secular state. The important provisions that makes India a secular state are :
(i) There is no official religion for the Indian states. Unlike the status of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, that of Islam in Pakistan and that of Christianity in England, our Constitution does not give a special status to any religion.
(ii) The Constitution provides to all individuals and communities freedom to profess, practice and propagate any religion, or not to follow any.
(iii) The Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.
(iv) At the same time the Constitution allows the state to intervene in the matters of religion in order to ensure equality within religious communities. For example, it bans untouchability. 

Question : Describe the three factors which determine the outcome of the politics of social divisions.
Answer :  Factors that decide the outcome of the politics of social divisions are
(i) When the people's perception of their identities is strict, the accommodation of other identities becomes difficult in the group.
(ii) Representation of a community by political leaders : While representing a community, if politicians raise demands that are constitutional, then, it is easier to accommodate those demands.
(iii) The government's reaction : If the reasonable demands of a community are suppressed by the government, then it leads to social divisions, which in turns threatens the integrity of the country. 

Question : Suggest any three measures to enhance the participation of woman in politics.
Answer :  (i) Women should be given proper education, so that they are aware of their rights and duties and participate actively in politics.
(ii) Every woman should be self reliant, so that she enjoys a respectable position in the society and is confident about her meaningful contribution in politics as well.
(iii) It should be legally binding to have a fair proportion of woman in the elected bodies. That is why 1/3rd of seats in local government bodies in panchayats and in municipalities are now reserved for women. 

Question : “Politics and social divisions should not be allowed to mix.” Justify the statement.
Answer :  It is absolutely correct to say that politics and social divisions should not be allowed to mix. This is because :
(i) It can make social divisions into political division and lead to conflict, violence or even disintegration of a country.
(ii) In Northern Ireland, there has been a violent and bitter ethno-political conflict for many years.
(iii) It caused disintegration of Yugoslavia into six independent countries.In Sri Lanka, when the ethno-social difference between Sinhalas and Tamils were politicized, the result was the Civil War in the country. 

Question : "Gender division is not based on biology but on social expectations and stereotypes." Support the statement.
Answer :  (i) Gender division is a form of hierarchical social division based on social expectation and stereotypes.
(ii) Boys and girls are brought up to believe that the main responsibilities of women is house work and bringing up children.
(iii) There is a sexual division of labour in most families where women do all the household chores and men work outside the home.
(iv) Majority of women may do some paid work in addition of domestic labour both in rural and Urban areas but their work is not valued and does not get recognition. 

Question : How do castes get politicised? Give three points. 
Answer :  (i) Each caste group tries to become bigger by incorporating within it neighboring castes or sub-castes which were earlier excluded from it.
(ii) Various caste groups enter into a coalition with other castes or communities and thus enter into a dialogue and negotiation.
(iii) New kinds of caste groups have come up in the political area like 'backward' and forward' caste groups.

Question : Describe the adverse effects of caste in politics in India.
Answer : Adverse effects of caste in politics in India :
(i) Political parties try to use caste to gain votes.
(ii) Promise to take care of interests and demands of particular caste.
(iii) It leads to conflicts and tensions among various caste groups as some castes get discriminated against.

Question : "The Government of India gives holidays for the festivals of most of the religions." Why is it so? Give your view point.
Answer : It is so because : (i) India is a secular state, there is no official religion in our country.
(ii) The Constitution provides us freedom to profess, practice and propagate any religion or not to follow any.
(iii) The Constitution prohibits discrimination on the ground of religion.

Question : Assess the influences of politics on caste system.
Answer : Influence of politics on caste system :
(i) Each caste group tries to become bigger by incorporating within its sub-castes.
(ii) Various caste groups are required to enter into a coalition with other castes of same community.
(iii) New kinds of caste groups have entered politics like 'backward' and 'forward' castes.
(iv) Politics in caste has allowed many disadvantaged caste groups to demand their share of power.
(v) Caste politics has helped the dalits and OBC to gain better access to decision-making and political power.

Question :  What was the Feminist Movement? Explain the political demands of the Feminist Movement in India. Religion, Communalism and Politics
Answer : Feminist Movement was a radical movement which demanded equality for women in personal and family life and also in politics, society and education field. The political demands of the Feminist Movements in India were :
(i) More women representatives in local government.
(ii) More political representatives for women by having elected women representatives.
(iii) Reserving at least one-third of the seats in Lok Sabha and Legislative Assemblies for women.
(iv) They demanded equal pay as men for same work done.
(v) They demanded same inheritance rights for daughters as given to sons.

Question : Explain the factors that have led to the weakening of the caste system in India.
Answer : Decline of the caste system in India :
(i) Efforts of social reformers like Jyotiba Phule, Gandhiji, Ambedkar against caste system have helped to promote a casteless society.
(ii) Economic development has reduced the emphasis on caste.
(iii) Large scale urbanisation has diminished the awareness of caste, as people rub shoulders in buses, trains and offices.
(iv) Growth of literacy and education has helped to decrease the belief in caste.
(v) Occupational mobility is possible now and children are not compelled to continue the profession of the family or father.

Question : How is gender division understood in Indian society? To what extent does political mobilization on gender basis help to improve women's role in public life?
Answer : In the Indian society gender division has proved to be hugely disadvantageous to women. The literacy among women is low compared to men. Percent of women in highly paid jobs is much less then men. For the same job women are paid less. Over all women spend more hours at work than men at most homes. Parents spend more resources on their male children. Political mobilization on gender basis has raised the awareness about discrimination against women and stereo types. Now more girl children go to school. There are reservations in job vacancies. One third seats are reserved in local government bodies. By the 2005 Right to property Act, now daughters and sons have the same inheritance rights.

Question : Indian is a secular country. Justify the statement.
Answer : India is a secular country. With 29 states and 7 union territories there is a large diversity of culture, religion and language. India does not have a state or official religion. It gives fundamental right to its citizens to practice, propagate, profess any religion. The Indian constitution does not discriminate against any religion. The above reasons justify the statement.

Question : Why are caste barriers breaking down in India? Explain with three reasons.
Answer : Caste barriers are breaking down in India due to the following reasons :
(i) With the economic development, large scale urbanisation, growth of literacy and education, occupational mobility and the weakening of the position of landlords in the villages, the old notions of caste hierarchy are breaking down.
(ii) Due to socio-economic changes, i.e. now, most of the times, in urban areas it does not matter much who is walking along next to us on street or eating at the next table in a restaurant.
(iii) The Constitution of India prohibits any caste based discrimination and lays the foundation of policies to reverse the injustices of the caste system. 

Question : How can communalism pose a great threat to Indian democracy?
Answer : Communalism can pose a great threat to Indian democracy as :
(i) It leads to the dangerous belief that people belonging to different religion cannot live as equal citizens within one nation. Either group has to dominate the rest or they have to form a different nation.
(ii) Any attempt to bring followers of one religion together in the context of politics bound to suppress many voices within that society.

Question : Explain the status of women's representation in India's legislative bodies.
Answer : The status of women's representation in India's legislative bodies are as follows :
(i) Central Legislature : Less than 10% of its total strength are women.
(ii) State Legislature : Less than 5% of their total strength are women.
(iii) Panchayati Raj : One-third of the seats are reserved for women. There is a demand for similar reservation in the Parliament and assemblies.

Question : Explain the reasons of social differences.
                                OR
Why do social differences emerge in society ?
Answer : (i) Birth : Birth is the most important factor which is responsible for social differences. A person in India is considered of a low caste because of his birth in the lower class family. A Black is discriminated from White because of his colour which is once again controlled by birth.
(ii) Differences based on choice : Some of the differences are based on our choices. For example, some people are atheists. They don’t believe in God or any religion. Differences also occur because of choice of occupation. Differences occur among the people because of different professions and economic activities also.
(iii) Differences based on religion:
Sometimes religion can be one of the causes of social differences. It is fairly common for people belonging to the same religion to feel that they do not belong to the same community because their caste or sect is very different.
(iv) Differences based on economic status : Economic status can also be responsible for social differences. Rich and poor people belonging to the same community or religion or sect often do not keep close relations with each other as they feel that they are very different. ‘
(v) Differences based on caste/color : In many regions of the world people are differentiated on the basis of caste or colour. For example, in United States and South Africa Blacks were discriminated because of their skin color.

Question : How is political expression of social divisions in democracy beneficial?
Answer : In democracy, political expression of social divisions is normal and can be healthy. In case of India and Belgium, it has been observed that social diversities can be accommodated in a very positive manner. But a positive attitude towards diversity and a willingness to accommodate it do not come about easily.
People who feel marginalised, deprived and discriminated against have to fight against injustices.
Such a fight often takes the democratic path, voicing their demands in a peaceful and constitutional manner and seeking a fair position through elections.
Sometimes social differences can take the form of unacceptable level of social inequality and injustice. The struggle against such inequalities sometimes takes the path of violence and defiance of state power.
However, history shows that democracy is the best way to fight for recognition and also to accommodate diversity.

Question : When do social divisions take place in the society? Explain with suitable examples.
Answer : Social division takes place under following circumstances.
(a) Social division due to overlapping differences. It happens when one kind of social difference becomes more important than the other and people start feeling that they belong to different communities.
For example, the difference between the Blacks and Whites in the United States becomes a social division because the Blacks tend to be poor, homeless and discriminated against. Situation of this kind produces social divisions.
(b) Social division due to cross-cutting differences. If social differences cross-cut one another, it is difficult to compete one group of people against the other. It means that groups that share a common interest on one issue are likely to be on different sides on a different issue, thereby
leading to a social division. 
For example, Northern Ireland is a dominantly Christian country but is divided between Catholics and Protestants. Here, class and religion overlap each other. If you are Catholic, you are more likely to be poor and discriminated against. The result is the division of the society.
(c) Social division of one kind or another exists in most countries. It does not matter whether the country is small or big. For instance, India is a vast country with many communities, at the same time, Belgium is a small country with many communities.
(d) Sometimes there is division or difference in society due to migration and migrants. Even those countries such as Germany and Sweden, that were once highly homogenous, are undergoing rapid change with influx of people from other parts of the world. Migrants bring with them their own culture and tend to form a different social community. If social divisions do not exist in a country they must never be expressed in politics.
In a sense most countries of the world are multi-cultural and have multi-dimensional social divisions.

Question : Distinguish between Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968) and The Black Power Movement (1966-1975) in the USA.
Answer : 

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