CBSE Class 10 Social Science HOTs Power Sharing

CASE BASED QUESTIONS

1. In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil. The governments followed preferential policies that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs. A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism. All these government measures, coming one after the other, gradually increased the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils. They felt that none of the major political parties led by the Buddhist
Sinhala leaders was sensitive to their language and culture. They felt that the constitution and government policies denied them equal political rights, discriminated against them in getting jobs and other opportunities and ignored their interests. As a result, the relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities strained over time. The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil as an official language, for regional autonomy and equality of opportunity in securing education and jobs. But their demand for more autonomy to provinces populated by the Tamils was repeatedly denied By 1980s several political organisations were formed demanding an independent Tamil Eelam in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka

Question. What is the moral reason behind power sharing?
(a) It gives absolute power to the government
(b) It gives absolute power to the people.
(c) It is the very spirit of democracy
(d) It ensures development.
Answer : C

Question. Which is the official language of Sri-Lanka?
(a) Hindi
(b) Tamil
(c) Sinhala
(d) None of these
Answer : C

Question. Sri-Lanka emerged as an independent country in----
(a) 1956
(b) 1948
(c) 1947
(d) 1951
Answer : B

Question. Sri-Lanka is an island nation, just a few kilometres off the southern coast of
(a) Tamil Nadu
(b) Kerala
(c) Goa
(d) Karnataka
Answer : A

Question. Population of Sri-Lankan Tamils is concentrated in- regions of Sri-Lanka
(a) North and East
(b) North and south
(c) North and West
(d) South and west
Answer : A

2. Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature, executive and judiciary. Let us call this horizontal distribution of power because it allows different organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers. Such a separation ensures that none of the organs can exercise unlimited power. Each organ checks the others. This results in a balance of power among various institutions. Last year, we studied that in a democracy, even though ministers and government officials exercise power, they are responsible to the Parliament or State Assemblies. Similarly, although judges are appointed by the executive, they can check the functioning of executive or laws made by the legislatures. This arrangement is called a system of checks and balances. Power can be shared among governments at different levels – a general government for the entire country and governments at the provincial or regional level. Such a general government for the entire country is usually called federal government. In India, we refer to it as the Central or Union Government. The governments at the provincial or regional level are called by different names in different countries.

Question. Indian parliament consists of------
(a) Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
(b) Executive and Judiciary
(c) Legislature and Judiciary
(d) Lok Sabha and Judiciary.
Answer : A

Question. A general government for the entire country in India is called
(a) Central government
(b) State government
(c) Regional government
(d) Federal government
Answer : A

Question. How many members are nominated to the upper house of the parliament by the President of India?
(a) 22
(b) 18
(c) 12
(d) 32
Answer : C

Question. Who can check the functioning of executive or laws made by the legislatures?
(a) Ministers
(b) Judges
(c) Governor
(d) None of these
Answer : B

Question. The provincial or regional Government in India is known as-----
(a) Union Government
(b) Self-Government
(c) State Government
(d) All of these
Answer : C

Very Short Questions for Class 10 Social Science Power Sharing

Question : Which factor is responsible for increasing the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan, Tamil?
Answer : Majoritarianism

Question : Who formed the majority in terms of population in Sri Lanka?
Answer : Sinhala community 

Question : What is "Homogeneous Society"?
Answer : A homogeneous society shares a common language, ethnicity and culture. Japan and South Korea are examples of homogeneous societies. 

Question : What measure was adopted by the democratically elected government of Sri Lanka to establish Sinhala supremacy?
Answer : Sinhala speaking community who follow Buddhism took many majoritarianistic measures to establish supremacy over Sri Lankan Tamils.

Question : How and when was Sinhala recognized as the official language of Sri Lanka?
Answer : Sinhala was recognized as the official language of Sri Lanka by passing an Act in 1956.

Question : What is the state religion of Sri Lanka?
Answer : Buddhism 

Question : What does the system of checks and balances' ensure in power sharing ?
Answer : The system of checks and balances ensures that no one branch of the national government gains too much power. 

Question : What system of power sharing is called "Checks and Balances"?
Answer : When one arm of the government can question the functioning of other arms in horizontal power distribution.

Question : What is the prudential reason behind power sharing? 
Answer : Power sharing helps in reducing the conflict between various social groups. Hence, power sharing is necessary for maintaining social harmony and peace.

Question : Which language was recognised as the only official language of Sri Lanka in 1956?
Answer : Sinhala

Question. How Belgian government solved its ethnic Problem ?
Answer : The Path of accommodation adopted in Belgium.
a). Dutch and French speaking ministers shall be equal in the central govt.
b). Many Powers of the central government have been given to stategovernment .The state government are not subordinate to the centralgovernment .
c). Brussels has a separate government t in which both the communities have equal representation.
d). There is a third kind ofgovernment called community government elected by the people belonging to Dutch, French and German no matter where they live

Question. Describe the diverse composition of Sri Lanka.
Answer : The Sinhala community forms the majority of population 74% with Tamils who are mostly 18% concentrated in the north and east of the country.
a). Tamil natives of the country are called Sri Lankan Tamil are 13%.
b). Tamils who are brought as indentured labourers from India by British colonists to work in estate plantation are called Indian Tamils 5%.
c). There are about 7% percent Christians, who are both Tamils and Sinhala.

Question. Why has the idea of power sharing emerged?
Answer : The idea of power sharing has emerged in opposition to the notions of undivided political power. For a long time, it was believed that all powers of a government must reside in one person or group of persons located at one place. It was felt that if the power to decide is dispersed, it would not be possible to take quick decisions and to enforce them. But these notions have changed with the emergence of democracy.

Question. What is meant by a system of “Checks and Balances”?
Answer : The Horizontal division of power is referred to as a system of “checks and balances”.
Under this, power is shared among different organs of government—the legislature, executive and judiciary.
It allows different organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers.
This system ensures that a check is maintained on the other organs that exist and there remains a balance when power is shared

Question. Describe three demands of Sri Lankan Tamils. How did they struggle for their independence?
Answer : a).Recognition of Tamil as an official language.
b). Regional autonomy
c). Equal opportunity in securing jobs and education.
They formed several political organizations, but when the government tried to suppress their activities by force, this led to civil war

Question : How is the ethnic composition of Belgium very complex? Explain.
Answer : (i) Of the country's total population, 59 percent live in the Flemish region and speak Dutch language.
(ii) Another 40 percent people live in the Wallonia region and speak French.
(iii) Remaining one percent of the Belgians speak German.
(iv) In the capital city Brussels, 80 percent people speak French while 20 percent are Dutch speaking.

Question : How can power be shared among governments at different levels? Explain.
Answer : Vertical division of power : Vertical division of power means sharing of power among governments at different levels. In India, there are three levels of the government :
(i) For the entire country : Central Government/ Union Government.
(iii) At the provincial level : State Governments.
(iii) At the local level (i.e., rural and urban) : Local self governments like panchayats and municipal councils.

Question : How did Sri Lanka and the Belgium government try to solve the ethnic problem?
Answer : (i) The Belgium leaders tried to solve the ethnic problem by respecting the feelings and interests of different communities and regions, whereas the Sri Lankan government tried to solve the problem through majoritarianism.
(ii) Belgian leaders established a federal structure under which power was shared between the Union Government and its other constituent units whereas Sri Lankan leaders adopted Unitary Government structure.
(iii) The Belgium solution helped in avoiding civic strife whereas the majoritarianism in Sri Lanka led to the civil war.

Question : "Attempts at forced integration often sow the seeds of disintegration". Support the statement with suitable arguments.
Answer : It is true that forced integration of communities very often bring in a lot of feelings of grudge and disagreement among the regions. This has been seen in Sri Lanka between the Sinhalese and Tamils. The problem arises during integration of two regions in division of power and sharing of resources. Each side is afraid that the other party or region will dominate over their region. They are afraid of going backwards. And, in today’s world no one wants to be pushed aside by others. An important example is the breakdown of erstwhile USSR into different countries of East Europe. That is why integration should be on a harmonious, cordial and amical terms and not by force.

Question : What is power sharing? Why power sharing is important in democracy?
Answer : (i) When the power does not rest with any one organ of the state rather it is shared among legislature, executive and judiciary it is called power sharing.
(ii) Power sharing is important in a democracy because :
(a) It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.
(b) It is the very spirit of democracy.
(c) It is a good way to ensure the stability of the political order.

Question : What is majoritarianism? How has it increased the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils? Explain.
Answer : ‘Majoritarianism’ is a concept which signifies a belief that the majority community should be able to rule a country in whichever way it wants. In this type of rule they disregard the wishes and needs of the minority. The majoritarian concept has increased the strong feelings of alienation among Sri Lankan Tamils because of the series of majoritarian measures adopted by the democratically elected government in Sri Lanka after its independence in 1948 to establish Sinhala Supremacy.
(i) In 1956 an Act was passed to recognize Sinhala as the only official language thus disregarding Tamil.
(ii) The Government followed preferential policies that favored Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.
(iii) A new constitution advocated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.

Question : "Both Belgium and Sri Lanka are democracies but they follow different systems of power sharing". Support the statement by giving three points of difference.
Answer : Difference in power sharing of Belgium and Sri Lanka :
(i) In Belgium, the government does not follow preferential policies in matters of jobs and education. In Sri Lanka, the government follows preferential policies in matters of government, jobs and education.
(ii) In Belgium, there is a special government called 'Community Government' to look after the cultural, educational and language related issues. In Sri Lanka, the major political parties are not sensitive to the language and culture of the Tamils.
(iii) In Belgium, there is no discrimination between different religions. In Sri Lanka, Buddhism is the official religion. 

Question : Mention any three demands of Sri lankan Tamils.
Answer : Demands of the Sri Lankan Tamils:
(i) Recognition of Tamil as an official language.
(ii) Equal opportunities for Tamils in government jobs and educational institutions.
(iii) Provincial autonomy for Tamil dominated provinces. 

Question : Compare the different ways in which the Belgians and the Sri Lankans have dealt with the problem of cultural diversity.
Answer : The Belgian leaders recognised the existence of regional and cultural diversities.
(i) They amended their Constitution four times so as to work out an innovative arrangement that would enable everyone to live together in peace and harmony, i.e., there was sharing of power between the Dutch and the French both in the Central Government, State Government and Communities Government. They followed a policy of accommodation. This helped to avoid civic strife and division of the country on linguistic lines.
(ii) On the other hand, the Sinhalese who were in majority in Sri Lanka as compared to the Tamils followed a policy of majoritatrianism and adopted a series of measures to establish Sinhala supremacy by passing an Act of 1956. These measures alienated the Tamils leading to civic strife between the two communities.

Question : Give reasons why power sharing is desirable? 
Answer : Power sharing is desirable in democracy because :
(i) Prudential reasons :
(a) It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups. Since social conflict often leads to violence and political instability.
(b) It is a good way to ensure the stability of political order.
(c) Imposing the will of over others may look like an attractive option in the short run, but in the long run it undermines the unity of the nation.

(ii) Moral reasons :
(a) Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise and who have to live with its effect.
(b) People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.
(c) A legitimate government is one where citizens through participation, acquire a stake in the system.  

Long Questions for Class 10 Social Science Power Sharing 

Question. What are the different forms of power sharing in modern democracies?
Answer : Give an example of each of these..
1. Power shared among different organs of the government:
(i) In it power is shared among legislature, executive and Judiciary.
(ii) It is also called horizontal distribution of power because all these organs are placed at the same level.
(iii) Such a separation ensures that none of the organs can exercise unlimited powers.
(iv) Each organs checks the offers, which results in the balance of power among various institution.
2. Power shared among Governments at different levels.
(i) There is a Government for the entire country, such a Government is called federal Government
(ii) In India we refer to it as Central or Union Government
(iii) The Government at provincial or regional level is called state Government in India.
(iv) In India Government is divided at the central level, state level and local level.
(v) It is called vertical division of power as power is divided among higher and lower levels of Governments.
3. Power shared among different social groups:
(i) This type of arrangement is made to give space in the Government and administration to diverse social groups who otherwise feel alienated from the Government.
(ii) This method is used to give minority communities a fair share in power.
(iii) In India, we have the system of reserved constituencies in the assemblies and the Parliament of one country.
(iv) Community Government in Belgium is a good example.
4. Power shared among political parties, pressure groups and moments
(i) In a democracy, the citizen must have freedom to choose among various contenders for power.
(ii) When there is competition, it ensures that power does not remain in one hand.
(iii) In the long run, power is shared among different political parties that represent different ideologies and social groups. This type of Government is called ‘Coalition Government’.
(iv) Many interest groups like traders, businessmen, farmers, industrial workers, also have
a share in governmental power either way, through participation and influencing decision making process

Question. Explain the power sharing arrangement among the different political parties, pressure groups and movements.
Answer : (a). In a democracy power is also shared among the different political parties, pressure groups and movements.
(b). Democracy provides the citizens a choice to choose their rulers. This choice is provided by the various political parties, who contest elections to win. Such competition ensures that power does not remain in one
(c). In the long run power is shared among different political parties that represent different ideologies
and social groups. (d). Sometimes this kind of sharing can be direct, when two or more parties from an alliance to contest elections. If their alliance is elected, they form a coalition government and thus share power.
(e). In a democracy, various pressure groups and movements also remain active.
They will also have a share in governmental power, either through participation in governmental committees or bringing influence on the decision making process.