Maharashtra Board Class 11 Political Science Chapter 5 Concept of Representation Solutions

1A. Choose the Correct Alternative and Complete the Following Statements.

Question 1. Ancient Greece had ___________
(a) dictatorship
(b) direct democracy
(c) indirect democracy
(d) monarchy
Answer: (b) direct democracy
In simple words: In ancient Greece, citizens participated directly in making laws and decisions instead of electing representatives.

🎯 Exam Tip: Always associate Ancient Greece with direct democracy, as its small city-states allowed all citizens to vote directly on laws.

Question 2. The oldest representative assembly in the world is ___________ (House of Commons, House of Lords, Senate, House of Representative)
Answer: House of Commons. This historical body is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
In simple words: The House of Commons in the UK is the oldest group of elected representatives in the world.

🎯 Exam Tip: Remember that the House of Commons is often referred to as the 'Mother of Parliaments' due to its age and historical significance.

1B. State the Appropriate Concept for the Given Statements.

Question 1. The political system is where people elect representatives to govern themselves.
Answer: Representative Democracy. In this system, citizens vote for leaders who make laws and decisions on their behalf.
In simple words: Representative democracy is a system where people choose leaders to run the government for them instead of voting on every law directly.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly distinguish between direct democracy (where people vote directly on laws) and representative democracy (where people elect representatives).

1C. Find the Odd Word in the Given Set.

Question 1. The Indian National Trade Union Congress, All India Kisan Sabha, National Students Union of India, Indian National Congress
Answer: Indian National Congress (it is a political party). The other organizations listed are affiliated interest groups or front organizations rather than independent political parties competing in elections.
In simple words: The Indian National Congress is a main political party, while the others are special groups for workers, farmers, or students.

🎯 Exam Tip: Always state the reason why the word is the odd one out to secure full marks in classification questions.

2. Complete the Concept Maps.

Question 1. Complete the concept map:

• National political parties in India (Center)
  • [Blank Box 1]
  • [Blank Box 2]
  • [Blank Box 3]
  • [Blank Box 4]
  • [Blank Box 5]
  • [Blank Box 6]
  • [Blank Box 7]

• Indian National Congress (INC)
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
• Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M)
• Communist Party of India (CPI)
• Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
• Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
• National People's Party (NPP)

🎯 Exam Tip: Memorize at least five major national political parties and their official symbols for quick recall during exams.

Answer:

National Political Parties in India:

• Indian National Congress
• All India Trinamool Congress
• Bharatiya Janata Party
• Bahujan Samaj Party
• Communist Party of India
• Nationalist Congress Party
• Communist Party of India (Marxist)

3. Explain the Correlation Between the Following

Question 1. Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations.
Answer: Governmental organizations are public organizations that have a formalized structure. They are formed by election or nomination. They have legal status in terms of their jurisdiction. They are more concerned with political and administrative aspects. However, such organizations due to their structure and scope may not be able to satisfy the concerns of different sections of the population or to represent various interests and causes. This leads to people who are devoted to the cause coming together as non-profit groups and further their cause. NGO’s work in the field of political and environmental awareness, the welfare of the elderly/women/children/disabled, etc., for e.g., Green Peace (environment), Help Age (senior citizens), CRY (children), AGNI (Political awareness), PFA (animals). These non-governmental organizations play a crucial role in filling the gaps left by state institutions.
In simple words: Governmental organizations are run by the government to manage public affairs, while non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are private, non-profit groups formed by citizens to help with social and environmental causes.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly distinguish between the formal, legal nature of government bodies and the voluntary, cause-driven nature of NGOs to score full marks.

4. Express Your Opinion of the Following

Question 1. Pressure groups are different from political parties.
Answer: I agree with the statement. The political parties are part of the governmental system. They seek to influence government policy from the inside. A pressure group tries to influence government policy from the outside without contesting elections.
In simple words: Political parties try to win elections and run the government, whereas pressure groups do not want power but try to influence government decisions from the outside.

🎯 Exam Tip: Highlight the key difference: political parties contest elections to gain power, while pressure groups only seek to influence decisions from the outside.

Answer the Following in Detail with Reference to the Given Points

Question 1. What is meant by representation? Explain the various methods of representation?
(a) Meaning
(b) Electoral
(c) Non-electoral
(d) Non-official
Answer:
(a) Meaning: The concept of representation is important in any democracy. Today, most countries have large territories and populations. Hence, direct democracy is not possible. The form of democracy today is indirect democracy or representative democracy. People elect representatives among themselves to govern the country for e.g., in India, Members of Parliament (MP’s), Members of State Legislative Assemblies/ Councils (MLA’s, MLC’s), of corporations, etc., are all our representatives.
(b) Electoral Method: Persons are directly or indirectly elected by the citizens to govern them as members of representative assemblies e.g., General elections to Lok Sabha, Assembly elections.
(c) Non-electoral Method: Representatives occupy their position through nomination or appointment for e.g., President of India appoints 12 Members to the Rajya Sabha.
(d) Non-official Method: Civil society represents the people through various pressure groups like trade unions, student groups, peasant organizations. These groups play a vital role in highlighting specific public grievances that might otherwise be overlooked by mainstream political parties.
In simple words: Representation means choosing people to speak and make decisions on our behalf because everyone cannot govern directly. This can be done through voting, direct appointments, or through public interest groups.

🎯 Exam Tip: Clearly define each of the four methods with real-world examples, such as elections for the electoral method and Rajya Sabha nominations for the non-electoral method, to secure maximum marks.

Question 6. Suggest ways by which you can encourage people to vote in elections.
Answer:
• NGO’s such as AGNI have special programmes designed to encourage people to exercise their franchise.
• Street plays, flash mobs at railway stations, talks in colleges about the importance of voting.
• Voter enrollment drives to encourage youngsters to vote.
• Advertisements, especially involving celebrities as ‘ambassadors’ for the franchise.
• In some countries of the world, the franchise is compulsory.
These collective efforts help build a stronger and more participatory democracy.
In simple words: We can encourage people to vote by using street plays, advertisements with famous people, and school talks to show how important every single vote is.

🎯 Exam Tip: When listing suggestions, use bullet points to make your answers clear and easy for the examiner to read.

Activity (Text Book Page No. 44)

Question 1. Write the history of anyone national political party in India.
Answer: Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress was founded on 28th December 1885 due to the efforts of A.O. Hume, to act as a platform for civil and political dialogue among educated Indians. The first session, held in Bombay with 72 delegates in attendance, elected W.C. Banerjee as its first President. Members were mainly from the Bombay and Madras Presidencies such as Dadabhai Naoroji, Dinshaw Wacha, Pherozshah Mehta, and others. During its early phase, the Congress was led by the Moderates.

The party first split at the Surat session (1907) into two groups i.e., Moderates and Extremists (led by Bal Gangadhar Tilak). The party began to endorse the policy of “Swaraj” (Self-rule) and “Swadeshi” (of our own country). After the death of Lokmanya Tilak, the leadership of the Congress passed into the hands of Mahatma Gandhi. His philosophy was based on the ideals of Satyagraha and Ahimsa. Various movements were organized by Gandhiji such as Non-Cooperation Movement (1920’s), Civil Disobedience (1930’s), and Quit India Movement (1942).

The INC has dominated most of India’s political landscape since Independence. The period 1947-1967 is described as the One-Party Dominant System (OPDS) of the INC. However, Congress dominance has declined. In the UPA government, the party has adapted to various political shifts in modern India.
In simple words: The Indian National Congress was started in 1885 to help educated Indians talk to the British government. It led many freedom movements under Mahatma Gandhi and became India's main political party after independence.

🎯 Exam Tip: Mention key historical milestones like the founding year (1885), key leaders (A.O. Hume, Gandhiji), and major movements to score full marks.