CBSE Class 10 Democratic Politics Challenges To Democracy Worksheet Set B

CBSE Class 10 Democratic Politics Chapter 8 Challenges To Democracy Very Short Answer Questions

Question. What is the most common form of democracy in today’s world?
Answer. Indirect or representative democracy

Question. Mention any two measures to remove poverty in India.
Answer. The ever-increasing population of India should be effectively checked and steps should be taken to increase agricultural production in the country.

Question. Write the name of any two countries which are facing the foundational challenge to democracy.
Answer. Bhutan and Saudi Arabia.

Question. Which law empowers the people to act as watch dogs of the government in a democracy?
Answer. Right to Information Act.

Question. What is a ‘Challenge’? 
Answer. A challenge is not just any problem, we usually call only those difficulties a ‘challenge’ which are significant and which can be overcome. It carries on opportunity for progress.

Question. Explain the meaning of democracy.
Answer. A form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.

CBSE Class 10 Democratic Politics Chapter 8 Challenges To Democracy Short Answer Questions

Question. Explain ‘foundation challenge’ faced by democracies of the world.
Answer. (i) Foundation challenge takes place when the basic structure or foundation of the government changes.
(ii) It can be monarchy or military dictatorship, changed into democracy.
(iii) The Nepal King Gyanendra, who replaced democracy with autocracy was forced to leave the palace and accept democracy and political rights of the people, when the movement against autocracy took place.
This transition may take many decades or centuries.

Question. “The Right to Information Act acts as a watchdog of democracy.” Explain.
Answer. The best laws are those which empower people to carry out democratic reforms.
- The Right to Information Act empowers the people to find out the role of government and makes its functioning more transparent.
- The citizens have the right to ask what happened and how it happened. It helps them check corruption, malpractices, etc. supplements the existing that banned corruption.

Question. What is the foundational challenge of democracy?
Answer. Bringing down the existing non-democratic regime, keeping military away from controlling government and establishing a sovereign and functional state.

Question. What involves the challenge of expansion?
Answer. Ensuring greater power to local government, extension of federal principles to all the units of federation, inclusion of women and minority groups, etc., fall under this challenge.

Question. How is challenge of ‘deepening of democracy’ faced by democracies?
Answer. This involves strengthening of the institutions and practices of democracy. This should happen in such a manner that people can realise their expectations of democracy.

Question. Give importance of a law in forms of democracy.
Answer. The ‘Right to Information’ Act is a law that empowers the people to find out what is happening in government and act as watchdog of democracy.

Question. How do political parties bring democratic reforms?
Answer. The main focus of political reforms should be on ways to strengthen democratic politics. The most important concern should be to increase and improve the quality of political participation by ordinary citizens.

CBSE Class 10 Democratic Politics Chapter 8 Challenges To Democracy Long Answer Questions 

Question. “At least one-fourth of the globe is still not under democratic government.” Explain the challenge to democracy.
Answer. (i) The challenge to democracy in these parts is very stark.
(ii) These countries face the foundational challenge of making the transition to democracy and then instituting a democratic government.
(iii) This involves bringing down the existing non-democratic government.
(iv) Military should be kept away from the controlling government and a sovereign and functional state should be established.

Question. “Most established democracies face a challenge of expansion.” Comment.
OR
How does existing democracies face the challenge of expansion?
OR
“Most of the established democracies are facing the challenge of expansion.” Support the statement with examples. 
Answer.  Challenge of expansion involves applying or following the basic principle of democratic government in almost all regions, various institutions and different social groups.
- It should ensure greater power to local governments, extension of federal principle to all the units of federation including women and minority.
- Most countries including India and other democracies like the US (America) face this challenge.
- It also means that less and less decisions should remain outside the arena of democratic control.

Question. “Democracies are not appearing to be very successful in reducing economic inequalities.”
Analyse the statement. 
Answer. Democracy and the economic outcomes
We can take example of India.
(i) The poor constitute a larger proportion of our voters and no party would like to lose their votes. They are their vote banks.
(ii) Yet democratically do not appear to be as keen to address the question of poverty as you would expect them to.
(iii) The situation is much worse in some other countries. In Bangladesh more than half of its population lives in poverty.
(iv) People in several poor countries are now dependent on the rich countries even for food supplies.
(v) Parallel to that a small number of ultra rich energy a highly dis-proportionate share of wealth and incomes. Not only that their share in the total income of the country is increasing.
(vi) Those at the bottom of the society have very little to depend upon. Their income have been declining.
(vii) Sometimes they find it difficult to meet their basic needs of life, such as food, clothing, house, education and health.

Question. ‘‘It is very difficult to reform politics through legal ways.’’ Evaluate the statement.
Answer. ‘It is very difficult to reform politics through legal ways’ :
(i) Carefully devised changes in law can help to discourage wrong political practices and encourage good ones.
(ii) Legal constitutional changes by themselves cannot overcome challenges to democracy. This is like the rules of cricket. A change in rules for LBW decisions helped to reduce negative batting tactics. But no one would ever think that the quality of cricket could be improved mainly through changes in the rules. This is to be done mainly by the players, coaches and administrators.
(iii) Any legal change must carefully look at what results it will have on politics. Sometimes the result may be counterproductive.
(iv) Democratic reforms are to carried out mainly by political activists, parties, movements and politically conscious citizens.
(v) Laws that give political actors incentives to do good things have more chances of working.
(vi) The best laws are those which empower people to carry out democratic reforms.
(vii) Democratic reforms are to be brought through political practices. Therefore the main focus should be on the ways to strengthen democratic practices.