CBSE Class 10 Democratic Politics Challenges To Democracy Worksheet Set 02

1. Challenge: a challenge is not just any problem. We usually call only those difficulties a challenge’ which are significant and which can be overcome. A challenge is a difficulty that carries within it an opportunity for progress. Once we overcome a challenge we go up to a higher level than before.

 

2. Foundational Challenge: These countries face the foundational challenge of making the transition to democracy and then instituting democratic government.

 

3. Expansion Challenge: This involves applying the basic principle of democratic government across all the regions, different social groups and various institutions. Ensuring greater power to local governments, extension of federal principle to all the units of the federation, inclusion of women and minority groups, etc.

 

4. Deepening Challenge: This involves strengthening of the institutions and practices of democracy. This should happen in such a way that people can realize their expectations of democracy.

 

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.

Question. Briefly explain the three basic challenges faced by democracies.

Discuss briefly the ‘foundational challenge’ of making transition to democracy.

“Challenge of expansion is very common which an established democracy faces”. Comment.

Answer. Democracy faces three basic challenges during its different stages of growth, such as foundational challenge, challenge of expansion and challenge of deepening democracy. These challenges take different meanings and paths in different parts of the world.

♦ Foundational Challenge: The first stage is the transition to democracy from a non- democracy and then instituting democratic government. This involves bringing down the existing non-democratic regime, keeping military away from controlling government and establishing a sovereign and functional State. Eg. Nepal

 

♦ Challenge of ‘Expansion of Democracy: This stage involves applying the basic principle of democratic government across all the Regions, different social groups and various institutions. Ensuring greater power to local governments, extension of federal principle to all the units of the federation, inclusion of women and minority groups, etc. This also means that less and less decisions should remain outside the democratic control. Most of the democracies like India and USA faces challenge of expansion.

 

♦ Challenge of ‘Deepening of Democracy: This involves strengthening of the institutions and practices of democracy by people’s participation and control. This should happen in such a way that people can realise their expectations of democracy. This requires an attempt to bring down the control and influence of the rich and powerful in making governmental decisions.

 

Question. Suggest a few broad guidelines that should be kept in mind while devising ways and means for political reforms in India.

Answer. The following are the FOUR broad guidelines that should be kept in mind while devising ways and means for political reforms in India.

1. Reforms through Legal Ways:-. Law has an important role to play in political reform. Carefully devised changes in law can help to discourage wrong political practices and encourage good ones. Eg. RTI. Such legal reforms are to be carried out mainly by political activists, parties, movements, and politically conscious citizens.

2. Any legal change must carefully look at what results it will have on politics. Sometimes the results may be counter-productive.

3.Reform through ‘Political Practices’: Democratic reforms are to be brought about principally through political practice. The most important concern should be to increase and improve the quality of political participation by ordinary citizens.

4. Any proposal for political reforms should think not only about what is a good solution but also about who will implement it and how. Reform measures that rely on democratic movements, citizens’ organisations and the media are likely to succeed in reforming political system. The main focus of political reforms should be on ways to strengthen democratic practices.

 

Question. Analyse the Legal ways of reforming political system.
OR

Answer. Reforms through Legal Ways:-. Law has an important role to play in political reform. But legal-constitutional changes by themselves cannot overcome challenges to democracy. Any legal change must carefully look at what results it will have on politics. Sometimes the results may be counter-productive. For example, many states have banned people who have more than two children from contesting Panchayat elections. This has resulted in denial of democratic opportunity to many poor and women, which was not intended. The best laws are those, which empower people to carry out democratic reforms.’The Right to Information Act’ is a good example of a law that empowers the people to find out what is happening in government and act as watchdogs of democracy. Such a law helps to control corruption and supplements the existing laws that banned corruption and imposed strict penalties.

 

Question. Why do challenges arise in a democracy?

Answer.
1. Election of illiterate, incapable and corrupt representatives.

2. Poverty, inequality and discrimination.

3. Improper working of democratic institutions.

4. Lack of public participation in democratic process.

5. Rising influence of corruption in society and politics.