CBSE Class 10 Social Science Power Sharing Worksheet Set D

ONE MARK QUESTIONS

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. Which religion is followed by majority of Sinhala speaking people?
Answer : Buddhism

Question. What does the system of ‘checks and balances’ ensure in power sharing?
Answer : That none of the organs of the government can exercise unlimited power.

Question. Which type of powers does the Community Government of Belgium enjoy?
Answer : This government has the power regarding culture, education and language related issues.

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

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

Question. What is the prudential reason behind power sharing.
or
Why power sharing is good for democracies?
Answer : It reduces the possibility of conflict between social groups.

Question. What measure was adopted by the democratically elected government of Sri Lanka to establish Sinhala supremacy?
Answer : Majoritarian measure.

Question. Which community in Belgium is relatively rich and powerful?
Answer : French Speaking

Question. Which type of government was adopted in Sri Lanka to maintain the dominance of Sinhala community?
Answer : Majoritarianism

Question. Which government in Belgium deals with issues related to education and culture?
Answer : Community Government

Question. Where is the headquarter of the European Union?
Answer : Brussels

Question. Rewrite the statement after correcting the underlined phrase.
In 1956, an Act was passed to recognize Tamil as the only official Language in Sri Lanka.
Answer : Sinhala

Question. Which two main languages are spoken in Belgium?
Answer : Dutch and French

Question. Which is the official religion of Sri Lanka?
Answer : Buddhism

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

Question. Which language is spoken by the people of Wallonia region of Belgium?
Answer : French

 Question. Mention any one characteristics of power sharing.
Answer : It gives the people right to be consulted or any other characteristics.

THREE MARKS QUESTIONS

Question. Describe the power sharing arrangement made byBelgium.
or
Explain any three elements of the Belgium model of power sharing.
Answer : The main elements of the Belgium model of power sharing includes:
a. Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the Central Government. Some special laws require the support of majority of members from each linguistic group. Thus, no single community can make decisions unilaterally.
b. Many powers of the Central Government have been given to State Governments of the two regions of the country. The State Governments are not subordinate to the Central Government.
c. Brussels had a separate government in which both the communities have equal representation. The French speaking people accepted equal representation in Brussels because the Dutch- speaking community has accepted equal representation in the Central Government.

Question. Explain any three consequences of the majoritarian policies adopted by the Sri Lankan government.
Answer : Consequences of majoritariari policies adopted by Sri Lankan Government.
a. Tamils felt the government was not sensitive about Tamil language and culture.
b. Tamils felt discriminated against in jobs and education.
c. Tamils felt the government was practising religious discrimination.
d. Relations between Tamils and Sinhalese became strained.

Question. In modern democracies, power is often shared among different organs of the government. Explain.
Answer : Power is shared between different organs of the government such as Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. This system of power sharing is referred to as a system of‘checks and balances’ because: All three organs are placed at the same level of power. The power distribution ensures that no organ enjoys unlimited powers. Each organ exercises a check on the others. Thus there is a balance of power.

Question. Explain how power is shared among different organs of the government.
Answer : Power is shared among different organs of government i.e., Legislature, Executive and Judiciary
a. Legislature: The legislature is concerned with passing the laws, controlling the finances of the state and delivering on matter of public importance.
b. Executive: The executive machinery implements the policies of the government and executes the rules made by the legislature bodies.
c. Judiciary: The judiciary is concerned with the interpretation of the laws and has the power to punish those who commit crimes or break the laws. The judiciary can also check the functioning of the executives.

Question. “Sharing of powers makes a country more powerful and united.” Do you agree with this statement and why?
or
“Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy”. Justify this statement with three suitable points.
or
How far do you agree with the statement that power sharing is keeping with the “Spirit” of democracy?
Answer : Power sharing keeps up with the ‘Spirit’ of Democracy as:
a. Power sharing ensures that all people have stake in government.
b. Power sharing ensures maximum participation. It upholds the concept of people’s rule. It always brings better outcomes in democracy. It ensures the political stability in democracy.
c. Power sharing accommodates diverse groups. It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.

Question. Describe any three majoritarian measures adopted by the Sri Lankan Government to establish Sinhala supremacy.
or
Describe any three provisions of the Act which was passed in Sri Lanka in 1956 to establish Sinhala supremacy.
or
Why did the Sri Lankan Tamils feel alienated in spite of their long stay in Sri Lanka?
or
Explain three measures taken by Sri Lanka, according to an Act passed in 1956.
or
Which three provisions of the Act passed in Sri Lanka in 1956 established Sinhala supremacy?
or
Why Sri Lankan Tamils felt alienated?
or
What were the reasons for the alienation of Sri Lankan Tamils? What was the effect of this on the country?
Answer : Sri Lankan Tamils felt alienated because:
1. Government adopted majoritarian measure to establish Sinhala Supremacy. In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language thus disregarding Tamil.
2. The governments followed preferential politics that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.
3. A new Constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.
4. Sri Lankan Tamils felt that none of the major political parties led by the Buddhist Sinhala leaders were sensitive to their language and culture.
5. As a result, the relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities strained overtime and it soon turned into a Civil War.

Question. Mention any three demands of Sri Lankan Tamils.
Answer : Demands of the Tamils:
1. Recognition of Tamil as an official language.
2. Equal opportunities for Tamils in government jobs and educational institutions.
3. Provincial autonomy for Tamil dominated provinces.

Question. How can power be shared among governments at different levels? Explain.
or
Explain the vertical division of power giving example from India.
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:
a. For the entire country: Central Government/ Union Government.
b. At the provincial level: State Governments.
c. At the local level (i.e., rural and urban): Local self governments like panchayats and municipal councils.

Question. Explain any three consequences of the majoritarian policies adopted by the Sri Lankan Government.
Answer : Consequences of majoritarian policies adopted by Sri Lankan Government were:
a. Tamils felt the government was not sensitive about
Tamil language and culture because Sinhala was declared the official language.
b. Tamils felt discriminated against securing jobs and education which were given preferentially to the Sinhala speakers.
c. Tamils felt the government was practising religious discrimination because the State fostered Buddhism. Relations between Tamils and Sinhalese became strained.

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.
a. 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 Community Government. They followed a policy of accommodation.
b. This helped to avoid civic strife and division of the country on linguistic lines.
c. On the other hand, the Sinhalese who were in majority in Sri Lanka as compared to the Tamils followed a policy of majoritarianism 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. What is power sharing? Why power sharing is important in a 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. Give reasons why power sharing is desirable.
or
Why power sharing is necessary in democracy? Explain.
or
Write one prudential and one moral reason for power sharing.
or
Why is power sharing desirable? Explain moral reasons in this regard.
or
Why power sharing is desirable? Explain giving any three prudential reasons.
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 majority community 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.

FIVE MARKS QUESTIONS

Question. How majoritarianism has increased the feeling of alienation among the Sri Lankan Tamils? Explain.
Answer : Sri Lankan Tamils felt alienated because:
1. Government adopted majoritarian measure to establish Sinhala Supremacy. In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only , official language thus disregarding Tamil.
2. The governments followed preferential politics that favoured Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.
3. A new Constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.
4. Sri Lankan Tamils felt that none of the major political parties led by the Buddhist Sinhala leaders were sensitive to their language and culture.
5. As a result, the relations between the Sinhala and Tamil communities strained overtime and it soon turned into a Civil War.

Question. Explain how Belgium was able to solve its ethnic problem.
or
Explain the power sharing arrangement in Belgium.
or
State the main elements of the power sharing model evolved in Belgium.
Answer : The main elements of the power-sharing model evolved in Belgium were:
1. Constitution prescribes that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the Central Government. Some special laws require the support of majority of members from each linguistic group. Thus, no single community can make decisions unilaterally.
2. Many powers of the Central Government have been given to State Governments of the two regions of the country. The State Governments are not subordinated to the Central Government.
3. Brussels had a separate government in which both the communities have equal representation. The French- speaking people accepted equal representation in Brussels because the Dutch speaking community has accepted equal representation in the Central Government.
4. Apart from the central and the state government, there is a third kind of government called the Community Government.
5. This community government is elected by people belonging to one language community—Dutch, French and German-speaking. This government has the power regarding cultural, educational and language related issues.

SOURCE BASED QUESTIONS

Read the extracts and answer the following questions.
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 power 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. One basic principle of democracy is that people are the source of all political power. In a democracy, people rule themselves through institutions of self-government. In a good democratic government, due respect is given to diverse groups and views that exist in a society.

Question. What is the basic principle of Democracy?
Answer : People are the source of all political power.

Question. Why did idea of power sharing emerge?
Answer : In opposition to the notions of undivided political power.

Question. ‘It would not be possible to take quick decisions and to enforce them in Democracy.’ Do you agree with the statement? Give argument in favour of your answer.
Answer : No, It is possible to take quick decisions and to enforce them in Democracy.