Excellent Commerce Academy

Political Science
Time – 90 minutes M.M. - 50

Note:
All questions are compulsory.
Question 1 to 9 carry 1 marks each.
Question 10 to 13 carry 2 marks each.
Question 14 to 18 carry 3 marks each.
Question 19 and 20 carry 4 marks each.
Question 21 and 22 carry 5 marks each.

1. Which one of the following options prove that India is a quasi-federal state? [1]

i. More powers with Centre

ii. Residuary subjects with Centre
iii. Equal subjects with Centre and States
iv. Currency and Railways with Centre

a) ii, iii and iv

b) i, iii and iv
c) i, ii and iv
d) i, ii and iii

2. Which of the following statements reflects a lack of internal democracy within a political party? [1]

Statement i: Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organizational meetings.
Statement ii: They fail to conduct internal elections regularly.
Statement iii: Top party leaders assume greater powers and make all the major decisions in the name of
the party.
Statement iv: The opinions of those who disagree with the leadership are considered and given due
importance.

a) Statement i and ii are right.

b) Statement iii is right.
c) Statement i, ii and iii are right.
d) Only statement iv is right.

3. In India, the third tier of the government is called: [1]

a) Official or Public
b) Union or Central
c) Panchayat or Municipality
d) Provincial or State

4. Which of the following statements reflects a lack of internal democracy within a political party? [1]

Statement i: Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings.
Statement ii: They fail to conduct internal elections regularly.
Statement iii: Top party leaders assume greater powers and make all the major decisions in the name of
the party.
Statement iv: The opinions of those who disagree with the leadership are considered and given due
importance.

a) Statement i and ii are right.

b) Statement iii is right.
c) Statement i, ii and iii are right.
d) Only statement iv is right.
5. Assertion (A): Dictatorship is a better form of government.
Reason (R): Democracy is legitimate, accountable, responsive, promotes equality among citizens,
enhances the dignity of the individual.
a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct
explanation of A.
b) Both A and R are true but R is not the
correct explanation of A.
c) A is true but R is false.
d) A is false but R is true.

6. Legislative – Executive – Judiciary

Which system of power sharing is indicated above?

a) Residuary Power Sharing

b) Vertical Power Sharing
c) Concurrent Power Sharing
d) Horizontal Power Sharing

7. ________ list contains subjects of local importance.

a) State
b) Residuary
c) Union
d) Concurrent

8. Assertion (A): If democracies are expected to produce good governments, then is it not fair to expect
that they would also produce development.
Reason (R): Evidence shows that in practice ,many democracies did not fulfil this expectation.
a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
c) A is true but R is false.
d) A is false but R is true.

9. Municipalities are set up in:

a) towns
b) states
c) villages
d) districts

10. Name any two subjects that are included in Concurrent List. How are laws made on these subjects?
Explain.

11. How is casteism harmful to the democratic ideals?

12. Explain any three steps taken by the Belgium government to accommodate regional differences.

13. Democracies are based on political equality. Examine the statement.

14. Democracy is attentive to the needs and demands of the people. Justify the statement.

15. Analyse the outcomes of democracies in terms of economic growth and development.

16. Explain the ways in which democracy can be refined to make democracy more effective.

17. Women in India still face discrimination in various ways. Explain with examples.

18. Mention ant three features of securalism described in the Indian Constitution.
19. Read the following text carefully and answer the questions that follow:

Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country in 1948. The leaders of the Sinhala community sought to
secure dominance over the government by virtue of their majority. As a result, the democratically
elected government adopted a series of Majoritarian measures to establish Sinhala supremacy. 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.
i. What is the predominant religion in Sri Lanka? (1)
ii. What was the main objective of the Sinhala leaders in Sri Lanka after independence? (1)
iii. How did the majoritarianism policy affect the Sri Lankan Tamils, and what were their main
grievances? (2)

20. Read the following source and answer the questions that follow:
Panchayati Raj
"We need to give more power to the panchayats to realise the dream of Mahatma Gandhi and the
hopes of the makers of our Constitution, Panchayati Raj establishes true democracy. It restores power
to the only place where power belongs in a democracy - in the hands of the people. Giving power to
Panchayats is also a way to reduce corruption and increase administrative efficiency. When people
participate in the planning and implementation of developmental schemes, they would naturally
exercise greater control over these schemes. This would eliminate the corrupt middlemen. Thus,
Panchayati Raj will strengthen the foundations of our democracy."
i. How does giving power to Panchayats relate to the vision of Mahatma Gandhi? (1)
ii. Explain the primary objective of giving power to the Panchayats. (1)
iii. How does the establishment of Panchayati Raj contribute to democracy? Explain. (2)

21. All over the world, people express their dissatisfaction with the failure of political parties to perform
their functions well. Analyse the statement with arguments.
OR
Political parties need to face certain challenges in order to remain effective instruments of democracy.
Explain the statement with examples.

22. Define the two-party system. Explain its advantages and disadvantages.
OR
Describe any five major functions of political parties performed in a democracy.