ASSIGNMENT

1) Discuss briefly ‘Majoritarianism’ in Sri Lanka. OR

Why did the relationship between Sinhala and the Tamil strain over time?
2) What were the demands of the Tamils in Sri Lanka? What did they do when their demands were denied?
3) The Belgian power-sharing model is very complicated but has worked well so far. Discuss.
4) Why is power sharing necessary? (PRUDENTIAL AND MORAL REASON) (V. IMP)
5) In a modern democracy, power is shared among the different organs of the government. Discuss
6) ‘In modern democracies, power is shared among governments at different levels.’ Comment.
7) Illustrate with examples the mechanism of power sharing among various political parties, pressure groups, and
movements.
8) Distinguish between Horizontal division of power and vertical division of power.
9) ‘In modern democracies, power-sharing arrangements can take many forms’ Discuss.
(ALL FOUR FORMS OF POWER SHARING ARE TO BE DISCUSSED)
10) Define federalism, decentralisation, and coalition government.
11) State the key features of federalism.
12) Discuss the two routes of federalism.
13) Discuss how language policy has strengthened federalism in India.
14) What are the advantages of decentralisation of power?
15) State the differences between the local government before and after the constitutional amendment in 1992.
16) What makes India a federal country?
17) State the various functions political parties perform in a democracy. OR
‘Political parties play an important role in a democracy’. Discuss.
18) Describe different types of the party system.
19) How can political parties be reformed?
20) Suggest some reforms to strengthen parties so that they perform functions well.
21) What is a national party? OR What criterion has been laid by the Election Commission for a party to be known as a
national party? Name the National parties of India. Give their features.
(MOST IMP- INC AND BJP)
22) What is a political party? What are its characteristics?
23) “Political parties involve partisanship”. Explain.
24) Why is democracy better than other forms of government?
25) How does democracy produce an accountable, responsive, and legitimate government?
26) Compare the democratic and non-democratic governments in regard to decision-making.
27) Why is democracy considered much superior to any other form of government in promoting the dignity and
freedom of individuals?
28) Why do people prefer a democratic form of government over a non-democratic form of government?
29) What do you understand by the indicators of development?
30) What is meant by economic development? Enlist the indicators of development. OR
What are the two basis of measuring the economic development of a country?
31) Mention the main criteria used by the World Bank in classifying different countries. Give examples.
32) What do you understand by human development?
33) Why do we use averages? Are there any limitations to their use?
34) “The earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the greed of even one person”
Discuss this statement.
35) “People have different development goals.” Justify.
36) What is sustainable development? What can be done to achieve sustainability in development? Why is it important?
37) What do you mean by public facilities? Why are they important?
38) Which factors other than income are important aspects of our life? Explain.
39) Explain the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors.
Explain the three sectors of economic activities with examples.
40) In what way can employment be increased in urban areas?
41) Write the three provisions or NREGA. What is the main objective of NREGA-2005
42) Distinguish between organized and unorganised sectors.
43) Compare the employment conditions prevailing in organized and unorganised sectors.
44) The service sector in India employs different kinds of people. Who are these different types? Explain with
examples.
45) ‘Tertiary sector is playing a significant role in the development of the Indian economy.’ Do you agree? Give reasons
in support of the answer.
46) Compare and contrast the activities and functions of private and public sectors.
47) Differentiate between sectors based on ownership.
48) Distinguish between open unemployment and disguised unemployment.
49) In what ways can employment be generated in rural areas?
50) Why is the tertiary sector becoming more important in India?
51) Explain the reasons for the emergence of the tertiary sector as the largest producing sector in India.
52) List the factors MNCs consider for setting up their production units in different countries.
53) How do MNCs set up their production units in other countries?
54) How is the production in widely dispersed locations getting interlinked through MNCs?
55) ‘Foreign trade results in connecting the markets or integration of markets in different countries’. Explain.
56) Name the Indian companies that have emerged as MNCs. Should more Indian companies emerge as MNCs? How
would it benefit the people in the country?
57) Enumerate the features of MNCs.
58) Describe the steps that may be taken by the government to make globalisation fairer.
59) Write a short note on WTO.
60) What is liberalisation? How has the liberalisation of foreign trade and investment policies helped the globalisation
process?
61) What does liberalisation imply in the Indian context?
62) “The impact of globalisation has not been uniform”. List the positive and negative impacts.
63) What steps are taken by the government of India to attract Foreign Investment?
64) Describe the steps that may be taken by the government to make globalisation fairer.
65) What are MNCs or multinational corporations?
66) What are the various ways by which people may be exploited in the market?
67) Why is there a need for consumer protection? OR Why are rules and regulations required in the marketplace?
68) Explain factors that cause exploitation of the consumers.
69) What factors gave birth to the consumer movement in India?
70) What is Consumers International?
71) Write a note on the Consumer Protection Act 1986?
72) What legal measures were taken by the government to empower consumers in India?
73) What do you mean by standardization of products?
74) Explain the Rights of a Consumer.
75) Critically examine the progress of the consumer movement in India.
76) What is proto-industrialisation?
77) In the proto-industrialisation period, why was it difficult for the new merchants to set up business in towns?
OR
Why did the merchants move to the countryside to set up their businesses?
78) Why did the poor peasants and artisans agree to work for the merchants?
79) The production of cotton boomed in the late 19th century in Britain. Give reasons.
80) ‘New technology did not spread dramatically across the industrial landscape’. Why? OR
Why was the new technology slow to be accepted by the British?
81) Why did some industrialists in 19th-century Europe prefer hand labor over machines?
82) Describe the life of workers in England during the late 19th century.
83) How did the East India Company procure regular supplies of cotton and silk from Indian weavers? Why were there
clashes between gomasthas and weavers?
84) What were the peculiarities of proto-industrialisation? Explain the implications of the First World War on the
growth of industrialisation in India.
85) Advertisements have played an important part in expanding the product market and shaping a new consumer culture
from the beginning of the industrial age. Explain. OR
Explain the innovative tactics adopted by the British to increase the sale of British goods in India.
86) Where did print technology develop first? How did they carry it out?
87) In the late 19th century there was a gradual shift from hand printing to mechanical printing in China. Discuss.
88) Why did the demand for manuscripts decline in Europe? OR
Why did the print material replace the manuscripts?
89) Who was Gutenberg? How did he develop the printing press?
90) What was the print revolution? What were its impacts?
91) Why did some people fear the effect of easily available printed books?
92) Why did the Roman Church begin to maintain an Index of Prohibited Books from 1558?
 93) ‘As Literacy and Schools spread in European countries, there was a virtual reading mania.’ Discuss.
94) Print Culture created the conditions within which the French revolution occurred. Explain.
95) “The 19th century Europe had a large number of readers”. Discuss.
96) Who was Ulama? What did they fear? What did they do to counter their fear?
97) What did the spread of Print Culture in 19th-century India mean to the poor and the reformers?
98) Explain how print culture assisted the growth of nationalism in India.
99) Why did some people in the 18th century think that print culture would bring enlightenment and end despotism?
100) ‘Vernacular Press Act was passed in 1878 and modeled on Irish Press Law’. State any three repressive
measures taken by it.
101) Briefly trace the process of :
a) German Unification
b) Italian Unification
102) Classify the resources.
103) What is sustainable development? What can be done to achieve sustainability in development? Why is it
important?
104) What do you mean by conservation of resources? Why it is necessary?
105) What is land degradation? State the human activities which are responsible for the degradation of land.
106) Explain any 3 measures of conservation of resources.
107) State the measures adopted to control land degradation.
108) What is soil? Why is it important?
109) List the factors which help in the formation of soil.
110) Differentiate between the two types of alluvial soil depending on the size of the grain and age.
111) List the type of soil erosion.
112) What is soil erosion? How is it caused?
113) State the methods to conserve soil.
114) What is water scarcity and what are its main causes?
115) Give reasons for water scarcity in post-independent India.
116) Write a note on the Narmada Bachao Andolan.
117) Why do we need to conserve and manage our water resources?
118) What is a multipurpose project? What are the objectives of a multipurpose project?
119) Why are dams called multipurpose projects?
120) What are the advantages of the multipurpose project? (MOST IMP)
121) Why have multipurpose projects recently been opposed?
122) What are the disadvantages of multipurpose projects? (MOST IMP)
123) Describe how modern adaptations of traditional rainwater harvesting methods are being carried out to
conserve and store water. (MOST IMP)
124) Describe the traditional method of rainwater harvesting.
Note: TECHNOLOGICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS - MOST IMPORTANT
125) What are minerals?
126) Give the classification of minerals.
127) Distinguished between ferrous and non-ferrous minerals.
128) Distinguish between metallic and non-metallic minerals.
129) What is the mode of occurrence of minerals? OR Explain the various forms in which minerals occur.
130) Distinguish between two types of high-grade iron.
131) Why are minerals important?
132) Why do we need to conserve mineral resources?
133) Why is mineral conservation essential for sustainable development?
134) How can minerals be conserved?
135) What are energy resources? Why do we need energy?
136) How is coal formed? What is the utility of coal? Give the classification of coal.
137) Distinguish between conventional and non-conventional sources of energy.
138) List the uses of petroleum.
139) Why is there a need to use renewable sources of energy or non-conventional source of energy?
140) What is the importance of manufacturing industries?
141) How do agriculture and industry go hand in hand?
142) Explain the factors that affect an industry’s location in a particular area. OR
What is an ideal location for an industry?
143) On what basis can we classify industries?
144) Why does the textile industry occupy a unique position in the Indian economy?
145) Where is the cotton industry located in India and why?
146) Where are jute mills located in India and why?
147) Why are the sugar mills in India shifting from north to south?
148) What are the major challenges faced by the sugar industry of India?
149) Why is the basic or key industry the iron and steel industry?
150) How do industries pollute the environment? What are the effects of different types of pollution on humans?
151) How can we reduce industrial pollution?
152) Discuss the steps to be taken to minimise environmental degradation by industry.