POLITICAL SCIENCE QUESTIONS
CHAPTER: POLITICAL THEORY
Q1. What is the meaning of Political Theory?
Ans.
1. Political theory is the study of certain values and principles that have inspired people and
guided policies, such as democracy, Freedom, or Equality.
2. It clarifies the existing definitions of these concepts by focusing on some major political
thinkers of the past and present. It also examines the extent to which Freedom and
Equality are present.
Q2. What is the relevance of Political Theory?
Ans.
1. This is because issues concerning freedom, equality, and democracy arise in many areas
of social life and they are being implemented in different sectors at different paces. For
instance, although equality may exist in the political sphere in the form of equal rights, it
may not exist to the same extent in the economic or social spheres.
2. Secondly, though freedom is guaranteed in our Constitution, we encounter new
interpretations all the time. The fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution are
continually being reinterpreted in response to new circumstances. For instance, the right
to life has been interpreted by the Courts to include the right to livelihood. The right to
information has been granted through a new law.
3. Thirdly, as our world changes, we may discover new dimensions of freedom as well as
new threats to freedom. For instance, global communications technology is making it
easier for activists to network with one another across the world to protect tribal cultures
or forests. But it also enables terrorists and criminals to network. So even though
netizens (citizens of the internet) do not like government control, they recognise that
some form of regulation is necessary to safeguard individual security and privacy.
Therefore, Political theory has a lot to teach us about possible answers to these questions and is
therefore very relevant.
Q3. What is Politics?
Ans.
1. No society can exist without some form of political organisation and collective
decision-making. A society that wants to sustain itself needs to take into account the
multiple needs and interests of its members.
2. We form associations and organise campaigns to articulate our demands. We negotiate
with others and try to shape the goals that governments pursue. When we disagree with
the policies of the government, we protest and organise demonstrations to persuade the
government to change the existing laws.
3. Politics arises from the fact that we have different visions of what is just and desirable for
us and our society. It involves the multiple negotiations that go on in society through
which collective decisions are made. At one level, it involves what governments do and
how they relate to the aspirations of the people; at another level, it involves how people
struggle and influence decision-making.
Q4. Is politics more than what politicians do?
Ans.
1. We need to realise that politics is an important and integral part of any society.
Mahatma Gandhi once observed that politics envelops us like the coils of a snake and
there is no other way out but to wrestle with it.
2. Many social institutions such as the family, tribes and economic institutions, have
emerged to help people fulfil their needs and aspirations. Such institutions help us find
ways of living together acknowledging our obligations to each other. Among such
institutions, governments play an important part. How governments are formed and how
they function is thus an important focus of politics.
3. Since the actions of the government affect us deeply, we take a lively interest in what
governments do. We form associations and organise campaigns to articulate our
demands. We negotiate with others and try to shape the goals that governments pursue.
When we disagree with the policies of the government, we protest and organise
demonstrations to persuade the government to change the existing laws.