Political Processes in India Questions and Answers

Answer: A

The correct match is a-1, b-3, c-4, d-2.

• Communist Party of India (Marxist): formed in 1964 after a split in the CPI (1).
• Communist Party of India: founded in 1925 at Kanpur (3).
• Bahujan Samaj Party: founded by Kanshi Ram in 1984 (4).
• All India Trinamool Congress: founded by Mamata Banerjee in 1998 (2).

The other codes swap the two communist parties or the BSP and TMC.

Answer: A

The keyed answer is Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct reason for (A).

The Constitution recognises every person as equal before law, but in practice some people, because of wealth, caste, gender or power, still enjoy more privileges and fairer treatment than others. In this sense some Indians are 'more equal than others', so the assertion is true.

The reason explains why: the ideals of equality and justice set out in the Constitution have not yet been fully realised in society. The gap between those ideals and reality is what allows such inequality to persist. Options denying either statement or the link are wrong.

Answer: C

Only statement B is correct, so the answer is Only (B).

Reservation in legislatures and government jobs was provided for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to compensate for years of historical suppression and educational deprivation. It is a means of moving towards equality for groups that were denied access to education, land and public life for generations.

Statement A misstates the purpose: reservation is not a reward for low marks but a remedy for long-standing social disadvantage. Statement C is not a constitutional purpose either; appeasing voters or creating vote banks is not why the Constitution makes these provisions. So options including A or C are wrong.

Answer: B

Both (A) and (B) are true.

Statement A is true. A democratic society has to balance the rights of individuals against their responsibilities to society, and conflicts between the two, for example free expression against public order, are among the main challenges democracies face today.

Statement B is also true. In a social science classroom, a conflict-resolution approach lets students examine such a problem from the points of view of the people involved, debate it and look for fair solutions. It is a way to engage them actively in studying the problems of democracy. Since neither statement is false, the other three options are wrong.

Answer: C

A party gains a majority by winning more than half of the constituencies in a State.

In an election to a State Legislative Assembly, each constituency elects one member. A party, or a group of parties, that wins more than half the seats has a majority in the Assembly and can form the government. For example, in an Assembly of 200 seats a party needs at least 101.

The other options misstate the rule. Winning only the large or the 'important' constituencies does not matter, because every seat counts the same; and one-fourth of the seats is far short of the majority needed to form a government.

Answer: A

The answer is approximately 1,50,000 trees that are required to be cut to make ballot papers for every general election.

Since 2004 India has used Electronic Voting Machines in place of paper ballots in every general election. The figure in this option is the one the school civics account gives for the saving: about 1,50,000 trees that would otherwise be cut down to make the paper for printing ballot papers.

The other options are not what EVMs mainly save. They do not reduce the effort of local people, voting itself takes about as long, and they have nothing to do with money passed illegally to buy votes, which is a matter of election law and its enforcement, not of how votes are recorded.

Answer: B

Statements A, B and C are true, so the answer is A, B and C.

'Women are emotional' fixes one image on every woman, which is a classic gender stereotype (A). The ideas of purity and pollution are central to the caste system, used to rank castes and to justify untouchability (B). 'English is a superior language' judges others negatively without good reason, which is what a prejudice is (C).

Statement D is false. Respect for many religions living side by side is one of the main features of India's diversity, so its recognition is a feature of diversity. Options containing D, and the narrower 'Only B' and 'Only A', are wrong.

Answer: D

An appropriate way is to teach their history in schools.

Marginalisation means being pushed to the edge of society, without full participation or recognition. Teaching Adivasi history in schools recognises their communities, their knowledge and their struggles, such as the resistance led by Birsa Munda, and counters the stereotypes that feed exclusion.

The other options would deepen marginalisation. Asking Adivasis to migrate to cities uproots them from their land and forests. Showing their culture as exotic in the media turns them into a spectacle and reinforces stereotypes. Asking them to adapt to the majority's ways of living denies the value of their own culture.

Answer: C

The Act protects Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, so the answer is Only C and D.

The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 was passed in response to demands from Dalit and Adivasi groups. It lists forms of humiliation and violence against members of these communities, makes them punishable offences, and provides for special courts.

Minorities and women are protected by other laws and constitutional provisions, but this Act covers only Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, as its full title says. So options naming minorities or women are wrong.

Answer: C

The correct roles are A and C, so the answer is Only A and C.

In a democracy the media should give citizens information through the news (A) and present a balanced picture by discussing the views of all sections of society (C), so that people can form their own opinions and hold the government to account. The NCERT chapter on media calls a balanced report one that discusses all points of view of a story.

B is wrong: news programmes are not meant to carry an advertiser's point of view. The NCERT text warns that the media's dependence on business and advertising can bias news, which is a problem, not a role. Every option containing B is therefore wrong.