Important Questions for Chapter 1 Power Sharing Class 10 Political Science
Important Questions1
What is the state religion of Sri Lanka?
Answer
Buddhism is the state religion of Sri Lanka.
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2
Which measure adopted by the democratically elected government to establish Sinhala supremacy?
Answer
Majoritarian measure was adopted by the democratically elected government to establish Sinhala supremacy.
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3
What is meant by ‘vertical division of power’?
Answer
The division of powers between higher and lower levels of government is called vertical division of power.
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4
Which community was rich in Belgium?
Answer
The minority French-speaking community was rich in Belgium.
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5
Which system of power sharing called, ‘Checks and Balances’?
Answer
Horizontal distribution of power sharing is called system of ‘Checks and Balances’.
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6
Who elects the community government in Belgium?
Answer
The ‘community government’ is elected by people belonging to one language community – Dutch, French and German-speaking – no matter where they live.
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7
Why power sharing is good for democracies?
Answer
Power sharing is good for democracies because it reduces the possibility of conflict between social groups.
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8
What type of powers does the community government of Belgium enjoy?
Answer
The community government of Belgium has the power regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues.
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9
‘Sri Lankan Tamil’ refers to which social group?
Answer
‘Sri Lankan Tamil’ refers to Tamil Native of the country.
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10
Which city was chosen as its headquarters when European Union was formed?
Answer
When many countries of Europe came together to form the European Union, Brussels was chosen as its headquarters.
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11
When did Sri Lanka gain independence?
Answer
Sri Lanka gain independence in 1948.
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12
Which is the only official language of Sri Lanka?
Answer
Sinhala is the only official language of Sri Lanka.
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13
Why power sharing is desirable?
Answer
Power sharing is desirable because it helps to reduce possibilities of conflicts.
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14
In which countries the participation of women in public life is very high?
Answer
Scandinavian countries.
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15
How many times was the Belgium Constitution amended between 1970 and 1993?
Answer
Four times.
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16
Which group of countries surrounds Belgium?
Answer
Germany, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
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17
How and when was Sinhala recognized as the official language of Sri Lanka?
Answer
By passing an Act in 1956.
VSAQ
1
Power sharing is the true spirit of democracy. Justify this statement.
Answer
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 effects.
• People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed. A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system.
• It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.
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2
Describe any three forms of power sharing in modern democracies.
Answer
Three forms of power sharing with examples:
• Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature, executive and judiciary.
• Power can be shared among governments at different levels – a general government for the entire country and governments at the provincial or regional level.
• Power may also be shared among different social groups such as the religious and linguistic groups. ‘Community government’ in Belgium is a good example of this arrangement.
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3
‘Both Belgium and Sri Lanka are democracies but they follow different systems of power sharing’. Support the statement by giving three points of difference.
Answer
• In Belgium, communities have equal share in the government while in Sri Lanka leaders of the Sinhala community sought to secure dominance over government by virtue of their majority.
• In Belgium, there is provision of special government called ‘Community government’ to look after cultural, educational and language-related issues while In Sri Lanka, none of the major political parties led by the Buddhist Sinhala leaders was sensitive to language and culture of Tamils.
• In Belgium, there is no discrimination between various religions while In Sri Lanka, Buddhism is the official religion of the country.
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4
Write one prudential and one moral reason for power sharing.
Answer
• Prudential reason for power sharing: Power sharing reduces social conflicts among social groups with different interests and aspirations. Social conflicts lead to violence and instability. Power sharing ensures the stability of political order.
• Moral reason for power sharing: Power sharing is the very spirit and essence of democracy. Democracy involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have to live with its effects. People have the right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.
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5
What is power sharing? Why power sharing is important in a democracy?
Answer
When the power of government is shared between the various organs or levels rather than in one hand, it is called power sharing.
Power sharing is important in a democracy because:
• It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups.
• It is the very spirit of democracy.
• It is a good way to ensure the stability of the political order.
SAQ
1
Describe the different forms of power-sharing in modern democracies. Give an example of each of these.
Answer
In modern democracies, power-sharing arrangements can have many forms –
• Among different organs of government : Power is shared among the legislature, executive and judiciary. This is called horizontal distribution of power because it allows the three organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers. Each organ checks the others thus no organ can exercise unlimited power.
• Among governments at different levels : Here power is shared among governments at the provincial or regional level and a general government for the entire country, called Federal Government. In India, we call it Central or Union Government. In India, the government at the provincial level is called State government. The Constitution clearly lays down powers of different levels of government. The third level of government is called municipality and panchayat. This arrangement is called vertical division of power.
• Among different social groups: Power may also be shared among different social groups, such as the religious and linguistic groups. For example, Community Government in Belgium. In India, weaker sections of society have ‘reserved constituencies’ in Assemblies and the Parliament. They also have ‘reserved seats’ in government jobs.
• Among political parties, pressure groups and movements: Power is shared among various political parties that represent different ideologies and social groups. Interest groups such as those of traders, businessmen, industrialists, farmers and individual workers also have share in governmental power, either through participation in governmental committees or bringing influence on the decision making process.
LAQ
2
What is majoritarianism? How has it increased the feelings of alienation among Sri Lankan Tamils? Explain with examples.
Answer
‘Majoritarianism’ refers to the policy of domination over minority, just by the virtue of being in majority.
In Sri Lanka, it has led to the feelings of alienation among the Tamils. They feel that none of the major political parties, led by Buddhist Sinhala leaders are sensitive to their language and culture. According to them, the Constitution and the government policies have denied them equal political rights and discriminated against them in getting jobs and other opportunities and ignored their interests.
This alienation among the Tamils is due to the following reasons:
• In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil.
• The government framed policies favouring Sinhala people for government jobs.
• The new Constitution specified that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.
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