Power Sharing For Class 10 Civics Important Questions
Q 1 – Which one of the following countries does not share its boundary with Belgium?
a) France
b) Netherlands
c) Sweden
d) Luxembourg
Ans- c) Sweden
Q 2 – Why did the Sri Lankan Tamils launch parties and struggle?
a) to adopt majoritarianism
b) to recognise Sinhalese as the only official language
c) to recognise Tamil as an official language
d) to dominate other language
Ans – (c) to recognise Tamil as an official language
Q 3 – Which of the following is not a federal country?
a) Malaysia
b) USA
c) Belgium
d) India
Ans- a) Malaysia
Q 4 – How many people speak French and Dutch in the capital city of Brussels?
a) 80% French 20% Dutch
b) 50% Dutch 50% French
c) 60 percent French 40 percent Dutch
d) 80% Dutch 20% French
Ans – d) 80% French 20% Dutch
Q 5 – Why is there a need for a third level of government in India?
a) a large number of problems and issues which are best settled at the local level
b) Indian states are large and internally very diverse
c) a & b
d) none of the above.
Ans – a) a large number of problems and issues which are best settled at the local level.
Q 6 – Which of the following community is in majority in Sri Lanka?
a) Tamil
b) Sinhala
c) Buddhist
d) Hindu
Ans – (b) Sinhala
Q 7 – Which one of the following is correct regarding power-sharing?
A. It leads to conflict between different groups.
B. It ensures the stability of the country.
C. It helps to reduce the conflict between different groups.
a) Only A is true
b) Only B is true
c) Both A and B are true
d) Both B and C are true
Ans – d) Both B and C are true
Q 8 – How many people speak French and Dutch in the capital city of Brussels?
a) 60 percent French 40 percent Dutch
b) 50% Dutch 50% French
c) 80% French 20% Dutch
d) 80% Dutch 20% French
Ans – c) 80% French 20% Dutch
Q 9 – The main significance of Belgium Model of Power Sharing
a) Majoritarianism
b) power shared in all ethnic groups according to their population
c) on the basis of adult franchise
d) none of the above
Ans – (b) power shared in all ethnic groups according to their population
Q 10 – Mention the two major social groups in Sri Lanka.
Ans – The major social groups are: the Sinhala-speakers (74 per cent) and the Tamil-speakers 18 per cent.
Q 11 – Which type of powers does the community government of Belgium enjoy?
Ans – ‘Community government’, is elected by people belonging to one language community — Dutch, French, and German-speaking, and has the power regarding cultural, educational, and language-related issues..
Ans – Sinhala community
Q 13 – How many years after India’s independence did Sri Lanka emerge as an independent country?
Ans- Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country in 1948, one year after India’s Independence.
Q 14 – Why was the Constitution of Belgium amended four times between 1970 and 1993?
Ans – The Constitution of Belgium was amended four times between 1970 and 1993 to work out an arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within the same country.
Q 15 – How is the ethnic composition of Belgium very complex? Explain.
Ans – (1) The ethnic composition of this small country is very complex. The population of this country is of over 10 million people which live in areas of 30,000 sq. km.
(2) This country is linguistically divided into two main languages: Dutch and French.
(3) Its 59 per cent of population live in Flemish region and speak Dutch language and another 40 per cent Belgians speak French. Remaining one per cent of the Belgians speak German. In the capital city 80% people speak French while 20 per cent are Dutch speaking.
Q 16 – Differentiate horizontal and vertical power sharing in modern democracies.
Ans – In modern democracies, power-sharing arrangements can take many forms. The most important are:
(1) Horizontal power-sharing: When power is shared among different organs of government, such as legislature, executive, and judiciary, placed at the same level and exercise different powers, is called horizontal power-sharing. It is also called a system of checks and balances because each organ checks others, to balance power.
(2) Vertical power-sharing: When power is shared among governments at different levels, it is called vertical power-sharing because of the division of power from higher to lower levels. In India, it is the Central or Union Government at the country level and State Governments at provincial levels.
(3) Power-sharing: may also be among different social groups through constitutional and legal arrangements for the representation of socially weaker sections and women in legislatures and administration.
Q 17 – How can the ethnic problems be resolved in Sri Lanka? Suggest any three measures.
Ans – Demands of Sri Lankan Tamils were as follows:
(1)The Constitution and government policies should not deny them equal political rights.
(2) Tamils should not be discriminated against them in getting jobs and other opportunities and ignored their interests.
(3) Tamils should also be an official language.
(4) They should have regional autonomy and equality of opportunity in securing education and jobs.
(5) The trust between the two communities should be restored.
Q 18 – “Both Belgium and Sri Lanka are democracies but they follow different systems of power sharing”. Support the statement by giving three points of difference.
Ans – Difference in power-sharing of Belgium and Sri Lanka:
(1) In Belgium, the government does not follow preferential policies in matters of jobs and education while in Sri Lanka the government follows preferential policies in matters of government jobs and education.
(2) In Belgium, there is a special government called ‘community government’ to look after the cultural, educational and language related issues whereas in Sri Lanka the major political parties are not sensitive to the language and culture of the Tamils.
(3) In Belgium, there is no discrimination between different religions but in Sri Lanka, Buddhism is the official religion.
Q 19 – Do you agree with the statement that power-sharing is keeping with the spirit of democracy? Give reasons.
Ans – (1) The idea of power sharing has emerged in opposition to the notions of undivided political power. It was felt that if the power to decide is dispersed, it would not be possible to *take quick decisions and to enforce them.
(2) Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. One basic principle of democracy is that people are the source of all political power. In a democracy, people rule themselves through institutions of self-governance and due respect is given to diverse groups and views that exist in a society.
(3) A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise, and who have to live with its effects.
(4) People have a right to be consulted on how they are to be governed.
(5) A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquires a stake in the system.
(6) Everyone has a voice in the shaping of public policies. Therefore, it follows that in a democracy political power should be distributed among as many citizens as possible.
Q 20 – Elaborate three features in an Act passed by Sri Lankan Government in 1956.
Ans – 1) The Act was passed to recognize Sinhala as the only official language, thus, disregarding the Tamils.
(2) The government followed preferential policies that favored Sinhala applicants for university positions and government jobs.
(3) The new Constitution stipulated that the State shall protect and foster Buddhism.
Following questions consist of two statements – Assertion (A) and Reason (R) . Answer these questions selecting the appropriate option given below :
(i) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(ii) Both A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation of A.
(iii) A is true but R is false.
(iv) A is false but R is true.
Q 21 – A) Community government in Belgium is elected by people belonging to one language community.
(R) The community government has power regarding language related issues.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.
Ans. (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
Q 22 – (A) Brussels has a separate government in which both the communities have equal representation.
(R) Brussels was chosen as the head quarter of European parliament.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.
Ans. (b) Both A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation of A.
Q 23 – What is the meaning of ethnic ?
Ans.
- Ethnic means a social division based on shared culture.
- People belonging to the same ethnic group believe in their common descent because of similarities of physical type or of culture or both,
- They need not always have the same religion or nationality.
Q 24 – Apart from the central and the state government, what is the other form of government in Belgium ?
Ans. Apart from central and the state government there is a third kind of government viz community government elected by people belonging to one language community – Dutch, French and German-speaking – no matter where they live.
Q 25 – Fill in the blanks:
1. When European countries came together to form the European Union (EU),
__________ was chosen as the headquarters.
2. The _________ distribution of power is also called a system of checks and balances.
3. The Tamil natives of Sri Lanka are known as __________.
4. The religion followed by Sinhala-speaking people in Sri Lanka is __________.
5. Belgium: Dutch-speaking community, Sri Lanka- ___________.
Ans. 1. Brussels
2. Horizontal
3. Sri Lankan Tamils
4. Buddhism
5. Sinhalas
Q 26 – Why the system of ‘reserved constituencies’ is adopted in India ?
Ans. The system of ‘reserved constituencies’ is adopted to give space/representation in the government and administration to diverse social groups who otherwise would feel alienated from the government.
Q 27 – Fill in the blanks:
1. ___________ division of power means power to be shared among the
government at different levels.
2. The Belgian government shifted to a federal from a____________ form of government.
3. In ___________ leaders realised that unity of the country is possible by respecting the interests of different communities.
4. In the year _____________an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the official language.
5. ____________ elects the communist government in Belgium.
Ans. 1. Federal
2. Unitary
3. Belgium
4. 1956
5. The Belgium citizens
Q 28 – Describe the geographical and ethnic composition of Belgium.
Ans. The geographical and ethnic composition of Belgium is given below :
(1) Geographical composition :
- Belgium is a small country in Europe. It is smaller in area than the State of Haryana in India.
- It has borders with Netherlands, France and Germany.
- Its population is little over one crore. It is half of the population of Haryana state.
(2) Ethnic composition :
- 59 per cent of the population lives in the Flemish region. They speak Dutch language.
- 40 per cent people live in the Wallonia region. They speak French.
- Remaining one per cent speak German.
- Brussels is the capital of Belgium. Here, 80 per cent people speak French and 20 per cent speak Dutch.
Thus, Belgium is a country of diversities based on languages. Dutch-speaking people are in majority in the country, but a minority in the capital city of Brussels.
Q 29 – What are some of the basic elements of the Belgium model of power sharing ?
Ans. The Belgian leaders recognised the existence of regional differences and cultural diversities. So they adopted a path of accommodation. Its features were as mentioned below :
- Between 1970 and 1993, the constitution was amended four times so as to work out an arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within same country.
- The constitution prescribes that the Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the Central Government.
- Some special law’s require the support of majority of members from each linguistic group. No single community not even majority community (Dutch-speaking) can make decisions unilaterally.
- The State Governments are not subordinate to the Central Government. Many powers of the Central Government have been given to State Governments.
- There is a separate government in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. Both the communities i.e., French-speaking and Dutch-speaking, have equal representation in the Brussels government. The French-speaking people accepted equal representation in Brussels because the Dutch-speaking community has accepted equal representation in the central government.
A third government which is called “community government” is elected by people belonging to one language community – Dutch, French and German-speaking – no matter
where they live. The community government has power regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues. The above model is complicated but it has worked so well that there is no civil strife between the two communities. There is no danger of division of the country on the linguistic basis.
Q 30 – Describe basic principles of democracy about power sharing.
Ans.
- They elect their representatives through direct or indirect election. Those who win and secure majority in the legislature form government at various levels i.e., national, state or local.
- In democracy due respect is given to all social groups including minorities. For example in India, minorities enjoy educational and cultural rights.
- Reservation has been made for SCs/STs in Parliament and State Assemblies. Thus, in democracy power is shared at various levels and among various social groups. It is based on prudence or on careful calculation of gains and losses.