Q 1 – How has the mid day meal programme improved the attendance level in schools?
Ans. The children would go back home for lunch and would nor report back. With mid-day meal, this has changed. Now even the mothers do not have to interrupt their work to feed children.
Q 2 – Why had Kanta borrowed money from her employers?
Ans. Kanta had borrowed money from her employers because she wanted to take her ill daughter to the doctor for the treatment.
Q 3 – Why is Kanta happy?
Ans. Kanta is happy and excited to vote because this makes her equal to others. Everyone has one vote.
Q 4 – Are all the people who have voting rights really equal?
Ans. People like Kanta have the voting rights but their daily living conditions are far from equal. They experience inequality in different ways.
Q 5 – What is included in the key elements of a democratic government?
Ans. The key elements of a democratic government include people’s participation, the resolution of conflict, and equality and justice.
Q 7 – What is the key feature of democracy?
Ans. Equality is the key feature of democracy and influences all aspects of its functioning.
Q 8 – What do you mean by dignity?
Ans. Dignity means thinking of oneself and others as worthy of self-respect.
Q 9 – Define Constitution.
Ans. Almost all democratic countries have their Constitution. It is a document that lays down the basic rules and regulation for the government and people.
Q 10 – Which one is the most common form of inequality in India?
Ans. One of the most common forms of inequality in India is the caste system.
Q 11 – What is the topic raised by the book ‘Joothan’?
Ans. The book Joothan is a story of miseries of dalit boy.
Q 12 – What is meant by the term “Dalits”?
Ans. The term Dalits is used for the so-called lower castes people. Dalit means ‘broken’.
Q 13 – On what basis was Omprakash Valmiki treated unequally?
Ans. He was treated unequally on the basis of caste.
Q 14 – When was the Civil Rights Act enacted in USA?
Ans. The Civil Rights Act was enacted in USA in 1964.
Q 15 – Describe about the universal adult franchise.
Ans. Universal adult franchise is an essential aspect of all democracies. The idea of universal adult franchise is based on the idea of equality because it provides that every adult in a country, irrespective of his wealth and the communities she/he belongs to, has one vote.
Q 16 – Why was Mr Ansari surprised?
Ans. He was surprised to hear that landlady made an excuse that there is no non-vegetarian resident in the society. Therefore, she could not rent the house to someone who ate meat while there was fish being cooked and smell was spreading around.
Q 17 – Describe about mid-day meal scheme of Government.
Ans. In addition to laws, the government has also set up several schemes to improve the lives of communities and individuals who have been treated unequally for several centuries including mid-day meal scheme. This scheme was very first time started in the State of Tamil Nadu in the year 2001.
Q 18 – How is Kanta’s life different from her owner?
Ans. Kanta is a maid working the Jain family. The differences can be listed as below:
Q 19 – Who is allowed to vote in India?
Ans. In a democratic country, like India, all adults aged 18 years or above irrespective of their religion, education, caste, rich or poor are allowed to vote.
- There are huge differences between both but they vote together.
- Jain family live in a bungalow while Kanta lives in slum;
- When any member of Jain family falls ill, they go to a private clinic and do not have to stand in queues while Kanta goes in government hospital and stands long in the queue.
- Jain family and Kanta both are politically equal but their living is totally different.
Q 20 – Explain every person is equal before the Indian Constitution.
Ans. The Indian Constitution recognizes every person as equal. This means that every individual in the country is recognized equal irrespective of castes, religion, or any background.
This recognition of equality includes some of the provisions in the Constitution:
- Every person is equal before the law;
- No person can be discriminated against on the basis of his religion, race, caste, place of birth or whether he/se is female or male;
- Every person has access to all public places including playgrounds, hotels, shops, markets, wells roads and bathing Ghats and
- Untouchability has been abolished.
Q 21 – Describe the provisions stated in Indian Constitution about equality.
Ans. The provisions about equality in Indian Constitution are:
- Every person is equal before the law;
- No person can be discriminated against on the basis of his religion, race, caste, place of birth or whether he/she is a female or male;
- Every person has access to all public places including playgrounds, hotels, shops, markets, wells roads and bathing Ghats and
- Untouchability has been abolished.
Q 22 – How does the government implement the equality?
Ans. There are several laws in India that protect every person’s right to be treated equally. There are two ways whereby the government tries to implement the equality:
- through laws; and
- through government programmes or schemes to help disadvantaged communities.
Q 23 – What are the key elements of a democracy?
Ans.
- The key elements of a democratic government are people’s participation, the resolution of conflict and equality and justice.
- Equality is the main feature of democracry. It influences its functioning.
Q 24 – What are the main aspects of Kanta’s story?
Ans. The story tells us about two different aspects of status of people in our country. On the election day Kanta and Sujata along stood in the queue for voting. All others including Kanta’s sahib also stood in the same queue. This made them feel like an equal citizen.
Kanta’s daughter was not well but she had to finish her daily work and take advance before she could take her to the doctor. Even there she had to stand in queue in government hospital to wait for her turn. She realized that, line had only poor people like her. If her employer had to go to doctor they can afford a private doctor.
Q 25 – Does Kanta has enough reason to doubt the equality level of citizens?
Ans.
- Yes, Kanta has enough reasons to doubt whether she is really equal. Reasons:
- She cannot skip work even when her daughter is ill.
- She does not have enough money to take her daughter to doctor.
- She has to stand in line at a government hospital for her turn to show her daughter to the doctor.
Q 26 – What is universal adult franchise? What is the basis of it?
Ans.
- Voting right to all adults is called universal adult franchise.
- It is an essential aspect of all democracies.
- The idea of universal adult franchise is based on the idea of equality because it states that every adult in a country, irrespective of their wealth and the communities, he/she belongs to, has one vote.
With the advancing of the day Kanta becomes less certain about what equality really means.
Q 27 – What is it that makes Kanta unsure?
Ans.
- Kanta lives in a slum and has a drain behind her house.
- Her daughter is sick but she cannot skip day’s work because she needs to borrow money from her employers to take her child to the doctor.
- Her job as a domestic help tires her out.
- She ends her day by again standing in a long line. This line is in front of the government hospital.
- It is unlike the one in the morning because most of the people standing in it are poor.
Q 28 – What is one of common form of inequality in India?
Ans. Common form of Inequality in India:
One of the most common forms of inequality in India is the caste system.
- In rural India, caste identity is something that is experienced from the young age.
- In urban India, people no longer believe in caste.
- Matrimonials shown from a leading English newspaper reveal that the issue of caste continues to be in the minds of highly educated urban Indians.
Q 29 – What is Dalit?
Ans.
- Dalit is a term that the so-called lower castes use to address themselves.
- Dalit means ‘broken’.
- By using this word, lower castes point to how they were and continue to be seriously discriminated against.
Q 30 – Briefly write about the unequal treatment that Omprakash Valmiki had to face in his early years.
Ans. Omprakash Valmiki in his autobiography, Joothan, wrote about his experience. During his schooling days he had to sit on the floor outside the class. In class IV he had to sweep the school and a huge playground.
He became a spectacle for everyone was watching him. He was covered with dust and was not even allowed to drink water. He was made to do this for few days until one day his father by chance saw him. His father confronted the teacher and told them that one day Omprakash would study right there and many more would follow him.
Q 31 – What kind of discrimination was faced by the Ansari family?
Ans. It is an incident that took place in a large city in India. Ansari family wanted to rent an apartment. They approached a property dealer for help. The property dealer knew about quite a few places. Ansaris liked the first apartment shown to them.
After knowing their names landlady made an excuse that she could rent the apartment to a non-vegetarian since all the other residents are vegetarian. This surprised the Ansaris as well as the property dealer because they could smell fish being cooked in next house.
This happened with them at other places as well. They were given the suggestion that they should change their name to get an apartment. The Ansaris were not willing to do this. It took them a month to find an apartment on rent.
Q 32 – What are the basis on which we are treated unequally?
Ans.
- Caste, religion, class background whether we are male or female—are often the things that determine why we are treated unequally.
- Omprakash Valmiki and the Ansaris are being treated unequally on the basis of differences of caste and religion.
Q 33 – When persons are treated unequally, their dignity is violated. How?
Ans.
- When persons are treated unequally their dignity is violated because they feel humiliated.
- The dignity of both Omprakash Valmiki and the Ansaris was violated because of the way in which they were treated.
- By picking on him and making him sweep the school, because of his caste, Omprakash Valmiki’s schoolmates and teachers badly hurt his dignity and made him feel as if he was less than equal to all other students in the school.
- Being a child Omprakash Valmiki could do very little about the situation that he was in. It was his father who felt angry by this unequal treatment. He confronted the teachers.
- The Ansaris’ dignity was also hurt when persons refused to lease their apartments to them.
- The suggestion of the property dealer to change their name also violated their dignity or self-respect. Hence, they refused this suggestion.
- Omprakash and the Ansaris do not deserve to be treated like this. They deserve the same respect and dignity as others.
Q 34 – What is the position of equality in India, a democratic country?
Ans.
- The Indian Constitution recognises every person as equal.
- This means that every person in the country, both male and female from all castes, religions, tribes, educational and economic backgrounds is equal.
- Inequality still exists. But at least, in democratic India, the principle of the equality of all. persons is recognised.
- Earlier no law existed to protect people from discrimination and, ill-treatment.
- Now there are several laws that work to see that people are treated with dignity and as equals. !
Q 35 – What are the provisions in the Constitution of India in respect of recognition of equality?
Ans. The recognition of equality includes some of the following provisions in the constitution:
- Every person is equal before the law. This means that every person from the
President of the country to a domestic worker has to obey the same laws. - No person can be discriminated against on the basis of their religion, race, caste, place of birth, or gender.
- Every person has access to all public places including playgrounds, hotels, shops and markets. All persons can use wells, roads and bathing ghats.
- Untouchability has been abolished.
Q 36 – Describe the two ways in which government has tried to implement the equality.
Ans.
- The two ways in which the government has tried to implement the equality that is guaranteed in the constitution are:
1. Through laws.
2. Through government programmes or schemes to help disadvantaged communities. - There are several laws in India that protect every person’s right to be treated equally.
- The government has also set up several schemes to improve the lives of immunities and individuals who have been treated unequally for several centuries.
Q 37 – What is the most important step the government has taken to end inequality?
Ans. One of the steps taken by the government is the midday meal scheme.
- This refers to the programme introduced in all government elementary schools. It provides children with cooked lunch.
- Tamil Nadu was the first state in India to introduce this scheme.
- In 2001, the Supreme Court asked all state governments to begin this programme in their schools within six months.
- This programme has many positive effects which include the fact that more poor children have begun enrolling and regularly attending school.
- This programme has also helped reduce caste prejudices because both lower and upper caste children in the school eat this meal together.
- In a few places, Dalit women have been employed to cook the meal.
- The mid-day meal programme also helps reduce the hunger of poor students who often come to school and cannot concentrate because their stomachs are empty.
Q 38 – Describe the areas in which Dalit children are discriminated against.
Ans.
- The midday meal programme has helped increase the enrolment and attendance of poor children in school yet there continues to be big differences in this country between schools that the rich attend and those that the poor attend.
- Even today there are several schools in the country in which Dalit children like Omprakash Valmiki are discriminated against and treated unequally.
- These children are forced into unequal situations in which their dignity is not respected. This is because people do not think them as equal even though the law requires it.
Q 39 – What is one of the main reasons which is responsible for continuance of discrimination?
Ans. One of the main reasons for continuance of discrimination is that attitudes change very slowly.
- Persons are aware that discrimination is against the law. Still they continue to treat people unequally on the basis of their caste, religion, disability, economic status and sex.
- It is only when people begin to believe that no one is inferior and that every person deserves to be treated with dignity, that attitudes change.
- Establishing equality in a democratic society is a continuous struggle.
- Persons 12321s well as various communities in India contribute to remove inequalities.
Q 40 – Account for issues of equality in other democracies.
Ans. Issues of Equality in Other Democracies:
India is not the only democratic country in which there is inequality and in which the struggle for equality continues to exist.
In most democratic countries around the world the issue of equality continues to be the key issue around which communities struggle.
- In USA the Africo-Americans brought as slaves from Africa continue to be largely unequal.
- This is despite a movement in the late 1950s to push for equal rights for Africo- Americans.
- Prior to this, Africo-Americans were treated extremely unequally in the United States. They were denied equality through law.