SHREE SWAMINARAYAN ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOL [CBSE]-SALVAV,

SUBJECT: SOCIAL SCIENCE

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CIVIC (CH 1)

SECTION A [MCQS]
1) In Belgium, out of the total population, 59 per cent live in the Flemish region
and speak _______ language.
a) Dutch b) French c) English d) German

2) In Belgium, there were tensions between the Dutch-speaking and ______-

speaking communities during the 1950s and 1960s.
a) German b) French c) English d) Russian

3) In the island nation of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Tamil population is
concentrated in the _______ and _____ of the country.
a) South and West b) South and East c) North and Central d) North and East

4) Most of the Sinhala-speaking people of Sri Lanka are ______.

a) Christians b) Hindus c) Buddhists d) Muslims

5) Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country in _______.

a) 1948 b) 1947 c) 1949 d) 1958

6) In __________, an Act was passed to recognise Sinhala as the only official language,
thus disregarding Tamil.
a) 1958 b) 1956 c) 1968 d) None of the above

7) The amended Constitution of Belgium prescribed that the number of ______ and
French-speaking ministers shall be equal in the Central Government.
a) Italian b) German c) English d) Dutch

8) _______ is elected by people belonging to one language community – Dutch,

French and German-speaking – no matter where they live. This government has
the power regarding cultural, educational and language-related issues.
a) District Government b) State Government
c) Community Government d) Central Government

9) When many countries of Europe came together to form the European Union,
______ was chosen as its headquarters.
a) Brussels b) Paris c) London d) Zurich

10) Which of the following statements about power sharing is false?

a) Power sharing helps in reducing the conflicts between social groups.
b) Power sharing is a good way to establish political order.
c) Power sharing is not the spirit of democracy.
d) All of the above.
11) Which of the following statements are true about power-sharing?
a) Power is shared among different organs of government.
b) Power can be shared among governments at different levels.
c) Power may also be shared among different social groups.
d) All of the above.

12) __________ means a social division based on shared culture.

a) Ethnic b) Democracy c) Secularism d) None of the above

13) _________ is a belief that the majority community should be able to rule a
country in whichever way it wants by disregarding the wishes and needs of the
minority.
a) Majoritarianism b) Minoritarianism c) Secularism d) None of the above

14) ________ in Belgium is a good example of power sharing among different social
groups.
a) Community Government b) District Government
c) Central Government d) State Government

15) The major social groups in Sri Lanka are the Sinhala speakers, which
constitute _____ of the population.
a) 35 per cent b) 50 per cent c) 74 per cent d) 30 per cent

16) In the capital city Brussels, 80 per cent of people speak ______ while 20 per cent
are _____ speaking.
a) French, Dutch b) Dutch, French c) French, German d) German, French

17) Out of the total population of Belgium, _________ of people live in the Wallonia
region and speak French.
a) 40 per cent b) 50 per cent c) 20 per cent d) 10 per cent

18) Belgium has borders with France, the Netherlands, ________ and Luxembourg.
a) Sweden b) Austria c) Italy d) Germany

19) _________ is a violent conflict between opposing groups within a country that
becomes so intense that it appears like a war.
a) Civil war b) Proxy war c) Colonial war d) None of the above

20) Which of the following statements is true?

a) A legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake
in the system.
b) Prudential reasons stress that power-sharing will bring out better outcomes; moral
reasons emphasise the very act of power sharing as valuable.
c) A democratic rule involves sharing power with those affected by its exercise and who
have to live with its effects.
d) All of the above.

21) Assertion(A): Community government in Belgium allows to share power among

religious and linguistic groups.
Reason(R): In India there are legal and constitutional arrangements where by socially
weaker sections and women are represented in the legislatures and administration.
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true

22) Assertion(A): Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country in 1949.

Reason(R): The leaders of the Sinhala community sought to secure dominance over
government by virtue of their majority

23) Assertion : Tyranny of majority is highly desirable.

Reason : It helps in making the political order more stable.

24) .Assertion : Belgium and Spain has ‘holding together’ federation.

Reason : A big country divides power between constituent states and the national
government.

25)Assertion :Power sharing is good for democracy.

Reason :It leads to ethical tension.

26) Assertion: The distrust between Sinhalese and Tamil communities turned into
widespread conflict in Sri Lanka.
Reason: 1956 Act recognized Sinhala as the only official language.

SECTION B [ 2M EACH]

VERY SHORT ANSWERS

1. What is Majoritarianism? Name a country which lost peace due to this.
2. What is Coalition Government?
3. State one prudential reason and one moral reason for power sharing from the Indian
context.
4. How is power shared among different organs of the government, I.e., legislature,
executives and judiciary?
5. What is the system of checks and balance in power sharing?
6. What is ethnic composition of Srilanka?
7. What is ethnic composition of Belgium?
8. What measure was adopted by the democratically elected government of Sri Lanka to
establish Sinhala Supremacy?
 SECTION C [3M EACH]

SHORT ANSWERS
1. How Belgium government solved its ethnic problem?
2. What is majoritarianism? How it has led to alienation of majority community in Sri
Lanka?
3. Describe three demands of Sri Lankan Tamils. How did they struggle for their
independence?
4. How is federal government better than a unitary government? Explain with examples
of Belgium and Sri Lanka.
5. Write down the features of Horizontal division of power sharing.
6. Write Down the features of Vertical division of power sharing.
7. What is the reason for tension in Belgium?
8. How far do you agree with the statement that power sharing is keeping with the spirit
of democracy?

SECTION D [5M EACH]

LONG ANSWERS
1. How are the ethnic problem solved in Belgium? Mention any four steps which were
taken by the governments to solve the problem?
2. Explain the power sharing arrangement among the different political parties,
pressure groups and movements.
3. Explain the power sharing arrangement among the different organs of the
government.
4. Explain the power sharing arrangement among the different social groups.
5. Explain the power sharing arrangement among the different levels of the government.
6. What are advantages enjoyed by the Sinhala Community in Sri Lanka? Describe the
consequences.
7. Describe the population composition of Sri Lanka and the reasons for the formation
of Majoritarian government in 1948.
8. What measures were adopted by the Belgium government to accommodate regional
and cultural diversities?
 SECTION E [4M EACH]
CASE BASED QUESTIONS
Read the sources given below and answer the questions that follows:
Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country in 1948. The leaders of the Sinhala
community sought to secure dominance over government by virtue of their majority. As
a result, the democratically elected government adopted a series of MAJORITARIAN
measures to establish Sinhala supremacy. In 1956, an Act was passed to recognise
Sinhala as the only official language, thus disregarding Tamil. The Sri Lankan Tamils
launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil as an official language, for
regional autonomy and equality of opportunity in securing education and jobs. But their
demand for more autonomy to provinces populated by the Tamils was repeatedly
denied. By 1980’s several political organisations were formed demanding an
independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. The Belgian
leaders took a different path. They recognised the existence of regional differences and
cultural diversities. Between 1970 and 1993, they amended their constitution four times
so as to work out an arrangement that would enable everyone to live together within the
same country. The arrangement they worked out is different from any other country and
is very innovative.

Questions:
1. Which act recognises the Sinhala as the only official language? 1m

2. Who launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil as an official
language? 1m

3. How many time Belgium amended their constitution between which years? 2m

Read the given extract and answer the following questions:

Belgium and Sri Lanka both are democracies. Yet, they dealt with the question of power
sharing differently. In Belgium, the leaders have realised that the unity of the country is
possible only by respecting the feelings and interests of different communities and
regions. Such a realisation resulted in mutually acceptable arrangements for sharing
power. Sri Lanka shows us a contrasting example. It shows us that if a majority
community wants to force its dominance over others and refuses to share power, it can
undermine the unity of the country.

Questions:
(i) How was the power sharing arrangement in Belgium different from that of in Sri
Lanka? 1M

(ii) Explain why power sharing is desirable. 1M

(iii)List any two steps taken by the leaders of Belgium to accommodate all the
communities. 2M
Read the given extract and answer the following questions:

Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature,

executive and judiciary. Let us call this horizontal distribution of power because it
allows different organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different
powers. Such a separation ensures that none of the organs can exercise unlimited power.
Each organ checks the others. This results in a balance of power among various
institutions. Last year we studied that in a democracy, even though ministers and
government officials exercise power, they are responsible to the Parliament or State
Assemblies. Similarly, although judges are appointed by the executive, they can check
the functioning of executive or laws made by the legislatures.

Questions:
(i) Power sharing between different organs of the government is being referred as?
1M

(ii) Judges are appointed by the executive; they can check the functioning of executive or
laws made by the legislature known as? 1M

(iii) Why power sharing is desirable? 2M