Which of the following is a feature of democracy?
Democracy is a better form of government because it:
A government that is chosen by the people and accountable to them is called:
Which of the following is not an expected outcome of democracy?
Transparency in a democracy means:
Which Act gives citizens the right to seek information from government offices in India?
In a democracy, majority rule means:
Democracy is seen to be good in principle but felt to be not so good in practice because:
Which of the following best describes democracy's record on economic inequality?
Which form of government is better at accommodating social diversity?
How does democracy produce an accountable, responsive and legitimate government? (2 marks)
What are the conditions under which democracies accommodate social diversities? (2 marks)
Why is democracy considered a more legitimate form of government? (2 marks)
How does democracy promote the dignity of women? (2 marks)
Why do democracies take more time to make decisions? Is this a weakness? (2 marks)
Explain why the poor are often unable to influence the government even though they form a majority. (2 marks)
How has democracy helped to strengthen the claims of disadvantaged castes? (2 marks)
Give two arguments to show that democracy is better than dictatorship in solving social conflicts. (2 marks)
What is meant by 'responsive' government? (2 marks)
Why is the complaining nature of citizens in a democracy a sign of its success? (2 marks)
Study the data on the share of national income of the top 20% and bottom 20%: Brazil 63.0 and 2.6; USA 50.0 and 4.0; Hungary 34.4 and 10.0. Calculate the ratio of top to bottom shares in each country and rank the countries from most equal to least equal. (3 marks)
A survey of 2,000 citizens found that 1,400 believe elections in their country are free and fair, 400 believe they are partly fair and 200 believe they are not fair. Calculate the percentages and state what they suggest about the legitimacy of the government. (3 marks)
In a democracy, a law was debated in Parliament for 45 hours over 9 days before it was passed, while in a dictatorship a similar decision was made in 1 day. Calculate the average debate time per day. Why is the slower process still considered better? (3 marks)
In a state, 30% of the population lives below the poverty line out of a population of 8 crore. Calculate the number of poor people. If a government scheme reduces poverty by 5 percentage points in five years, how many people are lifted out of poverty, assuming the population is unchanged? (3 marks)
In a country, women hold 15% of the 540 seats in the national parliament. Calculate the number of women members. How many more women would be needed to reach one-third of the seats? (3 marks)
Read the passage and answer the questions. In a democracy, citizens have the right and the means to examine the process of decision-making. This is known as transparency. A democratic government develops mechanisms for citizens to take part in decision-making and to hold the government accountable. Through the Right to Information, people can find out how decisions are made and how money is spent. (i) What is transparency? (ii) How does the RTI Act help citizens? (iii) Why is transparency important for a democracy? (5 marks)
Read the passage and answer the questions. Democracies are expected to produce good governments, but they do not always do so. Some democracies have been slow in decision-making, have seen corruption and have not fully met the needs of the people. Yet, a democratic government is the people's own government, and people believe that democracy suits their country. (i) Why are decisions slow in a democracy? (ii) Why do people still prefer democracy despite its shortcomings? (iii) What does 'the people's own government' mean? (5 marks)
Read the passage and answer the questions. Belgium successfully negotiated differences among ethnic groups by sharing power between Dutch-speaking and French-speaking communities. In contrast, Sri Lanka followed majoritarian policies that led to civil war. Democracy is able to handle social differences through peaceful means. (i) How did Belgium accommodate social diversity? (ii) Why did Sri Lanka face conflict? (iii) What two conditions must be met for democracy to accommodate diversity? (5 marks)
Read the passage and answer the questions. In India, the struggles of women and disadvantaged castes have gained legal and moral recognition under democracy. Untouchability is abolished by the Constitution, and laws protect the rights of Dalits and women. However, instances of discrimination and atrocities still occur. (i) How has democracy strengthened the claims of women? (ii) Give one example of constitutional protection for Dalits. (iii) Why does discrimination still persist despite democracy? (5 marks)
Read the passage and answer the questions. A country with a dictatorship recorded high economic growth for many years, but its citizens had no freedom of speech, and critics were jailed. A neighbouring democracy grew more slowly but held regular elections and had a free press. (i) Which country is more likely to have an accountable government? Why? (ii) Is economic growth the only test of good government? Explain. (iii) Give two outcomes that the democracy might score better on. (5 marks)
Explain how democracy produces an accountable, responsive and legitimate government. Give examples of mechanisms such as elections, a free press and the Right to Information. Draw a flowchart showing the relationship between citizens and government. (6 marks)
Evaluate the performance of democracy in terms of economic growth and development. Why do democracies sometimes grow more slowly than dictatorships? Why is democracy still preferable? Draw a bar graph of illustrative growth rates of democracies and dictatorships. (6 marks)
'Democracy has not been very successful in reducing economic inequality.' Explain with examples and data on income shares. What steps can democratic governments take to reduce poverty and inequality? (6 marks)
How does democracy accommodate social diversity? Explain with examples of India, Belgium and Sri Lanka, and the conditions necessary for democracy to respect minorities. (6 marks)
Explain how democracy promotes the dignity and freedom of citizens. Discuss the role of democracy in improving the status of women and disadvantaged castes. Why is it said that democracy is a never-ending process of improvement? (6 marks)
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