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Class 10 Civics Chapter 6 Extra Questions and Answers Political Parties
Political Parties Class 10 Extra Questions and Answer Civics Chapter 6 Very Short Answers Type
Question 1.
Give one reason why multi-party system has evolved in India.
Answer:
It has evolved in India because of the social and geographical diversity of the country. This diversity cannot be absorbed by two or three parties alone.
Question 2.
If all the decisions of a political party are made by a single family and all other members are neglected, then what challenge is being faced by that party?
Answer:
The party is facing the challenge of dynastic succession.
Question 3.
What is the requirement laid down by the Election Commission for a political party to be recognised as a ‘State Party’?
Answer:
A party that secures at least six percent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognised as a ‘State Party’ by the Election Commission.
Question 4.
Why do political parties involve partisanship?
Answer:
Parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society. Parties are about a part of the society and thus involve partisanship.
Question 5.
Mention one feature of political parties.
Answer:
Political parties are one of the most visible institutions in a democracy.
Question 6.
What is a political party known by?
Answer:
A political party is known by which part it stands for, which policies it supports and whose interests it upholds.
Question 7.
Mention the three components of a political party.
Answer:
The three components of a political party are – the leaders, the active members, and the followers.
Question 8.
What does a political party do?
Answer:
Basically, political parties fill political offices and exercise political power.
Question 9.
Who choose candidates for contesting elections in India?
Answer:
In India, top party leaders choose candidates for contesting elections.
Question 10.
What kind of party system exists in India?
Answer:
Multi-party system exists in India.
Question 11.
Which is the only party allowed to rule in China?
Answer:
It is the Communist Party.
Question 12.
Why is one-party system not a good option? Explain giving example from China?
Answer:
One-party system is not a good option because this is not a democratic option. In China, although people are legally free to form political parties, it does not happen because the electoral system does not permit free competition for power.
Question 13.
Name two countries where two-party system exists.
Answer:
They are the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
Question 14.
What is meant by multi-party system?
Answer:
In multi-party system, the government is formed by various parties coming together in a coalition.
Question 15.
What is called an alliance or a front?
Answer:
When several parties in a multi-party system join hands for the purpose of contesting elections and winning power, it is called an alliance or a front.
Question 16.
Mention one drawback of the multi-party system.
Answer:
The multi-party system often appears very messy and leads to political instability.
Question 17.
Mention one major feature of the multi-party system.
Answer:
The multi-party system allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation.
Question 18.
What is the requirement laid down by the Election Commission for a political party to be recognised as a ‘National Party’?
Answer:
A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four states and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognised as a ‘National Party’ by the Election Commission.
Question 19.
When was the Indian National Congress (INC) founded? What causes does it support?
Answer:
The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded in 1885. The party supports secularism and welfare of weaker sections and minorities.
Question 20.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of some famous persons. Who are they?
Answer:
These famous persons are – Sahu Maharaj, Jyotiba Phule, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker and Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Question 21.
Name the states where Bahujan Samsg Party has a strong base.
Answer:
Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Punjab.
Question 22.
What cause does BSP stand for?
Answer:
BSP stands for the cause of securing the interests and welfare of the dalits and oppressed people.
Question 23.
Among which type of people does Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) enjoy strong support?
Answer:
CPI-M enjoys strong support among the poor, factory workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and the intelligentsia.
Question 24.
What are the causes supported by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)?
Answer:
The causes supported by NCP are – democracy, Gandhian secularism, equity, social justice and federalism.
Question 25.
In which state is NCP a major party?
Answer:
NCP is a major party in Maharashtra.
Question 26.
Name some political parties which are conscious about their state identity.
Answer:
Biju Janata Dal, Sikkim Democratic Front and Mizo National Front.
Question 27.
Mention any two challenges that political parties are facing today.
Answer:
The first challenge is lack of internal democracy within parties and the second challenge is about the growing role of money and muscle power in parties.
Question 28.
What is defection?
Answer:
Defection is changing party allegiance from the party on which a person got elected (to a legislative body) to a different party.
Question 29.
What does anti-defection law say?
Answer:
The law says that if any MLA or MP changes parties, he or she will lose the seat in the legislature.
Question 30.
Mention any two ways for carrying out political reforms in a democratic country.
Answer:
- Public participation in politics is necessary.
- Ordinary people need to be politically aware.
Question 31.
Explain any one difference between a pressure group and a political party.
Answer:
Pressure groups do not directly control or share political power whereas political parties directly control
or share political power.
Question 32.
Name any one political party of India which grew out of a movement.
Answer:
AIDMK.
Political Parties Class 10 Extra Questions and Answer Civics Chapter 6 Short Answers Type
Question 1.
“Serious efforts were made by the legal organisations to reform political parties in India.” Support the statement.
Answer:
(i) The Constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing parties. This was done because many elected representatives were indulging in defection in order to become ministers or for cash rewards. Now the law says that if any MLA or MP changes parties, he or she will lose the seat in the legislature. This new law has helped bring defection down. At the same time this has made any dissent even more difficult.
(ii) The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals. Now, it is mandatory for every candidate who contests elections to file an affidavit giving details of his property and criminal cases pending against him. The new system has made a lot of information available to the public.
(iii) The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their organisational elections and file their income tax returns.
Question 2.
“Dynastic succession is one of the most serious challenges before the political parties.” Analyse the statement.
Answer:
(i) Since most political parties do not practise open and transparent procedures for their functioning, there are few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party.
(ii) Those who happen to be the leaders are in a position of unfair advantage to favour people close to them or even their family members.
(iii) In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family. This is unfair to other members of that party. This is bad for democracy too because people who do not have adequate experience or popular support come to occupy positions of power.
Question 3.
Name the ‘Regional Political Parties’ predominant in Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand respectively with their symbols.
Answer:
Question 4.
Name the six ‘National Political Parties’ in India in a chronological order.
Answer:
Name of six National Political Parties:
- Indian National Congress (INC) popularly known as the Congress Party – (1885)
- Communist Party of India (CPI) – (1925)
- Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M) – (1964)
- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – (1980)
- Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) – (1984)
- Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – (1999)
Question 5.
Describe the three components of a political party.
Answer:
The three components of a political party are-
- The leaders
- The active members and
- The followers.
The leaders:
A political party consists of leaders, who contest elections and if they win them, perform the administrative job.
The active members:
Every political party has lakhs of members and activists spread across the country. They are the assistants of the leaders to gain knowledge about politics. They follow the direction of the party leadership and are expected to do work for the welfare of the party.
The followers:
They are the ordinary citizens who work under the guidance of the active members. They play a major role during elections. They spread the ideology of their party across the country.
Question 6.
What is meant by two-party system? Explain its two advantages and two disadvantages.
Answer:
In some countries, power usually changes between two main parties. Several other parties may exist, contest elections and win a few seats in the national legislatures. But only the two main parties have a serious chance of winning majority of seats to form government. Such a party system is called two-party system. The United States of America and the United Kingdom are examples of two-party system.
Advantages
- The two-party system provide a stable balance by accommodating varied interests and opinions.
- This system discourages sudden shifts in political trends which threaten government stability.
Disadvantages
- Voters have limited options. Even though they are dissatisfied with both the parties, they have to select one of the two and help it to win.
- This system is not suitable for a vast country like India.
Question 7.
State the different party system existing in various countries.
Answer:
Political parties are organised groups that seek to gain power in the political system. There are three major types of party systems in the world – One-party, two-party and multi-party.
(i) One-party system: China has a one-party system. Here, only the Communist Party is allowed to rule. Although people are free to form political parties, it does not happen because the electoral system does not permit free competition for power. We cannot consider one-party system as a good option because this is not a democratic option.
(ii) Two-party system: In some countries, power usually changes between two main parties. Several other parties may exist, contest elections and win a few seats in the national legislatures. But only the two main parties have a serious chance of winning majority of seats to form government. Such a party system is called two-party system. The United States of America and the United Kingdom are examples of two-party system.
(iii) Multi-party system: If several parties compete for power, and more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or in alliance with others, we call it a multi-party system. India has a multi-party system. It is because the social and geographical diversity in such a large country is not easily absorbed by two or even three parties.
Question 8.
How do political parties help in the formation of public opinion? Explain.
Answer:
- Political parties shape public opinion by raising and highlighting issues. Parties have lakhs of members and activists spread all over the country.
- Many of the pressure groups are the extensions of political parties among different sections of society.
- Parties sometimes also launch movements for the resolution of problems faced by people. Often opinions in the society crystallise on the lines parties take.
Question 9.
What do you mean by ‘recognised parties’? Explain in the context of India.
Answer:
Every party in the country has to register with the Election Commission. While the commission treats all parties equally, it offers some special facilities to large and established parties. These parties are given a unique symbol and only the official candidates of that party can use that election symbol.
Parties that get this privilege and some other special facilities are ‘recognised’ by the Election Commission for this purpose. That is why these parties are called, ‘recognised political parties’. The Election Commission has laid down detailed criteria of the proportion of votes and seats that a party must get in order to be a recognised party.
Question 10.
What has contributed to the strengthening of federalism and democracy in our country? Explain.
Answer:
(i) Over the last three decades, the number and strength of these parties has expanded. This made the Parliament of India politically more and more diverse.
(ii) No one national party is able to secure on its own a majority in Lok Sabha. As a result, the national parties are compelled to form alliances with state parties.
(iii) Since 1996, nearly every one of the state parties has got an opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level coalition government. This has contributed to the strengthening of federalism and democracy in our country.
Question 11.
What is the criteria laid down by Election Commission in order to be recognised as a state party and a national party?
Answer:
A party that secures at least six percent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognised as a ‘State Party’ by the Election Commission.
A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four states and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognised as a ‘National Party’ by the Election Commission.
Question 12.
Describe four major functions of political parties.
Answer:
- Political parties make the working of parliamentary government possible.
- Political parties play a major role in formulating public polices.
- They provide political stability.
- Political parties help in the growth of the level of political consciousness of common citizens.
Question 3.
Mention any four features of the Communist Party of India-Marxist(CPI-M).
Answer:
(i) Founded in 1964, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) believes in Marxism-Leninism and supports socialism, secularism and democracy and opposes imperialism and communalism.
(ii) It accepts democratic elections as a useful and helpful means for securing the objective of socio-economic justice in India.
(iii) The party enjoys strong support in West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, especially among the poor, factory workers, farmers, agricultural labourers and the intelligentsia.
(iv) It is critical of the new economic policies that allow free flow of foreign capital and goods into the country.
Political Parties Class 10 Extra Questions and Answer Civics Chapter 6 Long Answers Type
Question 1.
Elucidate some of the recent efforts taken in our country to reform political parties and its leaders.
Answer:
(i) The Constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing parties. This was done because many elected representatives were indulging in defection in order to become ministers or for cash rewards. Now the law says that if any MLA or MP changes parties, he or she will lose the seat in the legislature. This new law has helped bring defection down. At the same time this has made any dissent even more difficult.
(ii) The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals. Now, it is mandatory for every candidate who contests elections to file an affidavit giving details of his property and criminal cases pending against him. The new system has made a lot of information available to the public.
(iii) The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political parties to hold their organisational elections and file their income tax returns.
Question 2.
Explain the role of opposition parties in a democracy.
Answer:
Opposition parties play an important role in democracies. They play both positive and negative role.
Positive role
- They ensure political party in power does not misuse or abuse its power.
- It exposes the weaknesses of the ruling party.
- It keeps a close vigil on the bills and expenditure of the government.
Negative role
- It targets the government and aims at dislodging and discrediting the government for all the ills and the troubles the people face.
- Through disrupting the proceedings of the Parliament, it slows the progress of the country. The role of the opposition parties is not to disturb the functioning of the administration but to keep a close watch on the party in power so that democracy becomes meaningful.
Question 3.
What is meant by a political party? Describe the three components of a political party.
Answer:
A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. They agree on some policies and programmes for the society with a view to promote the collective good. Since there can be different views on what is good for all, parties try to persuade people why their policies are better than others. They seek to implement these policies by winning popular support through elections.
The active members: Every political party has lakhs of members and activists spread across the country. They are the assistants of the leaders to gain knowledge about politics. They follow the direction of the party leadership and are expected to do work for the welfare of the party
Question 4.
“About hundred years ago there were few countries that had hardly any political party. Now there are few countries that do not have political parties.” Examine this statement.
Answer:
The rise of political parties is directly linked to the emergence and expansion of representative democracies. Large societies undoubtedly need representative democracy. As societies became large and complex, they also needed some agency to gather different views on various issues and to present these to the government. They needed some ways, to bring various representatives together so that a responsible government could be formed.
They needed a mechanism to support or restrain the government, make policies, justify or oppose them. Political parties fulfil these needs that every representative government has. Thus, parties are a necessary condition for a democracy. Today more than half of the independent countries in the world are democracies. This means the rise and growth of political parties. In the present time, political parties have become omnipresent in democracies all over the world.
Question 5.
Explain the growing role of money and muscle power in political parties.
Answer:
Political parties are facing various challenges:
(i) The first challenge is lack of internal democracy within parties. All over the world there is a tendency in political parties towards the concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top. Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings, and do not conduct internal elections regularly. Ordinary members of the party do not get sufficient information on what happens inside the party.
As a result, the leaders assume greater power to make decisions in the name of the party. Those who disagree with the decisions or the leadership find it difficult to continue in the party. Personal loyalty to the leader becomes more important than loyalty to the party principles and policies.
(ii) The challenge of dynastic succession is related to the first one. Since most political parties do not practise open and transparent procedures for their functioning, there are very few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party. Those who happen to be the leaders are in a position of unfair advantage to favour people close to them or even their family members. In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by the members of one family. This is unfair to other members of that party. This is not good for democracy too.
(iii) The growing role of money and muscle power in parties, especially during elections poses a big challenge. Since parties are focussed only on winning elections, they tend to use unfair means to win elections. They tend to nominate only those candidates who have or can raise lots of money. Rich people and companies who give funds to the party tend to have influence on the policies and decisions of the party. In some cases, parties support criminals who can win elections.
(iv) The failure of parties in offering a meaningful choice to the voters is also a big challenge. In order to offer meaningful choice, parties must be significantly different. In recent years there has been a decline in the ideological differences among parties in most parts of the world. Those who want really different policies have no option available to them. Sometimes people cannot even elect very different leaders either, because the same set of leaders keep shifting from one party to another.
Question 6.
“The first challenge faced by political parties is lack of internal democracy within parties.”
What do you understand by the statement? Explain.
OR
“Lack of internal democracy within parties is a major challenge to political parties all over the world.” Analyse the statement.
Answer:
(i) All over the world there is a tendency in political parties towards the concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top.
(ii) Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings, and do not conduct internal elections regularly.
(iii) Ordinary members of the party do not get sufficient information on what happens inside the party. They do not have the means or the connections needed to influence the decisions. As a result, the leaders assume greater power to make decisions in the name of the party.
(iv) Since one or few leaders exercise paramount power in the party, those who disagree with the leadership find it difficult to continue in the party.
(v) More than loyalty to party principles and policies, personal loyalty to the leader becomes more important
Question 7.
Why do we need political parties? Explain.
OR
“Political parties play a major role in a democracy”. Explain four points to justify this statement.
OR
“Modem democracies cannot exist without political parties”. Examine the statement.
Answer:
(i) Modern democracies cannot exist without political parties. In the absence of political parties every candidate in the elections will be independent. As a result, no one will be able to make any promises to the people about any major policy changes.
(ii) The government may be formed sans political parties, but its utility will remain ever uncertain. Elected representatives will be accountable to their constituency for what they do in the locality. But no one will be responsible for how the country will be run.
(iii) Large societies need representative democracy. As societies became large and complex, they also needed some agency to gather different views on various issues and to present these to the government. They needed a mechanism to support or restrain the government, make policies, justify or oppose them. Political parties fulfil these needs that every representative government has.
(iv) We can say that parties are a necessary condition for a democracy. They perform various functions. They form the government and run it. They shape public opinion. They play a decisive role in making laws for a country.
Political Parties Class 10 Extra Questions and Answer Civics Chapter 6 Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) Questions
Question 1.
“No party system is ideal for all countries and in all situations.” Justify the statement with valid arguments.
Answer:
(i) Party system is not something any country can choose. It evolves over a long time, depending on the nature of society, its social and regional divisions, its history of politics and its system of elections. These cannot be changed very quickly.
(ii) Each country develops a party system that is conditioned by its special circumstances. For example, if India has evolved a multi-party system, it is because the social and geographical diversity in such a large country is not easily absorbed by two or even three parties.
(iii)In China, only the Communist Party is allowed to rule. Although, legally speaking, people are free to form political parties, it does not permit free competition for power. In some countries, such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom, power usually changes between two main parties.
Question 2.
Differentiate between a national party and a state party.
Answer:
We can differentiate between a national party and a state party on the following grounds –
| National Party |
State or Regional Party |
| (i) A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four states and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognised as a national party. |
(i) A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognised as a state party. |
| (ii) National parties are countrywide parties and have their units in various states. |
(ii) State parties are popular within state and have their units in various districts. |
| (iii) These parties raise issues of national interests. They are accountable to the entire population of the country. |
(iii) These parties raise issues of regional or state interests. They are accountable to the people of the concerned state. |
| (iv) Example – The Indian National Congress, The Bharatiya Janata Party, The Bahujan Samaj Party etc. |
(iv) Example – The Rashtriya Lok Dal, The Samajwadi Party, The Arunachal Congress, etc. |
Question 3.
What is multi-party system? How has multi-party system strengthened democracy in India?
Answer:
Multi-party system has strengthened democracy in India in the following manner:
(i) Multi-party system has given more choice to the people of our country to choose from.
(ii) India is full of diversities. In such a situation multi-party system is successful in representing diverse interests prevalent in the country.
(iii) It has given voice to the marginalised groups/underprivileged and increased their participation in the country politics.
(iv) With increase in the number of political parties, the Parliament of India has become politically more and more diverse. No one national party is able to secure on its own a majority in Lok Sabha. Hence, national parties form alliances with state parties. Since 1996, nearly every one of the state parties has got an opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level coalition government. This has strengthened democracy in our country.
Question 4.
State any two advantages of multi-party system. In what way is an alliance different from a coalition government?
Answer:
Two advantages of multi-party system
- It offers a wider choice to voters during elections.
- It absorbs social and geographical diversity in a better way.
Alliance
When several political parties join hands for the purpose of fighting an election, it is called an alliance. For example, the National Democratic Alliance and United Progressive Alliance.
Coalition
When no single party enjoys majority support of the members in a legislature, in such a situation the government is formed by two or more parties coming together. It is called a coalition government. It reduces the dominance of any one party within that coalition.
Question 5.
What is meant by a ‘national political party’ state the conditions required to be a national political party.
Answer:
| National Party |
State or Regional Party |
| (i) A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four states and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognised as a national party. |
(i) A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognised as a state party. |
| (ii) National parties are countrywide parties and have their units in various states. |
(ii) State parties are popular within state and have their units in various districts. |
| (iii) These parties raise issues of national interests. They are accountable to the entire population of the country. |
(iii) These parties raise issues of regional or state interests. They are accountable to the people of the concerned state. |
| (iv) Example – The Indian National Congress, The Bharatiya Janata Party, The Bahujan Samaj Party etc. |
(iv) Example – The Rashtriya Lok Dal, The Samajwadi Party, The Arunachal Congress, etc. |
Political Parties Class 10 Extra Questions and Answer Civics Chapter 6 Value-based Questions (VBQs)
Question 1.
Which political party was formed under the leadership of Kanshi Ram?Mention four features of this party. Is this party able to fulfil the aspirations of the downtrodden class of the society?
Answer:
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) was formed under the leadership of Kanshi Ram.
Four Features of this party are-
- It draws inspiration from the ideals and teachings of Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker and Babasaheb Ambedkar.
- It seeks to represent and secure power for the bahujan samaj which includes the dalits, adivasis, OBCs and religious minorities.
- It stands for the cause of securing the interests and welfare of the dalits and oppressed people.
- It has its main base in the state of Uttar Pradesh and substantial presence in neighbouring states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Punjab. Yes Bahujan Samaj Party has fulfilled the aspirations of the downtrodden class of the society to some extent. Because it has made them socially and politically conscious. Now they can play an active role in the society.
Question 2.
Name the national political party which gets inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values. Mention four features of that party.
Answer:
Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP. This party was founded in 1980 by reviving the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
Four features of this party are-
- Cultural nationalism is an important element in its conception of Indian nationhood and politics.
- The party wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India, a uniform civil code for all people living in the country irrespective of religion and ban on religious conversions.
- Its support base increased substantially in the 1990s. Earlier limited to north and west and to urban areas, the party expanded its support in the south, east, the north-east and to rural areas.
- It came to power in 1998 as the leader of the National Democratic Alliance including several states and regional parties. It lost elections in 2004. It again came to power in 2013. Currently it leads the ruling National Democratic Alliance coalition government at the centre.
Question 3.
Name the national political party which espouses secularism and welfare of weaker sections and minorities. Mention a few features of that party.
OR
Which is the oldest national political party? Mention its features.
Answer:
The Indian National Congress (INC) is the oldest party in India. It was founded in 1885.
The main features of this party are-
- It played a dominant role in Indian politics at the national and state levels for several decades after India’s Independence.
- Under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, the party sought to build a modern secular democratic republic in India.
- It is a centrist party (neither rightist nor leftist) in its ideological orientation. It espouses secularism and welfare of weaker sections and minorities.
