Power Sharing Class 10 Important Questions (2020-21)

     Class 10 Civics Chapter 1 Power sharing Question answer >>  Important Board Questions for Civics chapter 1.

           

    Very Short Answer type questions

Q. 1.  Which country has adopted Buddhism as its official religion ? 

Ans.  Sri Lanka has adopted Buddhism as its official religion. 

Q. 2.  Where is the capital of the country Belgium? 

Ans.  Brussels is the the capital of the country Belgium. 

Q. 3.  Which major social group constituted the largest share in population of sri Lanka? 

Ans.  Sinhalese constituted the largest share in population of Sri Lanka. 

Q. 4.  Which countries share boundaries with Belgium? 

Ans.  Netherlands, France, Germany and Luxembourg share border with Belgium. 

Q. 5. What is the horizontal distribution of power? 

Ans.  The power is shared among different organs of government such as legislative, executive and judiciary. 

Q. 6.  How many times between 1970 and 1993 was the Belgium Constitution amended? 

Ans.  Between 1970 and 1993 the Belgium Constitution amended for four times. 

Q. 7.  The community Government in Belgium is a good example of which form of power sharing?  

Ans.  The community Government in Belgium is a good example of' social group sharing' type of power. 

Q. 8.  What is the concept of ' Community government' of Belgium? 

Ans.  The community government is elected by the 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. 

Q. 9.  Which system of power sharing is called checks and balances? 

Ans.  Horizontal distribution of power sharing arrangement is known as system of check and balances. 

Q. 10.  What is a good democracy? 

Ans.   In a good democracy, due respect is given to diverse groups and views that exist in a society. Everyone has a voice in the shaping of public policies. 

Short Answer type questions

Q. 1.  Highlight any three measures adopted by the Belgian Government to  accommodate regional and cultural diversities. 

Ans.  To accommodate diverse regional and cultural country, Belgium Government adopted the following measures

i)  Constitution prescribed that the number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers shall be  equal in the Central Government. 

ii)  Many power of the Central Government have been given to state Government of the two regions of the country. 

iii)   Brussels, the capital of Belgium has a separate government in which both the communities have equal representations. 

Q. 2.  Describe the ethnic composition of Belgium? 

Ans.   The ethnic composition of Belgium is  very Complex. 

I) It has  two main languages: Dutch and France. Of the country's total population, 59% lives  in the Flemish region and speaks Dutch language. 

II)  Another 40% people live in the Wallonia region region and speak French. Remaining 1% speak German. 

III)  In the Capital city Brussels, 80% people speak French while 20% are Dutch- speaking. 

IV)  The minority French-speaking people are more rich and powerful than the Dutch speaking people. 

Q. 3.  Power sharing is the very spirit of democracy. Justify the statement? 

Ans.  Power sharing is the spirit of Democracy because

  I) It helps to reduce the conflict between social  groups. 

II)  It is a good way to ensure the stability of the political order. 

III)  Here, people have the right to be consulted on how they are to be governed. Thus a legitimate government is one where citizens, through participation, acquire a stake in the system. 

Q. 4.   Why was the minority French speaking community relatively rich and powerful? 

Ans.  The minority French speaking peopl community relatively rich and powerful Because:

  I)  French speaking people  got the benefit of economic development. 

II) They were well- qualified and educated. 

III)  Their education helped them to expand business and they were Well-settled. 

Q. 5.  Differentiate between horizontal and vertical division of powers? 

Ans.  Horizontal Division of power:-

i) In this division, power sharing arrangement, power is shared among different organs of government such as legislature, executive and judiciary. 

ii) In this, division different organs of government exercise different powers. It is a concept of separation of power. 

iii)  It specific the concept of checks and balances in order to check the unlimited power of the different organs. 

Vertical Division of power:-

i)  In this division, power sharing arrangements , 

Power is shared among governments at different levels like union, state and local level. 

ii)  In this division Constitution clearly lays down the power of the different levels of government. 

iii)  In this division, there is no concept of check and balance because powers are clearly divided among higher and lower level. 

Long Answer Questions

Q. 1.  What factors led to civil war in Sri Lanka? 

Ans. i)  Measures taken in majoritarianism gradually increased the feeling of alienation among Sri Lankan Tamils. 

ii)  They felt that the Constitution and government policies denied them equal political rights , discrimination against them in getting jobs and other opportunities and ignored their interests. 

iii) As a result, the relations between Sinhalas and Tamil communities got strained over time. 

iv)  The Sri Lankan Tamils launched parties and struggles for the recognition of Tamil as an  official language, regional autonomy and equality of opportunities in getting education and jobs. 

v) By 1980s , several political organisations were formed demanding an independent Tamil Elam   ( State)  in northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. 

Vi)  The distrust between the two communities turned into widespread conflict. It soon turned into a civil war as a result thousands of people of both the communities were killed. 

Q. 2.  Explain the two main reasons why power sharing is important in a democracy? 

Ans.  Power sharing is important in democracy for two reasons:-

  a)  Prudential Reason :   These lay emphasis on better outcomes of Power sharing. 

  I) Power sharing helps to  reduce the possibility of conflict between the social groups. Thus, it ensures  the stability of the political order. 

II)  It's absence results into domination of majority community, which undermines the Unity of the Nation. 

 b)  Moral Reason  :  These stress on power sharing as a valuable act because

  I)  It is the very spirit of democracy. 

  

  II)  A democratic rule involves it with those affected by its exercise and who have to live with its effect. 

 III)  A legitimate Government is the one where citizens acquire a role in the system through participation. 

Q. 3.  Compare the way in which the Belgium and the Sri Lankan have dealt with cultural diversity. 

Ans.  In Belgium, the minority French- speaking community was more rich and powerful than Dutch- speaking community. 

   The Belgian leaders realised this problem and took some significant measures to solve this as follows

i)  Numbers of Dutch and French speaking ministers shall be equal in the Central government. 

ii)  Many powers of the central government are given to State Governments. 

iii)   Brussels has a separate governments in which both the  communities have equal representation. 

iv)  Community government is elected by  people belonging to one language community which deals with cultural, educational and language related issues. 

  In Sri Lanka, major social group are the Sinhala  speakers ( 74% ) and the Tamil speakers ( 18%). In Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, the democratically elected government adopted a series of Majoritarian measures to establish Sinhala supremacy. 

   The government took the following measures;

 i)  Preferential policy that favoured Sinhala application for university position and government jobs. 

 ii)  The state shall protect and foster Buddhism. 

All these measures increased the feeling of alienation among Sri Lanka Tamils. The Belgian solution helped in avoiding civic strife whereas the Majoritarianism in Sri Lanka led to the  Civil war. 

Q. 4.  Which values are associated with the idea of power sharing in any country? 

Ans.  The values are associated with the idea of power sharing in any country are;

 i) It helps to reduce the possibility of conflict between social groups and bring peace in the society. 

ii)  It ensures that stability of political orders. 

iii)  It is the very spirit of democracy. Everyone has a voice in the shaping of public policies. 

iv)  Reservation of seats for women in the  local self- government under power sharing leads to women empowerment. 

Q. 5. Why  was Brussels chosen as  the headquarters during the formation of European Union? 

Ans.  Brussels chosen as the headquarter  during the formation of Europe Union because;

i)  The Belgian leaders recognised the existence of regional differences and cultural diversities. 

ii)  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. 

iii)  This arrangement was different from any other country and was very innovative, such as they put the equal number of ministers in the central government from Dutch and French speaking both.