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Exercises — Outcomes of Democracy

🎓 Class 10 Social Science CBSE Theory Ch 5 — Outcomes of Democracy ⏱ ~15 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]

This MCQ module is based on: Exercises — Outcomes of Democracy

[myaischool_lt_sst_assessment grade_level="class_10" subject="civics" difficulty="intermediate"]

Chapter Summary — Key Concepts

ConceptKey Takeaway
Democracy as a form of governmentCreates conditions for achieving goals; citizens must take advantage of those conditions
Accountable GovernmentDemocracy ensures decision-making follows procedures; citizens can examine the process (transparency)
Economic GrowthDictatorships had slightly higher growth (4.42 vs 3.95); among poor countries, difference is negligible
InequalityDemocracies have not been very successful in reducing economic inequalities
Social DiversityDemocracy can accommodate diversity if majority rule doesn't become majority community rule
Dignity & FreedomDemocracy stands superior in promoting individual dignity; strengthens claims of disadvantaged groups
LegitimacyDemocratic government is the people's own government — its greatest strength

NCERT Exercises

Q1. How does democracy produce an accountable, responsive and legitimate government?
L4 Analyse
Answer
Democracy produces an accountable government through regular free and fair elections where citizens can replace rulers. It ensures responsiveness by providing mechanisms for citizens to participate in decision-making and express demands through public debate. It creates legitimate government because it derives authority from the people themselves — people support the idea of being ruled by their elected representatives, giving democratic governments a legitimacy that non-democratic regimes lack.
Q2. What are the conditions under which democracies accommodate social diversities?
L4 Analyse
Answer
Two conditions are essential: First, democracy must not be simply rule by majority opinion — the majority must always work with the minority so that governments represent the general view. Second, rule by majority must not become rule by a majority community based on religion, race, or linguistic group. Different persons and groups must be able to form a majority at different times. If someone is permanently barred from being in the majority based on birth, democracy ceases to be accommodative.
Q3. Give arguments to support or oppose the assertions (selected)
L5 Evaluate
Answer
"Industrialised countries can afford democracy but the poor need dictatorship to become rich": This can be opposed — evidence shows that among poor countries, the difference in growth rates between democracies (4.28) and dictatorships (4.34) is negligible. Moreover, democracy provides accountability, transparency, and legitimacy that dictatorships lack. Economic growth under dictatorship is fragile without institutional checks.

"Democracy can't reduce inequality of incomes": This has some truth — democracies have not been very successful at reducing economic inequalities (as seen in South Africa and Brazil). However, democracy provides mechanisms through which disadvantaged groups can demand redistribution — voting power, social movements, and legal challenges. The failure is not inherent to democracy but to how citizens and governments utilise democratic tools.
Q4. Identify challenges and suggest mechanisms to deepen democracy
L6 Create
Answer
Temple with separate doors for dalits: Challenge — social discrimination persists despite legal equality. Mechanism — stronger enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, awareness campaigns, community dialogue facilitated by local governance bodies.

Farmer suicides: Challenge — economic inequality and unresponsive governance. Mechanism — debt relief policies, minimum support price enforcement, crop insurance, rural development programmes, and direct farmer representation in policy-making bodies.

Fake encounter in J&K: Challenge — accountability and human rights protection. Mechanism — independent judicial inquiries, strengthening human rights commissions, transparent investigation processes, and protection for whistleblowers.

NCERT MCQ Exercises

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NCERT MCQ Exercises

Q5. In the context of democracies, which idea is correct — democracies have successfully eliminated:
L3 Apply
  • (A) Conflicts among people
  • (B) Economic inequalities among people
  • (C) Differences of opinion about how marginalised sections are to be treated
  • (D) The idea of political inequality
Q6. In assessing democracy, which is the odd one out? Democracies need to ensure:
L4 Analyse
  • (A) Free and fair elections
  • (B) Dignity of the individual
  • (C) Majority rule
  • (D) Equal treatment before law
Q7. Studies on political and social inequalities in democracy show that:
L3 Apply
  • (A) Democracy and development go together
  • (B) Inequalities exist in democracies
  • (C) Inequalities do not exist under dictatorship
  • (D) Dictatorship is better than democracy
Q8. Case Study — Nannu and the Right to Information
L5 Evaluate

Nannu, a daily wage earner from Welcome Mazdoor Colony in East Delhi, lost his ration card and applied for a duplicate in January 2004. After three months of visits with no response from officials, he filed an application under the RTI Act. Within a week, an inspector visited him and informed him his card was ready. The Food and Supply Officer even offered him tea and requested he withdraw the RTI application.

Answer
Nannu's example shows that democracy provides tools for citizens to hold government accountable. The RTI Act empowered an ordinary daily wage earner to demand transparency from bureaucratic officials who had ignored him for months. His action had an immediate impact — officials who had been unresponsive became suddenly helpful. This demonstrates that democratic mechanisms work when citizens are aware of their rights and actively use them. It also shows that government accountability requires active citizen participation, not just the existence of laws.

Suitability of Democracy — South Asian Perceptions

L4 Analyse

Figure: Percentage who consider democracy suitable for their country (SDSA data)

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Competency-Based Questions

Case Study: A municipality introduced an online portal for citizen feedback on public services. Within six months, road repair complaints dropped 40% as the public works department became more responsive. However, only 30% of residents used the portal — mostly younger, educated citizens. Elderly and less educated residents continued facing unresponsive services.
Q1. The online portal is an example of which democratic mechanism?
L3 Apply
  • (A) Judicial review
  • (B) Citizens' participation in decision-making and holding government accountable
  • (C) Electoral reform
  • (D) Legislative debate
Q2. Analyse why the digital divide limits the effectiveness of this democratic tool.
L4 Analyse
Q3. Evaluate whether technology alone can solve the problem of government accountability in a democracy.
L5 Evaluate
HOT Q. Design an inclusive citizen feedback system that works for all residents, including the elderly and less educated.
L6 Create
Assertion-Reason Questions
Options:
(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.
Assertion (A): People complaining about democracy is a testimony to the success of the democratic project.
Reason (R): Complaints show that citizens have developed awareness and the ability to critically examine power holders.
Assertion (A): Non-democratic regimes are more successful than democracies in reducing corruption.
Reason (R): Democracies often frustrate the needs of the people and ignore the demands of the majority.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the important questions in NCERT Class 10 Civics Chapter 5?

NCERT Class 10 Civics Chapter 5 includes multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, long answer questions, and competency-based questions (CBQ). Students should focus on key concepts, definitions, and application-based reasoning from the chapter for thorough exam preparation.

How to prepare for Class 10 Civics Chapter 5 board exam?

To prepare effectively for Class 10 Civics Chapter 5, read the NCERT textbook carefully, understand key definitions and concepts, practise all exercise questions, attempt CBQ-style questions for higher-order thinking, and revise diagrams, timelines, or data tables from the chapter.

What is the marking scheme for Class 10 Civics in CBSE?

The CBSE marking scheme for Class 10 Civics typically includes 1-mark MCQs, 3-mark short answer questions, and 5-mark long answer questions. Competency-based questions (CBQ) involving case studies and data interpretation are also included as per NEP 2020 guidelines.

Are NCERT exercises sufficient for Class 10 Civics exams?

NCERT exercises form the foundation for Class 10 Civics exams. Most CBSE board questions are directly or indirectly based on NCERT content. Practising all in-text and end-of-chapter questions along with CBQ-format practice ensures comprehensive preparation.

What types of questions come from Chapter 5 in Class 10 Civics?

Chapter 5 of Class 10 Civics typically features objective-type MCQs, assertion-reason questions, short descriptive answers, map-based or diagram questions, and case-study based CBQ questions testing analysis and evaluation skills.

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