Democracy and Diversity

 

Democracy and Diversity

Choose the correct option:

1.       The Civil Rights Movement in the US was led by
(a) Martin Luther King Sr.                      (b) Martin Luther King Jr.
(c) Nelson Mandela                                (d) Abraham Lincoln

2.       Homogeneous societies exist in
(a) Germany                                         (b) Sweden        

(c) both (a) and (b)                               (d) neither (a) nor (b)

3.       The Black Power Movement emerged in
(a) 1966             (b) 1970             (c) 1971             (d) 1990

4.       African-Americans were the descendants of
(a) Americans      (b) Africans         (c) Indians          (d) Germans

5.       The aim of the Civil Rights Movement was to end
(a) child abuse in the UK(b) racism in the US
(c) slavery in France(d) none of the above.

6.       Which one of the following statements is not correct about social division?
(a) Too many small divisions are better than a single big division.
(b) Politics is a force of unity when expressions of various kinds of social divisions occur.
(c) It is only in countries like India that we have social divisions.
(d) Assertion of social diversities in a country need not be seen as a source of danger.

7.       What does the “Civil Rights Movement of USA” signify?
(a) A movement against the discrimination
(b) A reform movement for the Civil Rights of the citizens
(c) A reform movement against the social discriminations of Afro-Americans
(d) None of the above

8.       Which three countries faced the problem of social division?
(a) United Kingdom, USA and India

(b) Belgium, Sri Lanka and United Kingdom
(c) Sri Lanka, Canada and India

(d) Belgium, Germany and USA

9.       African – American is the term used for:
(a) Africans who were brought into America as slaves
(b) Black Americans of America
(c) Martin Luther and his group
(d) John Corlos and Smith

10.   To show his support to the protesting. American athletes during the award ceremony of Mexico Olympics, Peter Norman
(a) wore no socks                                           (b) wore a human right badge
(c) wore a black scarf                                      (d) wore a string of beads

11.   What is the society with similar kinds of people called?
(a) Homogeneous         (b) Heterogeneous       (c) Humane             (d) Humble

12.   Name the prominent religious group in Northern Ireland and the Netherlands?
(a) Judaism         (b) Christianity             (c) Islam    (d) None of the above

13.   Which of the sentence is correct?
(a) Every social difference does not lead to social division
(b) Social differences divide similar people from one another
(c) They also unite very different people
(d) All the above

14.   Who led the Civil Rights Movement in USA?
(a) Martin Luther                                   (b) Martin Luther King Jr
(c) Martin Davis                                     (d) Benjamin Franklin

15.   Which of these sentences is not correct about the “Black Power Movement”?
(a) It emerged in 1966                          (b) It lasted till 1975
(c) It was a more militant movement       (d) It advocated peaceful methods

16.   Which one of these example of not accommodating other communities demands?
(a) Sri Lanka       (b) Yugoslavia     (c) Belgium         (d) Both a and b

17.   Dealing with social divisions which one of the following statement is not correct about democracy?
(a) Democracy is the best way to accommodate social diversity.
(b) Democracy always leads to disintegration of society on the basis of social divisions.
(c) In a democracy, it is possible for communities to voice their grievances in a peaceful manner.
(d) Due to political competition in a democracy, social divisions get reflected in politics.

18.   When did the Nationalists and the UK government arrive at an agreement?
(a) 1992             (b) 1995             (c) 1998             (d) 1999

19.   Which of these sentences is/are correct?
(a) The Catholics in Northern Ireland were represented by Nationalist parties.
(b) They demand Northern Ireland should be unified with the Republic of Ireland.
(c) Republic of Ireland was a predominantly Catholic country.
(d) All of the above

20.   Which of these sentences is not true?
(a) Democracy involves competition among various political parties.
(b) Their competition tends to unite the country if they compete in terms of existing social divisions.
(c) Social divisions change into political division and lead to conflict, violence etc.
(d) It can even lead to the disintegration the country.

Source-based Questions:

Read the following conversation taken from Textbook Page 31.

Let us Debate

Some Dalit groups decided to participate in the UN Conference Against Racism in Durban in 2001, demanding the inclusion of caste in the agenda of this conference. Here are three reactions to this move: Amandeep Kaur (a government official): Our Constitution declares caste discrimination to be illegal. If some caste discrimination continues, it is an internal matter. I am opposed to this being raised in an international forum.

Oinam (a sociologist): I am opposed to this because caste and race are not similar divisions. Caste is a social division, while race is a biological one. Raising caste in this conference on racism would mean equating the two.

Ashok (a Dalit activist): The argument about internal matter is a way of preventing open discussion of oppression and discrimination. Race is not purely biological. It is as much a legal and sociological category as caste. Caste discrimination must be raised in this conference.

Question:
Which of the three opinions do you agree with most and why?

Answer

Picture-based Questions:

Look at the following cartoon taken from NCERT Textbook Page 32 and answer the question that follow:

2016

Very Short Answer Type Questions [1 Mark]

Question 1.
Mention one impact of migration.
Answer:
Migration turns a homogeneous country into a multi-cultural country.

Question 2.
Highlight the case of the Netherlands with reference to cross cutting of social differences.
Answer:
In Netherlands, both Catholics and Protestants cut across each other as both these communities are equally poor and rich.

Question 3.
Which University has recently installed the statues of Tommie Smith and John Carlos in its campus?
Answer:
The San Jose State University, California, USA has recently, in 2005, installed the statues of Tommie Smith and John Carlos in its campus.

Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 4.
What action was taken by International Olympic Association against each of the three Olympians, Carlos, Smith and Norman Peter?
Answer:
The following actions were taken against the three Olympians, Carlos, Smith and Norman.

·        Carlos and Smith were held guilty of violating the spirit of the gamgs by making a political statement.

·         Their medals were taken back.

·         Norman too suffered for his action and was not included in the Australian team for the next Olympic.

2015

Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 5.
Every social difference does not lead to social division. Do you agree with the statement? Justify your answer.
Answer:
No, all social differences do not lead to social divisions. It depends upon the social and political circumstances whether or not a social difference will lead to a social division. A combination of social differences along with other differences cumulatively decides whether or not a social difference will convert into social division.
For example, a combination of race and economic backwardness would constitute a social difference that might lead to social division. However, it depends on how the political parties deal with this issue and how the government responds to it. It varies from place to place. While language or religion may be a form of social difference leading to social division in a particular form of society, it may not occur in another society due to different prevailing circumstances. For example, in Belgium, even though there is linguistic form of social difference, it has not led to social division.

Question 6.
What did the black glove and raised clenched fist signify? Why did the two athletes do so?
Answer:
The black glove and raised clenched fist were meant to symboliQuestione black power. The athletes did so in the Mexico Olympics (1968) to signify the discrimination faced by the black people.
With this gesture, they tried to draw international attention to racial discrimination in the United States. The two men—Tommie Smith and John Carlos—did this to represent unity in Black America. In the United States, during that time, a major racial discrimination was happening where the Black Americans, due to their dark colour, were looked down upon and were not treated as equals with the White AmericAnswer: In order to grab international attention on this issue the athletes decided to put on black glove and raise the clenched fist when they were being awarded their medals.

2014
Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 7.
What action was taken by the International Olympic Association against each of the three Olympians—Carlos, Smith and Peter Norman?
Answer:
The International Olympic Association held Carlos and Smith guilty of violating the spirit of Olympic Games by making a strong political statement during the awarding of medals to them. The medals given to Smith and Carlos were taken back from them by the Association and back home they faced a lot of criticism and were looked down upon for their acts.
Norman too faced consequences for supporting the act of Smith and Carlos. Although his medals were not taken back, he suffered for his action and was not included in the Australian team for the next Olympics.

Question 8.
Despite being a nation with numerous social divisions, why has Netherlands not faced a crises or a conflict? AnalyQuestione the reason.
Answer:
The following are the reasons why despite being a nation with numerous social divisions, the Netherlands has not faced a crises or a conflict.

·         Dominant Religion: The dominant religion prevailing in the Netherlands is Christianity. Both Catholics and Protestants are Christians and hence there is no conflict in terms of which religion is predominant.

·         No disparity: In the Netherlands, there is no disparity between the rich and the poor among Catholic and Protestant communities.

·        No discrimination: Even though there exist two classes of the rich and the poor and two communities—Catholics and Protestants, there is no discrimination on the basis of caste and religion.

2013

Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 9.
How does overlapping of social differences lead to social division? Why is it easier to accommodate cross-cutting differences than overlapping* differences?
Answer:
Overlapping of social differences occurs when some social difference overlaps other difference. Situations of this kind produce social divisions, when one kind of social difference becomes more important than the other and people start feeling that they belong to different communities. For example, difference between Blacks and Whites in the United States becomes a social division because Blacks tend to be poor and landless, and often face injustice and discrimination. In our country, dalits tend to be poor and landless and often face injustice and discrimination. Overlapping differences create possibility of deep social divisions and tensions.
Whereas cross-cutting differences occur when social differences cross-cut one another, it is difficult to pit group of people against the other. It means that groups that share a common interest on the issue are likely to be on different sides on a different issue. For example, Northern Ireland and the Netherlands, both, are predominantly Christians but divided between Catholics and Protestants. In Northern Ireland, class and religion overlap each other, if Catholics tend to be poor and have suffered discrimination whereas in Netherland, class and religion tend to cross-cut each other and both are equally likely to be rich or poor. It means they have conflict in Northern Ireland and it is not so in the Netherlands. Cross-cut social differences are easier to accommodate.

Question 10.
What were the reasons for conflict in Ireland? How was the problem solved?
Answer:
There was a serious ethnic and political conflict in Northern Ireland for many years. The main reason for the conflict was the division and the demand for separation by the two existing social groups, i.e. the Catholics and the Protestants. The Protestants who were represented by the Unionists demanded that they should not be separated from the United Kingdom as it is predominantly Protestant. On the other hand, the Catholics, who were represented by the Nationalist Party, demanded that Northern Ireland should be unified with the Republic of Ireland, which has been predominantly a Catholic country. The problem was resolved in 1998, when the British Government and the Nationalist Party signed a peace treaty after which the armed struggle between the two social groups ended.

2012

Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 11.
Explain overlapping of social differences.
Answer:
When social differences overlap each other it creates a difficult situation. In such a situation, one kind of difference becomes more important than the other and people begin to develop negative approach towards the other difference. For instance, the difference between Blacks and Whites in the United States became a reason for social division. The Blacks tended to be poor and landless. They often faced discrimination and injustice. Situations of this kind produced social divisions, when people started feeling that they belonged to different communities.

Question 12.
How does overlapping of social differences lead to social division? Why is it easier to accommodate cross-cutting differences than overlapping differences?
Answer:
No, all social differences do not lead to social divisions. It depends upon the social and political circumstances whether or not a social difference will lead to a social division. A combination of social differences along with other differences cumulatively decides whether or not a social difference will convert into social division.
For example, a combination of race and economic backwardness would constitute a social difference that might lead to social division. However, it depends on how the political parties deal with this issue and how the government responds to it. It varies from place to place. While language or religion may be a form of social difference leading to social division in a particular form of society, it may not occur in another society due to different prevailing circumstances. For example, in Belgium, even though there is linguistic form of social difference, it has not led to social division.
Question 13.
What penalty was imposed on Carlos, Smith and Norman for their action at the 1968 Mexico Olympics?
Answer:
The San Jose State University, California, USA has recently, in 2005, installed the statues of Tommie Smith and John Carlos in its campus.

Question 14.
Describe the factors which decide the outcomes of the politics of social division?
Answer:
Three factors that determine the outcome of politics of social divisions are as follows.

·        The way people perceive their identifies: Social divisions may take place, if people demand a special recognition to their identities. If people see their identities in singular terms, it becomes very difficult to accommodate and avoid social divisions.

·         Leadership provided by political leaders/The way political leaders react to the situations: The role played by political leaders and the leadership provided by them play an important role in creating or filling social divisions.

·         The reaction of the government to demands of different groups: If the government gives equal representation and equal share of power to all the major and minor groups in the society, the chances of social divisions minimiQuestione. If the government tries to suppress a demand, it could create unrest, thereby paving the way for social divisions.

2011

Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 15.
“We have different identities in different contexts.” Support the statement with three facts.
Answer:
The presence of different socio-economic, religious, linguistic and caste group gives us different identities at different times and in different contexts. This can be called social diversity. These identities at some point divide us and at some point unite us. For example, one can be Hindu or Muslim or Sikh but when it comes to education we are all students irrespective of our religion. The following are the facts to support the statement.

·        People belonging to same religion feel that they do not belong to the same community because their caste is different. For example, Hindus are all of the same religion but there are different castes.

·         Sometimes people from different religions can have same caste which gives them a sense of belongingness.

·         It may be seen among rich and poor people that they do not keep cordial even after belonging to the same religion, same caste and even family.

Question 16.
Explain with examples different forms of social differences.
Answer:
There are two forms of social differences—overlapping social differences and cross-cutting social differences.

·        Overlapping social differences: When some social difference overlaps with other difference, it produces social divisions. In such a situation, one kind of social difference becomes more important than the other and people start feeling that they belong to different communities.
For example, the difference between Blacks and Whites in the United States becomes a reason for a social division because Blacks tend to be poor and landless and often face injustice and discrimination.

·         Cross-cutting Differences: If social differences cross cut one another, it is difficult to pit group of people against the other. It means that groups that share a common interest on an issue are likely to be on different sides on a different issue.
For example Northern Ireland and the Netherlands both are predominantly Christian countries but are divided between Catholics and Protestants. In Northern Ireland, class and religion overlap each other, where Catholics tend to be poor and have suffered discrimination whereas in the Netherlands, class and religion tend to cross cut it each other and both are equally likely to be rich or poor. It means they have conflict in Northern Ireland and it is not so in the Netherlands. Cross-cutting social differences are easier to accommodate.

Question 17.
What are the features of a homogeneous society? Mention the name of any one country having such society.
Answer:
The following are the features of a homogeneous society.

A homogeneous society is a society that has similar kinds of people.
In a homogeneous society, there are no significant ethnic differences and members share a common culture. Nowadays, homogeneous societies are undergoing rapid change due to the influx of people.
For instance, Germany and Sweden have homogeneous societies but they are also becoming multi-cultural with the influx of people.

Question 18.
What did the African-American athletes in Mexico Olympics do in order to draw international attention to social discrimination in the United States?
Answer:
To draw international attention to racial discrimination in the United States the two African-American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, stood with clenched fists upraised and heads bowed, while the American national
anthem was played. Their gesture symbolised Black Power. They wore black socks without shoes to represent Black Poverty. Thus, their gesture signified black power and protest against social discrimination in the United States.

Long Answer Type Question [5 Marks]

Question 19.
How is political expression of social divisions in democracy beneficial?
Answer:
In democracy, political expression of social divisions is normal and can be healthy. In case of India and Belgium, it has been observed that social diversities can be accommodated in a very positive manner. But a positive attitude towards diversity and a willingness to accommodate it do not come about easily.

People who feel marginalised, deprived and discriminated against have to fight against injustices.
Such a fight often takes the democratic path, voicing their demands in a peaceful and constitutional manner and seeking a fair position through elections.
Sometimes social differences can take the form of unacceptable level of social inequality and injustice. The struggle against such inequalities sometimes takes the path of violence and defiance of state power.
However, history shows that democracy is the best way to fight for recognition and also to accommodate diversity.

2010

Very Short Answer Type Questions [1 Mark]

Question 20.
What is the main base of social divisions in our society?
Answer:
Caste, religion and gender are the main bases of social divisions in our society.

Question 21.
What is the meaning of homogeneous society?
Answer:
A homogeneous society shares a common language, ethnicity and culture. Japan and South Korea are examples of homogeneous societies.

Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 22.
When do social divisions take place in a society? Explain with suitable examples.
Answer:
Social division takes place under following circumstances.

·        Social division due to overlapping differences. It happens when one kind of social difference becomes more important than the other and people start feeling that they belong to different communities.
For example, the difference between the Blacks and Whites in the United States becomes a social division because the Blacks tend to be poor, homeless and discriminated against. Situation of this kind produces social divisions.

·         Social division due to cross-cutting differences. If social differences cross-cut one another, it is difficult to compete one group of people against the other. It means that groups that share a common interest on one issue are likely to be on different sides on a different issue, thereby leading to a social division.
For example, Northern Ireland is a dominantly Christian country but is divided between Catholics and Protestants. Here, class and religion overlap each other. If you are Catholic, you are more likely to be poor and discriminated against. The result is the division of the society.

·        Social division of one kind or another exists in most countries. It does not matter whether the country is small or big. For instance, India is a vast country with many communities, at the same time, Belgium is a small country with many communities.

·        Sometimes there is division or difference in society due to migration and migrants. Even those countries such as Germany and Sweden, that were once highly homogenous, are undergoing rapid change with influx of people from other parts of the world. Migrants bring with them their own culture and tend to form a different social community. If social divisions do not exist in a country they must never be expressed in politics.
In a sense most countries of the world are multi-cultural and have multi-dimensional social divisions.

Long Answer Type Question [5 Marks]

Question 23.
When do social divisions take place in the society? Explain with suitable examples.
Answer:
Social division takes place under following circumstances.

(a)       Social division due to overlapping differences. It happens when one kind of social difference becomes more important than the other and people start feeling that they belong to different communities.
For example, the difference between the Blacks and Whites in the United States becomes a social division because the Blacks tend to be poor, homeless and discriminated against. Situation of this kind produces social divisions.
(b) Social division due to cross-cutting differences. If social differences cross-cut one another, it is difficult to compete one group of people against the other. It means that groups that share a common interest on one issue are likely to be on different sides on a different issue, thereby leading to a social division.
For example, Northern Ireland is a dominantly Christian country but is divided between Catholics and Protestants. Here, class and religion overlap each other. If you are Catholic, you are more likely to be poor and discriminated against. The result is the division of the society.
(c) Social division of one kind or another exists in most countries. It does not matter whether the country is small or big. For instance, India is a vast country with many communities, at the same time, Belgium is a small country with many communities.
(d) Sometimes there is division or difference in society due to migration and migrants. Even those countries such as Germany and Sweden, that were once highly homogenous, are undergoing rapid change with influx of people from other parts of the world. Migrants bring with them their own culture and tend to form a different social community. If social divisions do not exist in a country they must never be expressed in politics.
In a sense most countries of the world are multi-cultural and have multi-dimensional social divisions.

 

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