Social Justice Class 11 Important Extra Questions Political Science Chapter 4

Here we are providing Class 11 Political Science Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 4 Social Justice. Political Science Class 11 Important Questions with Answers are the best resource for students which helps in class 11 board exams.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 4 Important Extra Questions Social Justice

Social Justice Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What do you mean by social justice?
Answer:
The literal meaning of the word justice means to give what is one’s due. It also means that a thing should go to whom it belongs or deserves. In an ancient society of India justice was associated with dharma and morality i.e. to do a thing or not to do a thing. It was also concerned with building and maintaining adjusted the order. Confucius the great Chinese philosopher said that as part of justice kings should maintain justice by punishing wrongdoers and rewarding the virtuous. Plato discussed justice in his famous book Republic as the interest of stronger and fulfillment of each class of the state, its duty in its area of jurisdiction and not to interfere in other’s matters. The idea that justice involves giving his due continues to be an important part of our present-day understanding of the idea of justice.

Question 2.
How you will explain justice as one’s due?
Answer:
The main understanding about justice has been in terms of one’s due in the system. However what is and what ought to be one’s due has been understood differently in different, periods and different societies. Today our understanding of what is due to each person as a human being. According to German philosopher Immanuel Kant, human beings have dignity. If all persons are granted dignity, then the due to each of them is that they have the opportunity to develop their talents and pursue their chosen goals. Justice requires that we give due and equal consideration to all the individual. That is the essence of the concept in terms of one’s due.

Question 3.
What are the essentials of justice in modern society?
Answer:
The idea of justice today has many essentials to constitute the sense of justness. Essential conditions are as under :

  1. Equal treatment with all
  2. Fulfillment of essential basic needs
  3. Impartiality
  4. Truth
  5. Honesty.

Question 4.
What do you mean by distributive justice?
Answer:
Distributive justice is based on the modem structure of socio-economic relations of the members of the society. It is based on the hypothesis that there is a number of opportunities’ rewards and benefits in the system. They should be distributed on the basis of the worth and talents of the people. Positions are scattered in the society which should be distributed as per worth. That is the essence of the idea of justice. It also suggests that social goods and social duties are distributed among different members of the society.

Question 5.
How equality of treatment is essential for justice?
Answer:
Equality of treatment is an essential element of the concept of justice. Equality of treatment means that all persons should be treated equally and no discrimination should be made on the ground of caste, color, region, religion, and sex. Equality of treatment is essential because all human beings generally share equal hopes, aspirations and emotions, and feelings. Therefore they need equal respect and behavior for their justiciable development. As a part of the equality of treatment principle, efforts are being made to give equal civic, political, and economic rights in most democratic and liberal societies. Forgiving one’s due, equality of treatment is very much an essential requirement.

Question 6.
What do you mean by proportionate justice?
Answer:
The principle of equality of treatment to all is not absolute as it can be applied everywhere and every time. Only in similar conditions, equality of treatment is feasible and desirable also but in dissimilar conditions neither it is feasible nor it is desirable. For this purpose, there is the principle of proportionate justice which means that rewards and benefits should be on the principle of proportionately i.e. in proportionate.

Question 7.
How the principle of recognition for special needs is conducive to the concept of justice?
Answer:
Justice is generally considered and accepted as a situation giving each person his due. But certain people or class of people have been denied their due place and due claims due to certain physical and environmental factors. In the true earnest of justice, these handicaps are to be removed by fulfilling the special needs of such people or the class of the people. This will be considered a way of promoting justice. The idea behind it is that people with certain disabilities of different kinds deserve special help and consideration for the sake of justice.

Question 8.
How does the reservation help in social justice?
Answer:
Reservation is an effort to do justice to the people, who had suffered injustice in history. It is an effort to fulfill the special needs of the people who had been victims of a negative and oppressive socio-economic environment. It is a sort of corrective measure. In a way, it is leveling process. This is done as positive discrimination because to some extent it violates the principle of equality of treatment to all. Its purpose is to establish justice at various levels.

Question 9.
What is the position of reservation in the Indian Constitution?
Answer:
In Indian society large section of the society has been exploited a lot and had suffered injustice at social, economic, and political levels. Mainly scheduled caste people and scheduled tribe people had suffered in Indian society.

Indian Constitution-makers realizing the plight of the exploited class, provided the feature of reservation in employment and parliament and State Legislatures. Its purpose is to harmonize the different class relationships and to promote a just society.

Question 10.
Give some measures of the Indian Constitution whose purpose is to establish social justice.
Answer:
Constitution makers have introduced a number of measures for promoting social justice. Some of them are:

  1. Fundamental Rights.
  2. Provision of reservation in employment, educational institutions, and in legislative bodies like Parliament and State Legislature.
  3. Removal of untouchability.
  4. Directive Principles of State policy.

Question 11.
Explain the concept of the veil of ignorance of John Rawls.
Answer:
The imagined veil of ignorance is the first step in arriving at a system of fair laws and policies. It suggests that a rational person will not only see things from the perspective of worst off, they will also try to ensure that the policies they frame, should benefit the society as a whole. Therefore it would be in the interests of all that society as a whole should benefit from the rules and policies that are decided not just any particular section. Such fairness would be the outcome of rational action.

Question 12.
What is John Rawl’s ultimate view of social justice?
Answer:
John Rawl’s final analysis of social justice is based on his argument that rational thinking and not morality could lead us to be fair and judge impartially regarding how to distribute the benefits and burdens of society. He concludes that fairness and justice are complementary to each other. Fairness is divorced from morality and over-enthusiasm. It is the rational distribution of benefits and burdens which is the core of social justice.

Question 13.
How can we decide what are the basic minimum conditions of life needed by people?
Answer:
Although norms for the basic minimum conditions may vary from society to society and place to place. But even then some common minimum conditions can be given which are considered necessary for a human being irrespective of his place or society. Various methods of calculating the basic needs of the people have been devised by different national and international organizations at the government level as well as the private level. On the basis of observations of these organizations, it is agreed that the basic amount of nourishment needed to remain healthy, housing, a supply of clean drinking water, education, and a minimum wage would constitute an important part of basic conditions.

Question 14.
How does a free-market economy affect social justice?
Answer:
Supporters of a free-market economy say that as far as possible, an individual should be free in his or her economic pursuits for his/her development which is the essence of justice. They should be free to compete with each other in different areas of life to gain greater benefits and improve the quality of life.

In a free-market economy which is based on open competition, we may get better services and goods of higher quality but the negative aspect is that access to this system will be of a minimum section of the society and a larger section of the society will be deprived of. Hence it will not improve social justice for all.

Question 15.
What was the proposition of an ideal society according to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar?
Answer:
According to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, just society is that society in which ascending sense of reverence and descending sense of contempt is dissolved into the creation of a compassionate society’.

Social Justice Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Explain the concept of justice.
Answer:
Justice has ever been in demand in all ages but the viewpoints about the contents and essentials of justice, demanded and expected by the people have been different, depending on the prevailing socio¬economic environment. In ancient Indian society, justice was associated with ‘dharma’ and maintaining dharma i.e. social order. Justice literally has been understood with the Latin word ‘Jesus’ i.e. just i.e. what is one’s due. In China, the philosopher Confucius argued that kings should maintain justice by punishing wrongdoers and rewarding the virtuous.

Plato in his famous book ‘The Republic’ explains justice in terms of working of three classes of the society in their own areas and not interfering in other’s matters. He considered justice as a condition of harmonious relations among the three classes of the society which are formed corresponding to the three elements of the human soul. In the modem period, it is related to more availability of essential conditions of life on equality and just basis to build a just society.

Question 2.
Justice is one’s due. Explain.
Answer:
Justice has been understood as one’s due i.e. what belongs to him and what a person should get and what place he/she occupies in the society and what share he/she should get. But what should be one’s due and what are the essentials of one share as a matter of justice has been viewed differently in different points of time. To some philosophers, human dignity has been of prime importance. Dignity is related to one’s due. Justice requires that we give due and equal considerations to all individuals.

Question 3.
How the principle of equal treatment for equals serve the cause of social justice?
Answer:
In modern society, the principle of equal treatment for equal is considered to be the essential condition for the realization of social justice. However, it is not easy to calculate, how much a person should get or what exactly is one’s due. For this treating equals equally is considered a necessity. It is considered that all individuals share certain characteristics as human beings. Therefore they deserve equal rights and similar treatment and equal dignified behavior at least in similar conditions.

Besides equal rights, the principle of treating equals equally would require that people should not be discriminated against on grounds of caste, color, race, and gender. A person’s due place in society should be judged on the basis of one’s abilities, talent, words, and actions and not on the basis of class, caste, or group one belongs to. For example, if a male or female worker is performing the same work in a similar situation, both should be given equal wages and no discrimination should be made between male and female workers in terms of wages and behavior only then the cause of justice will be served.

Question 4.
What do you mean by the idea of proportionate justice?
Answer:
Apparently, the principle of equal treatment to all seems to be the ideal and necessary condition for justice but there are frequent situations and circumstances in which we find that treating everyone equally would be unjust. We cannot give equal awards to all those who have appeared in an examination in equal conditions. They will be and ought to be awarded on the basis of performances, which will be certainly unequal. Justice in such a case would mean rewarding people in proportion to the scale and quality of their efforts in similar conditions.

Question 5.
What is the concept of special needs? How does it serve the cause of justice?
Answer:
For the cause of justice in the society identifying and recognizing the special needs of the people is an important situation while distributing rewards and duties among the members of the society. Normally people are treated equally for the sake of justice but there are people in the society who need special care and special needs for justice. However, that may appear unequal treatment. Because some people of the society have some disabilities and could not stand with other people, that society cannot be called as a just society.

People with special needs or disabilities could be considered unequal in some particular respect and deserve special help Physical disabilities, age or lack of access to good education or healthcare are some of the factors which are considered grounds for special needs in different societies of the world.

Question 6.
Discuss just distribution as necessary for social justice.
Answer:
Besides other essential requirements for social justice like equal treatment, honest, fairness, and impartiality, just distribution of goods and services, between individuals, groups, and nations is also a very essential and important requirement to achieve social justice in society. If there are serious social, economic inequalities and disparities in the society it will seriously affect social justice. Therefore within a country, social justice would require not only that people be treated equally in terms of laws and policies of the society but also that they enjoy-some basic equality of living conditions and opportunities. Glaring disparities and inequalities have to be removed for the cause of justice.

Question 7.
Discuss the John Rawls theory of justice?
Answer:
John Rawls in his explanation of the theory of justice gave answers to the questions related to the theory of justice rather than the essentials of justice. John Rawls argues that the only way we can arrive at a fair and just rule is if we imagine ourselves in a situation in which we have to make decisions about the best composition of the society, about knowing our position in that society. Rawls says that if we do not know that situation, options would be available to us in the future society and we will be likely to support a decision about the rules and organization of that future society which would be fair for all the members of the society. Rawls describes fairness and rationality as the very-very essential condition of social justice in any society.

Question 8.
Describe the idea of ‘veil of ignorance’ as given by John Rawls in his theory of social justice.
Answer:
In his theory of social justice, John Rawls imagines a situation of uncertainty about the composition of society and different roles to be given to the different people or the class of the people. He is of the view that that future society would be fair to all. In fact, this uncertain and imaginative situation is referred to by John Rawls as ‘Veil of ignorance’.

He says that it will be the situation of complete ignorance about our possible position and status and role. Each person will behave in terms of their own interests as human beings generally do. Since it is a situation of uncertainty, each will accept the future society from the point of view of the worst off. In this situation, justice will be constituted to see that important resources like education, health, shelter are available to all irrespective of their status in the society. The merit of the veil of ignorance is that it expects people to be just, fair and rational.

Question 9.
Discuss social justice as the objective of the Indian Constitution.
Answer:
Indian society is full of inequalities, disparities, imbalances, and injustice because it has a feudal and colonial past with an exploitative society and economy. The Constitution is proposed to be the instrument of socio-economic change i.e. socio-economic transformation of the society. In this scheme, social justice is the most important cherished value and objective of the Indian Constitution which is mentioned in the preamble of the Indian Constitution. In three areas i.e. social, economic, and political, social justice is given the place of prominence.

To achieve social justice number of features have been added to the Indian Constitution. Indian economy is established on the socialistic pattern for equal distribution of all the resources and fulfillment of minimum common needs of the people and to a built egalitarian society. Special needs of weaker and disadvantaged classes are fulfilled. Reservation is made for the traditionally exploited class like SCs and STs. in employment and educational institution. Social evils like untouchability have been abolished.

Question 10.
What is an egalitarian perspective? How it can be achieved?
Answer:
Egalitarianism is an important and useful perspective to achieve social justice. Egalitarianism means that all the minimum common needs must be accessible to all to lead a decent life. All people should be given an environment in which people could lead a dignified life. There should not be unjustified disparities in different sections of society. Efforts are being made at different levels to determine what are the minima and what are the maxima for an egalitarian society and to achieve social justice.

Question 11.
How the socialism seeks social justice?
Answer:
Socialism was a reaction against capitalism which was an exploitative system based on inequalities and injustices. In capitalism, there was the concentration of the economic resources in few hands which generated disparities and class society. Socialism is a system that seeks to give the economic resources in the collective ownership of the society. Socialist thinkers seek to achieve justice with the principle “from each according to his ability and to each according to his need”. Socialism is based on cooperation and harmonious relations of the different classes of the society. It seeks to fulfill the basic needs of the people and providing a dignified life to all. It seeks to remove the inhuman competition. It wants to promote human values as an essential condition of social justice.

Question 12.
Describe the features of a free-market economy.
Answer:
The market economy is based on the principle that individuals should be free to own property and to express their expertise in areas of their likings and preference without any kind of interference and intervention of any kind. They should be free to compete with each other to gain the greatest amount of benefit. Supporters of a free-market economy believe that if markets are left free of state interference, then the market transactions would ensure overall a just distribution of benefits and duties in society. The meritorious and hard-working people will be rewarded accordingly while the weak, lazy, and incompetent would get a lesser reward. In today’s liberal market economy, some kind of intervention of the state is accepted, for example, the state can decide the common minimum needs for social justice and the dignified life of the common man.

Question 13.
How the free market economy is helpful in promoting social justice?
Answer:
At one time, the market economy was considered as a mechanism of social justice with the development of people’s talent and enterprising spirit without any kind of interference and intervention. It ensures a basic minimum standard of living for all people so that they are able to compete on equal terms. Private agencies should be encouraged to provide such services while state policies should try to empower people to buy those services. Besides this, the state should try only to maintain a framework of laws and regulations to ensure that competition between individuals remains free of coercion and other hindrances. Supporters of this free market system maintain that the free market is the basis of a fair and just society. The idea of justice in a free market is that it is concerned with the development of talents and skills of an individual irrespective of his caste, religion, and gender.

Question 14.
Discuss the merits of a free-market economy.
Answer:
One of the most important merits of the free market is that it promotes the merit and skill of man irrespective of caste, color, and gender and it gives the people more choice although the free market system gives us more choices as consumers.

The second important merit of the free market is that the quality of services is superior in comparison to government institution’s services.

Another important argument in favor of the free-market is the quality of goods which is good in quality and quantity which removes the situations of deficiency and scarcity.

Question 15.
Give the arguments in favor of State intervention for the promotion of social justice.
Answer:
Although there is a number of arguments in favor of a free-market economy show certain negative tendencies also which are violative of the basics of social justice.

Free Market leads to competition and concentration of powers in few hands only which generates the classes-of haves and haves not which creates the situation of injustice.

To check this inhuman competition and concentration of resources in few hands only, the state intervention is considered useful and desirable to create balances for social justice. State intervention will ensure that basic facilities are made available to all the members of society. The state acts as an arbiter in the matter of management of the resources and their fair distribution for the promotion of social justice.

Question 16.
How a democratic framework is more favorable for social justice?
Answer:
The democratic framework of society’ and policy is considered more conducive for the availability of social justice because it tends to respect human dignity and seeks to improve the quality of life by ensuring fair and equitable distribution of minimum basic needs for the people.

In a democratic society, disagreements about issues of distribution and justice are inevitable and even healthy but with healthy discussion and debates, the rational and just decision emerges which ensures the just and rational relationship among the people which is an essential condition for social justice. In autocratic and dictatorial society, social justice becomes the first casualty.

Social Justice Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
What is social justice? How does the Indian Constitution seek to achieve social justice?
Answer:
Social justice has been considered as the most important and necessary condition for human life, justice has other aspects also like economic, political, and religion. The very essence of justice has been the just system and just relationship and just place of every man in the society. Just means that everyone should occupy one’s position.

Another important feature of justice has been the equality of treatment so that everyone could lead a dignified life.

The third important requirement of social justice is the availability of minimum needs to everyone and also the fair distribution of resources.

John Rawls wants to create a just and fair and rational society for the promotion of social justice where benefits and rewards could be distributed on a merit basis.

Indian Constitution is considered as the embodiment of social justice because the objective of the Constitution laid down in the preamble indicates that the entire Constitution seeks the total transformation of Indian society for the promotion of social justice. The dignity of man is placed on the top. The mechanism has been provided for the transformation of society and the economy. Polity has been made responsible, responsive, and participatory. The common man is given due place in the decision-making process at different levels. Social evils like untouchability have been abolished. Weaker sections and women have been given a place of preference in the matter of development and welfare. All these measures and features are meant for social justice.

Equality Class 11 Important Extra Questions Political Science Chapter 3

Here we are providing Class 11 Political Science Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 3 Equality. Political Science Class 11 Important Questions with Answers are the best resource for students which helps in class 11 board exams.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 3 Important Extra Questions Equality

Equality Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is equality?
Answer:
Equality is a very wide concept which seeks a situation of equal treatment and equal reward. In feet, it is a levelling process. Equality seeks to build such an environment where all enjoy equal opportunities and equal access to basic essentials of life. It also seeks to remove the disparities at a different level on different grounds. It is based on the thesis that all are alike in capabilities and capacities, hence all must be treated alike in the matter of opportunities and rewards. Its emphasis is on just and equal socio. economic environment.

Question 2.
What do you mean by absolute equality?
Answer:
The supporter of absolute equality has a negative view of equality which means ‘absence of privileges’ i.e. no person or class or caste should hold a special position on any ground like caste, colour, region, religion or economic status. They demand a society where all are equal and there is no disparity of any kind in any degree. Absolute equality seems to be an impossibility in a collective society because there is natural inequality of colour and sex and also inequality of environment which produces men and women of unequal strength, capabilities and capacities.

Question 3.
What are the essentials of the positive aspect of equality?
Answer:
The positive aspect of equality means equality of an environment where all the people could get equal access and opportunities for their abound development. Essentials of the positive aspect of equality are as under:

  1. Equal opportunities.
  2. Access to minimum needs.
  3. Equal treatment with all.
  4. Fulfilment of basic needs.
  5. Availability of resources.

Question 4.
What is equality of opportunities?
Answer:
Equality of opportunities implies that all the people are entitled. to get rights and opportunities to develop their talent, skill and potentialities and to achieve their desired goal in different areas of life. People may differ in their skill and talent, but they should get equal opportunities to develop them and should not be denied on the ground of caste, colour, sex and status. If there is inequality due to difference in talent or skill or capacities,- that should not be treated as inequality. Inequality lies, in the denial of access to such basic goods which are necessary for life, and that makes unequal and unjust society.

Question 5.
What do you mean by natural inequality?
Answer:
Natural inequality is the most important aspect of inequality. It is “that inequality which is natural i.e. inequality of colour, height and sex.

Natural inequalities are considered to be the result of the different ‘ characteristics and abilities with which people are born. In fact, natural inequalities have to be accepted as equality because there is no creation of a man-made environment and they cannot be altered or modified. If some people are black and others are white, it is natural inequality, similarly if one is male and other is female, it is natural inequality. These are transmitted from one generation to another and are based on natural conditions.

Question 6.
What do you mean by social inequality?
Answer:
Social inequalities are widely prevailing in society and these are the matter of concern. These social inequalities are the creation, of social taboos and social environment. Society has different perceptions of different situations. People look at the people of different caste, colour, profession and strata differently and so are they awarded which gives birth to the unequal situation. Social inequalities are man-made which are unjust and need reform.

Question 7.
What is political inequality?
Answer:
Political inequalities marred history. In all the societies ‘ the politics and administration have been the domain of few and rest have been denied on the different ground like caste, colour, status and sex.

Even in liberal democratic countries like Britain and the United States of America, the people were denied political equality on the basis of sex and colour. Before the adoption of adult franchise, people were given political rights on the basis of education, wealth and status. Therefore there has been a gross violation of political equality in different parts of the world. Even today political equality is a mirage for many people. Political equality seeks to achieve the right to vote, right of expression, movement and association. These rights are necessary for the development of the citizens and to participate in the affairs of the state.

Question 8.
What is social equality?
Answer:
Social equality means equal treatment, equal opportunities to all the persons in social functions and seeks to remove the inequalities ‘ on the basis of caste, colour, religion, region and sex. For example, women have been denied social equality and have been discriminated against in social functions at home and outside. Similarly, black people in Africa and people of scheduled castes have been discriminated on the basis of caste and colour. This has been the social inequality and social equality demands the ending of such practices.

Question 9.
What do you mean by economic equality?
Answer:
Economic equality does not mean that all should have equal wages and income because the difference in wages and income is related to talent and skill. Economic equality means equality in economic conditions without any discrimination on the basis of caste, colour and sex. Economic equality means that there should be equality of wages among men and women and in similar working conditions.

Question 10.
How social equality is ensured in the Indian Constitution?
Answer:
There have been glaring social inequalities in Indian society since ages. After independence, Constitution makers ensured social equality by giving Fundamental Right of equality which prohibits discrimination on any social ground at a public place (Art. 15). Constitution makers gave equality before the law (under Art. 14) and discrimination is prohibited before the law on any social ground. The age-old practice of untouchability is also removed under Art. 17. In his way through this right social equality is ensured.

Question 11.
What do you mean by Feminism?
Answer:
Feminism is a movement either it is thinking or philosophy which indicates the change of understanding about the capabilities and capacities of women and about her place in the society. The feminist movement started in post Second World War in a different part of the world. Therefore it is worldwide awakening about the position of women. Feminist movement not only recognises the hidden power of women but also is an effort to utilize it and channelise it in different areas. It is a movement to make women and the society aware of the new role of women in national and international life. It is an effort to give the women due role in the decision-making process.

Question 12.
What is the reason for economic inequality according to Marx?
Answer:
According to Marx the main reason for economic inequality is the ownership of property which is unequal. Therefore there are economic inequalities in society. In his theory which he gave in his famous book ‘Das Capital’, he explained the surplus-value is the root cause of generating inequalities in the society. It is the surplus-value which makes the capitalist richer and poorer to the labourer and thus class formation takes place which later on becomes exploitative class and exploited class.

Question 13.
How formal equality can be achieved?
Answer:
To achieve formal equality in society, the formal inequalities have to be removed. The formal inequality is like a rigid system based on wrong notions and which has got legitimacy over the period ‘ of time. Therefore to attain formal equality such wrong notions about some people and privileged positions for some other people should be removed. The law and agencies of the Government should not protect the strong man and vent intents in which favour the old system is v. deliberately built-up. In Indian Constitution discrimination in socio¬economic ground is prohibited and untouchability is removed.

Question 15.
What is socialism?
Answer:
Socialism is a socio-economic system which wants or seeks to establish an equalitarian society by giving every person his or her due place in the society. It had become very popular after the Second World War in Eastern Europe and later in Asian and some African country. It seeks to achieve the value of equality in a socio-economic environment. Its cardinal principle is that “From each to his ability and to each according to his needs”. It means equal opportunities to all on the basis ‘of his or her capabilities and talent.

Question 16.
What is affirmative action?
Answer:
Affirmative actions are those decisions, policies and programmes of the government through which effort is being made to make the weaker sections people stronger so that they could complete ‘ with the people of higher castes. What is especially being done for those who have been exploited in the history and other weaker sections of the society? For example reservation for the people of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in a matter of employment and various welfare measures for the poor people are the example of affirmative actions; whose purpose is to build equalitarian society.

Equality Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Explain the concept of equality?
Answer:
Equality has been the issue of concern and discussion and debate at the academic level as well as political level through the ages since long back. In the hands of classical thinkers, the concept of inequality was glorified. Plato called it a preferential value, Bulk said that equality is impossible. Aristotle justified inequality and called it as natural; He justified inequality and so the slavery on the basis of expediency. He said people have different capacities and capabilities, skills and talents therefore they are to get the awards and place in the society accordingly. He said that slavery has its own utility for the master as well as the slave.

In the middle ages also equality did not get the rational and human base of discussion and debate. However twentieth-century thinkers tried to give practical meaning to the idea of equality. In the words of Laski, the concept of equality got detailed treatment. He dealt with the subject of equality in his famous book ‘Grammer of Politics’. He added essential socio-economic ingredients of equality ‘ keeping in view the egalitarian perspective.

Question 2.
Why Equality is necessary for the condition of life?
Answer:
For a long time, in history inequality has been accepted and also been glorified on a number of undesirable bases like caste, colour and sex. With the advancement of age and scientific and educational /.development the urge and need for substantive equality have been, accepted and now has emerged as a powerful political ideal that is guiding the human society. The concept of equality emphasis the idea that all human beings have an equal worth regardless of their colour, gender, race and nationality. It says that all human beings are equal, hence deserve equal treatment and respect for human development.

Question 3.
How the concept of equality has influenced the political movements in the world?
Answer:
Whenever there has been a violation of equality and people have been exploited on the justification of unequal status and opportunities, there have been organised movements in different parts of the world. With the advent of democratic systems of the government, the equality of human beings has been used as a rallying slogan in the struggles against the oppressive states and social, economic and religious institutions which supports and glorify inequalities of rank, status and sex and wealth. In the eighteenth century, the French Revolution was a historic event in which equality was the main gospel.

Equality, fraternity and liberty was the main slogan of the movement. It was a movement against the landed feudal aristocracy and monarchy. During the twentieth century, equality became the popular demand is the anti-colonial movements in Asia, Africa and Latin American countries of the world. In the same urge abolition of racialism was demanded mid untouchability with Indian Dalits was abolished. In spite of these movements for, equality, inequality is most visible around us throughout the world. But it can be said that its demand has become more and more popular.

Question 4.
Give some factual position about global inequalities.
Answer:
Here are some sterling facts showing global inequalities:

  1. 50 richest individuals of the world have combined income greater than that of poorest 40 crore people of the world.
  2. 40% poorest of the world’s population received only 5% of global ‘ income.
  3. North America and Western Europe constitute 25% of the world population but owns 86% of the world’s industry and consumes 80% of the \ world’s energy.
  4. On a per-capita basis, a resident of the advanced countries consumes at least three times as much water, ten times as much energy.

Question 5.
On the basis of data show rural-urban inequalities in India.
Answer:
After independence, India got a semi-feudal agrarian-based economy whose 80% of people are dependent on agriculture. After the arrival of green resolution agriculture production increased and market economy developed which fastened the process of urbanisation. With the use of science and technology the number of towns and cities increased which resulted in the gap of quality of life in rural and urban areas which is evident from the following facts:

Amenities Rural Families Urban Families
1. Electricity connections 44% 88%
2. Tap water in houses 10% 50%
3. Bathroom in the house 23% 70%
4. Television 10% 64%
5. Scooter/Motorcycle 7% 25%
6. Car/Jeep/Van 1% 6%

Above facts show the rural inequality.

Question 6.
Do you think that equality means always treating all in an identical way?
Answer:
In present-day society, the meaning of equality is not taken as it used to be in the hands of classical thinkers who used to justify inequality on a number of grounds. Today negative aspect of equality is also neither desired nor achievable. Therefore equality does not mean perfect equality with always identical treatment with everybody. No society can treat all its members in exactly the same way under all conditions. The smooth functioning of the society requires from each according to his ability and to each according to his needs. It means people should be placed in the compartment of the society where they deserve as per their abilities, If that make difference then it is not undesirable inequality. This inequality can be accepted.

Question 7.
What is the difference between natural inequalities and social inequalities?
Answer:
The main difference between the natural and social inequalities is that natural inequalities are due to natural reasons like that of colour, sex, capabilities and capacities while social inequalities are those which are generated by the man and society itself. The natural inequalities can not be altered while the social inequalities are the product of the socio-economic environment. Hence the social inequalities vary as per the socio-economic environment Social inequalities are the direct result of unequal treatment of the people on the basis of race, colour, gender and caste and they are given place and worth in the society.

The understanding of the difference between natural inequalities and social inequalities help us to distinguish between acceptable and unfair inequalities in society. In the history of humankind, many unequal conditions have been treated as equal conditions making them like natural conditions. For example, for a long time, it is believed that women are inferior to men.

Question 8.
Discuss social inequality as prevailing in India.
Answer:
Indian society has been in the grip of severe social inequalities. People were discriminated against the caste, colour, region and religion. People of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes enjoyed the lowest status in the society like apartheid in South Africa, untouchability plagued Indian society. Harijans were considered as out-castes, therefore were declared as untouchable.

Women were denied basic rights in the society, they were considered inferior to man hence were placed below the man. Social inequality in Indian society is the result of many social customs which prevailed in different parts of the country. Women and people of scheduled castes were prohibited from taking parts in important functions. They were denied educational rights also.

Question 9.
Explain Economic Equality?
Answer:
Economic equality is much sought after value in the environment of widespread economic inequalities which is the consequence of social and political inequalities of the society. Economic inequalities prevail in the society because of significant differences in wealth, property or income between individuals and classes. Higher is the difference between the richest and poorest, greater will be the degree of inequalities. The existence of a large number of people below the marked by want of basic amenities and needs of life on the one hand and the existence of plenty of commodities of consumption op the other hand.

Most of the democracies with equalitarian perspective try to provide equal opportunities and access to the people on the resources of consumption and equal opportunities for utilisation of talent and determination and to improve their conditions. It is also a fact that absolute equality of wealth and income never existed. It has to be accepted in just proportions. With the rational distribution of resources and equal opportunities, there are the possibilities of improving everyone’s position in the system.

Question 10.
Show the relationship between education inequality and socio-economic status in urban India.
Answer:
The following table shows the above situation:

Caste\Communities Graduates per thousand
1. Scheduled Caste 47
2. Muslim 61
3. Hindu OBC 86
4. Scheduled Tribes 109
5. Christian. 237
6. Sikh 250
7. Hindu Uppercase 253
8. Other Religions 315
9. All India Average. 155

Source: NSSO 55th Round Survey, 1999-2000.

Question 11.
Discuss the meaning and need for Feminism.
Answer:
Feminism is a very important and popular political doctrine of the 20th century which seeks to spread the message of women empowerment. It teaches that men and women are equal in capacities and capabilities of skill and talent. Therefore women should be treated alike and should be given her due role in the society and decision-making process at different levels. Feminists believe that many of the inequalities which we see are men and women are neither natural nor necessary. These can be removed, if we treat both men and women equal and free lives. Feminism is a powerful philosophy, which advocates opportunities for women in all walks of life for that they need to be given basic education and more women employment opportunities.

It seeks to end the dominance of patriarchal authority in the families and society. The feminists try to question this idea of classical theory. They argue that the biological difference between men and women determines the different roles to men and women in society. The feminist movement has played a very positive role in giving the women their due place in the society and enabled them to prove their worth in different areas of national life.

Question 12.
What is a Marxist view of Equality?
Answer:
Marx has been the most important thinker of nineteenth-century who diagnosed the development of inequality and the environment in which inequality takes birth. He was champion of the equalitarian society and he was very much concerned about the exploitation of labour class in the hands of the capitalist class in the capitalist system. In his famous book ‘ Das Capital’, Marx explained that theory of surplus value (share of the labourer which is being kept by the capitalist with him) is the main reason of gap of status between the labour and capitalist. This gap generates inequality in all the fields i.e. social, cultural and political. Economic inequality leads to inequality in all other fields.

Question 13.
What is a Marxist view of establishing equality?
Answer:
Marx was of the firm view that the root cause of man mode inequality in the concentration of private property into few hands which generate not only economic inequality but it breeds inequality in all fields like education, social status, political influence and political authority. It creates inequality of ranks and privilege in different sections of the society. Marx regarded the state as the agent of the capitalist class and supports the capitalist class perpetuate the inequality.

Therefore to remove the – inequality and to establish equalitarian society he suggests to remove the two-class structure of the society and wants to build a classless, stateless and casteless society. This is the state of communism. In his way Marx for removing the inequality and to establish the equality he suggests to go beyond the idea of equal opportunities to all but he thinks necessary the collective ownership of all the class. He says that for this there should be debate and discussion.

Question 14.
Explain the Socialist view of Equality.
Answer:
Socialism is a philosophy of socio-economic relations which became very popular in the early twentieth century. It also opposes the inequalities prevailed in the capitalistic society which was marked by two class exploitative system. Socialism became popular not only in developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin American countries but also in European countries. In fact, socialistic philosophy for the equalitarian society came into existence as a derivative of communist philosophy. Socialist thinkers of India like Ram Manohar Lohiya and Jai Prakash Narayan identified five kinds of inequalities that need to be corrected immediately,

These are –

  1. Gender inequality
  2. Colour inequality;
  3. Caste-based inequality, and colonialism based inequalities.

Socialist need from each according to his ability and to each according to his need.

Equality Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Explain Affirmative Action with reference to achieving an equalitarian society in the Indian Constitution.
Answer:
History is the record of the fact that most of the societies have been in the grip of inequalities. With the advent of democracy and increasing awareness due to various theories and change in the environment, there is a continuous demand and effort to remove the inequalities in society.

Indian society also has been caste and class-ridden society in which scheduled caste, scheduled tribe people and also the women had to face untold miseries due to unequal set up of the society. When India got independence, is committed to removing these age-old inequalities faced by some sections of the society. This commitment is reflected and mentioned in the Indian Constitution.

To infuse the confidence in these sections of the society, Fundamental Rights were added in the Constitution to achieve the value of equality for all Fundamental Right of equality is described from Article 14 to Art. 18 which gives –

  1. Right of equality before the law (Art. 14)
  2. Right of equality at a public place (Art. 15)
  3. Right of equality in the matter of employment (Art. 16)
  4. Abolition of untouchability (Art. 17)
  5.  Abolition of special classes (Art. 18)

To remove the exploitation of women and children right against exploitation is given.

Similarly, a chapter of the Directive Principle is added from Art. 36 to Art. 51 for improving the living standard of weaker sections of the society so that equalitarian society is set up.

Affirmative action is a more serious effort to achieve the value of equality. It is based on the idea that it is not sufficient to establish formal equality by simple law alone. Therefore some welfare measures and policy decision are necessary to improve a lot of poor people. Thus purpose is to correct the unequal order.

Freedom Class 11 Important Extra Questions Political Science Chapter 2

Here we are providing Class 11 Political Science Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 2 Freedom. Political Science Class 11 Important Questions with Answers are the best resource for students which helps in class 11 board exams.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 2 Important Extra Questions Freedom

Freedom Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What do you mean by the concept of ‘Freedom’?
Answer:
’Freedom’ seeks to free man from external control or coercion and to enable man to take independent decisions and to act is his or her own way. Freedom in a political sense is free from subjugation. In an economic sense, freedom means to express and work in the desired area to earn a livelihood, in ethical sense freedom means to make one free from the control of others. It is also the ability of people to freely express themselves and to develop their potential.

Question 2.
What is the need for Freedom?
Answer:
Freedom of every type i.e. social, economic, ethical and political and religious is very much necessary for the all-round development of the people. It is through freedom, man expresses his or her creativity and potentiality. For moral and psychological development also, the situation of freedom in very much essential. Freedom empowers man and provides him with the ability to freely express himself and develop his potential. Without freedom no real development and welfare of the man are possible.

Question 3.
What is absolute freedom? Is it possible?
Answer:
Absolute freedom means right to do anything which a person likes to do without any kind of hindrance from any side. Unbridled behaviour is said to be the absolute freedom which is certainly not possible in a civil society where people live collective life with actual adjustment and understandings. Absolute freedom was possible only in a natural state.

Question 4.
Why the constraints are necessary for freedom?
Answer:
Constraints mean certain binding directions to (Jo this and not to do that. Some people think that such directions-and constraints destroy freedom but fact is different. In fact, the constraints and restrictions in the form of directions and regulations promote, safeguard and strengthen the conditions which make freedom. But the constraints should be reasonable i.e. based on good intentions, welfare, support and belief. That means the directions should be from a legitimate authority.

Question 5.
What is the negative aspect of liberty?
Answer:
A negative aspect of liberty contemplates such a situation where man is free to do what he or she likes to do without any hindrance. In-fact negative aspect of liberty means ‘absence of restraints’ which seeks that there should not be any control on the actions and behaviour of man from any side. Negative liberty seekers want uncontrolled behaviour and actions only in such a situation they find human development.

Question 6.
What is a positive aspect of liberty?
Answer:
The positive aspect of liberty seeks to build an environment (socio, economic and political) in which around development of man could be possible without any kind of hindrance from any side. Positive liberty allows reasonable restriction to strengthen and promote freedom and liberty. Positive liberty seeks to ensure the availability of the minimum needs of people and good behaviour for the moral and psychological development of human beings.

Question 7.
What do you mean by ‘reasonable restrictions’?
Answer:
In a civil society when the reasonable restrictions are imposed on the behaviour of the citizens the purpose remains positive i.e. the protection and promotion of the conditions of freedom of the citizens. Reasonable restrictions mean that restrictions should be just and for the benefits of the citizens. The reasonable restriction should be based a belief and not arbitrary. If restrictions are imposed, they should be reasonable and necessary and not arbitrary. For example, in India, the right of expression is subjected to reasonable restrictions.

Question 8.
What is political liberty?
Answer:
Political liberty means people should have the right to expression. They should have the right to having views. They should have the right to vote and right to be elected. They should have the right of forming associations. Political liberty also means that all people should have equal say in the matter of taking decision irrespective of their social and economic status.

Question 9.
What is freedom of expression?
Answer:
Freedom of expression is a fundamental value which people and society should listen and accommodate with the views of each person and should protect it from people who want to check it. Freedom of expression means that one should have the right to express himself the way he likes.

Question 10.
How can freedom of expression be justified?
Answer:
Freedom of expression is very necessary for human development. J.S. Mill gave passionate support to the right of expression including the right to have thought and freedom of discussions. J.S. Mill says that no idea is false. Every idea has some element of truth, therefore everyone should have ideas and right to express them. Freedom of expression not only promotes the development of man but also of the entire society.

Question 11.
What are the safeguards of liberty?
Answer:
Followings are some of the important situations which are considered as safeguards of liberty:

  1. Written Constitution.
  2. Democratic Government.
  3. Decentralisation of powers.
  4. Political awakening.
  5. Independent and powerful judiciary.
  6. Independent press.
  7. Literacy.
  8. Economic equality.
  9. Strong opposition.

Question 12.
What is ‘Swaraj’?
Answer:
‘Swaraj’ is an identical concept of freedom. Swaraj is also an essential condition for human development. Swaraj stands for self-rule and self-discipline. Swaraj has more political touch as it was a popular slogan in the wake of a national movement for independence. It was political demand but it has social and ethical value also.

Question 13.
What is Liberalism?
Answer:
Liberalism stands for openness, rational and scientific thinking and discussion. Liberalism also means freedom of expression and split of tolerance for collective life. Liberalism opposes conservatism and dogmatism. Modern liberalism stands for all-round development of the individual. In an economic sense, liberalism stands for the free market and minimum role of the state in the affairs of man.

Question 14.
What is the Harm Principle?
Answer:
Explaining two types of actions that are self regarding actions and other-regarding actions J.S. Mill says that state or such other agency has no right to interfere in the affairs of man as long as man’s actions are concerned with him only and do not harm or affect others but when man’s actions and decisions affect others or harm others then the actions and behaviour of man has to be controlled by an external agency. Therefore J.S. Mill considered harm factor as the sole criteria for the interference, in the affairs of man. This is called in political theory as the Harm Principle.

Question 15.
Name the three personalities, countries which fought for their national freedom.
Answer:

  1. Nelson Mandela of South Africa who fought against racialism of South African White Government.
  2. Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar who fought for freedom against – Military Government of her country.
  3. Taslima Nasreen of Bangladesh who fought for freedom against Muslim Fundamentalism.

Freedom Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Give the detailed meaning of the concept of Freedom.
Answer:
Freedom is a condition of life for man or society or a nation which is passionately sought by the people and are willing to sacrifice and die. History is the record of the struggle for freedom by man and the society or the nation. There has been exploitation of weak man by powerful man, of a weak nation by powerful nation. Freedom represents ‘ the desire of man to live his life in his own way and to have the opportunity to express themselves freely through their choices and activities. Not only man but societies and nations aspire to be independent and wish to x protect their culture and future. Nelson Mandela of South Africa fought against racialism practised by the White South African Government. Gandhiji called British rule as Satani rule and he fought against it for Swarajya with the weapons of Satyagrah and Non-violence.

Question 2.
What is the importance of Freedom for individuals and societies?
Answer:
Freedom is one of the most essential conditions for human development without freedom man is without existence. Freedom to express his views’ and freedom to have a choice of views and actions make Man strong and confident. Freedom is a dynamic concept which helps in the development of all the facilities of the human mind which improves the quality of life. Freedom makes man responsible and Parhapative in the affairs of the state and society.

Question 3.
Explain the negative and positive aspect of Freedom.
Answer:
Negative freedom is said to exist where there is no external control and constraints on individual life. In this view, a person is considered to be enjoying freedom only if he or she is not subject to any external controls or coercion and is in position to make independent decisions and act in an autonomous way i.e. independently. Therefore negative freedom means an absence of constraints.

Freedom has a positive aspect also which is possible in the presence of some constraints and restrictions but these constraints and restrictions should be reasonable and just. The positive aspect of freedom seeks to achieve a socio-economic and political environment in which around development is possible without any unreasonable hindrances.

Question 4.
What do you mean self-regarding and other-regarding actions?
Answer:
J.S. Mill has divided the actions of man into two groups which are as under:

  1. Self-regarding actions.
  2. Other regarding actions.

1. Self-regarding actions: Self-regard ing actions are those actions of man which are concerned with that man only and do not interfere in other matters.

2. Other regarding actions: Other regarding actions of man are those actions which interfere in other matters.

Question 5.
What do you mean by ‘ Apartheid’? Who fought against it?
Answer:
‘Apartheid’ means racial discrimination. It is referred in the case of South Africa where it was practised by discriminating against black local Africans. They were segregated like untouchables and were denied basic amenities and social, economic and political rights. Not only this, the black people of South Africa were subjected to brutal humiliations, hardships and police atrocities.

Nelson Mandela and his colleagues waged a war against apartheid based policies of the Government. They also suffered a lot. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his youth period in jail in which he wrote his famous book ‘Long Walk to Freedom’. Ultimately he got success in dislodging the white oppressive government.

Question 6.
What do you mean by national freedom?
Answer:
National freedom is as important and necessary as individual freedom. As individual development is possible with the availability of freedom, similarly no national development is possible without national freedom. It is proved in history. In fact, individual development and national development go together and are complementary to each other.

National freedom is taken in an emotional and spiritual sense. People sacrifice their lives for the sake of national freedom. History is a record of such struggles which the Nationalists fought for the sake of national. freedom and national honour.

Question 7.
Define Gandhinian Concept of Swaraj.
Answer:
Swaraj is also a concept which is one “way or the other is related to the concept of freedom. Swaraj means self-rule or you can say right to self-rule as was conceived by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Gandhiji understood the concept of Swaraj in a broader sense. He explained swaraj as rule or control over self. Therefore it was related with the self-discipline by Gandhiji. In his famous book ‘HincTSwaraj’ he says that ‘It is Swaraj when we learn to rule ourselves. Swaraj is not just freedom but liberation in redeeming one’s self-respect, self-responsibility and capacities for self-realisation from institutions of dehumanisation.’ Therefore he linked Swaraj with self-discipline, responsibility and self-realisation. The essence of Swaraj is the understanding of ‘ Self’ and its relation to communities and society.

Question 8.
Is the total absence of constraints or restrictions possible for Freedom?
Answer:
The negative aspect of freedom and liberty demands total absence of restrictions and constraints for the realisation of the true meaning of freedom. But it is not possible in a collective society where people are living in interdependence. The total absence of restrictions is possible only in the natural state where people used to live in isolation. In collective society to ensure each other’s freedom, some reasonable restrictions in the form of adjustments and regulation are a must. These restrictions ensure and protect freedom.

Question 9.
What do you mean by constraints? What are their sources?
Answer:
Constraints are the restrictions, rules, regulations, dictates and modes of behaviour which are given to the people of the society or the nation to control their behaviour so that they do not interfere in other’s freedom. Restrictions on the freedom of individuals may come from different sources. Such restrictions are imposed by force by the legitimate authorities like governmental organisations, social organisations or any such legitimate authority. There have been different sources of constraints at different point of time. Form of constraint represented by different kinds of authorities. In the colonial period, colonial powers and rulers issued constraints over the subjects. In a democratic environment, the kinds of constraints are different. Democratic government is considered to be an important means of protecting the freedom of people.

Question 10.
What is the need for constraints?
Answer:
We can live in a world where there is absolute freedom i.e. freedom without constraints. In a collective society, some constraints or restrictions become a must to ensure the enjoyment of freedom to all individuals. Unbridled freedom will lead to freedom for none because it would lead to chaos. In a group life, there may be differences of opinion or they may have different ambitions. They may compete to control scare resources. In such a society, to control the behaviour of the individuals the issuance of constraints and reasonable restrictions are necessary.

Question 11.
Explain the main elements or essentials of reasonable restrictions.
Answer:
When we say that absolute freedom is not possible in a collective society where people live in interdependence. It means that in such situations some constraints and restrictions are necessary to control the behaviour of the people which is based on different attitudes, conflicting interests and competitive urge to acquire the limited resources. But at the same time, it is to be seen these restrictions and constraints are not irrational and arbitrary. They must be backed by legitimate authorities. The negative and illegitimate restrictions will destroy the freedom itself. The legitimate restrictions are those whose intention is positive and issued by right source and people have faith and accept those restrictions.

Question 12.
Define liberalism.
Answer:
Liberalism is an idea or approach. It is a way of looking at things. As a political ideology, liberalism has been identified with tolerance as a value. Its emphasis is on individual development. It gives priority and preference to the individual in comparison to society. It allows the individual to express his opinion freely. In an economic sense, it favoured a free market and limited role to the state in the affairs of man. It seeks to establish a police state with only police functions. However, the modem liberal accepts the role of the state for the welfare of man.

Question 13.
Explain reasonable restriction with reference to Indian Constitution.
Answer:
It is accepted the fact that for the realisation of true freedom in a society, issuance of restrictions and constraints is a must. These restrictions should be reasonable i.e. they should have three merits:-

  1. They should be issued by legitimate authorities.
  2. They should have good and positive intentions.
  3. The individual should show their faith in such authorities.

Indian Constitution has provided Fundamental Right in ‘Freedom of Expression as an important right but it is not absolute and is subjected to reasonable restrictions which are given in the Constitution. A person will get the freedom of expression subjected to morality, law and order, communal harmony and indecency. Therefore, individual should keep these restrictions in mind while enjoying freedom.

Question 14.
Explain the significance of the positive aspect of liberty.
Answer:
The negative aspect of liberty also intends the absence of restraints which means that there should not be any kind of binding, restrictions on the individual. Positive aspect allows some reasonable coercions and restrictions if there is proper socio, economic and political environment for the advancement of the personality development of the individuals. Significance of the positive aspect of liberty lies in the fact that it imposes reasonable restrictions and coercion on the behaviour and actions of the people and at the same time it ensures the abound development of the people.

Question 15.
Explain the meaning and significance of freedom of expression.
Answer:
Right of expression means freedom to express one’s views and ideas the way he or she likes. It may be through writing, photography, painting, speaking or through any artistic creation. Most of the democratic thinkers have supported the freedom of expression without any unreasonable and unjustified restrictions because they considered it very essential for the all-round development of the man. It is freedom. of expression which enables a man to have views and to convey to the society for its application. Many people have suffered to have their views and for their method of expression like Taslima Nasreen of Bangladesh, Aug Suki of Myanmar and Deepa Mehta of India who was denied their freedom of expression.

Question 16.
Explain the basis of J. S. Mill on which he has justified the freedom of expression.
Answer:
J.s. Mill a great British political thinker of the 19th century was an ardent supporter of freedom of expression as an essence of democracy. He justified the freedom of expression on the following grounds:

  1. He said that no idea is completely false, therefore every idea should find its expression.
  2. Truth does not emerge by itself, it emerges through a conflict of opposing view.
  3. The conflict of ideas is valuable.
  4. What we consider as true, is not necessarily be true.

Freedom Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Trace the development of the meaning of the concept of Freedom. How it has affected society?
Answer:
The history of mankind is full of domination of one man by another man of one society by another society and of one nation by another nation. However, history also records the struggle of man against such domination and for the attainment of freedom. The notion of freedom has been different at different point of historical times. Different socio-economic considerations have shaped the meaning of freedom. Sometimes it has been considered in its negative aspect and at other times a positive aspect of freedom developed in the hands of liberal political thinkers who kept the emphasis on the making of a conducive environment for the proper advancement and development of human personality. In today global, democratic environment positive aspect of freedom prevails which allows some reasonable restrictions and coercion also.

There is no place for the negative aspect of freedom in today’s world of collective life and interdependence. The prevailing concept of freedom i.e. positive aspect of freedom has made the development of individual possible and also the development of society. The broad meaning of freedom has made people responsible accountable and disciplined which has strengthened the society internally and externally. It has also developed nationalism. Thus the broad meaning of freedom has strengthened society.

Political Theory: An Introduction Class 11 Important Extra Questions Political Science Chapter 1

Here we are providing Class 11 Political Science Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 1 Political Theory: An Introduction. Political Science Class 11 Important Questions with Answers are the best resource for students which helps in class 11 board exams.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 1 Important Extra Questions Political Theory: An Introduction

Political Theory: An Introduction Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is a theory?
Answer:
The theory is a judgement which explains the whole thing. It consists of observation, analysis and judgement. The word theory is derived from the word (Thoria) which is a Greek word and means to beholden which means to know or to understand a thing. In other words, we can say that theory is a tested hypothesis.

Political theory is used for political science and political philosophy. The theory is a generalised statement based on study, experimentation and analysis.

Question 2.
Explain the meaning of Political Theory.
Answer:
Political theory is a generalised statement, it is a generalisation, it is a judgement about political leadership, political process, political event and political system, which is based on the study, reason and analysis, and which has utility for the society and which has got support and acceptance from the society.

According to David Held, political theories are complex networks of concepts and generalisations about political life involving idea, assumptions and statements about the nature, purposes and key features of government, state and society and about political capabilities of a human being. It is also defined as an attempt to explain the attitudes and actions arising from ordinary political life.

Question 3.
What is politics?
Answer:
Politics is rooted in human nature. It appears to be natural. It is the art of management and control of human behaviour. Politics is the other form of diplomacy. Politics is a method of enforcing one’s authority over others and to command obedience from others. Politics is also the mechanism of getting power.

Question 4.
Mention two important functions of Political Theory.
Answer:
The theory is sort of tested direction on which a society or a nation has to march. The theory is needed for every subject which is evolved and framed by the students and researchers of that subject. It performs a leading role in the advancement and development of that subject. Since everything or aspect of society comes in the arena of politics, political theory performs a decisive role for the subject and also for the. society. We can understand it in the following areas:-

  1. Political theory formulates concepts and generalisation.
  2. Political theory gives a definite direction to society by removing the prevailing confusion and uncertainties.
  3. The political theory works as inspiration for the society.

Question 5.
What are the main stages for building a theory in any subject?
Answer:
Making or building a theory is a very comprehensive process. Generally, followings are its stages:-

  • Observation
  • Explanation
  • Value judgement
  • Acceptance on the basis of its utility and relevance.

Question 6.
What should be the characteristics of a good theory?
Answer:
A good theory should have the following characteristics.

  1. It should be free from subjectivity.
  2. It should be based on discussion, debate, rational thinking and facts.
  3. Preferably it should be based on empiricism.
  4. Theory must be clear and relevant.
  5. It should have social, economic, moral significance.
  6. It should be legitimate.

Question 7.
What is the role of a Political Theorist?
Answer:
Political theorists clarify the meaning of political concepts which are made and built to represent certain situations, by looking at how they are understood and used in ordinary language. They also debate and examine the diverse meanings and opinions in a systematic manner. A theorist gives the new meaning to different concepts by studying and analysing the prevailing circumstances of the society. In this way, the theorist plays a very positive and responsible role for society.

Question 8.
Discuss Gandhi as a Theorist.
Answer:
Gandhi played a decisive role in the liberation movement of India, but we cannot put him in the category of politicians because he never played politics for power and authority. In the liberation movement also, he experimented his concept of truth, non-violence and satyagraha. In his analysis of contemporary problems, he discussed the nature and role of the state. He explained the relevance of peace and non-violence in solving the problems of mankind at large.

Question 9.
What are the issues and subjects of a political theory?
Answer:
Political theory deals with the ideas and principles that shape the constitution government and social life in a systematic manner. It clarifies the meaning of concepts such as equality, liberty, freedom, dignity, justice and secularism. A theorist and his theory are generally related to establishing the truth by a reason-based study.

Question 10.
What is the importance of politics?
Answer:
Politics has assumed great importance in today’s life. It has become the synonym of power. In fact, politics is art or capacity and capability to get power and authority. It is one’s ability to command obedience by influencing the people and by shaping the behaviour of the people according to their design. Politics is an important and integral part of any society. Mahatma Gandhi once observed that politics envelops us like the coils of a snake and there is no other way out but to wrestle with it.

Question 11.
What is the function of Government?
Answer:
Political theory is largely associated with the study of the number of political institutions in which the government is the main institution. Like other social organisations and institutions like family, tribes, government play an important role in the lives of the people. The government is concerned about the security and development and welfare of the man. It frames and determines our foreign policy, educational policy and economic policy. Day by day the role of the government is increasing in the welfare and development of man.

Question 12.
What is the political role of a political theory?
Answer:
Political theory is related to the study of every idea and institution which has political relevance. Politics arises from the fact that we have different visions of what is just and desirable for us and our society. It involves what the government should do or should not do. It conceptualises the political issues and systems of governance which are designed to promote social development.

Question 13.
Name some thinkers and the issues with which they, had been related.

Name of thinker The subject of the theory
Plato Form of government
Aristotle Form of government
Rousseau Freedom
Karl Marx Equality
M. K. Gandhi Swaraj
B. R. Ambedkar Positive discrimination.

Question 14.
Why different theories have been given on the same issues at a different point of time?
Answer:
It is a fact that the same issue has been defined, theorised and understood differently at different point of time. In fact, no theory can ever be relevant. As time changes,’ its relevance may also get eroded. For example, the concept of equality has been understood differently from Plato to Marx. In the same way, justice has been defined differently by Plato and Aristotle who were otherwise Teacher and Pupil. A theorist is also the product of the age in which he or she lives. It is, therefore, they add the essentials of a concept or an institution as per the requirement of the need of the people and which may be accepted by the people of that age.

Question 15.
How a theory is built up?
Answer:
Generally there three stages of the building of theory i.e. observation, analysis and judgement. Political theorists clarify the meaning of political concepts by looking at how they are understood and used in ordinary language. The debate and examine the diverse meanings and opinions in a systematic manner to reach a value judgement which is called as theory.

Political Theory: An Introduction Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Define the meaning and need of the theory.
Answer:
Theory can be defined as a tested hypothesis. It is a value judgement based on study, reason, facts, observation and analysis a particular situation or an issue. It is a generalisation on a particular aspect of social life, economic life or political life. The theory is a body of rules, regulations based on certain ideology and methodology to take society in a particular direction.

The theory is needed for every discipline, area of study and also for every society. Without the existence of a theory, the study remains directionless and hypothetical. Theory removes the confusions prevailing in society. In every age, there have been theorists who have given their theories for the use of that society. Their methodology may be different. Ancient Greek thinkers like Plato and Aristotle gave their theory about the state society, justice, education and forms of Government. Marx and Gandhi gave their own theories on the prevailing problems of society. We can say that the theory is needed for every society of every time.

Question 2.
What is Political Theory?
Answer:
The political theory refers to the value of judicial decisions and a generalisation about the political issues like state, government, political leadership, based on the study and analysis and which is useful for the society and which is accepted by the society. According to Zemino, Political Theory is the critical study of the principles of right order in human social existence.

The political theory attempts to explain the attitudes and actions arising from ordinary political life. The political theory is a generalised statement about political issues and political realities.

Question 3.
Explain the area of political theory.
Answer:
Every political issue and action comes in the purview of the study of political theory. The political theory examines questions of political relevance systematically. These issues are like freedom, equality and justice and the institutions like state, government and the administrations. It explains the meaning and significance of these and other related concepts. It clarifies the existing definitions of these concepts by focussing on some major political thinkers of the past and present. Every political thinker has dealt with the problem of his time and gave his judgement to be followed by the society. The political theory also reexamines the meaning and definitions of the concepts and seeks to modify to the extent, it is desired. The very objective of a political theory is to train citizens to think rationally about political questions and assess the political events of the contemporary world.

Question 4.
What are the essential characteristics of a good theory?
Answer:
In fact, the ideal theory is one which offers the maximum and best solutions of the contemporary problems of the social, economic and political life of the society. A good political theory should qualify the ‘ following characteristics:-

  1. The theory should not be hypothetical.
  2. It should be based on study, facts, reason and analysis.
  3. It should be specific.
  4. It should be objective.
  5. It should be relevant.
  6. It should be supported by society.
  7. The theory should be reflective of contemporary issues.
  8. The theory should be based on scientific methods.

Question 5.
Discuss the subject matter of Political Theory.
Answer:
Political theory has a wide scope. In fact, the subject matter of the study of political theory is dependent on the approach which we adopt for the study of political issues.

Followings are the subject matter of political theory:-

  1. State.
  2. Government.
  3. Political concepts like equality, freedom, liberty and justice.
  4. Political institutions.
  5. Authority.
  6. Legitimacy
  7. Political parties.
  8. Pressure groups.
  9. Political process
  10. Power.
  11. Policies.
  12. Contemporary problems.

Question 6.
Discuss the utility of a political theory.
Answer:
We can understand the significance and utility of a political theory in the following areas:-

  1. It offers solutions to contemporary political problems.
  2. It helps in removing the prevailing confusion of society.
  3. It gives direction to the society.
  4. It acts as an inspiration for the society.
  5. It brings a change in society.
  6. It breaks the conservative character of the society.
  7. It brings reformation in society.
  8. It brings a revolution in society.
  9. It frames the policies for the future.
  10. It offers planning for the future.
  11. It helps in studying and understanding the political realities.
  12. It helps in research and conceptualisation.

Question 7.
What is politics?
Answer:
Different people have a different understanding of politics. Politics is in fact power. It is one’s capability and capacity to obtain one’s command. It is an art. It is a methodology to get the position of authority. Some of the people regard it as a kind of public service. Many people associates politics with manipulation and intrigue undertook to pursue ambitions and satisfy wants. Politics is an art to get and retain one’s power and authority over others. Politics is generally understood in a negative sense. Politics has many aspects like:

  1. Politics as a power struggle.
  2. Politics as a service to mankind.
  3. Politics as an art of domination.
  4. Politics as an art of commanding obedience.
  5. Politics as a method of controlling the political process.
  6. In Marxism sense, politics is to control economic relations.

Question 8.
Discuss how politics operates.
Answer:
Politics lies in the nature of man that is why we regard politics as natural. The interests of the people are different and they are bound to differ. All the people have different visions of what is just or what is unjust. What is desirable for us or what is undesirable for us and our- society. It involves the multiple negotiations that go on in a society through which the collective decisions are made. It is therefore regarded that politics is a mechanism of decision making for society. It is a method of evaluating the relations between the people and the government. It is also a method of influencing the decision-making process at different levels. Through politics, people try to promote social development and help to resolve common problems.

Question 9.
What is the difference between traditional political theory and modern political theory?
Answer:
Political Theory is the outcome of the approach which we adopt for the political issues and political problems. There have been mainly two approaches i.e. Traditional approach and Modem approach. Following are the features of the traditional and modern approach with their difference:-
1. Traditional approach

  1. It is subjective.
  2. It is descriptive.
  3. It is hypothetical.
  4. It is value-based.
  5. It is institutional.
  6. It is philosophical, legal and reformative.

2. Modern approach

  1. It is objective.
  2. It is empirical.
  3. It is scientific.
  4. It is inter-disciplinary.
  5. It is based on facts.
  6. It is analytical.

Question 10.
Write the names of some prominent theorists with their subject matter.
Answer:
Following are names of some prominent theorists with their subject matter:-

I. Kautilya Statecraft
2. Plato State, government and justice
3. Aristotle Form of government and ¡deal state slavery and citizenship
4. Rousseau State
5. Marx Economic relations Equality
6. M.K. Gandhi Truth, non-violence and satyagraha
7. BR. Ambedkar Emancipation of scheduled caste people.

Question 11.
Can you identify the political principle/value which is in the application in each of the following statements/situation?
(a) I should be able to decide which subjects I want to study in. school.
(b) The practice of untouchability has been abolished.
(c) AH Indians are equal before the law.
(d) Minorities can have their own school and colleges.
(e) Foreigners who are visiting India cannot vote in Indian elections.
(f) There should be no censorship in India or films.
(g) Students should be consulted while planning the annual day functions.
(h) Everyone must join the Republic Day celebrations.
Answer:
(a) Right to freedom.
(b) Principle of equality.
(c) Equality before law.
(d) Freedom of religions.
(e) Rightofvote(Political right)
(f) Right of expression.
(g) Right of participation.
(h) Principle of nationalism.

Question 12.
What is the difference between Politicians and Political Thinkers?
Answer:
A politician is associated with the power game. He is involved in party-politics. That means a politician is one who practices politics. A politician has a narrow approach. On the other hand, a political theorist offers a solution to the problems of society by studying and analysing them. Political thinkers have a broad view and given direction to the society. There is a clear cut difference between politicians and political theorists. Pt. Jawahar Lai Nehru and Stalin were politicians while Marx and M.K. Gandhi were political thinkers and theorists.

Question 13.
Discuss the Marxist Theory.
Answer:
Marx in his famous book ‘Das Capital’ propounded his theory in which he analysed and diagnosed the origin and development of the system of capitalism and the role of the state in such a system. His theory has the following elements:-

  1. Two class theory – In which he was that there have ever been two classes. One exploitative class and Exploited class.
  2. Theory of class struggle – There is a constant struggle between these two classes, which will ever continue.
  3. An economic interpretation of history – Marx regarded history
    as the record of the struggle between the exploitative class and exploited class and not the record of war among kings.
  4. Theory of surplus value – He proves that the gap between the capitalist and labourer is due to the surplus-value which is in fact the share of the labourer.
  5. Establishment of communism – It means the establishment of a casteless; classless and stateless society.

Question 14.
Discuss the features and characteristics of the Gandhian Theory of politics.
Answer:
Gandhi is regarded as a great thinker and political theorist of his age. He has relevance even today not only in India but for the whole world. It can be said that his theory has more relevance today than ever before. Gandhi explained the hollowness of social evils like casteism. communalism and untouchability. In his approach, he was nearer to Marx. He also advocated for the removal of state because he regarded the state as a mechanical institution. He also was against the existence of the state. Gandhi’s philosophy is based on the principle of

  1. Truth
  2. Non-violence and Satyagrah. He won the Indian independence by these weapons.

Political Theory: An Introduction Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Discuss the meaning, scope and utility of the political theory.
Answer:
Without a definite theory, no life, no society, no nation and no discipline can move ahead properly. The theory is a body of tested hypothesis in the form of conceptualized decisions, value judgement and useful generalisations for the society. It is based on rational discussion, debate and study and analysis. One learned political theorist has to define political theory as an attempt to explain the attitudes and actions arising from ordinary political life.

David Held says “Political Theories are complex networks of concepts and generalisations about political life involving idea, assumptions and statements about the nature, purposes and key features of government, state and society and about the political capabilities of human beings.”

Political Theory has wide scope in its meaning and application. The political theory includes in its study the concepts like equality, freedom, liberty, justice, dignity are also the process and institutions like decision-making process, state, society and form of governments. It also includes in its study, the new concepts like power, authority, legitimacy, political socialization, political modernization, political communication, and elite, etc.

Political theory plays a very significant role in understanding, studying and analysing the political ideas, political situations and political realities. It gives the relevance to the political decisions taken on the basis of reason, debate and scientific. It gives proper direction to society and brings positive transformation by removing misunderstanding and confusion.

The Philosophy of the Constitution Class 11 Important Extra Questions Political Science Chapter 10

Here we are providing Class 11 Political Science Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 10 The Philosophy of the Constitution. Political Science Class 11 Important Questions with Answers are the best resource for students which helps in class 11 board exams.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 10 Important Extra Questions The Philosophy of the Constitution

The Philosophy of the Constitution Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is the need for political philosophy for Constitutions?
Answer:
The constitution is not only a framework of government but also an instrument of socio-economic transformation for which it needs direction and that direction is provided by political philosophy. It is because of this we need a political philosophy for every Constitution. It is the political philosophy that shows the- path and helps the society and government to set the objective and values.

Question 2.
What is the significance of political philosophy for a Constitution?
Answer:
The political philosophy to the constitution is needed not only to find out the moral content expressed in it and to evaluate its claims but possibly to use it to arbitrate between varying interpretations of many core values in our polity. Every Constitution of the world has philosophic content and base to move society in the desired direction.

Question 3.
Discuss the Constitution as an arbitrator?
Answer:
Constitutions are the product of the theory of constitutionalism which stands for the check arbitrariness of ruler and it facilitates the rule of .reason and rational deliberations. It is widely accepted that our reason for having constitutions is the need to restrict the exercise of irrational and arbitrary power.

Question 4.
Discuss the Constitution as a mean of the transformation of society
Answer:
Constitutions provide peaceful, democratic means to bring about social and economic transformation. It has philosophic backing which sets the direction and objectives of the society.

Question 5.
How the Constituent Assembly was constituted?
Answer:
During the National Movement, the demand for a Constituent Assembly was raised. It was a collective demand for self-determination. They argued that only a Constituent Assembly of elected representatives of the Indian people had the right to frame India’s Constitution. It was set up or per Cabinet Mission Plan 1946. The majority of the members were indirectly elected and others were nominated from different sections of the society.

Question 6.
Was the Constituent Assembly a sovereign body?
Answer:
In a technical sense, the Constituent Assembly was not sovereign because it was set up as per terms and conditions set by the British Government and Constitution will be approved by the British Government before the implementation. But we can say it a Constituent Assembly which was represented only by Indians and there was no kind of interference of the British Government. It was adopted and implemented on behalf of the people of India.

Question 7.
What is the preamble of the Indian Constitution?
Answer:
The preamble of the Constitution is the introductory part of the constitution which includes the terms of Government, social, economic, and religious system. It also includes the philosophy of the constitution and values and direction and objectives of the Constitution.

Question 8.
What is Liberalism?
Answer:
Liberalism is one of the main philosophic content of the Indian Constitution. It seeks to liberate the Indian society from the shackles of social and economic backwardness and to take in the area of freedom, equality, and justice.

Question 9.
What are the main contents of the political philosophy of the Constitution?
Answer:
The main contents of the political philosophy of the Indian Constitution are as under.

  1. Liberalism
  2. Egalitarianism
  3. Social justice
  4. Secularism
  5. Federalism

Question 10.
What do you mean by Liberalism?
Answer:
Liberalism means openers and decisions by rational thinking, discussions, and debates. The liberalism of the Indian constitution differs from western liberalism in many ways. Indian liberalism seeks to achieve the goal of social justice for Indian society through the provision to achieve Fundamental Rights of equality and liberty and by the reservation of seats.

Question 11.
What is a federation?
Answer:
Since Indian society is a plural one, therefore it needs federal polity and economy. Federation stands for decentralization. India is a multilingual federation. All the major linguistic groups are politically recognized and all are treated as equals. A Federation is a group of equal units with decentralized powers.

Question 12.
What is Secularism?
Answer:
Secularism is important philosophic and idealistic content of Indian society and polity. It is a positive concept which does not stand on the complete separation of state and religion. It allows the state for positive intervention in religious matters.

Question 13.
What is national integration?
Answer:
National integration is both philosophies as well as the objectives of the Indian Constitution which are mentioned in the Indian Constitution. It is been the fundamental duty of every citizen of India to protect and deferred the national integration and not to harm it in any way. National integration means emotional, psychological, and intellectual unification of people of India and not allow, caste, color, sex and status, and region in its way.

Question 14.
What do you mean by individually and Dignity?
Answer:
Individual freedom and dignity of men are two important values of the Indian Constitution .which are based on Liberal Political Philosophy. Indian Constitution is committed to the individual freedom and dignity of men which are mentioned in the Preamble of the Constitution. It is the result of continuous intellectual discussion and debate. The dignity of man means respect for human personality and human feelings. The state must be responsive to the needs of the people. It is for this that freedom of expression is an integral part of the Constitution.

Question 15.
On what basis the Constitution of India is criticized?
Answer:
The Indian Constitution is criticized on the following bases:

  1. It was written by a Constituent Assembly which was not representative.
  2. The Constituent Assembly was not sovereign
  3. The Procedure of taking the decisions was defective.
  4. The constitutional provisions have been borrowed from different countries.

The Philosophy of the Constitution Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What do you mean by the philosophy of the Constitution?
Answer:
The constitution is not merely an aggregation of rules, regulations, and laws. The constitution is not only a legal document but also has a moral and philosophic base and contents. Most of the laws are connected with the customs and values of society. Every Constitution is value ridden which provides the philosophy base to the Constitution. Philosophy provides the moral vision of the constitution. An attempt is made to work out a coherent vision of society and polity conditional upon an interpretation of the key concepts of the Constitution. Philosophy of the Constitution includes the set of ideas embedded in the Constitution. Political philosophy is needed not only to find out the moral content expressed in it and to evaluate its claims but possibly to use it to calibrate between varying interpretations of the many core values of our polity.

Question 2.
How the constitution is an instrument of socio-economic transformation?
Answer:
Constitution provides the framework of government to run the polity on a definite philosophical base. Constitution also provides the mechanism to bring about socio-economic transformation of the society. Constitution keeps a check on the arbitrariness of the ruler and paves the way for achieving the goals of the society set on the basis of a particular philosophy. To bring about the socio-economic transformation of the society, philosophic and value system support is a must which is provided by the political philosophy of the Constitution. For example, the Indian constitution is designed on such a philosophic base so as to get Indian society of age-old evils like illiteracy, casteism, peasantry, and exploitation.

Question 3.
What was the nature of the Constituent Assembly?
Answer:
Constituent Assembly was constituted as per the recommenda¬tions of the Cabinet Mission Plan 1946 in response to the demand of the leaders of the National Movement who were demanding the right to self-determination. Following are the features of the Constituent Assembly:

  1. Constituent Assembly was constituted on the principle of self-determination.
  2. It was constituted as per the terms and conditions set by the British Government.
  3. Constituent Assembly was constituted by indirect election which was not based on the adult franchise but on the limited right of vote.
  4. Most of the decisions were taken by consensus and accommodation.
  5. Many representatives of some groups were nominated
  6. It was made to write the Constitution of India.

Question 4.
Explain the main features of the Political philosophy of the Constitution of India.
Answer:
Following were some important elements of the political philosophy of the Indian constitution:

  1. Liberalization
  2. Social Justice
  3. Protection of rights and interests of minorities.
  4. Federation
  5. Individual freedom
  6. The dignity of man.
  7. National integration
  8. Democracy
  9. Secularism
  10. Universal Franchise

Question 5.
Explain social justice as the value of the Indian Constitution?
Answer:
Social value is the highly cherished value of the Indian Constitution for which various measures have been incorporated in different parts of the Constitution. The value of social justice is referred to in the preamble. The other related values are as under:-

  • Justice Social:- economic and political
  • Liberty:- Thought and expression
  • Equality:- Status and opportunity

All these values are complementary to the1 value of Justice. For social justice economic and political justice are necessary. The value of Liberty and equality are also necessary to achieve the objectives of social justice which seeks to achieve egalitarian society free front inequality, exploitation, and wants.

Question 6.
How the Indian constitution seeks to achieve unity in diversity?
Answer:
It is said about India that India is not a country, it is a continent because there are numerous languages and dialects, regions, and religions. It has a multi-cultural society. People have different dress patterns, different food habits, different traditions, and different festivals but in spite of this diversity in socio, economic set up there is the threat of unity. This unity is achieved by the spirit of nationalism which is all-pervasive.

Indian Constitution is made on such values that spread equality, brotherhood and promote a sense of equality which strengthens nationalism. Therefore there is unity in diversity.

Question 7.
What is the importance of individual freedom?
Answer:
Indian Constitution is committed to individual freedom. Individual dignity found the place of importance m the preamble of the Indian constitution. Rights of individual expression are given in Art 19 of the Constitution Many social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy fought for the cause of individual freedom. Western liberal thinkers also influenced the cause of individual rights and expression. Therefore, the right to individual expression is an essential element of democracy. It is an integral part of the Constitution element of democracy. The individual expression has been the part and parcel of the charters of demand of self-determination and democracy. It is very necessary for the fuller development of an individual.

Question 8.
Define secularism as the value of the Indian Constitution.
Answer:
India is a country where people of different religions and faith life together. Art 25 of the Indian Constitution clearly gives the message of secularism. It is provided here that the state will neither patronize any religions nor will become the hindrance of any religion. In 1926 by the 42nd Constitutional amendment the word secularism was added in the Preamble of the Constitution to make it clear that India is a secular state. Our secularism is humanistic scientific and positive. The state is allowed to intervene in religious affairs for a positive purpose.

Question 9.
Explain Universal franchise.
Answer:
Constitution makers provided for Universal Adult Franchise which means that every adult person has been given the right to vote irrespective of his caste, color, sex, status, and religion. It is done in reference to the sense of decisions of a human being. It is trusted that man can take rational decisions.

Question 10.
Explain the provision of reservation for social justice in the Indian constitution.
Answer:
To achieve social justice the Constitution makers made the provision of reservation in services for the people of Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes. They were of the view that more granting right of. equality will not help in achieving the cause of social justice, special constitutional measures were required to advance the interests of weaker sections. They also provided reservation of seats in Parliament and state legislatures.

Question 11.
Write the features of the Indian Federation.
Answer:
Indian society is plural therefore its polity is also federal which requires the development of unions and states in their respective areas. Its essential features are incorporated in the Indian Constitution which is as under

  1. Written constitutional with the supremacy of the constitution
  2. Division of powers between the center and the status as per the constitutional scheme.
  3. Bicameral Legislature in the center.
  4. Independent and strong judiciary.

Question 12.
Mention some unitary features of the Indian Constitution.
Answer:
Indian Constitution is based on federal value. It is federal in structure but unitary in spirit. Its striking unitary features are as under:

  1. Strong center pro center distribution of powers.
  2. Provision of Emergency power to center under Art 352
  3. President rule in States as per Art 356
  4. Unequal representation of States in Parliament
  5. Control of States by center by All India Government Service
  6. Provision of special status for some states under Art 370 to Jammu & Kashmir and under Art 371 to Northern Eastern State.

Question 13.
Comment on the Procedural achievements of the Indian Constitution and Constituent Assembly.
Answer:
Besides various achievement of the different values and features of the Indian Constitution there are some procedural achievements also which are as under:

  1. Decisions are taken by discussions, debate, and rational deliberation collectively. Public opinions are given due weight in the decision-making process. Constituent Assembly reflecting the different sections of the society also reflect different shades of opinion and different interest groups. There is the full scope of differing and dissent.
  2. There was a remarkable spirit of compromise and accommodation to create consensus on controversial issues. Besides a commitment to the idea that decisions on the most important issues must be arrived at consensually rather than by majority vote is equally morally commendable. Most of the controversial and thorny issues introduced in the best spirit of accommodation and consensus.

Question 14.
Comment upon the negative features of the Constituent Assembly.
Answer:
Constituent Assembly was constituted in 1966. It took two years, eleven months, and eighteen days to complete the constitution which indicates, how difficult work was to write the Constitution. Some of the negative features of Constituent Assembly are as under

  1. It was not a sovereign body
  2. It was an unrepresentative body
  3. It was Congress dominated
  4. It was Hindu dominated.

Ultimately it was the best option in the given circumstances and made a wonderful Constitution.

Question 15.
How far do you agree that the Indian Constitution is a borrowed bag?
Answer:
It is said about the Indian Constitution is an alien document. It is also said that it is a borrowed bag. These statements are correct to some extent. When we got independence and the Constitution was being written we did not have our own trusted institutions. Therefore we searched for the constitutions from different countries of the world suiting our requirement.

Since we were familiar with the working of the Parliamentary system of Britain. Therefore we adopted the Parliamentary system of Britain and also took other institutions and features from different countries, for example, we adopted, the post of Vice President, Fundamental Rights, power of judicial review from the USA. We took the Directive Principles of State Policy from Ireland. We took the concept of the Union of States from Canada. We took Emergency powers from the Constitution of Germany. In this sense, it is called a borrowed bag. But we did not have just carbon copies of these institutions and features. We . took them and modified them according to our situations and requirements.

Secondly, we have many things of our own that shaped and influenced the Constitution, our traditions, our past, and mainly the Government of India Act 1935 and Nehru Report also made the base of the Indian Constitution., Many-members of the Constituent Assembly also acknowledge the fact that our Constitution is a borrowed bag.

The Philosophy of the Constitution Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Explain the values and philosophy of the Indian constitution as given in the Preamble of the Constitution.
Answer:
The Preamble of the Indian Constitution is the introductory part of the Constitution. It is an integral part of the Constitution. It helps in the explanation and interpretations of different provisions of the Constitution.

It starts with the people of India. It means that this Constitution which is written by Constituent Assembly is being adopted on behalf of the people. Further, it says that India will be sovereign, socialistic, secular, democratic. republic. It means that it clearly tells that the form of government will be democratic Republican, it will be based on socialistic economy and as regards the place of religion, it will be secular.

Further, it says that there will be

  • Justice – social, economic and Political
  • Liberty – of thought and expression
  • Equality – of status and opportunity.

These values of justice, liberty, and equality tell the liberal content of the political philosophy of the Constitution. Its preferences are to achieve social justice, economic justice, and political justice, where there will be liberty of expression and thought and equality of status and opportunity. All these values are ensured through Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of state policy.

The other values are dignity and national unity and integrity of the nation. Thus preamble speakers of forms of the social, economic, and political system. It speaks of the philosophy, values, and objectives of the Constitution.

Rights and Duties in the Indian Constitution Class 11 Important Extra Questions Political Science Chapter 2

Here we are providing Class 11 Political Science Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 2 Rights and Duties in the Indian Constitution. Political Science Class 11 Important Questions with Answers are the best resource for students which helps in class 11 board exams.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 2 Important Extra Questions Rights and Duties in the Indian Constitution

Rights and Duties in the Indian Constitution Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is Fundamental Right?
Answer:
Fundamental Rights are those rights, claims, and facilities that have been considered very essential for the development of the citizens by the state and have been ensured by the constitution-making them justiciable.

Question 2.
Why Fundamental Rights are necessary?
Answer:
Fundamental Rights are necessary for the all-around development of the citizens. They are also necessary for the success of democracy. Fundamental Rights put a check in the rules. Fundamental Rights are fundamental in governance.

Question 3.
What is Legal Right?
Answer:
Legal rights are those claims, demands, and facilities which have been allowed and protected by the ordinary Law of the Legislature and which varies from time to time.

Question 4.
What are equality before the law and equal protection of Law?
Answer:
Equality before the law means that every person irrespective of his caste, race, color, and status will be considered equal before Law. Equal protection of Law means that Law will be enforced uniformly.

Question 5.
Which right removes the untouchability?
Answer:
Art-17 of Fundamental Right of Equality provides for the removal of untouchability which has been practiced for a long time in our society.

Question 6.
Write four main features of our Fundamental Rights;
Answer:

  1. Our Fundamental Rights are not absolute. Some reasonable restrictions can be imposed upon them.
  2. Fundamental Rights are justiciable.
  3. Fundamental Rights can be amended and can be snatched in an emergency.
  4. Fundamental Rights make difference between citizens and aliens.

Question 7.
Which Fundamental Rights protects these Rights?
Answer:
Fundamental Rights of Constitutional Remedies protect other rights because they enable the citizens to move to courts if any of the rights are denied or violated. It. is considered the most important right and has been considered as heart and soul of the Constitution by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Question 8.
Which liberties are givens in Art 19?
Answer:
People enjoy six liberties in the Right of speech and expression given in Art-19 of the Constitution. Their liberties are as under-

  1. Right of speech and expression, the way they like.
  2. Right to assemble peacefully.
  3. Right to form an association.
  4. Right to move freely throughout the territory of India.
  5. Reside and settle in any part of India.
  6. Practice any profession, any occupation, trade, or business.

Question 9.
What is given in Art 16 (4)
Answer:
This article in part of the Right of Prohibition of discrimination in the matter of employment. This provides that nothing in this article shall prevent the state from making any provision for the reservation of appointment or posts in favor of the state, is not adequately represented in the services under the state.

Question 10.
What right is given in Art 21 of the constitution?
Answer:
This article provides for the protection of life and personal liberty. It says that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to* procedure established by Law. This means the life and liberty of a person cannot be taken arbitrarily.

Question 11.
What is Habeas corpus?
Answer:
A writ of Habeas corpus means that the court orders that the arrested person should be presented before it. It can also order to get free an arrested person if the manner or grounds of arrest are not lawful or satisfactory.

Question 12.
Why and when were Fundamental Duties added to the Constitution?
Answer:
As we know that in the original Constitution Fundamental Duties were not added to Constitution. When the emergency was imposed by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975 the need for Fundamental Duties was felt hence ten Fundamental Duties were added in the Constitution by 42nd Amendment 1976 in the IVth A part of the Constitution in 51 A article.

Question 13.
What do you mean by Directive Principles of State Policy?
Answer:
Directive Principles are the socio, economic conditions, facilities that are to be kept in mind by the central and state governments while making policies. They have been named as Directive Principles because they will be guiding principles of policies of the government of the day.

Question 14.
What is the importance of the Directive Principles of State Policies?
Answer:
These principles are the pious fishes of. the constitution-makers which they wanted to give the citizens but could not make guarantee because of the paucity of resources. Hence they left these on the will of the coming governments as per the availability of resources. The purpose of their principles is to build socio, economic democracy.

Question 15.
Write three principles
Answer:

  1. Upliftment of weaker sections of the society.
  2. Educational and health development of the people.
  3. To implement Question Gandhian principles. ,
  4. To have independent foreign policy and to promote international peace.

Rights and Duties in the Indian Constitution Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
From where our constitutibiMoakers took the Fundamental Rights and with what difference?
Answer:
During the freedom struggle itself, the need for Fundamental Rights was realized because of the colonial legacy of India. For the first time, this demand of Fundamental Rights was put in Nehru Report 1928. After national inde¬pendence it was natural to include and protect Fundamental Rights in the Constitution. The Constitution listed seven Fundamental Rights that would bo-protected through Judicial interference. However basic idea was borrowed from the U.S.A. which had included the Bill of Rights.

We adopted Fundamental Rights from the U.S.A. but with the following differences:

  1. The Fundamental Rights are scattered in the Constitution of the U.S.A, while in our constitution, they are described in one chapter only from Art-13 to Art 35.
  2. Our Fundamental Rights are not absolute while the Fundamental Rights given in the USA are absolute which means they cannot be suspended or amended.

Question 2.
Explain the Right of Equality.
Answer:
Right of Equality is the first Fundamental Right described from Art 14 to Art 18. This is the most significant right for the development of a citizen.

Art 14 – gives Equality before the law and Equal Protection of law which means no one will be discriminated before the law, on the ground of caste, color, and status, and the law will be implemented in a uniform way.

Art 15 – Prohibition of Discrimination which means no one will be discriminated at a public place, on any ground of sex, caste, color, or region.

Art 16 – Prohibition of Discrimination in a matter of Employment.

It means that no one will be discriminated in matter of employment on any ground of each, color, sex or region and all will get equal opportunities but there can be positive discrimination to uplift these people,.who have been traditionally exploited and backward.

Art 17 – It seeks to abolish untouchability.

Art 18 – Abolition of titles

With the purpose of establishing an egalitarian society, unwanted titles and privileged classes are to be abolished.

Question 3.
Explain Right against Exploitation.
Answer:
Right against Exploitation is of great significance and is explained in Art 23 and 24. Art 23 provides for prohibition of forced labor like bonded labor, beggary, and human trafficking

Art 24 – It prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in hazardous jobs in hotels, machines, mines, and industries. Child labor has been made illegal. The right to Education has been made Fundamental Right for children.

Question 4.
Explain Light of Liberty
Answer:
Fundamental Right of Liberty is related to political and civic liberties. It has been described from Art 19 to Art 22.

Art 19 give

  1. Right of expression and speech.
  2. Right to assemble peacefully
  3. Right to form an association.
  4. Right to move anywhere in Indian territory.
  5. Right to settle anywhere in India.
  6. Right to choose any occupation, business, or trade.

Art 20. This article gives three rights.

  1. A person can be punished for an offense only by law which was in force at the time of the commission of an offense.
  2. No person can be punished twice for the same offense.
  3. No person can be compelled to be a witness against himself.

Art 21- It gives life and liberty. It says that the life and liberty of a person cannot be taken except with the procedure established by law.

Art 22 – It gives rights to defenses.

  1. No one can be arrested without telling him the reason for the arrest.
  2. A detained person has to be produced before a first-class magistrate within 24 hours for a fair trial.
  3. Such detained person has the right to have his defense through a lawyer.

Question 5.
Explain Right of Religions Liberty
Answer:
India is a country of people of different religions and beliefs. . Constitution makers have given all citizens the right of religious liberties. This right is described from Art 25 to Art 28

Art 25 – Gives religious liberty to every citizen i.e., to profess and practice any religion as a personal matter. The state will neither patronize any religion now discriminate against. This right establishes the secular credentials of India.

Art 26 – Liberty of managing own religious affairs and to own, acquire, and to administer properties for a charitable purpose.

Art 27 – It prohibits compulsory religious instructions in an educational institution maintained, recognized, or aided by the state.

Art 28 – It gives liberty to religious institutions to take aid from the state on an equal basis.

Question 6.
Explain the Right of Education and Culture.
Answer:
India is a multiple society with people of different caste, color, culture, races and directs, languages and geographies. To promote their aspirations and identities the Constitution makers have given this Fundamental Right of Education and Culture which has been described in the Constitution from Art 29 to Art 30.

Art 29 – It is provided in this Constitution that no minority whether based on religion, community, language shall be discriminated against and all minorities will be given full opportunities for their fuller development.

Art 30 – It is provided that to promote their culture and identities, all the minorities can open educational institutions and can get financial aid from the state on the basis of equality.

Question 7.
Explain Fundamental Right of Constitutional Remedies. Why it is called as heart and soul of the constitution by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar?
Answer:
Fundamental Right of Constitutional Remedy is given in Art 32 of the Constitution. It gives the status of justiciability to the Fundamental Rights given in the third part of the Constitution. It is rightly called the heart and soul of the constitution by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. Without this fight, other rights would have been meaningless because this right gives the right to the people to go to court if their other Fundamental Rights are violated or denied by the Executive or Legislature.

Question 8.
Explain following terms
1. Habeas Corpus
2. Mandamus
3. Prohibition
4. Certiorari
5. quo Warranty

Answer:
1. Habeas Corpus: It is the order of the court to present the arrested person before it for a fair trial. It can also order to set free such an arrested person if the manner or ground of arrest .are not lawful or satisfactory.

2. Mandamus: This writ is issued when the court finds that a particular officeholder is not doing legal duty and thereby is violating the right of an individual

3. Prohibition: This writ is issued by a higher court (High court or Supreme court) when a lower court, has considered a case beyond its jurisdiction.

4. Certiorari: In this writ court orders a lower court or another authority •to transfer a matter pending before it to a higher authority or court.

5.  quo-Warranto: If the court finds that a person is holding office but is not entitled to hold that office, it issues orders of quo-Warranto to restrict that person from acting as an office holder of that office or position.

Question 9.
Describe Fundamental Duties of the Constitution.
Answer:
Ten Fundamental Duties have been added in the Vlth Part Art 51A of the Constitution by 42nd Amendment of the Constitution in 1976. In the original Constitution, there was no chapter of Fundamental duties.

Followings are Ten Fundamental duties.

  1. To abide by the Constitution and respect the national Flag and National Anthem.
  2. To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired the National movement,
  3. To protect the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.
  4. To depend on the country.
  5. To promote the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people.
  6. To preserve the rich heritage of our common culture.
  7. To protect and improve the natural environment
  8. To develop a scientific temper and spirit of inquiry.
  9. To safeguard public policy.
  10. To starve towards excellence in all spheres of undivided and collective life:

Question 10.
What do you mean by Directive Principles of State Principles? What is their significance?
Answer:
Directive Principles are guidelines regarding socio-economic policies that are to be kept in mind by central governments and state governments while making various welfare policies. These Directive Principles have been described in the IVth part of the Constitution from Art 36 to Art 51 of the constitution. In a way, they are pious intentions and moral guidelines of Constitution makers. The very purpose of these directions is to establish economic democracy by improving the standard of the people. These Directive Principles are a source of inspiration for the government. However, their principles are not made justiciable which means they cannot be claimed in the court of law. They are-at the will of the government.

They are of four types which ar6 as under:

  1. Socio-economic principles
  2. Liberal principles
  3. Gandhian principles
  4. International Principles

These directive principles have changed the face of society.

Question 11.
Differentiate between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy.
Answer:
The followings are the main differences between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy.

  1. Fundamental Rights are justiciable while Directive Principles are not justiciable.
  2. The purpose of Fundamental Right is to establish political democracy while the purpose of the Directive Principle of State Policy is to establish economic democracy.
  3. The language of Fundamental Rights is legal while the language of Directive principles is not legal.
  4. Fundamental Rights make a distinction between citizens and aliens but Directive Principles of State Policy does not make any distinction.
  5. Fundamental Rights are guarantees while the Directive Principles of State Policy are just assurances.

Question 12.
In brief, explain the conflict between Fundamental Right and Directive Principles of State Policy.
Answer:
Although Constitution makers added the chapters of Fundamental Rights and Directive principles as complementary to each other some controversy developed when land reforms were introduced, Litigations were started on the ground of violation of Fundamental Rights. The honorable court held that Parliament can amend the Fundamental Rights, but this position was reversed in the Golakhnath case in 1967 in which it was held that parliament cannot amend Fundamental Rights. To nullity the effect of the decision of the Golakhnath case, the government brought a constitutional amendment, which was again challenged in the Keshwanand case 1973.

In this case, the Supreme court held that Parliament can amend any part of the constitution including Fundamental Rights but cannot change the basic structure of the Constitution. By 42nd amendment in 1976, the Fundamental Rights were made inferior to the Directive Principles of State Policy. With the increasing welfare policies of the gov¬ernment, Directive Principles have become more important. But ultimately Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles are not against each other but are complementary to each other as the purpose of both is the welfare and devel¬opment of a citizen of India.

Question 13.
Write some measures of government as part of Directive Principles of State Policy.
Answer:

  1. Land reforms
  2. The ceiling on an urban and rural property
  3. Nationalization of Banks
  4. Abolition of the princely purse
  5. An old-age pension scheme
  6. Fixed minimum wage
  7. Enactment of factory laws
  8. Cottage and small scale factory
  9. GraminRojgar Yojna
  10. Women empowerment
  11. Insurance schemes
  12. Housing development
  13. Removal of untouchability.
  14. Reservation for the upliftment of Sc’s, St’s, and backward classes.
  15. To check Environment pollution.

Question 14.
Explain the socio-economic principles of the chapter of Directive Principles of State Policy.
Answer:
Main guidelines regarding socio-economic upliftment of the people are contained in Art 38 and Art 39 of the Constitution which is as under.

  1. To secure a social order for the promotion of the welfare of the people and to minimize inequalities of income and status.
  2. To build a socialistic pattern of society.
  3. Equal-pay for equal work.
  4. That the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to serve the purpose of the common good.
  5. There should not be a concentration of wealth and were in few hands.
  6. To raise the standard of living of people of Sc’s, St’s and backward castes and handicaps and aged persons.
  7. Protection of children, women, and workers from exploitation and to ensure proper working conditions for the laborers.
  8. To ensure minimum wages for the workers.

Question 15.
Explain the Liberal Principles given in the chapter of Directive Principles of State Policy. –
Answer:
Followings are Liberal Principles which are given as guidelines in the chapter of the Directive principle of State Policy.

  1. To secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India Art 44.
  2. To provide for provision for free and compulsory education for children Art 45.
  3. To provide educational and economic interests of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and weaker sections.
  4. To protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
  5. To protect monuments and places and objects of national importance.
  6. To take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive.

Rights and Duties in the Indian Constitution Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Discuss the importance of Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles in the development of Indian democracy and people’s welfare.
Answer:
After independence, the nation faced two important tasks ahead. First was the national reconstruction and development and the second task was to improve the socio-economic, cultural, moral, psychological standard of the people of India who have been victims of untold sufferings in the era of colonialism.

Keeping in new this fact, the Constitution makers had introduced the chapter of Fundamental Rights in tire Hard part of the Constitution for the purpose of political democracy, and the chapter of Directive Principles of State Policy in the IVth part of the Constitution for the purpose of economic democracy.

With the enjoyment of Fundamental Rights, the people of India have attained new confidence and a sense of belongingness. Right of Equality has given a new face to Indian society. The sense of law vanishes. Untouchability is abolished. Equalitarian society is built up by removing the titles and privileged class.

Exploitation in any form banned. As a mark of secularism people are given liberty in matters of Religion. To strengthen unity in diversity, the Right of. Education and Culture are given to linguistic, geographical .and religious minorities to ensure the availability of the rights, Art 32 Right of Constitutional Remady has made Fundamental Rights justiciable.

Similarly, Directive Principles of State Policy has helped in raising the standard of living of people, particularly of weaker sections of society like Scheduled castes, Scheduled tribes, women, backward castes, handicapped, aged, laborers and farmers. The central government and state governments respecting the directions of constitution-makers and as per welfare nature of India state, have started many welfare measures to meet the end of Directive ‘ Principles.

Some of these measures are:

  1. To build a socialistic pattern of society, to secure the cause of the common good.
  2. Removal of concentration of wealth.
  3. Minimum wages of laborers are fixed.
  4. Old age Pension Schemes.
  5. To improve the health of children and women.
  6. Protection of the environment and to provide? drinking water.
  7. Land Reforms implement and ceiling op property.
  8. Equal pay for equal work.
  9. Bank nationalization and Loan on cheaper rates
  10. Gramin Rojgar Yojna.

In this way, we can say that Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles have helped in making India a welfare state.

Constitution: Why and How? Class 11 Important Extra Questions Political Science Chapter 1

Here we are providing Class 11 Political Science Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 1 Constitution: Why and How?. Political Science Class 11 Important Questions with Answers are the best resource for students which helps in class 11 board exams.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 1 Important Extra Questions Constitution: Why and How?

Constitution: Why and How? Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is society?
Answer:
Society is a group of people of the same race, socio, economic background, and cherishes common aspirations. Due to social instinct when they come together and their relationship gets institutionalized, it constitutes a society.

Question 2.
Why certain rules are necessary for society?
Answer:
Certain rules and understandings are very necessary for observance by the members of society so that their relationship is properly maintained. These rules will help in maintaining the discipline and realizing the objectives of the society.

Question 3.
What is Constitution?
Answer:
The constitution is a body of rules and regulations, understandings, and modes of behavior on the basis of which the government is constituted and run. The constitution specifies the areas of functions between the organs of the government. It also sets the mode of .relationship between citizens and the state.

Question 4.
Why is the Constitution needed?
Answer:
As said the Constitution is the body of rules, regulations, and common understanding, it is very much needed to achieve definiteness in the relations of citizens and different organs of the government. The Constitution may be written or unwritten. Constitution also put the check on rulers.

Question 5.
What is Constitutionalism?
Answer:
Constitutionalism stands for the check on arbitrariness and whimsical behavior of the ruler and to ensure rule by rational decisions. It seeks to establish the rule of law for the welfare of the people. The constitution is the product of constitutionalism. Constitutionalism also stands for rule by rational discussion, debate, and consent.

Question 6.
What is Constituent Assembly?
Answer:
A constituent assembly is a body of renowned persons who are engaged in discussion debate and decision-making process and then drafting the Constitution. Most of the constitutions of world countries are written by the Constituent Assemblies.

Question 7.
How much time was taken by Constituent Assembly to write the Constitution?
Answer:
The Constituent Assembly to write the Indian Constitution was constituted in 1946 and it completed the work on 26th November 1949. It took two years, eleven months, and eighteen days to complete the Constitution of India.

Question 8.
What are the main functions of the Constitution?
Answer:
The Constitution is the DQ document whose main function is to demarcate the jurisdiction of organs of the government. It also suggests the composition of the government. It also sets the relationship between the state and citizens. The main function of the Constitution is to limit the powers of the government.

Question 9.
What is an unwritten constitution?
Answer:
A written Constitution is in the form of a document while an unwritten constitution is based on understandings, traditions, usages, and convention. An unwritten constitution means observance of certain accepted modes of behavior.

Question 10.
Name main countries from where institutions and features are taken for the Indian Constitution.
Answer:
It is said that the Indian Constitution is a borrowed bag because this Constitution has many foreign sources. Britain has the maximum impact on the Indian Constitution. Besides Britain, the USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and South Africa are the countries that have influenced the Indian constitution. It is rightly said that the Indian Constitution is a borrowed bag.

Question 11.
How the decisions were taken by Constituent Assembly?
Answer:
Taking decisions in the Constituent Assembly was not easy because of thorny issues. There were many people and groups of divergent opinions. But all the members were fired with a high sense of patriotism. Therefore all the decisions were taken by consensus which could be possible by the spirit of accommodation. ,

Question 12.
What is the Preamble of the Constitution?
Answer:
A preamble is the introductory part of the Constitution which gives the idea of forms of government, values, philosophy, and commitment of the Constitution. Preamble helps in the interpretation of the Constitution.

Question 13.
What was the significance of the Cabinet Mission Plan?
Answer:
Cabinet Mission Plan was appointed by the British Government in 1946 to discuss the modalities of the Constituent Assembly with the Indian leaders. With the discussion by Indian leaders, the Cabinet Mission plan gave its recommendations on the basis of which the Constituent Assembly was constituted.

Question 14.
From where the Constitution drew its authority?
Answer:
The Constitution drew its authority from the Constituent Assembly which was representative of the people. Therefore ultimately the people are /the source of the authority of the Constitution. In Preamble the stating words are We the people of India, which means to say that people support this Constitution.

Question 15.
How India is Republic?
Answer:
India is Republic. It is very much given in the Preamble of the Constitution. India has an elected head in the form of a President. Therefore India is Republic.

Constitution: Why and How? Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What do you mean by Constitution? How it performs its role for society?
Answer:
A Constitution is fundamental law of the land. It can be defined as the body of rules, regulations, and understandings on the basis of which state is’ constituted and governed. The Constitution is also the instrument of realizing the aspirations of the people. It plays a vital role for society as it specifies the basic allocations of power in society. The Constitution of a country indicates the framework of the government with the respective role of each organ of the government. The Constitution influences society and in turn is influenced by society. Indian Constitution represents the ethos, values, and preferences of Indian people and at the same time has successfully given the direction to Indian society to become a liberal, secular, democratic, and modern society. The constitution plays this role in all societies. We can take the example Of Chinese and Russian Constitutions also.

Question 2.
Discuss the importance of a written constitution.
Answer:
The constitution explains the structure of government and the mode of governance. Generally, the constitution is to be taken as a written one but it does not mean that there cannot be an unwritten constitution. British Consti¬tution is the example of the unwritten constitution which is working on the basis of unwritten understandings, traditions, and conventions. But in most of the countries of the world, there are written constitutions which are in the form of a document written by a specially constructed Constituent Assembly. The written constitution has its own utility and importance. The written part of the constitution is a clear indicator of the jurisdiction or powers of a particular organ. There cannot be any ambiguity in a written constitution if it is, it can be explained. A written constitution is generally available in the form of a document that is prepared by continuous discussions and debate and with due process of decision making. It may be the majority method or it can be based on consensus. Therefore a written constitution is more popular.

Question 3.
Write the composition of the Constituent Assembly of India.
Answer:
Indian Constitution is written by a specially constituted Constituent Assembly. This Constituted Assembly had a total strength of 389 members, whose composition was as follows:

  1. 292 members from British ruled states
  2. 93 members from Princely states
  3. 4 members of minorities like Sikh and Anglo Indians

The elected members were to be indirectly elected by the state Assemblies which were constituted by the election of 1946 to the states on the basis of the Government of India Act 1935. Therefore this Constituent Assembly was constituted by indirect elections and nomination. It was constituted as per recommendations of the Cabinet Mission Plan 1946 which came to India after the formation of a new government led by Mr. Atlee in Britain. The Constituent Assembly enacted this Constitution on 26 November 1949 by taking the time of two years, eleven months, and eighteen days. The idea of a Constituent Assembly had come to prevail largely as an article of faith in almost all the politically minded classes in the country.

Question 4.
Write important features of the Indian Constitution.
Answer:
The main features of the Indian Constitution are as under:-

  1. Written Constitution
  2. Flexible and rigid Constitution
  3. The preamble of the Constitution
  4. Liberal Constitution.
  5. Parliamentary form of government
  6. Federal system of government
  7. Republican system
  8. Fundamental Rights
  9. fundamental Duties
  10. Directive Principles of State Policy
  11. Secularism
  12. Bicameral Legislature of center
  13. Adult Franchise
  14. Multi-Party System
  15. Power of Judicial Review to the Judiciary
  16. Mixed economy
  17. Single citizenship
  18. Supremacy of Constitution

Question 5.
How the powers are demarcated in Indian Constitution?
Answer:
The important base of the effectiveness of a constitution is a balanced arrangement of the distributions of power and allocation of areas of work (jurisdiction) among the institutions and organs of the government. The basic principle on which the constitution worked was that the government must be democratic and committed to the welfare of the people. The constitution-makers, for the purpose of evolving the right balance among the various institutions like the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary, adopted parliamentary form government and federal-arrangement between the center and states. This will lead to the distributions of power between the legislature and executive on the one hand and between the central government and the state governments. For this purpose the powers were distributed on the basis of three lists as under :

  1. Union list 96 subjects
  2. State list 66 subjects
  3. Concurrent list 47 subjects. The residual powers rest with the center

Question 6.
Write four important functions of the Constitution.
Answer:
As the constitution is a framework of Government and embodiment of ethos, values, goals, and commitments of the people, it performs a number of functions for the society and the rulers i.e. government. Its main functions are as under:

1. The first function of a constitution is to provide a set of basic rules that allow for minimum co-ordination and assurance amongst members of society. Constitutions provide authority to the government for framing rules, regulations, and their issuance and implementation for the purposes of main co-ordination among the people of the people and to establish discipline.

2. the Second function is to provide the framework of government and decide the area of jurisdictions of each organ of the government to make the decisions, about the people. It also decides, how the government will be constituted.

3. The third function of a constitution is to set some limits on what a government can impose on its citizens. These limits are not to be violated by the organs of the government and the people. Citizens are given four Fun-damental Rights that cannot be violated by the government. So these fundamental rights are given protections.

4. The fourth important function of the constitution is to ensure the fulfillment of the aspiration of the people and the governmental system.

Question 7.
How far you agree that the Indian Constituent Assembly was a representative body?
Answer:
Although members of the Constituent Assembly were not directly elected by the people there was a serious effort and intention to make the Assembly a representative body. In fact, at that time adult franchise’ was not prevailing, and also the situation k that time was conducive to hold the elections directly. Therefore it was decided that members of the Constituent Assembly be elected by the members of legislative Assefnblies of the states. Besides this through the process of nomination efforts were made to give representation to all shades and opinions. In the election also members of all religions were given due representation.

In terms of Political parties, the Congress party which dominated -the’- political scene at that time, also dominated the composition of the Constituent Assembly. The Congress itself was such a party that managed to accommodate almost all sections of the society. Therefore we can conclude that CoristituenK Assembly was a representative body.

Question 8.
How Parliament is subordinate to that of the Constitution in India?
Answer:
In India, Parliament is certainly subordinate to the Constitution because Parliament is the product of the Constitution which has set the composition and jurisdiction of the Parliament. In India, we have the supremacy of the Constitution and not of Parliament. Parliament will discharge its duty on the areas, assigned by the Constitution. Parliament can make laws on the issues which are given in the centralized and some times on the issues of stateliest also. But its laws are open for judicial review. Therefore we can say that in India, Parliament is subordinate to Constitution which can be altered only by the Constituent Assembly.

Question 9.
What goals are set in the Indian Constitution?
Answer:
Indian society inherited inequality, discrimination, illiteracy, and injustices as a legacy of British imperialism. After independence, the people of India had high hopes. Constitution makers were aware’ of these needs and aspirations of the people. Therefore new goals for the society were set to be realized through the governmental machinery. These objectives were incorporated in the Preamble of the Constitution. The framers of the Indian constitution thought that each individual in the society should have all that which is necessary for them to lead a life of minimum dignity and social self-respect and also minimum material well-being. Therefore to achieve egalitarianism is the first goal of the Constitution. To achieve these goals, related values like justice equality, liberty, the dignity of the individual, fraternity among the people of the country are incorporated. National integrations are also the goal of the Constituent.

Question 10.
On which philosophy our Constitutions is based?
Answer:
The preamble of the Indian Constitution explains the philosophic basis. It is based on socialist, secular, and democracy: Constitution seeks to build the society on the socialistic pattern which means the availability of minimum needs of everyone and the removal of disparity among people. Socialism means each according to his ability and to each according to, his needs. This philosophy of socialism seeks to build an egalitarian society. Another philo¬sophic base is secularism which means freedom to citizens in matter or religion. It stands for no state religion because religion is a personal matter of man.

Another philosophy that seeks to achieve is democracy i.e. full participation of the people on the matter of administration and decision-making process.

Question 11.
How our constitution is an instrument of socio-economic change?
Answer:
Keeping in view the socio-economic fabric of society which we inherited from the British Raj over Constitution makers set the objectives of the Constitution is the Preamble of the constitution and chapters like of Fun¬damental Right and Directive Principles of State Policy were added in the Constitution.

On close observation and study of the performance of the working of the Constitution, we find that there is a vast change in the socio-economic scenario. Liberal and democratic cultures seem to be pervasive. The literary percentage is increased many folds. There is an appreciable improvement in health, housing, and drinking water. quality of life is improved. Social evils like untouchability and sense of high and low status are diminishing. Per Capita income has increased and employment opportunities are also increased. Democracy is mattering. It is definitely because of the triple mentality constitutional provisions.

Question 12.
How the Constitution make the people one collective entity?
Answer:
In fact, a constitution expresses the fundamental identity of people, and people as a collective entity comes into being only through the basic constitutions. It’ is by agreeing to a basic set of norms about how one should be governed and who should be governed that one forms a collective identity. One has many sets of identities on the basis of race, caste, color, language, and the area which exists prior to the constitution, but by agreeing to certain basic norms and principles, one assumes one’s basic political identity. Secondly, values and norms set in the constitution provide a framework within which one pursues individual aspirations, goals, and freedom.

Therefore constitution provides social, political, and also ethical identity to the people. It is therefore through the constitution people get collective identities. institutions like the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary. It means that all above institutions will draw their authority and Jurisdiction from the constitution. They will discharge their powers as had been given and allowed by the constitution. The Judiciary will have the final word on the interpretation of the constitution. But Judiciary will also work as per provisions of the constitution. No one is above the constitution. Parliament will make law as per area and subjects allowed by the constitution. The basic structure of the constitution cannot be changed by Parliament. However, it can be changed by Constituent Assembly only. The supremacy of the constitution means that no person or authority or institution is above the constitution.

Question 14.
What features we have borrowed from the USA and Britain for our constitution.
Answer:
As said the Indian Constitution is a borrowed bag because our constitution is indebted to many countries from we have a number of features. From the USA we have borrowed the following features:

  1. Written Constitution
  2. The preamble of the Constitution
  3. Fundamental Rights
  4. The post of Vice-President
  5. Power of Judicial review for our Judiciary.

Britain: From Britain, we have borrowed the following features:

  1. Single citizenship
  2. Bureaucracy
  3. The parliamentary system of Government
  4. Rule of law
  5. Integrated judiciary
  6. Bicameral legislative

Question 15.
How we can ensure the success of a Constitution?
Answer:
For the success and faithful obedience of the constitution, there should be some kind of internal mechanisms that no group of the society or no organ of the government become so powerful who could think of subverting the Constitution.

For example, American Constitution has such a mechanism as American Constitution is based on the theory of separation of power with a check and balance system which ensures that no organ will become arrogant and monopolistic in its jurisdiction because there is another organ to check it. Indian Consti¬tution also has fragmented the powers across different institutions like the legislature, executive, judiciary, and even some other constitutional indepen¬dent bodies like the Election commission. Secondly, to obtain the regular support of the people, the constitution must strike the right balance between certain values, norms, and procedures as authoritative and at the same time allow enough flexibility in its operation to adopt the changing needs and circum¬stances.

Question 16.
Write some features of the Cabinet Mission Plan?
Answer:
The Constituent Assembly which framed the Indian Constitution was constituted on the basis of the cabinet mission plan’s recommendations. Its main recommendations are as under:

  1. Each province and princely state Were allowed seats proportional to their respective population roughly in the ratio of 1: 10,00,000. Which divided 292 members from British states and 93 seats from the Princely states.
  2. Seats in each province were distributed among the three main com¬munities i.e. Muslims, Sikhs, and general.
  3. Members of each community in the Provincial Legislative Assembly
    elected their own representatives.
  4. The method of selection was to be determined by consultation.

Constitution: Why and How? Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Giving a brief history of the demand of the Constituent Assembly, explain the theoretical and constitutional framework of the Indian Constitution.
Answer:
During the national movement, there has been a persistent demand for the composition of a Constituent Assembly. Such demand was first of all raised in Nehru Report in 1928.’vWhen after, Second World War, the British government put the demand for co-operation in the war through August offer 1940, Cripp’s Mission 1942 and Wavel Plan 1945.

Every time Congress raised the demand of setting up of a Constituent Assembly. Which was ultimately accepted through the cabinet Mission Plan 1946. Gandhi had aired the demand of the Constituent Assembly several times in strong words. This was referred by Dr. Rajendra Prashad as the first Chairman of Constituent Assembly on 9th December 1946 as that Swaraj would mean wishes of the people as expressed through their freely chosen representative. The idea of a Constitu¬ent Assembly had come to prevail largely as an article of faith in almost all the politically minded classes in the country.

The Constituent Assembly was constituted by indirect election. An attempt was made to make this body representative of the body. It took the decisions by accommodation and consensus. It took two years, eleven months and eighteen days to complete this Constitution on 26th November 1949 and which was adopted on 26th January 1950, which we celebrate as Republic day because in this Constitution we are given the provisions of an elected President. Before this, there was the post of nominated Governor-General.

The preamble of the Constitution is a very significant part of the Constitution. By going through the Preamble one can understand the theoretical and institutional framework. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution speaks like this: “We the people of India. Solemnly resolve to constitute India a ‘Sovereign, Secular Socialistic, Democratic, Republic, there will be Justice – Social-economic and political

Liberty – of thought and expression EQuestion equality – of status and opportunity and dignity, fraternity, and national integration will be the ultimate objectives.

The above description of the Preamble tells the nature of the state which is sovereign, the nature of society i.e socialistic and secular, and the nature of the polity which is the Democratic Republic. It is the institutional framework of the con¬stitution.

The theoretical framework is also given in the Preamble of the consti¬tution. The critical framework includes all those values, commitments philosophy, and goals. The Constitution seeks to establish an equalized society by removing the glaring inequalities prevailing in the society to achieve the value of justice. Seemed important value is the liberty of thought and expression. The institution seeks liberty for every citizen so that he or she may feel confident and independent and sense responsibility and sense of belonging guess. Another value is equality of status and opportunity which is needed for the dignity of man.

To achieve national integration and human dignity is the ultimate aim of the Constitution.

Constitution as a Living Document Class 11 Important Extra Questions Political Science Chapter 9

Here we are providing Class 11 Political Science Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 9 Constitution as a Living Document. Political Science Class 11 Important Questions with Answers are the best resource for students which helps in class 11 board exams.

Class 11 Political Science Chapter 9 Important Extra Questions Constitution as a Living Document

Constitution as a Living Document Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What do you know by the amendment of the Constitution?
Answer:
The amendment of the constitution means to change, adapt and adopt the provisions of the Constitution according to the demands of the new situations and circumstances-Amendment indicates the flexibility in the document of the constitution. Amendment also indicates the dynamism of society to which it represents.

Question 2.
Differentiate between a flexible and rigid Constitution. What is the nature of the Indian constitution?
Answer:
The flexible Constitution is one that can be amended easily i.e; by a simple method and the rigid constitution is one which is difficult to be amended ie; for which amendment a long and difficult procedure is adopted. Indian constitution is both flexible as well as rigid because some of the articles of the Constitution can be amended by a simple majority while other parts of the Constitution need a special majority and ratification by the 50% State Assembly.

Question 3.
What precaution is taken by the constitution-makers while giving the provisions of amendment in Art 368?
Answer:
The constitution-makers wanted to strike a balance. They wanted constitutional amendment when it becomes necessary but they wanted it protected from unnecessary and frequent changes. Therefore they made the constitution both flexible as well as rigid.

Question 4.
Describe Art 368?
Answer:
Art 368 of the Constitution, deals with the amendment of the Constitution. Parliament may in the exercise of its constituent power amend by way of addition, variation, or repeal any provision of this Constitution in accordance with the procedure laid down in this constitution.

Question 5.
What is special majority needed for amendment?
Answer:
Amendment of some of the articles (11 Art) needs the special majority of the Parliament which means the majority of the total members of the house and 2/3 majority of present and voting on the constitutional amendment bill.

Question 6.
Who is involved in the constitutional amendment?
Answer:
Following process/constitution are involved in the process of a constitutional amendment.

  1. Parliament
  2. State legislature
  3. President

Question 7.
When is the ratification of a constitutional amendment required?
Answer:
For the amendment of some articles, only a special majority is not sufficient. When the amendment aims to modify an article related to the distribution of power between the states and the central government or articles related to representation. The states must be consulted and they give their consent. The Constitution has ensured this by providing that legislatures of half the states have to pass the amendment bill before the amendment comes into effect.

Question 8.
Name the amendment which has been passed through political consensus.
Answer:
There is a large group of amendments that have been made as a result of consensus among the political parties. Some of them are as under.

  • 52 Amendment 1985
  • 61 Amendment 1988
  • 73 Amendment 1992
  • 74 Amendment 1992
  • 77, 8.1 & 82 Amendments.

Question 9.
What is the role of the President of India in the matter of constitutional amendment?
Answer:
President has a limited role in the matters of the constitutional amendment. He has no discretion and has to go by the advice of the council of ministers, as per Art. 74 (1) of the Constitution. A constitutional bill, after having passed by both the houses of the Parliament separately as per required procedure is sent to the President for his assent. President has no other choice but to give his assent. After his ascent, it comes in force.

Question 10.
What is the 52nd amendment?
Answer:
52amendment of the constitution was effected in 1985 by Rajiv Gandhi’s government to curb the evil of defection in Indian politics: Rajiv Gandhi was committed to check defection. This amendment made several provisions to check defection.

Question 11.
What were the main provisions of the 52 constitutional amendments?
Answer:
Followings were the main provisions of 52 amendments of the Constitution:

  1. A member elected on a political party’s Ticket will lose his membership if he joins another party.
  2. If an independent candidate joins a political party, he will lose his membership.
  3. In case of a merger of political parties and a split in the party, anti-defection, the law will not apply.
  4. The Speaker of the house will decide the split or merger of the political parties.

Question 12.
Why the 42nd amendment remained controversial?
Answer:
The 42nd constitutional amendment is known to be the most controversial. amendment due to the following reasons.

  1. It was enacted when the internal emergency was in force.
  2. When it was passed most of the top political leaders of all political parties were in jail.
  3. By this amendment, the Constitution was subverted.

Question 13.
What was the decision in the Keshwa Nand Bharti case 1973?
Answer:
In the Keshwa Nand Bharti case 1973 Supreme Court ruled that Parliament can amend any part of the constitution, including Fundamental Rights but cannot change the basic structure of the Constitution.

Question 14.
What was the aim of the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments?
Answer:
When Narasimha Government assumed office in 1991 it brought the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment for which necessary political consensus was created. The purpose of this amendment was to restructure the local government by giving adequate representation to women and other weaker sections of the society and to make then local bodies more vibrant and functional.

Question 15.
What do you know about the constitutional review commission?
Answer:
For a long time, the need is being felt to switch over from the Parliamentary system to the Presidental system and to review the entire Constitution. When the NDA government assumed office under the leadership of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999, it set up a National Constitution Review commission in 2000. Former Chief Justice Venkatechillia was made the Chairman of the Commission.

Constitution as a Living Document Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Define constitutionalism and constitution.
Answer:
Constitutionalism stands for a check on the arbitrariness of the ruler. Constitutionalism stands for rule of law and seeks to check the rule of whims and fancies of the rulers. Constitutionalism stands for discussion and debate on the issues of government. Constitutional development is a part of constitutionalism. Which is meant for evolving the norm and regulations for administrators.

The constitution can be defined as a body of rules and regulations which provide a framework for governance in a democratic setup. It defines the area of work for different organs of the government. It also decides the made and norms and philosophy and direction of the government as well as ‘ society.

Question 2.
Discuss how the Constitution is a living document.
Answer:
A constitution is a living document because it reflects the aspirations of living beings. This is a document-which keeps on responding to the situations and circumstances arising from time to time. Like a living being the constitution responds to experience. A constitution is a dynamic document reflecting the movement and dynamism of the society. It continues to work for society effectively because of its dynamism and response to the changing situations and the demand of the circumstances. The constitution protects the democracy and Fundamental Rights of the people and the existence of different constitutions. The constitution allows the evolution of new practices and also needs respect from the citizens.

Question 3.
Explain the contribution of the judiciary in the development of the Constitution.
Answer:
Judiciary plays important role in the development of the Constitution. Judiciary is the final authority in the matter of interpretation of the constitution. Judiciary examines and interprets the laws made by the parlia¬ment and state legislature and gives a final ruling on different issues which becomes the source of law and part of the Constitution. Judiciary ensures that all the laws of the legislatures and policies and programs of the executives are made within the framework of the constitution. Sometimes this leads to controversy between the judiciary and Parliament.

It has happened many times on different occasions when the Judiciary declared the laws of the Parliament as unconstitutional and Parliament amended the Constitution to nullify the ruling of the Judiciary. For example in 1967 in the Golakhnath case, the judiciary gave the ruling that Parliament cannot amend the Fundamental Rights but Parliament brought the 38th and 39th Amendments to nullify the effect of that ruling.

Question 4.
What is the basic structure theory case?
Answer:
To nullify the effect of the ruling in the Golakhnath case, the Parliament passed 38th and 39th amendments in the constitution in 1971. In 1973, in the Keshwananda Bharti case, these amendments were challenged by the Supreme Court, The court ruled that Parliament can amend any part of the Constitution, including Fundamental Rights but cannot amend the basic structure of the constitution. This particular case ie; Keshwananda Bharti Case is known as the Basic Structure Theory case.

Question 5.
Make a distinction between the letter and spirit of the Constitution.
Answer:
In the interpretation of the Constitution and in giving its ruling in different cases, the judiciary has made a distinction between the letter and spirit of the constitution. The court is of the view that in reading a text of a document, we must respect the intention behind that document. A mere text of the law is not so important as the social circumstances and aspirations that has produced that law or document or the aspiration which are reflected by that document. The circumstances and the background of the law or document can indicate the real intention and purpose of the document. Therefore spirit is more important than the letter of the Constitution.

Question 6.
Discuss the circumstances and main provisions of the 42nd amendment.
Answer:
42 amendment of the constitution is known to be the most con¬troversial amendment and it was passed in the most controversial circumstance. 42nd amendment was passed in 1976 when an internal Emergency was in force and top opposition leaders were in jail.

The main provisions 42nd Amendment are as under:

  1. The term of Parliament and state legislature were extended for six years in place of 5. years.
  2. Fundamental Rights were made. inferior to Directive Principles of State Policy.
  3. Important institutions like Judiciary were made weak and subordinate
  4. Two new words socialism and secularism were added in the Preamble of the Constitution.
  5. The position of the President is also reduced.
  6. The powers of the press were snatched
  7. Restrictions were put on the judiciary
  8. Chapter 10 of Fundamental Duties were added.

Question 7.
How far the Constitution should be flexible and rigid.
Answer:
The Constitution provides the framework of the government which is most suitable and responsive for the present and future society. The Constitution has to be. able to respond to the challenges that may arise in the future. Therefore it must be the quality and characteristic of the consti¬tution- that it has something that is contemporary and something that has a more durable importance suiting to the needs of the future. It should also show some rigidity also so that the Constitution does not become a plaything in the hands of the ruling, party and it is not misused at any stage.

Question 8.
Indian Constitution is both flexible as well as rigid. Explain.
Answer:
The makers of the Indian constitution were aware of both the needs of the Constitution ie; flexibility as well as rigidity. Therefore they struck a balance. They made the Constitution above law and expected that the future generation will respect this document. At sometimes were aware that in the future this document will require modifications because circumstances are bound to change according to the needs of the time. Due to differences of Opinion also change would become necessary. It is because of this they made it flexible and to save the Constitution from the atrocity of the ruling party they made it rigid.

Question 9.
Explain the significance of the 44th constitutional amendment.
Answer:
42nd amendment distorted the entire Constitution during the Emergency in 1976. In 1977 elections were held in which the Congress party under Mrs. Indira Gandhi was badly ruled out and Janata Party come to power under the Prime- ministership of Shri Morarji Desai. Janata Party Government was committed to correct the distortions of the 42nd amendment. Therefore the 44th constitutional amendment was passed by Janata Party Government in 1979 for this purpose its main provisions are as under:

  1. The tenure of Parliament and State legislature were again deduced to five years.
  2. The status and position of the President and judiciary were restored to them by this amendment.
  3. Fundament Rights were given primary position.
  4. The fundamental Right of the property was deleted from the Constitution.

Question 10.
Mention the main provisions of the 52 amendments of the Constitution.
Answer:
52nd amendment was passed in 1985 by Rajiv Gandhi Government to check the evil of defection in Indian politics. The main provisions of this Act are as under: It was based on the consensus of all political parties.

  1. A person who is elected on a ticket of a particular party will lose his/her membership if he/she joins another party after the election
  2. An independently elected member will also lose the membership if he/she joins any political party of the election.
  3. If a nominated member joins any political party he/she will also lose the membership of the house.
  4. However, in the case of a split and merger of the political parties, the membership will not be affected. For split 1/3 membership will be required and for a merger 2/3 majority of the legislative group of the party will be required.
  5. Speaker will be the final authority to decide the split or merger of the political parties.

Question 11.
What is the procedure of constitutional amendment as given in Art 368?
Answer:
The procedure of constitutional amendment is given in Art 368 of the Indian Constitution. There are two methods of amending the constitution and they apply two different sets of articles of the constitution. One method is that when some articles of the Constitution are amended by a simple majority of the Parliament for example changing the boundaries of the state, creation of new states, and increasing the pay and allowances of the members of parliament.

The other method of amendment is related to those articles of the constitution in which a special majority is required. Special majority includes

  1. Majority of the total membership of the house.
  2. 2/3 majority of the present and voting of the members on that particular bill.
  3. Some of the articles which are related to the distribution of power in states need the satisfaction by at least 50% of state legislature besides the requirement given in point 2.

Question 12.
Write some important features of a constitutional amendment in India
Answer:
Followings can be given as important features of a constitutional amendment

  1. We have adopted the process of constitutional amendment from South Africa.
  2. The procedure is given in Art 368 of the Constitution
  3. States have a limited role in the matter of constitutional amendment as the process of the amendment cannot be initiated in the state assemblies.
  4. There cannot be a joint session of Parliament to resolve the difference, between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
  5. President cannot send back a constitutional amendment bill after reconsideration which is passed by the Parliament.
  6. Three methods are used separately to amend three different categories of the Constitution.

Question 13.
Describe the amendments through political Consensus.
Answer:
There is a large group of amendments that have been made as a result of the consensus among the main political parties of that time. This consensus made it necessary that some changes had to be made in order to reflect the prevailing political philosophy and aspirations of the Society. This consensus was also obtained during the era of coalition politics. The followings are some important amendments that may be put in this category.

  • 52nd Amendments as Anti defection Act 1985
  • 61st Amendment 1988 bringing down the minimum age of voting from 21 to 18 years.
  • 73rd Amendment 1992 empowering and restructure rural local government.
  • 74th Amendment 1992 empowering and restructuring the urban local government.

Question 14.
Describe the significance of the Basic Structure Theory Case.
Answer:
Kesha Nand Bharti case 1973 is popularly known as Basic Structure Theory Case in which it was ruled by Judiciary that Parliament can amend any part of the Constitution including Fundamental Rights of the Constitution but cannot amend the Basic structure of the Constitution. The followings are the main significance of this case.

  1. It has set specific limits to the Parliaments’ power to amend the Constitution. It means that no amendment can violate the basic structure of the Constitution.
  2. It allows the Parliament to amend any and all parts of the Constitution (within this limit)
  3. It places the judiciary as the final authority in deciding if any amendment has violated the basic structure and what constitutes the basic structure.
  4. The theory of basic structure has emerged with the interpretation of the Constitution.

Question 15.
Describe the main features of the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment
Answer:
Following are the features of the 73rd and 74th constitutional amend¬ments.

  1. The local governments have been given constitutional status.
  2. Fixed tenure and uniform tenure of local bodies in all states.
  3. 1/3 seats of the local governments are reserved for women and l/3rd seats are reserved for scheduled castes in membership as well in the part of President and Sarpanches.
  4. The powers of the local bodies are increased
  5. Provision of State Election Commission
  6. Provision of State Finance Commission.

Constitution as a Living Document Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Explain the meaning, need of the amendment of the Constitution. Reflect the conflict between Judiciary and Parliament.
Answer:
The Constitution is a living and dynamic document hence needs an addition, change modification as per the demand of the situation which keeps on changing from time to time When these modifications and changes are effected in the Constitution it is called an amendment.

The constitution needs to be amended because it is dynamic and not a closed and static rule book. The constitution needs to reflect the efforts to take the problems that the society is facing at the time of the making of the society and in the time to come also. Constitution has to be able to respond to the challenges that may arise in the future. The Constitution is not a frozen document. It is a document made by human beings and for human beings therefore it needs amendments. ‘

The first amendment of the Constitution was effected in 1951 itself when the land reform laws were challenged in the court. The conflict between the judiciary and the Parliament became open in 1967 when the judiciary ruled that Parliament cannot amend the Fundamental Rights in the Golak Nath case in 1967. To overcome the ruling in this case, Parliament passed 38th and 39th con¬stitutional amendments in 1971, and again there amendments were challenged in the court in Keshwa Nand Bharti \case. In the face of the power of Judicial review and PI (Public Interest litigation) the conflict between the Parliament and Judiciary has become more bitter.

Nomadic Empires Class 11 Important Extra Questions History Chapter 5

Here we are providing Class 11 History Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 5 Nomadic Empires. Class 11 History Important Questions with Answers are the best resource for students which helps in class 11 board exams.

Class 11 History Chapter 5 Important Extra Questions Nomadic Empires

Nomadic Empires Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What do you understand by Nomadic Empires?
Answer:
Historically, both the terms-Nomadic and Empire-are defined with contradiction yet we observe, that narrow sense is diluted, in context to the empire established by Mongols who were basically, undeveloped nomadic tribes. Still, they formed the first trans-continental empire in world history.

Question 2.
What are the sources that tell about the Nomadic Empire?
Answer:
These are-chronicles, travelogues, and documents produced by city-based literati. These authors have often produced extremely ignorant and biased reports of nomadic life.

Question 3.
Who were the members of city-based Literati?
Answer:
Those were Buddhist, confusion, Christian, Turkish and Muslim.

Question 4.
Whether you think that they had compiled time records about the administration of nomadic Empires?
Answer:
No, they had exaggerated the events in order to ensure better Patronship from the rulers/great Khans. People from various religions were not familiar with Mongol customs hence, many of them produced sympathetic records like eulogies.

Question 5.
What transition mode in production, do you see in nomadic empires?
Answer:
It was a transition from a tribal to a Feudal mode of production.

Question 6.
What kind of change/transition of production brought in the Administration?
Answer:
A relatively classless society myriad and scattered look turn to become a complex society, the largest in which lord, owners of land and the peasants were of wide difference among them.

Question 7.
What do the conspiracy historical records reveal?
Answer:
These exhibit a number of languages like Chinese, Mongolian, Persian, and Arabic. Vital material worth factual records are available in languages like Italian, Latin, French, and Russian.

Question 8.
What is “Mongol-un Niuea Lobea an”?
Answer:
It was a secret history book of the Mongols. It was the Mongolian and Chinese version (language) that got mixed randomly.

Question 9.
Why does one feel hardship while studying books on nomadic Empires?
Answer:
These are composed of a mixture of Mongol and Turkic terminology thrust into the Persian language. Hence, stimulus shrinks, and difficulty is felt.

Question 10.
What the books difficult to read?
Answer:

  1. “Secret History of the Mongols” by Igor de Rachewiltz.
  2. Mongol and Turkic terminology by Gerhard Doer for.

Question 11.
What kind of warning given to the French ruler by Genghis Khan’s grandson MongKe?
Answer:
He openly challenged the French ruler Louis IX professing their powers supreme and. having with them mandate from God.

Question 12.
What achievements the campaign of 1236-41 did attain?
Answer:
The campaigner Batu, grandson of Genghis Khan devastated land up to Moscow, seized Poland and Hungary, and camped outside Vienna.

Question 13.
Why are said Genghis Khan’s conquests the wrath of God?
Answer:
Genghis Khan declared that he is equipped with a decree/ mandate by God to conquer the entire world. He brutally killed several thousand people in many parts of China, the middle east, and Europe.

Question 14.
What had Genghis Khan done at the festival ground?
Answer:
He addressed the rich people, accusing them of the sinner and introducing himself as magistrate appointed by God’s especially to punish them. It was his shrewd and conceit tendency. He grabbed all wealth of the merchants forcibly there.

Question 15.
What question was asked from the only escaped person from the wrath of God in Bukhara?
Answer:
It was an inquiry on after-war position. The escaped person reported-“They came, they mined the walls, they burnt, they slew, they plundered and they departed.”

Question 16.
Describe the topography of Steppes of Central Asia.
Answer:

  1. In the area of the modern state of Mongolia.
  2. Wide horizons, rolling plains, ringed by the snowcapped Altai mountains to the west, the arid Gobi desert in the South, and the land as the north and west flourish with numerous springs and two rivers i.e. Qnon and Selenga.

Question 17.
Where did the hunter-gathers reside?
Answer:
At the north Siberian forest area.

Question 18.
Whether the climate and living conditions were good in the areas near the Siberian desert?
Answer:
No, that area was unhabitable yet these tribes were compelled to reside there. Extreme temperature, harsh and long winters, dry summers and sparsed rain had made the living conditions tougher.

Question 19.
In which two classes, the society was divided into tribes?
Answer:
These classes were of the poor and rich families.

Question 20.
Why did Genghis Khan face difficulties while managing a complex of agriculture economies and Urban settlements (Sedentary Societies)?
Answer:
Genghis Khan was from a nomadic tribe and that tribe was classified as Pastoralists and the hunter-gatherer society.

Question 21.
What was the reason for the unity of the two societies of the Steppe land in spite of different political and social organizations of nomadic and agrarian economies?
Answer:
It was the scant resources, that motivated the Mongols and other central Asian nomads to trade and barter with China people. Thus, trade had united them, we can state.

Question 22.
What trade the Mongols did with the Chinese?
Answer:
It was in line with the barter system. Mongols would provide the Chinese with horses, furs, and games in exchange for agricultural produce and iron utensils.

Question 23.
Why did the Mongol exercise inevitably pressure on parties in China?
Answer:
They worried to run the trade in their own favor hence, exerted pressure on the Chinese and sometimes, even plundered them.

Question 24.
What is a visual testament to the fear perpetrated by raids on agrarian societies of north China?
Answer:
It is the popular great wall of China.

Question 25.
Can you say the barbaric instinct in Genghis Khan matured during childhood and youth?
Answer:
Yes, he was merely a child when his father was murdered, the hardships born by his mother in maintenance, and severe pain, he endured when his wife was kidnapped. These circumstances would have fuelled the animal instinct that usually dwells in all human beings.

Question 26.
Which conquests had made Temujin (Genghis Khan) confident enough to conquest the trans-continental world?
Answer:
These were-J’amuqa and Tartars (his father’s assassins), the Kereyits, and Ong Khan–all defeated by him. :

Question 27.
What were the three kingdoms in China at the time of the attack by Genghis Khan?
Answer:
Control of Tibetan people (HsiHsia) in north-west provinces, Jurchen of Chin dynasty and Shung dynasty ruling on South China.

Question 28.
Give a brief account of the devastation spread by Mongol armies in certain cities.
Answer:
About 1,747,000 people were killed in Nishapur, 1,600,000 in Herat, and 8,00,000 people were killed in Baghdad. Similarly, 70,000 people in the Baihaq district, 70,000 in Nasa, and 12,000 people were killed at Tun (Kurdistan province).

Question 29.
Write about other conquests of Genghis Khan.
Answer:
Defeated Russian forces at the Crimea (Azerbaijan), encircled the Caspian sea. Another wing captured Afghanistan and the Sindh province.

Question 30.
Why had Genghis Khan canceled his campaign in North India (Assam)?
Answer:
His soothsayer namely Shaman reported him some ill- omens and dubious results in case marched through that route.

Question 31.
When was Temujin proclaimed as Genghis Khan?
Answer:
It was in 1206 when he was awarded the title of the universal ruler (i.e. Genghis Khan).

Question 32.
How were the military achievements of Genghis Khan astounding?
Answer:

  1. All soldiers were habitual since their birth, in hunting operations through uneven terrain and mountain topography.
  2. Horse riding was a common practice added to every Mongol since his tender age.

Question 33.
What were fighting weapons to destroy fortified encampments?
Answer:
These were-siege engines and naphtha bombs.

Question 34.
What had signaled the emergence of new political trends?
Answer:
It was the defeat of Mongols at the hands of Hungarian steppes and Egyptian forces.

Question 35.
Why would have the Mongols defeated at the hands of the Egyptian military?
Answer:
It was because-

  1. Jochi and Ogodei lineages were marginalized by the Toluyid branch of Genghis Khan’s descendants,
  2. The army was called back from Iraq to the center in order to deploy them in the conquest of China.

Question 36.
What was the cause for the suspension of Mongol expansion in the west?
Answer:
It was due to internal unrest between the members of the ruling family.

Question 37.
Which tribes were in the Mongol Confederacy?
Answer:
It was included groups like Turkic Vighars, Kereyits, etc.

Question 38.
What attempts Genghis Khan made for reinforcement of his confederacy?
Answer:

  1. Made old tribal identities non-valid.
  2. Divided old tribal groupings and distributed their members into new military limits.
  3. The largest unit of soldiers (10,000 soldiers) included fragmented groups of people from a variety of different tribes and clans.

Question 39.
Who was not in the army of Genghis Khan?
Answer:
Genghis Khan’s four sons.

Question 40.
What do you understand by the term ulus?
Answer:
That term refers to newly conquered but not fixed territories.

Question 41.
Mention the distribution of Ulus among four sons of Genghis Khan.
Answer:
Russian steppes were given to Jochi, Transoxiana steppe, and lands north of Pamir were given to Chaghatai, Ogden was made Crown Khan and Toluy was given ancestral lands of Mongolia and smaller towns like Baihaq and Tun (Kurdistan). This predominant vice has dusted on his virtues like the greatest leader of all time, convener of scattered tribal society to unite, ruler of a grand trans-continental empire, and keeper of trade routes well restored. Actually, the contrasting images are not simply a case of dissimilar perspectives, they should make us pause and reflect on how one perspective can completely erase all others.

Question 42.
What tax did Genghis Khan impose on nomads?
Answer:
They would give one-tenth of horses or livestock as – provisions. It was called the quaker tax.

Question 43.
What communication System did Genghis Khan maintain?
Answer:
The messengers were appointed in outposts at regularly N spaced distances. It was a squad Of horse riders. ..j

Question 44.
How did ecological devastation caused in parts of Khurasan?
Answer:
As the Khans’ were busy in campaigns, they left qanats (underground canals) unmaintained and it resulted in an expansion of the desert

Question 45.
What is the contradistinction between a chronicle report of I gory killings by Genghis Khan and an eye witness report on the same?
Answer:
The II Khanid chronicle reported the killing of 30,000 soldiers while an eyewitness report states that only 400 soldiers had defended the citadel of Bukhara viz only 400 were killed.

Nomadic Empires Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What do you understand by the term years? Explain.
Answer:
It was actually Yasaq when this code of law was promulgated by Genghis Khan at the Quriltan of 1206. Yasaq means law, decree, or order in its literary meaning. The detail on the organization of the hunt, the army, and the postal system, the David Ayalon, a researcher found as ingredients of that code of Law. By the middle of the thirteenth century, the Mongols named it as Yasa in a more general sense to mean the legal code of Genghis Khan. It was a compilation of the customary traditions of the Mongol tribes but in referring to it as Genghis Khan’s Code Of Law, the Mongols people also laid a claim to a law-giver like Soloman, whose authoritative Code could be imposed on their subjects,

Question 2.
Do you understand why Genghis Khan did have an identity as a conqueror and brutal murderer of the people in spite of his being the greatest leader of all time?
Answer:
Generally, the predominant virtue or vice imprints the image of the ruler in the head and heart of the common populace. Genghis Khan had ordered massacres in cities like Nishapur, Herat, Baghdad, and smaller towns like Baihaq and Tun (Kurdistan). This predominant vice has dusted on his virtues like the greatest leader of all time, convener of scattered tribal society Lo unite, ruler of a grand transcontinental empire, and keeper of trade routes well restored. Actually, the contrasting images are not simply a case of dissimilar perspectives, they should make us pause and reflect on how one perspective can completely erase all others.

Question 3.
What had ensured creating so vast an empire of the Mongols? Discuss?
Answer:
The only thing that remained a powerful force was the inspiration of the nomadic empire i.e. Genghis Khan. Apart from that driving force, we can not understand the inspiration that led to the confederation of fragmented groups of people in the pursuit of an ambition to create an empire merely on going over the nature of documentation on the Mongols and any other nomadic regime. Presently, Mongolia is enjoying freedom from Soviet control and it has revered Genghis Khan as a great natural hero and his achievements are recognized with pride. Thus, Genghis Khan has once again appeared as an iconic figure for the Mongol people among the populace there.

Question 4.
Discuss the implication of the term barbarian.
Answer:
This term has been derived from the greek Barbaros i.e. non-Greek, It was the name of the person on the basis of his language sounded i.e. Barbar. Analogous to children unable to speak or reason properly, cowardly, effeminate, luxurious, cruel, slothful, greedy, and politically unable to govern themselves; were depicted as barbarians in Greek texts. This word was used in the sense of stereotype by Romans for the German tribes, the Gauls, and the Huns. Steppe barbarians were addressed with different terms but none of them carried a positive meaning.

Question 5.
Reproduce the warning that was given by Monglke, the grandson of Genghis Khan to the French ruler Louis IX and enunciate the hidden intention thereupon.
Answer:
We can reproduce said warning as under-“In heaven, there is only the Eternal sky, on Earth, there is only one lord, Genghis Khan, the son of Heaven when by the power of the eternal Heaven, the whole world from the rising of the sun to its setting shall be at one in joy and peace, then it will be made clear what we are going to do if when you have understood that the degree of the Eternal Heaven, you are unwilling to pay attention and believe it, saying, “Our country is far away, our mountains are mighty, our sea is vast,” and in this confidence, you bring an army against us, we know what we can do. He who made easy what was difficult and near, what was far off, the Eternal Heaven Knows.”

Review on the essential components of warning:

  1. Genghis Khan’s empire had covered and going to cover the limit of rising and setting sun throughout the world.
  2. It has been stated that Genghis Khan’s rule over the earth is predetermined by the Eternal Heaven.
  3. It reveals a strong determination to bring peace and joy to the entire world and its inhabitants.
  4. It threatens Louis IX that it is worth no use considering that the distance and inaccessible territories would defend France.
  5. The last line lays emphasis on an assumption that nowhere is far or near and easy or difficult under the grace of the Eternal Heaven.

Conclusion-The above five important points have been aptly soaked in the creation of psychological terror, a eulogy of the Mongol power and demonstration through speech a strong determination and invincible courage’. His strong faith in the Almighty has also been reflected through this warning.

Question 6.
Discuss the rise of new political trends in Mongols after Genghis Khan?
Answer:
In the period after Genghis Khan and particularly after the 1260s, the original impetus of campaigns could not be sustained in the west. Western Europe and Egypt were within the grasp of Mongol forces yet their retreat from the Hungarian Steppes and defect at the hands of the Egyptian forces exhibited a major change in their attitude. In the first two generations, descendants of Jochi and Ogodei jointly controlled the office of Genghis Khan.

They were marginalized by the Toluyid branch of Genghis Khanid descendants. The later rulers took more interest in the conquest of China. Hence, westward expansion was ceased. Jochen and Toluyid descendants began to develop rivalry along the Russian-Iranian frontier. It also had diverted the Jochids away from further European Campaigns.

Question 7.
What was the political set-up in the nomadic empire? Discuss.
Answer:

  1. There were all group members, recruited in the military consisting of the largest unit of soldiers (Turman) i.e. 10,000 soldiers. It integrated different tribes and clans with a new identity.
  2. A new form of the military had to serve under Genghis Khan’s four sons and captains of army units (Royan).
  3. Genghis Khan’s true friends were given representation in statecraft addressed as Anda.
  4. A rank of Naukar was given to fourth-grade employees.
  5. Four uluses were divided under the rule of Genghis Khan’s four sons.
  6. Genghis Khan envisaged that his sons would rule the empire collectively like a federation.
  7. Military contingents (Tama) of the individual princes were
    placed in each ulus.
  8. Quriltan was conferred with power to decide dominion share of the family members, campaigns, distribution of booty, pasture land, and succession.

Question 8.
Why was there a conflict of interest between pastoralists and peasants? Would Genghis Khan express sentiments of this nature in a speech to his nomad commanders?
Answer:
Pastoralists were used to graze the fields of peasants and occupy the area they owned. Their interest was different because peasants had turned into traders while the pastoralists had an only games, furs of animals, etc. to exchange with them. In order to gain more share of profit in trade, they sometimes looted them of foodgrains and iron utensils. During the decade of 1230, the Mongols waged their successful war against the chin dynasty in north China and committed a massacre of the peasantry and their fields were converted into pasture lands.

However, this contradiction was eased’ in the decade of 1290 when Ghazan Khan, a descendant of Genghis Khan’s youngest son Toluy warned family members and other generals to avoid pillaging the peasantry. No, Genghis Khan would have not expressed the sentiments as these were expressed by Ghazan Khan in the decade of 1290.

Question 9.
How can you say Yasa, an extremely empowering ideology?
Answer:
It is because of the following significance added to it-

  1. It addressed the Mongol’s ruling over urban societies with their respective histories, cultures, and laws.
  2. Mongols could protect their identity and distinctiveness through their ancestral Yasa.
  3. It was although a compilation of the traditions of the Mongol tribes yet referred to a GenghisKhan’s Code of Law.
  4. Yasa sewed Mongol people around a body of shared beliefs and acknowledged their affirming to Genghis Khan and his descendants.
  5. It gave them, the confidence to return their ethnic identity and impose their law upon their defeated subjects.

Question 10.
Did the meaning of Yasa alter over the four centuries separating Genghis Khan from Abdullah Khan? Why did Hafiz-i – Tanish make a reference to Genghis Khan’s as in connection with Abdullah Khan’s prayer at the Muslim festival ground?
Answer:
No, instead of any alteration separating Genghis Khan from Abdullah Khan; it became more coherent and interwoven over the four centuries. Hafiz-i-Tanish, the chronicler had referred to Genghis Khans “as” in order to exhibit how even the tricky and extorting act of him i.e. warning rich Muslim residents at the festival ground in Bukhara to confess that they were a sinner and he would compensate for their sins by parting with their hidden wealth-had been remembered as if any noble-deed was performed at that ground. He says that Genghis Khan’s distant descendant Abdullah Khan had offered his holiday prayers that place.

Question 11.
What developments took place during the period 1236 to 1260?
Answer:
Batu, the grandson of Genghis Khan launched a campaign in Russia, Poland, and Austria along 1236-42. Mongke launched fresh campaigns in Iran and China during 1253-55 and events like the capture of Baghdad, the end of the Abbasid caliphate, the establishment of the II- Khanid state of Iran under Hulegn, and conflict took place between the Jochids and the II Khans.

Question 12.
What developments did take place in Nomadic Empires by the middle of the thirteenth century?
Answer:
We can sum-up these alterations as under:

  1. Pressure on the peasantry was witnessed greater in areas distant from the original steppe habitat of the nomads.
  2. Common patrimony, shared by all sons of Genghis Khan; was gradually replaced by Individual dynasties.
  3. The term Ulus was earlier used for territories not fixed but it carried meaning which declared it as territorial domination.

Question 13.
Speeches activate motors in the human mind so far as the audience set-on on the action immediately. Why does it happen? Reproduce the extract of the warning given by Mongke, the grandson of Genghis Khan to the French Ruler.
Answer:
Perhaps it takes place owing to the skill of oration. A speech could be made effective when observation, experiments are done, generalization made and the conclusion arrived at; with the determination of action thereupon. These stages naturally make the m^n bold enough and he renders both touchy and catchy speech. That speech with its echoes activates motor nerves immediately into; the conscience of the audience and with the same pace, the action is decided. Sometimes, the speeches are fumed into crusades which result in undue troubles to the populace and the nation simultaneously.

Reproduction of vital part of the speech cum warning-“In heaven, there is only the eternal sky, On Earth, there is only one lord, Genghis Khan, the son of Heaven-When by the power of the Eternal Heaven the whole world from the rising of the sun to its setting shall be at one in joy and peace, then it will be made clear what we are going to do.”

Vital elements-

  1. The Heaven is touched beautifully while the mission is that of wielding on worldwide earth.
  2. In order to intimidate each individual not only Louis IX, but it is also sufficient here to give a glimpse of one’s sound aim or mission and that too keeping the entire world with joy and peace under a single umbrella.

The tone of provocation, the fine blending of material with that of meta-physical, presentation of Genghis Khan as deputy of God himself to rule over the world-are really amazing and heart-touching.

Question 16.
In what ways do you see the manifestation of speeches so provoking in the period of Nomadic empires?
Answer:
Mongols were in minority and that too of multilingual, multi-cultural and multi-customary, practices. They were first master-mind Great Khans at whom by virtue of literature and pre-cooked pronunciations, threats, warnings, challenges, and tricks adding populace to their own avowed aim, established a transcontinental empire and suppressed to neglect even of Alexander, who dreamt of being Shahenshah of the world.

Their actions in course of attainment of aims were condemnable and cognizable heinous crimes to society as murder, massacre, plunder, loot, extortion, etc. They massacred as per available records, 1, 74,7000 people in Nishapur, a toll of 1, 600,000 people at Herat, and 1258,800,000 people at Baghdad. Smaller towns that also had been made blood-reservoir were Nasa-70,000, Baihq district-70,000, and Tun (Kuhistan)-12,000 individuals.

Nomadic Empires Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
“It is the phenomenon of circumstances which reformed Temujin into Genghis Khan i.e. The King of the universe. Coincide essence of revenge against exploitation of steppe tribes by Chinese at the south duly planned.” Describe the circumstances formed since the beginning and their impact on Genghis Khan.
Answer:
As per the requirement of things to be brought nearer and give birth to cause and effect, the action and its results for every phenomenon, we would have to understand the meaning of circumstances in broader view in which topography, Landforms, Climate, Soil, Terrian and moreover, the training of instincts, etc. under the following sub-heads:-

(A) Location and conditions of a terrain-The map of the entire Mongol Empire exhibits is surrounded by a number of seas and oceans and particularly, we will discuss here, Central Asia’s Steppes where Temujin was born. It was the modem state of Mongolia where during the lifetime of Genghis Khan; a majestic landscape with wide horizons, rolling plains, surrounded by snowcapped Altai mountains in the west, the arid Gobi desert in the South were existed and drained by the Qnon and Selenga rivers was topography and landforms. Moreover, there were numerous springs from the melting snow of the hills in the north and the west. There was, therefore, no dearth of the game, however, in small quantum, available in a good season.

B. Society-As the topography determines all physical traits
and pursuits, here were the hunter-gatherers and pastoralists i.e. two kinds of survival-based societies. At the north of Siberian forests, the hunter-gatherer’s and at its south, there were pastoralists.

Owing to the similarity of language, tribes like Tatars, Kotan, and Manchus were jointly called the Mongols. There was a Turkish tribe also in the west of the Steppe. Thus, there was a multi-cultural and multi¬social assembly of people under the Nomadic Empire.

C. Childhood and its percussions-Child Temujin were born near the Onon River in the north of present-day Mongolia. His clan was Borjigid and a group of family was known as Kiryat. He saw his father i.e. chieftain of Kiryat murdered at his tender age. He also witnessed his mother’s problems in course of rearing his brothers and step-brothers. He suffered all ills prevailing in the tribe and he was once captured, enslaved and his wife was kidnapped soon after his, marriage.

These shocks became a source of his intelligence as these made him more aware of society than his physical age expected. We t can see the percussions in the form of ghost massacre, he committed ‘ through the army on conquests of Nishapur, Herat, Baghdad, etc. cities and smaller towns like Nasa, Baihaq, and Tun (Kuhistan Province). The instinct of cruelty thus had born and nurtured since the tender age of Genghis Khan.

Temujin had to fight in order to get back his wife. Some friends ( like Jamuqa were turned hostile, his father’s murderers (Tatars) were thrust into his mental faculty, and the spirit of revenge cooked therein. He soon developed a strategy, however, unfair and defeated all his rivals r and murdered them. Thus, emotions backed motivation, became the highway to move in plunder, loot, arson, and massacre, he committed fearlessly but in a facade of his being a deputy of God, the almighty.

His tricky mind had its manifestation in the form of the warning to Louis IX by Mongke, his grandson, his own declaration, decree before the populace of rich at the festival ground, etc. In the festival ground, how in a shrewd manner, he says-‘O people know that you have committed great sins and that the great ones among you have committed these sins. If you ask me what proof I have for these vices, I say it is because I am the punishment of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you.

(d) Skill of uniting people–Genghis Khan created a vague impression that he had born as a magistrate of God to punish the sinners. He first met the people of diverse tribes, applied the statement of suppression of ally and explained to them how could they fight against exploitation made by Chinese rulers at that time. The similarity of language helped him the most. He expressed this rubbish to rule the world, made them bold by saying that he had a mandate from God. The extract of his grandson’s warning to Louis IX makes it face-“In Heaven, there is truly one Eternal sky, on the earth, there is only one lord. Thus, they constituted a confederacy of Mongols and conducted war campaigns. He attained the title of Genghis Khan (Universal Ruler) under a proclamation.

E. Pseudo-Polity-The polity exercised or practiced by Mongols or the Great Khan’s was actually a pseudo one as in the name of Eternal Heaven. He bagged the support of the diverse society in central Asia steppes. His title proclaimed was also a mirage as he was only a Chieftain to the confederacy, not a universal king at the time that proclamation was made.

Mongol rulers were shrewd ones, as we can reproduce the difference between the speech made by Genghis Khan and mentioned by Hafiz-i-Tanish, a chronicler about the same place. That place was festival ground where Genghis Khan declared all rich as sinners and himself as to punish them by Eternal Heaven. He further says that they can compensate for sins by parting with their hidden wealth.

Thus he very shrewd way, compelled the populace to give him all their hidden wealth in a mixture of emotional exploitation and physical coercion (terror). At the same place, the chronicler writes that his distant descendant Abdullah Khan had gone to offer holiday prayer there. It exhibits that the entire race of great Khans was shrewd enough in misrepresentation of facts and strong affinity and reverence for its founder.

The same type of misrepresentation we see, in the matter of Yasaq initially accepted as law, decree or order and confined merely to the affairs like the organization of the hunt, the army, and postal system. The late Mongol’s redefined it as Yasa i.e. sacred law given to them by their ancestor. They made overt amendments matching with the size of the empire and the trends of the populace and thus, the entire contents of that code overhauled. However, all successors of Genghis Khan 1 maintained it thoroughly attached to the creation of their ancestors.

They also laid a claim, Genghis Khan’s being not less than other law¬givers like Moses and the king Soloman. A blend of all tribal people was recruited as soldiers and officers were deployed at the places/ territories which were not their native-lands.

Eg. Chinese secretaries deployed in Iran and Persians in China. Genghis Khan divided the empire into Uluses and made each son governor in each such division.

Conclusion-On the basis of aspects of great Khans ruling procedure and mechanism, it can be. stated that circumstances themselves had knitted the web of a nomadic empire which was trans-continental in its expansion.

Drainage System Class 11 Important Extra Questions Geography Chapter 3

Here we are providing Class 11 Geography Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 3 Drainage System. Important Questions for Class 11 Geography are the best resource for students which helps in class 11 board exams.

Important Questions for Class 11 Geography Chapter 3 Drainage System

Drainage System Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What is drainage?
Answer:
The flow of water through well-defined channels is known as drainage.

Question 2.
Where is the dendritic drainage pattern found in India?
Answer:
In Great plains of North India.

Question 3.
Give the name of two rivers of Central India.
Answer:
Godavari and Krishna.

Question 4.
Name the three rivers that flow into the Arabian Sea.
Answer:
Narmada, Tapi and Mahi.

Question 5.
What type of drainage pattern is found in the Thar desert?
Answer:
In Thar desert centripetal drainage pattern is found.

Question 6.
Give two examples of antecedent rivers.
Answer:
Brahmaputra and Kosi are the two antecedent rivers.

Question 7.
What do you mean by water regime?
Answer:
The seasonal flow of water in a river is called its water regime.

Question 8.
Name two rivers of Central India.
Answer:
Sind and Chambal.

Question 9.
When do peninsular rivers have maximum flow?
Answer:
The peninsular rivers have maximum flow in the rainy season.

Question 10.
Name the main watershed of peninsular rivers.
Answer:
The Western Ghats.

Question 11.
Name the two west-flowing rivers Qf peninsular India.
Answer:
Narmada and Tapi are the west-flowing rivers.

Question 12.
Which river falls into the Gulf of Khambat?
Answer:
Mahi river falls into the Gulf of Khambat.

Question 13.
Name the three types of Himalayan river systems.
Answer:

  1. The Indus system,
  2. The Ganga system,
  3. The Brahmaputra system.

Question 14.
What is a river basin?
Answer:
The watersheds of large rivers are called river basins.

Question 15.
Name the two sections of the western coastal plain.
Answer:
Konkan coast and Malabar coast are the two sections of the western coastal plain.

Question 16.
What is cuspate deltas?
Answer:
The rivers like Ebro of Spain which form the tooth-like delta at their mouth is known as cuspate delta.

Question 17.
What is a radial pattern of drainage?
Answer:
When the river radiates from a hill, the pattern is called radial.

Question 18.
Why the Himalayan rivers are perennial?
Answer:
Because the Himalayan rivers rise from glaciers.

Question 19.
Why the rivers meander and change their courses?
Answer:
Variable nature of the terrain and geological conditions cause the rivers to meander and change their courses.

Question 20.
Name the five main tributaries of the Indus river.
Answer:
The Chenab, the Ravi, the Beas, the Satluj and the Jhelum.

Question 21.
What do you mean by ‘punched’?
Answer:
‘Punched’ is the name given to the rivers of Punjab – the Satluj, the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab and the Jhelum.

Question 22.
Name two streams which form the Chenab river.
Answer:
Chandra and Bhaga.

Question 23.
Which states are drained by the river Ganga?
Answer:
Uttranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal are drained by the river Ganga.

Question 24.
Name the main river basins of the peninsula.
Answer:
Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri are the four main basins of the peninsula.

Question 25.
Give the three important utilities of the Indian rivers.
Answer:

  1. Irrigation,
  2. Navigation, and
  3. Water power generation.

Drainage System Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Define a drainage system.
Answer:
The flow of water through well-defined channels is known as drainage. The network of such channels is called a drainage system. The drainage system includes the area drained by the river and its tributaries. The drainage pattern is of various types. The drainage pattern of an area is the product of the natural drainage pattern.

Question 2.
What are the various types of drainage patterns?
Answer:
The drainage pattern is of various types:

  1. Dendritic-When the drainage develops similar to branches of a tree.
  2. Radial – When the rivers radiate from a hill.
  3. Centripetal – When the rivers flow into a lake or a depression
  4. Trellis – When primary tributaries flow more or less parallel to one another and the secondary tributaries join from sides more or less a right angle.

Question 3.
Classify the Indian drainage on the basis of discharge of water,
Answer:
It may be classified into:

  1. The Arabian Sea drainage,
  2. Bay of Bengal drainage.

These two groups are separated from each other through the Delhi Ridge, the Aravallis, the Sahyadri and Amarkantak known as water divide.

Question 4.
What are the river basin and watershed?
Answer:
A river basin is a form of natural or artificial depression. The total area of the land drained by a river and its tributaries is known as a river basin. On the other hand, watershed means water-parting. Watershed may or may not be sharply defined, separating two continuous drainage areas from the head-stream flow in different directions into different river systems or river basins.

Question 5.
Give some characteristic features of the Kaveri basin.
Answer:
The Kaveri rises in Brahamgiri hills of Coorg district in Karnataka. It is 800 km. long and drains an area of67900 km2. The river carries water throughout the year with comparatively less fluctuation than other peninsular rivers.

Question 6.
Why flood is a frequent feature in the Brahmaputra basin?
Answer:
The Brahmaputra is one of the largest rivers in the world. It is a trans-Himalayan river. It rises in Kailash range near Mansarovar lake. It flows eastward longitudinally covering a distance of 1200 km. It forms a gorge in Namcha Barwa mountains. In India, it enters forming a gorge. It receives Dihang and Lohitas its tributaries. The characteristic feature of Brahmaputra is its flood. It is due to the fact that both the Purvanchal Himalayas and the Shillong plateau receive heavy rainfall.

Question 7.
Why do the rivers on the western coast have no deltas?
Answer:
The rivers over the western coast transport lot of sediment with them but do not form a delta, because they are unable to deposit this sediment at the coast. They are very swift due to the deep slope of the ghats and narrow coastal plain. Therefore they do not form deltas.

Question 8.
What is the difference between delta and estuary?
Answer:

Dendritic Trellis
In the dendritic pattern, the drainage develops similar to the branches of a tree. In this pattern, the primary tributaries flow more or less parallel to one another and secondary tributaries join from the side.

Question 9.
What are the east-flowing rivers?
Answer:
The Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri are east-flowing rivers. These rivers are generally large and form huge deltas near their mouths. These rivers discharge themselves into the Bay of Bengal. These rivers do not flow through troughs.

Question 10.
What do you mean by cusecs and comes?
Answer:
The discharge of the volume of water flowing in the river is measured overtimes. It is measured either in cusecs or incomes. When the water is measured in cubic feet per second it is called cusecs. On the other hand, when the flowing water is measured in cubic metre per second it is called comes.

Question 11.
What are the characteristic features of west-flowing rivers?
Answer:
The Narmada and Tapi are the west-flowing rivers.

  1. These rivers do not form deltas.
  2. They flow westward on the peninsular plateau, are small but known as rivers.
  3. Narmada and Tapi flowthrough troughs which have been formed due to faulting.
  4. These rivers discharge themselves into the Arabian Sea.

Question 12.
What do you mean by consequent rivers?
Answer:
The Indus, Satluj, Kosi are the trans-Himalayan rivers. These rivers are known as consequent rivers. These rivers maintain their originals shape, deposit. The rise of the land due to folding rivers keep on flowing in the original direction. These rivers are older than the fold mountains. Rivers cut deep gorges due to down-cutting.

Drainage System Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Why do the rivers on the western coast have no deltas, even though they transport a lot of sediment with them? State three main characteristics of Himalayan and peninsular rivers.
Answer:
The rivers over the western coast transport lot of sediment with them but do not form a delta, because they are unable to deposit this sediment at the coast. They are very swift due to the deep slope of the ghats and narrow coastal plain. Therefore they do not form deltas.

Characteristics of Himalayan rivers – The characteristics of the Himalayan rivers are:

  1. The Himalayan river system consists of some longest rivers.
  2. The catchment areas and river basins of Himalayan rivers are large.
  3. These rivers originate from the snow-covered areas and receive water from rainfall as well as from snowmelt. They are periodic.
  4. These rivers are useful for irrigation and navigation.

Question 2.
Differentiate between Himalayan rivers and the Peninsular rivers.
Answer:

The Himalayan Rivers the Peninsular rivers
(1) The catchment area of the Himalayan river system is very large spreading over hundreds of square metres. (1) The peninsular rivers have catchment area comparative to the Himalayan rivers.
(2) The Himalayan rivers flow into deep gorges in the mountainous regions and show meandering. These rivers have the intensive erosional capacity and carry huge loads of silt and sands annually. (2) Peninsular rivers have the erosional capacity and flow in large graded slow valleys. These rivers flow over hard rock beds and show very little meandering.
(3) These rivers are perennial because they derive their water from snow and rainfall. The Himalayan rivers consist of three systems. The Indus system rivers flow towards the south-west and drain into the Arabian Sea. The rivers of Ganga and Brahmaputra systems flow eastward into drain into the Bay of Bengal. They form deltas. (3) These rivers are seasonal. They are rainfed. They flow eastward on the plateau and drain into the Bay of Bengal. Narmada and Tapi are west-flowing rivers which flow into rift valleys.

Question 3.
Write a short note on Balanced water on the Ganga basin.
Answer:
Ganga is the most important river of the northern plain, from both the point of view of its basin and cultural significance. It rises in the Gangotri glacier nearGomukh in Uttarkashi district of Uttranchal. Here it is known as Bhagirathi. At Dev Prayag, the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda and it is named as Ganga. Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar and flows southwards and south-east splitting into two distributaries namely Bhagirathi and the Hugh: The river is 2,525 km in length. The Ganga basin covers about 9,52,000 km2 in India alone.

Question 4.
Describe the formation of meanders.
Answer:
A river in its flood plain develops loops in its course and shows characteristic features. When water flows under gravity, it seldom flows straight for any long-distance and a winding course develops. The irregularities of the ground force the river to swing in loops. These loops are known as meanders. The ‘meander’ is a term derived from the winding river.

Thus meander is t. loop-like structure or curves in the river course. It is developed by lateral erosion.

Question 5.
The Indian rivers are useful for the country. Comment on the statement.
Answer:
A large number of rivers carry the rainwater of India into the sea. The total volume of annual precipitation in our country is approximately 37,00,400 million cubic metres. Out of this 45% flows through 113 rivers. However, for uneven topography and flow characteristics, all of this is not usable. 33% of the water from the annual flow is used for irrigation.

Large rivers have great water potential. 60% of the total river flow is concentrated in the Himalayas, 16% in the central Indian rivers (the Narmada, Tapi and Mahanadi). The country has an exploitable power potential of about 41 million km.

The Ganga and Brahmaputra in the north and north-eastern part, Mahanadi in Orissa, Krishna in Andhra, Narmada and Tapi in Gujarat possess some of the important and useful waterways in the country. The most important navigation rivers are the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and the Mahanadi. The Godavari, the Krishna, the Narmada and Tapi are navigable near their mouths only.

Thus, the major usability of Indian rivers is for irrigation, power generation and navigation. Besides, the rivers also supply water to cities, villages and industrial installations.

The Central Islamic Lands Class 11 Important Extra Questions History Chapter 4

Here we are providing Class 11 History Important Extra Questions and Answers Chapter 4 The Central Islamic Lands. Class 11 History Important Questions with Answers are the best resource for students which helps in class 11 board exams.

Class 11 History Chapter 4 Important Extra Questions The Central Islamic Lands

The Central Islamic Lands Important Extra Questions Very Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What are the sources used for the description of the Central Islamic lands?
Answer:
These are Chronicles-

  • Tawarikh,
  • Sira,
  • Hadith and
  • Tafsir-are composed of a compilation of Akhbar, Khabar, and isnad.

Other Material-

  • Legal texts,
  • travelogues,
  • stories and poems.

Documentary-

  • Arabic papyri,
  • official orders,
  • private correspondences.

Epigraphy-Study of inscriptions.

Numismatic–Study of coins.

Question 2.
What was Aramaic?
Answer:
It was a language of Hebrew and Arabic family or group of languages. This language can be seen on the Ashokan pillars.

Question 3.
Who was Muhammed?
Answer:
He was an Arab by culture and a merchant by profession. . His tribe was Quraysh. He was murals and therefore, chosen as chief of his tribe. Subsequently, he became a prophet to Islam.

Question 4.
How was Islam came into being in Arabia?
Answer:
It was due to the rise of Muhammed, the chief of the Quraysh tribe as a prophet and with his declaration as rasul (messenger) of Cod.

Question 5.
Who was considered a member of Umma?
Answer:
The man who offers Salat, generous to the poor (i.e. gives alms) and keeps him away from any theft and piracy.

Question 6.
Whether you think, raid and loot of caravans was not theft but labor?
Answer:
Actually, Islam has considered theft confine to mere defraud or cheat not involving the use of force, tricks, etc. which tantamounted to exhort things that genuinely and legally not one’s owned or earned.

Question 7.
What would the Umma do in Islamic concern?
Answer:
Umma or the community of believers in God would bear witness (Shahada) to the existence of the religion before God as well as before members of other religious communities.

Question 8.
Who are Muslims?
Answer:
Followers of Islamic order or religion are Muslims because since Prophet Muhammed’s ruling, coincide religion made integral parts to constitution and raids for booty were not considered “theft” however; abstain from theft was the feature of eligibility to become a member of Umma.

Question 9.
Who was Marsalis?
Answer:
Non-Arabs were addressed as Marsalis. These became members of Arab tribes through the patronage of prominent tribesmen. They were discriminated against by, Arab tribes on several counts.

Question 10.
Who brought messages to Muhammed?
Answer:
He was a divine figure reckoned with Archangel Gabriel (Jibril). His first word was Iqra from which has come to the term Quran.

Question 11.
What is considered in Islamic cosmology?
Answer:
Angels are considered as one of the three intelligent forms of life in the Universe. The other two are humans and Jinns.

Question 12.
Who opposed the Muslims at the beginning of Islam?
Answer:
Those were the groups of affluent Meccans. They took it as negligence to their deities, they .worship under idolatry system. They thought this new religion may bring their image till then formed in the popular down and the prosperity as well.

Question 13.
What were the basic tenets of Islam?
Answer:

  1. One has to enroll with Umma (a community of believers).
  2. The communist will bear witness (Shahada) to the existence of the religion before God and other religious communities.
  3. The members of that community will be called Muslims.
  4. The member shall have the promise of salvation on the day of judgment (iqama).
  5. He will have to share the resources of the community while on earth.

Question 14.
What is Hijri Era?
Answer:
Counting of year system like B.C. in Gregorian calendar in Islamic empire is called Hijri Era. It is counted the day, Muhammed left Mecca with his followers to Medina.

Question 15.
What is written after the date of the Hijri calendar?
Answer:
AH e.g. 1427 shall be written for 2006 as the Hijri era starts from 622 CE.

Question 16.
What is the calculation formula of Hijri vis-a-vis Gregorian Christian (C) years?
Answer:
It is – (H × 32/33) + 622 = C – Christian
(C – 622) × 33/32 = H – Hijri

Eg. 2006 C.E. in Hijri shall be:-
(2006 – 622) × 33/32 = 1427 H

Question 17.
What kind of political institutions are required for consolidation and protection of the community?
Answer:
States and governments like institutions.

Question 18.
How are states and governments created?
Answer:
These are inherited from the past, borrowed from outside, or created from scratch.

Question 19.
Which kind of political order had Muhammed created?
Answer:

  1. Umma converted into a wider community to include polytheists and Jews of Medina.
  2. Certain modifications were done in rituals/ethical ‘ principles.
  3. Alms tax (Zakat) imposed.
  4. Raids (Ghazw) on Meccan caravans allowed to collect booty in order to run the expenses of an organization.

Question 20.
Whether Muhammed had waged war against any – country?
Answer:
Yes, the Muslim community under Muhammed fought ‘ against Meccans and Jews of Medina when they reacted to the raids, Muhammed conducted. As a result of the battle, Muhammed conquered Mecca.

Question 21.
Tell the expansion of the Islamic kingdom under Muhammed?
Answer:
Entire Arabia including Mecca and Medina.

Question 22.
Why did the idols get remove from Kaba?
Answer:
It was because idolatry was strongly opposed to the Islamic order.

Question 23.
To whom was the political authority of Muhammed transferred?
Answer:
It was to Umma (i.e. a community of believers). Caliphate was created later-on.

Question 24.
What was Caliphate?
Answer:
It was a governing system like an aristocracy in which the leader of the community (amir aluminum) would rule as a deputy (Khalifa) of the Prophet Muhammed.

Question 25.
Write the names of the first and third Khalifa.
Answer:
The first Caliph was Abu Bakr and the third was Uthman.

Question 26.
Describe the area expansion under the Caliphate regime in Arab.
Answer:
The regions carried under the Arab empire were-Syria, Iraq, Iran (Sasanian empire), and Egypt including the Byzantine empire. Three successful campaigns from 637-642 had brought frontiers of the Arab empire so extended.

Question 27.
What was the behavior of Muslims to Jews and Christians during the seventh century?
Answer:
The Caliph treated them as protected subjects in its constitution akin to scheduled caste and scheduled tribes treated in India’s constitution.

Question 28.
Who had formed the two sects-Shias and Sunni’s of Islam?
Answer:
Ali, the fourth Caliph fought two wars against representatives of the Meccan aristocracy. Hence, Meccan formed a sect of Sunnis, and Ali’s own sect formed Shia.

Question 29.
Who was Muawiya?
Answer:
Muawiya was a kinsman of Uthman, the third Caliph of Meccan aristocracy. He was during Ali’s regime, became governor of Syria.

Question 30.
what were the consequences of two battles fought by Ali, the fourth Caliph?
Answer:
In the first battle of the Camel (657 CE), Ali defeated Aisha, Muhammed’s wife, but in the second battle of Siffin (northern Mesopotamia), he had to enter in a truce with Muawiya, a kinsman of Uthman.

Question 31.
Who had founded the Umayyad dynasty?
Answer:
Muawiya, a kinsman of the third Caliph Uthman founded the Umayyad dynasty in 661 CE. It lasted in 750 CE i.e. about one hundred years, it ruled.

Question 32.
Who was Kharjis?
Answer:
There were the enemies of Ali, the fourth Caliph. A Kharji assassinated Ali in a mosque at Kufa in Baghdad.

Question 33.
Who had established an authoritarian rule after the ruination of the Caliphate system of the aristocracy?
Answer:
The Umayyad dynasty had founded an authoritarian ruling system. Muawiya, a kinsman of Uthman, the third Caliph was the first Umayyad Caliph. It was based on hereditary succession.

Question 34.
What were the salient features of the Umayyadian dynasty?
Answer:
The skill of statecraft or ruling and the army were the cardinal elements of that ruling system. The legacy of Islam was however maintained.

Question 35.
What were the main achievements of Abd al-Malik, an Umayyad?
Answer:
He adopted Arabic as the language of administration and circulated Islamic coinage. It was called dinar in gold and dirham in silver. The shape, symbol, and inscriptions were copied from Byzantine coin (denarius) and Iranian coin (drachm) but in the Arabic version. Dome of the Rock was built in Jerusalem.

Question 36.
How did the Umayyad dynasty meet to decline?
Answer:
There was a loop-hole in their centralization drive for Muslim monarchy (Polity) which had to meet a movement i.e. Dawa of Abbasids, another family of Meccan origin in 750 CE. The revolutionists gave it the color of religion i.e. a drive to restore the original Islam of the Prophet.

Question 37.
What were the reasons for the fall of the Umayyad dynasty?
Answer:

  1. The mixed Arab-Iranian public in Khurasan (Iran) favored the revolutionists. Their demand for reduction in taxes was left unheard.
  2. Iraqi soldiers in the Arab military disliked the rule of the Syrians (Umayvads).
  3. Iranian Muslims (Mawalis) were upset due to racial discrimination by the Umayyads.

Question 38.
Who were Abbasids?
Answer:
They were descendants of Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle. They claimed the throne on a promise that a Messiah (Mahdi) from the family of the Prophet (Ahl al-Bayt) will liberate the populace from the oppressive regime of the Umayyads.

Question 39.
Where was the battle between the Umayyads and Abbasids took place?
Answer:
It at the bank of the river Zab in which the last Umayyad Caliph, Marwan was defeated.

Question 40.
How can you say that Abbasids also established the monarchy in the name of the Caliphate like the Umayyads?
Answer:
They maintained imperial architecture and court ceremonials of the Umayyads.

Question 41.
What reasons do you ascribe for the fall of Abbasid’s regime?
Answer:

  1. Pro-Arab and Pro-Iranian conflict in the army broke out.
  2. The civil war of 810 CE more fuelled factionalism.
  3. Shiism competed with Sunnis for power.

Question 42.
Name some smaller dynasties after Abbasids.
Answer:
These were-

  1. Tahirids in Khurasan (Iran),
  2. Samanids in Transco Xiana (Turan),
  3. Tulunids in Egypt and Syria.

Question 43.
Who had occupied Baghdad and when?
Answer:
Buyid rulers (Shahenshah) of the Daylam region in Iran captured Baghdad in 945 CE.

Question 44.
Who were Fatimids?
Answer:
They were belonged to the Ismaili sub-sect of Shiism and claimed rightful ruler as they were descended from the Prophet’s daughter Fatima. They conquered Egypt in 969 and established the Fatimid Caliphate.

Question 45.
Who were Turks and how did they set themselves under Umayyad and Abbasid regimes?
Answer:
Turks were nomadic tribes from the Central Asian Steppes of Turkistan extended up to the borders of China. Being skilled riders and warriors, they set themselves as soldiers and slaves under Umayyad and Abbasid regimes.

Question 46.
Who was the founder of the Turkish sultanate?
Answer:
Alptegin Ghazni in 961 CE.

Question 47.
Who had supported Mahmud Ghazni (998-1030)?
Answer:
The Abbasid Caliph supported Mahmud because he wanted to ruin Shiite power and Mahmud was eager to receive the title of Sultan from the Caliph especially because he was a slave under them earlier.

Question 48.
Who were Tughril and Chghri Beg?
Answer:
They were brothers and Seljuq Turks. Earlier, they had entered Turan as soldiers in the armies of Samanids and Qarakhanids (non-muslim Turks of farther east).

Question 49.
Why is Nishapur famous?
Answer:
Umar Khayyam, an Islamic poet born in Nishapur (Khurasan) and it was made the capital by Seljuq Turks in 1037.

Question 50.
Who had received the title of Sultan in 1055 CE?
Answer:
It was Tughril Beg, a Seljuq Turk and became ruler. The Caliph, al-Qaim awarded him the title of Sultan.

Question 51.
What were the major events that took place from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries?
Answer:
A number of conflicts one after another between European Christians and the Arab states took place during that period of two hundred years. There were called Crusades.

Question 52.
What was the reason for Christian’s dissension from Islamic society?
Answer:

  1. Jerusalem, the holy place of Christian was captured by the Caliphs in 638.
  2. Palestine was their holy land because Jesus was crucified and he was resurrected there.

Question 53.
What had happened in the eleventh century?
Answer:
Main events of eleventh-century were-

  1. Conversion of Normans, Hungarians, and slaves into Christianity.
  2. Clergy and the warrior class (i.e. the priest and the nobility) launched a drive for bringing in political stability and economic growth based on agriculture and trade.

Question 54.
What was the control imposed by the Peace of God?
Answer:

  1. To reduce possibilities of armed conflict between Principalities on feudal lines.
  2. To degenerate plunder and loot by splitting groups or organizations so formed.

Question 55.
What religion-based rulings were made by the Christian Priests in order to control military confrontation?
Answer:

  1. Some periods declared sacred in Church’s calendar.
  2. Conflicts against Churchman and the common people pronounce as sins in Christian codes.
  3. Conflicting soldiers and print cities were declared enemies of God.
  4. Non-believer’s (viz. non-Christians) suppression was declared as noble-deed.

Question 56.
Who had seized the sultanate of Malik Shah after his death in 1092?
Answer:
It was Byzantine emperor, Alexius-I. He regained Asia Minor and northern Syria.

Question 57.
Which wars were designated as Crusades?
Answer:
The wars fought between 1095 and 1291 i.e. for the period about one hundred years were crusades. These were wars between Muslims and Christians.

Question 58.
How did the first crusade come into being?
Answer:
Pope Urban 111 joined Alexius I, the Syrian emperor, and launched the first crusade in 1090-98.

Question 59.
What have the Muslim writers mentioned Christians in their records about the first crusade in which Christians seized Antioch in Syria and cleared Jerusalem?
Answer:
Christians have been mentioned as firing or firangi and this attack was a Frankish invasion.

Question 60.
What was called Outremer?
Answer:
It was the joint name of territories (four in number) conquered by Christians in the region of Syria-Palestine.

Question 61.
What was the cause of the second crusade in 1145-49?
Answer:
The Turks had captured Edessa in 1144 CE and Pope accumulated the support of the German and French army.

Question 62.
What was Jihad?
Answer:
It was also crusaded but conducted by Muslims. The first Jihad was fought in 1107 and Jerusalem was regarded by Salah al-Din (Saladin).

Question 63.
How was the behave of Saladin against the Christians?
Answer:
It was humane yet Churches were turned into mosques and custody of the Church (Holy Sepulchre i.e. main Church) was given to Christians.

Question 64.
What were the consequences of the third crusade?
Answer:
The consequences of the third crusade were that Chr’ ‘tians could regain Palestine and an unrestricted monument to Jerusalem for pilgrims.

Question 65.
Who had again driven the Christian away from Palestine?
Answer:
It was the Mamluks, the rulers of Egypt. He drove them finally in 1291. No crusades were fought thereafter as Christians understood it a futile and e\er failed strategy or no time ripen for final freedom to Palestine.

Question 66.
What was the land revenue called in Islamic lands?
Answer:
It was Kharaj which varied from half to a fifth of the products according to the condition of cultivation. Muslim cultivated land was charged with one-tenth (Ushr) of the product under the Kharaj system of taxation.

Question 67.
What was Iqtas?
Answer:
Revenue assignment to the official in lieu of salary was called Iqtas. According to this system, the officers (mainly Jagirdars/ Army officers) were allowed a collection of Kharaj from their territories assigned and later to salary requirement.

Question 68.
Name some crops grown by peasants in Islamic lands?
Answer:
Crops like cotton, oranges, bananas, watermelons, spinach, and brinjals were mainly grown.

Question 69.
What was the name of cities established for soldiers?
Answer:
These were called Misra (garrison cities). Arab soldiers were called Jund.

Question 70.
Name the two building complexes in the center of the city.
Answer:
It was masjid al-Jami (congregational mosque) and suq (the central market place).

Question 71.
What was Geniza (Ghaniza)?
Answer:
It was a sealed room containing a huge collection of Jewish documents. It had been discovered in Fustat where Ben Ezra Synagogue had been erected.

Question 72.
What kinds of documents were found in Geniza?
Answer:
These were personal letters between merchants, family, and friends, contracts, promises of dowry, bank documents, laundry lists, and other (common documents).

Question 73.
Wherefrom the gold and silver obtained in Islamic lands?
Answer:
Gold was obtained from Africa (Sudan) and silver from Central Asia (Zarafshan Valley).

Question 74.
What was the greatest contribution of the Muslim world to medieval economic life?
Answer:
It was the development of superior methods of payment and business organization. Letters of credit including cheques (Sakk) and bill of exchange (Suftaja) were adopted to transfer money from one place or individual to another.

Question 75.
What was Muzarba?
Answer:
It was formal business arrangements in which capital was given to traveling merchants and shared profits and losses in agreed proportion between traveling merchants and the people engaged in businesses other than trading in distant lands.

Question 76.
What was the trick followed in order to escape from the law which restricted interest-bearing transactions (riba)?
Answer:
That process was called Hiya. Under it, money was borrowed in one type of currency (coin) and paid in another. Thus, interest in the disguise of the commission was earned on currency exchange (bill of exchange).

Question 77.
What was the way told by religious scholars to know the will of God?
Answer:
It was Ilm derived from the Quran and the model behavior of the Prophet (Sunna).

Question 78.
In what work, the Ulamas had devoted themselves?
Answer:
They devoted themselves to writing tafsir and hadith and some among them had preferred Sharia (the straight path) to govern the relationship of Muslims with God through ibadat and with the rest of humanity through social affairs (Muamalat).

Question 79.
What were the four schools of law (Mazhab)?
Answer:
These were-Maliki, Hanafi, Shafii, and Hanbali. These were named after the leading jurists (faqih).

Question 80.
What is Quran?
Answer:
It is a collection of messages (revelations) which God sent to the Prophet Muhammed between 610 and 632 first in Mecca and then in Medina.

Question 81.
What was called customary laws and laws of the state on political and social order?
Answer:
These were-Urf and Siyaysa Sharia.

Question 82.
Who were religious-minded people in medieval Islam?
Answer:
Those people were Sufis. They got deeper personal knowledge of God through asceticism (Rahbaniya) and mysticism (Lasawwuf).

Question 83.
What was pantheism?
Answer:
It was the idea of the oneness of God and his creation which implies that the human soul must be united with its maker.

Question 84.
What was the influence of Greek philosophy and science on Islam?
Answer:
An alternative vision of God was developed in the Islamic approach.

Question 85.
Which subjects were taught in the schools of Alexandria, Syria, and Mesopotamia?
Answer:
These were-Greek philosophy, mathematics, and medicines.

Question 86.
What effect the study of new subjects had made on Islamic beliefs.
Answer:
Scholars with a theological bent of mind (Mutazila) used Greek logic, and methods of reasoning (Kalam) to defend Islamic beliefs.

Question 87.
What is Shahnama (Book of Kings)?
Answer:
It is an epic of 50,000 couplets. It is an anthology of traditions and legends (Rustam’s story etc.). It was composed by Firdausi.

Question 88.
Name some history books of Islamic lands.
Answer:

  1. Ansab al-Ashraf (Genealogies of the Nobles) by Baladhuri and,
  2. Tarikh al-Rusul Wal Muluk (History of Prophets and Kings) by Tabari.

The Central Islamic Lands Important Extra Questions Short Answer Type

Question 1.
Discuss the structure of the mosque built during Islamic regimes?
Answer:
The main features of a mosque were-

  1. Sahn (an open courtyard),
  2. Vaulted Hall,
  3. mihrab (a niche),
  4. Minbar or mimbar (a pulpit),
  5. Minaret (a tower).

Central courtyard (Iwan) can be seen in caravan, saris, hospitals, and palaces e.g. Khirabat- al-Mafjar (Palestine) and Qusayr Amra (Jordan).

Question 2.
What were the two art forms that emerged in the Islamic religion?
Answer:
These art forms were-

  1. Calligraphy (Art of beautiful writing) and,
  2. Arabesque (geometric and vegetal designs).

Calligraphic art has been best preserved in manuscripts of the Quran dating from the eighth and ninth centuries. Plant and floral designs, based on the idea of the garden, were used in buildings and book illustrations.

Question 3.
What is excellent or unique in the history of the Central Islamic lands?
Answer:
A unique in the history of the central Islamic lands was a merger of three important aspects of human civilization i.e. religion, community, and politics into one. We can see them as three circles that merge and appear as one in the seventh century. It could separate in the next five centuries. Later on, the influence of Islam over state and government became nominal and politics involved many things that have no sanction in religion and thus, the circles of religion and community were overlapped by politics. Politics became a separate circle. The only way the circles of religion and community could have separated was through the progressive secularisation of Muslim society. Philosophers and Sufis advocated this, suggesting that civil society should be made autonomous and rituals be replaced by private spirituality.

Question 4.
Describe a morning scene in Basra.
Answer:
Basra is a city that falls in IraQuestion Here were settled Arab soldiers (Jind) who formed the backbone of the administration. It was a garrison city. There were a number of companies (branches of troops) parading in the morning. Military headquarter we see here. We could see them doing prayer in a mosque because such was made mandatory under Islamic administration.

Question 5.
What knowledge could one obtain from Geniza records? Explain.
Answer:
Geniza records consisted of over two lakh fifty thousand manuscripts and fragments dating back from the Fa timid, Ayyubid, and early Mamluk periods. Most of the documents were written in Judaeo-Arabic, a version of Arabic written in Hebrew characters that were commonly used by Jewish communities throughout the medieval Mediterranean. These provide rich insight into personal and economic experiences and into Mediterranean and Islamic culture. These suggest that the business skills and commercial techniques of merchants of the medieval Islamic world were more advanced than those of their European counterparts. On the basis of a study on these documents, Goitein composed a multi-volume history of the Mediterranean, and Amitav Ghosh composed “In an Antique Land.”

Question 6.
Discuss the structure of city settlement in the Central Islamic Lands.
Answer:
Cities that flourished in the central Islamic lands can be described as-

  1. Capital cities,
  2. Garrison cities.

Capital cities were founded by Caliphs like Abbasid in Baghdad, Medina. Garrison cities were Kufa and Basra in Iraq, Fustat, and Cairo in Egypt. Apart from these cities, there were developed towns such as Damascus, Isfahan, and Samarqand.

Formation of a city-In the middle of the city, there were two building complexes-

  1. the congregation mosque (masjid al-Jami) and
  2. the central market place (suq).

There were shops, merchants’ lodgings (fandub), and offices of the money changer. Administrators, scholars, and merchants lived close to the center of the city. In its outer circle, there were residences for ordinary citizens and soldiers. Churches, Synagogues, and mosques were built everywhere at a small ’ distance. There were subsidiary markets and public baths in these cities. Homes of Urban poor people, vegetable market, caravan stations, and unclean shops (tanning and butchering) were at the outskirts of the cities. There were inns and cemeteries beyond the city walls.

Question 7.
Describe the condition of agriculture in the Central Islamic Lands.
Answer:
Condition of Agriculture

  1. It was the principal occupation of the settled populations.
  2. Ownership inland was that of small and big farmers. The large estates were owned by the state:
  3. Kharaj was the land revenue paid by the peasants. It was varied from half to a fifth of the products according to the conditions of cultivation (i.e. irrigated, fallow, fertile, sandy, etc.). The concession was given to Muslim peasants as they were charged in proportion to one-tenth (Ushr) of the produce.
  4. Irrigation system supported by the state in Nile Valley. Construction of dams, canals, and digging of wells given priority. Tax concession was given to the people who brought forest land under cultivation. Crops like cotton, oranges, bananas, watermelons, Spinach, and brinjals were grown and exported to Europe.

Question 8.
What was the treatment of Franks (Firangis or Christians) with Muslims in Central Islamic Lands? Explain.
Answer:
We can conclude about the treatment of Christians with Muslims as mixed type. It differs from one territory to another. It has been seen that the earliest of the crusaders settled down in Syria and Palestine were more tolerant to Muslims than those who came later. The early comers were properly associated with Muslims hence, there was fraternity among them. An instance of their treatment with the Muslim community has been given in this chapter extracted from Kitab al- Inbar. The author says that he had a friend Chief Theodore Sophia’s in Antioch.

He once was invited by that friend. He met a retired old knight who owned property in Antioch. Here he offered not Frankish but Muslim food to him. He heard him saying while on the dining table that he had appointed an Egyptian woman as a cook and ate never the pork meat. However, when they were strolling in the market place, a crowd of Franks collected against him to attack. That was because they mistook him for another Arab who once had killed their brother. Anyhow, his friend could cool them down by saying that the author was a businessman.

Hence, a mixed type of treatment with Muslims in territories under Franks can be concluded.

Question 9.
Enumerate the business and trade in the Central Islamic Lands.
Answer:
The Central Islamic lands witness ample growth in business and trade particularly, the topography supported their trading maneuver. Muslim empire was spread between the Mediterranean and the Indian ocean. The Arab and Iranian traders, therefore, monopolized regularly the maritime trade between China, India, and Europe.

Two major routes of that trade were-

  1. The Red Sea and
  2. The Persian Gulf.

Spices, textile, porcelain, and gunpowder were shipped from India and China to Aden and Aydhab i.e. ports at the Mediterranean. The ports of the second route i.e. the Persian Gulf were-Siraf and Basra.

Camel caravans were used to transport the mercantile from the ports of Aden and Aydhab of the first route and Siraf Aijd Basra of the second route to the warehouses (Makhan) of Baghdad i.e. the capital of Abbasids Caliphate. Warehouses were also established in Damascus and Aleppo.

It was then disbursed for local consumption or onward transmission. Jewish merchants had handled exports to Europe from the port of Alexandria. Subsequently, Cairo emerged as a center of commerce which had increased the importance of the Red Sea route. In order to buy paper and other goods of Central Asia origin, Iranian merchants set-out from Baghdad along the Silk Route to China via the oasis cities of Bukhara and Samarqand. Bukhara and Samarqand were the cities linking commercial networks extended north to Russia and Scandinavia. For exchange of European goods (fur and slaves).

Question 10.
Describe the consequences of crusades conducted by Christians and Muslims during the period between 1095 and 1291.
Answer:
These crusades left a lasting impact on two aspects of Christian-Muslim relations. One was the harsher attitude of the Muslim state towards its Christian subjects which resulted from the bitter memories of the conflict as well as the need for security in areas of mixed populations. The other impact was the greater influence of Italian mercantile communities from Pisa, Genoa, and Venice in the trade between the East and West even after the restoration of Muslim power.

Question 11.
Discuss the causes of the fall of the Caliphate?
Answer:
Following reasons can be ascribed for the break-up of the Caliphate-

  1. Baghdad was not a central place hence, it had become difficult to maintain control over the distant provinces.
  2. The civil war of 810 between supporters of Amin and Mamun (sons of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid) created a new power block of Turkish slave officers (Mamluk).
  3. The confrontation started between Shiism and Sunnis.
  4. Minor dynasties such as Tahirids, Samanids, Tulunids in Khurasan, Turan, Egypt, and Syria rose and the Caliphate limited to Central Iraq and Western Iran. Baghdad also was seized by a Shiite clan of Daylam (Iran). Those were Buyids.

Thus, the Caliphate system was shattered and the sultanate system established. Fatimids also had conquered Egypt in 969.

Question 12.
Discuss the achievements of the Caliphate?
Answer:
It was a system of polity in which the leader of the community(amir al-mining) became the deputy (Khalifa) of the

Prophet Muhammed. The objectives of the Caliphate were-

  • to return control over the tribes constituting the Umma and,
  • to raise resources for the state.

This system was adopted after the death of the Prophet Muhammed. The three powerful Caliphs were-Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman. The first Caliph Abu Bakr suppressed the revolts by a series of campaigns. The second Caliph Umar shaped the Umna’s policy of expansion of power. He conducted raids and conquered the lands belonging to Byzantine Empire in the West and the Sasanian empire in the east. Religious conflicts between Christians and Zoroastrians and revolts by the aristocracy weakened these two empires. The Arabs brought Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Egypt under the control of Medina.

The Arab empire under Uthman witnessed control over the vast territory between the Nile and the Oxus. Soon conflicts over the distribution of resources and offices began touching climax. Blind favor to Quraysh provoked opposition in Iraq and Egypt simultaneous to the opposition in Medina which resulted from the assassination of Uthman. Thus, Ali became the fourth Caliph. Here, two sects developed i.e.Shias and Sunnis. Ali defeated Muhammed’s wife, Aisha in the battle of the Camel in 657 but could not suppress Muawiya, a kinsman of Uthaman. In the battle at Siffin (northern Mesopotamia), Ali had to resort to a truce and it split his followers. The opposite group Kharji’s assassinated Ali at Kufa. Thus, there was established Umayyad dynasty which lasted till 750 C.E.

Question 13.
Who were Umayyads and how did they manage the centralization of polity?
Answer:
Umayyads was a prosperous clan of the Quraysh tribe and Muawiya was its first Caliph. He shifted capital at Damascus and adopted the court ceremonies and administrative institutions of the Byzantine empire. He introduced hereditary succession. These were the innovations of the Umayyads adopted by the Caliphs. They retain power for 90 years and the Abbasids for two centuries.

It was an imperial power and mainly based on statecraft and loyalty of Syrian troops. There were Christian advisers in the administration, Zoroastrian scribes, and bureaucrats. Islam provided legitimacy to the rule of the Umayyads and Abbasids. During the reign of Abd al-Malik and his successors, Arabic was accepted as the language of administration, and the introduction of an Islamic coinage was an important achievement. Dinar was the gold coin while dirham was the silver coin. Aba al-Malik also built the Dome of the Rock.

Question 14.
Discuss Byzantine and Iranian coins and that of Arab-Islamic coins?
Answer:
Byzantine coins were called denarius while the Iranian coins were drachma. Symbols of crosses, Sine alters along with an inscription of Greek and Pchlari (the language of Iran).

Aba-al-Malik removed these symbols and language inscribed thereon but the shape and size were kept unchanged. Initially, Abd- al-Malik inscribed his portrait with name and image. Subsequently, it was made epigraphic. A Kalima was inscribed in Arabic which means–There is no god but Allah and He has no partner (Sharik). This change was made because there developed dissatisfaction subsequently representation of living beings in art and craft.
Class 11 History Important Questions Chapter 4 The Central Islamic Lands 1

Question 15.
Discuss the causes and consequences of the Abbasid revolution.
Answer:
It was named as Dawa movement and it brought down the Umayyads and replaced them with another family of Meccan regions, the Abbasids in 750 CE. Abbasids were the descendants of Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle. This revolution broke out in Khurasan (eastern Iran) where a mixed Arab-Iranian population was mobilized. Arab soldiers were from Iraq and resented the dominance of the Syrians. The Umayyad regime had not reduced the taxes and their demand for privileges left unaccepted. Iranian Muslims (Mawalis) were discriminated against by Arabs. Thus, Umayyad’s Caliph Marwan was defeated in a battle at the river Zab and thereafter, Abbasid Caliphate formed.

Question 16.
Outline the fiscal system adopted in die Central Islamic lands.
Answer:
Fiscal System-Owing to the rapid growth of urban centers, cities, towns and the trade, income, and expenditure of the state had also spurt-up. This increased the importance of money in the central Islamic Lands. In order to pay for goods and services, coins of gold, silver, and copper were minted and circulated in bags sealed by money-changers.

Gold was brought from Sudan in Africa, silver from Europe (Zarafshan valley), and precious metals and coins were also brought from Europe. Demand for money inspired dead people to release their accumulated reserves and idle wealth into circulation. Credit facilities were also developed. Letter of Credit (Sakk) and bill of exchange (Suftajer) was used for the transfer of money from one place to another. Commercial papers like promissory notes, cheques, etc. freed merchants from the need to carry cash everywhere. It made their journey safer. Salaries to soldiers or rewards to poets and minstrels were paid in Sakk (cheques). Investment increased and partnership business’s opened. Thus, the fiscal system under Islamic land was approximately in modem line.

Question 17.
Explain the Quran and the difficulties in case of it as source material for the history of early Islam.
Answer:
The Quran is a book in Arabic consisting of 114 chapters (Suras). Chapters are in descending order of length i.e. the shortest chapter is the less. Only first Sura is a short prayer (al-Fatihah. This book is considered as a collection of messages which God gave to Prophet Muhammad between 610 and 632, first in Mecca and then in Medina. It was completed in 650 CE. The verses engraved on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and oh the coins in the seventh century are the earliest.

Problems for the use of the Quran as source material for the history of early Islam have arisen. The one is to understand it literally as the theologians believe these as the speech of God (Kalam Allah). The rationalists have given a wider interpretation of the Quran. Such dual-position raises controversy to arrive at the conclusion. The second problem is that of events not narrated by m Quran. It only refers to the events therefore, Medieval scholars have to make sense of many verses with the help of hadith. We see, there are many hadith written to help in the reading of the Quran.

Question 18.
Whether the thoughts of Abdul-Latif, a twelfth-century legal and medical scholar of Baghdad about an ideal student as extracted in this chapter are relevant to a student today?
Answer:
We think the suggestions are all relevant to a student today provided that one could construe the meaning and implication of this extract in a positive manner. We can sum up the main points suggested as under-

  1. Self-conscience without the proper guidance of teachers ipso- facto is unscientific as it may be mere fiction.
  2. Don’t think the limitation of the teacher but take all good that he delivers as your review, introspection, and churning on the same would lead you to the facts.
  3. Don’t do cramming but understand the topics so better way as the physical presence of the book is no more required.
  4. Histories, biographies, and Geography are the subjects that introduce a man to his surroundings. Analyze and compare the cause and effects of all events and activities.
  5. Frame opinion after study on biographies of great men cautiously by taking your nature as innocent as a child.
  6. Once the conclusion has arrived, stay undeniable there even if the world criticizes you.

On the basis of the above points, the study becomes perfect and scientific for which no options remain. Here literally suggested submission before Prophet and distrust your nature but its implication leads to the scientific process of the study. We can replace prophet with. the generalization which is made after experiments done impartially. Similarly, distrust of your nature implies cleanliness of head and heart while in a study which is necessary to grasp the sense in its basic form and generalization thereafter would automatically provide with the apparent light in the matter so churned.

Conclusion-Hence, we can state that cramming and study are useless even in modem sense and curriculum and the same has been started and suggested in the aforesaid extract.

Question 19.
Discuss the influence of Greek philosophy, mathematics and medicine added to the curriculum of schools under the central Islamic Lands?
Answer:
Study on these subjects promoted critical inquiry and had a profound influence on Islamic intellectual life. Scholars with a logical bent of mind Eg. Mutazila started using Greek logic and methods of reasoning (Kalam) to defend Islamic beliefs. Philosophers (Malaysia) posed wider questions and provided fresh answers. Books on medicines were confused like al-Qanun fil Tibb (Canon of Medicine) by Ibn Sina. The poetry of that period is called Nazm and prose is called nature. Ode (qasida) is the poetic composition by poets of the Abbasid period.

Abu Nawas composed classical poetry on themes like wine and male love. Sufi’s glorified the intoxication caused by the wine of mystical love. An Arabic vocabulary was developed. The Father of the new Persian poetry was Radaki, a court poet under Samanids. Rubai and Ghazals were composed.

The rubai is a four line-stanza in which the first two lines set the stage, the third is finely poised and the fourth delivers the point. Umarkhayyam of Bukhara was a famous poet who composed rubai. Diwans and Mathnavi (anthologies and epic poetry) were composed during the period of Mahmud of Ghazni. Firdausi composed Shahnama (Book of King) and Kitab-Al-Fihrist describes a large number of works written in prose for the moral education and amusement of readers.

Other books written during this period were Kalilawa Dimna, Stories of Alexander and Sindbad, The Thousand and One Nights, Kitab al-Bukhala, Akhlaq, Mirrors for Princes Tarikh (Ansab al-Ashraf) and Tarikh al-Rusul Wal Muluk, Rihla and Ahsan al-Taqasim, Muruj al Dhahab and Tahqiq mail-Hind.

Question 20.
Describe the Sufis and their new method of devotion.
Answer:
Sufis were religious minded people in medieval Islam. They preached knowledge of God through asceticism (Rahbaniya) and mysticism. These people sought to renounce the world (Zuhd) and rely on God alone (Tawakkul). Mysticism attained new heights by the idea of pantheism and love. Pantheism is the idea of the oneness of God and His creation which implies that the human soul must be united with its maker. Ishq or intense love can only help in the merger of the soul with god. Sufis used musical concerts (Sama) to introduce ecstasy and stimulate emotions of love and passion. Rabia and Bayazid Bistani were some Sufis. Sufism was beyond the boundaries of caste, race, religion, and creed. According to theory, religion is more personal and less institutional.

The Central Islamic Lands Important Extra Questions Long Answer Type

Question 1.
Give a brief account of the society, its largest organization (Caliphate, Sultanate, etc.), Cultural, Vocational, literary, scientific achievements, and religion as a motive for cause and the effects in the Central Islamic Lands.
Answer:
Society is formed of individuals and individuals are the finished product of families. Again we know that family, the first unit of Society formation, actually determines the instincts and motives that manifest before him in the shape of events either good or bad as calculated by society on its perceived goals in a fixed timeline or the phase of time.

The topography, sense of realization or religion as adopted and adapted to the contemporary society, availability of sources and resources including water, humans, minerals, soil, and their proportionate adjustment (Formation of climate, temperature, precipitation, etc.)-all determine combinedly, the account of human actions in the lap of nature. Such account constitutes the history of a particular time frame classified with certain distinctions and comparisons. We can give a summed-up account of the Central Islamic Lands as under-

A. Society-(a) Topography-We see, the central Islamic lands covered by the Mediterranean sea and Black sea at the west, the Red Sea at the south, the Arabian sea at eastern-west along with the Persian Gulf and Caspian and Aral sea at the north and north-east respectively. There are also existed rivers like Euphrates, Nile, etc.

Impact-Trade and commerce developed at the climax. Terrestrial routes like the silk route and sea routes like the Red Sea route and Persian Gulf route were invented.

Red-Sea route-Aden and Aydhab ports of this sea started receiving Indian and Chinese goods. Eg. spices, textile, porcelain, and gunpowder.

Persian Gulf Route-Goods mentioned above were carried to Siraf and Basra ports of the Persian Gulf.

Silk Route-China reached through the oasis cities of Bukhara and Samarqand. It was the terrestrial way. Camel caravans and carts were used. These two cities were also important for trading with European countries.

Structure of Society-It indicates that leaders and businessmen were the important organs of society. There were sailors, peasants, soldiers, money-changers, common people, and slaves in the society.

Religion-Islam propagated by Prophet Muhammed who was Arab by language and a merchant by profession. Before Muhammad, there was prevalent idolatry in Islamic lands. In Mecca, there was a cube-like structure called Kaba in which idols were placed and worshipped. An idol was called Sanam and the shrine in which it was placed called shrine. Arabs were polytheistic and nothing was clear for the notion of a supreme God.

They began to call it Allah, as Jewish and Christian tribes living in their midst, had faith in Jew and Jesus Christ. Muhammad declared him a rasul of God and suggested Salat for Arabs. This religion was called Islam and its followers were called Muslims. Rituals were very simple as one has to join with Salat, distribute alms to beggars and keep away himself from theft. Umma had to bear witness (Shahadat) to the existence of the religion before God as well as before members of other religious communities.

This new religion garnered the support of the mass in Mecca but the affluent section of society created problems for the propagation of this religion. Muhammad had to leave Mecca and went to Medina. This day was later adopted as the first day of the Hijri era in the Muslim calendar. In order to create a religious bound political institution, Muhammad converted Umma into a wader community to include polytheists and tv Jews of Medina under political institution. He made certain ethics and rituals matching with the demand- of society and the circumstances. Agriculture, trade, Zakat, and ghazwa were the source of survival for the community. Thus, rituals to the effect of abstaining from the theft were removed.

Initially, all were nomadic people divided into Qabilas like Quraysh. After Muhammed, there became his descendants as Umayyads, Abbasids, Mawalis, Kharjis, etc. However, they all were Muslims and followers of Islam. Shias and Sunni sects were also formed during Ali, the fourth Caliph’s regime.

B. Political Structure-Muhammed established Islam religion along with the political organization, initially of his tribe Quraysh and then conversion of Christians, Jewish, etc. into Islam. Raids on Meccan caravans and nearby oases kept alive in order to keep the populace well earned and satisfied.

As Muhammed had died intestate, Umma became powerful and its leader was accepted as Caliph or deputy of Prophet Mohammad. The Amir Almuminin did not even take care of the wife, uncle, cousins, etc. for leadership which created a rift and internal conflicts which we see as the Battle of the Camel (657), Battle at Siffin (northern Mesopotamia), the assassination of Uthman and Ali Abbasid revolution, etc.

Under the Caliphate system, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali reigned as Caliph i.e. deputy to Prophet. After Ali’s assassination, other Caliphs were the Umayyads and Abbasids. The first four Caliphs ruled from 632 to 661 (i.e. 29 years), Umayyads ruled from 662 to 750 C E. (i.e. about 90 years) and Abbasids ruled from 751 to 810 (i.e. 59 years). The Caliphate system declined gradually in 810 CE and Sultanate System came into existence.

The first Turk was Mamluk. He had to tackle Buyids (Iranian title holders of Shahanshah), Fatimids, Tahirids, Samanids, and Tulumids. Thus, Central Islamic Lands witnessed a number of rulers as Caliph coincide the Turk dynasty from 810 to 961 C E when Alptegin, father of Mahmud of Ghazni established Ghaznavid Sultanate. Thereafter, Seljuq Turks i.e. Tughril and Chaghri Beg, two brothers ruled as Sultan when this title was given to him by the Caliph al-Qaim.

Crusades took place during the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries. Christians wanted Palestine but could not achieve success even after the three crusades they conducted. Finally, the Mamluks (Sultan) drove them under a Jihad started first by Salah al-Din (Saladin) his predecessor.

We can state that the Central Islamic land had witnessed a blend of governing systems under the Caliphate and Sultanate.

C. Agriculture-Three kind of landholding i.e.

  1. Small
  2. big and
  3. the large estates.

The state had overall control on agricultural land and a large chunk of coffer was contributed by the land revenue. Revenue for land was named Kharaj which varied from half to a fifth of the produce- Muslims were given concession as only Ushr (One-tenth of the produce) was charged as tax r Kharaj from them. Immigration facilities were given extra heed and care by the Caliphs and other rulers. We see Iqta System was adopted from the tenth century onward’s. Crops like cotton, oranges, bananas, watermelons, spinach, and brinjals were grown and exported to Europe.

D. Culture-Tafsir, Judith, Sharia, Mazhab, etc. were consolidated and society followed the rules under Sharia. Reasoning (Qiyas) was also given importance while writing Sharia for the Muslims. Owing to differences in the interpretation of sources and methods of jurisprudence, four schools of law were formed. These were-Maliki, Hanafi, Safii, and Hanbali schools knew in the name of their propounders of the jurists.

A group of religious-minded people was known as Sufis. They were believers in Rahabaniya and mysticism. They were like sadhus in Hinduism. Sufis sought to renounce the world and rely on God alone. Does this settle society influence by the ideas of pantheism and? love. Rabia of Basra, Bayazid Bistami of Iran and Dhulnan Mistri, etc. were the Saints or Sufis:

Greek philosophy, mathematics, and medicine were the subjects taught in schools that coincide with other Arabic subjects of the central Islamic lands. These new subjects promoted critical inquiry and had a profound influence on, Islamic intellectual life. The logic was used to, defend Islamic beliefs. A number of books were written on medicine, law, and humanities. Prose and poetry saw exquisite growth. Poets of Persian origin revitalized and reinvented Arabic poetry and challenged the cultural hegemony of the Arabs. Pahlavi, the Iranian language t suffered a setback: Its version was prepared and it Was named New Persian. This language was preferred by all Caliphate and other rulers of Sultanate during that phase of the time. Rudaki was considered the father of New Persian poetry and UmarKhayyam brought rubai : (Persian poem) to the climax. A number of books in history, geography, humanities (storied, fables, etc.) were written in this period of history.

E. Economy-

  1. Urbanization took place and garrison cities, port cities, and capital cities were established. These were in Kufa, Basra, Baghdad, Damascus, Aleppo, Alexandria, Daylam, Samarkand. Samaria, Antioch, and Tripoli.
  2. Goins of gold, silver, and copper were minted. Bags filled with coins were sealed by money changers. Gold was brought from Sudan (Africa) and silver from Zarafsan valley in Central Asia. Precious metals and corns came from Europe.
  3. Letters of Credit and bill of exchange etc. methods of payment were adopted.
  4. Family businesses set-up everywhere. Businesses were also run through employees like firms. and companies of modem period. When rib was declared unlawful, the people adopted hiya i.e. earning of interest on transactions unfair way.
  5. Ample supply of coins and trade promotion developed the trend of investment. People began releasing their accumulated reserves and idle wealth into circulation.

Conclusion-Thus, on the basis of the above parameters, discussed,

we can conclude that nomadic tribes of the Central Islamic Lands gradually formed political institutions mainly on the Aristocracy line and d a blend of religion and politics is witnessed from the sixth to thirteenth centuries. Several Caliphates and Sultanates were formed and declined during the period of seven hundred years. Civil wars, crusades in varied colors and forms were fought one after another. In the fields of language, literature, architecture, and economy we observe, certain progress had been achieved.