CBSE Class 10 Social Science HOTs Political Parties

MCQ Questions for Class 10 Social Science Political Parties

Question : Which one of the following is a feature of ‘Partisanship’?
(a) Inability to take a balanced view
(b) Similarity of views
(c) Represents the individual
(d) None of the above
Answer : A

Question : Who helps in the formation of a representative institution in a democratic set up?
(a) The Parliament
(b) The Government
(c) The Political Parties
(d) The Judiciary
Answer : C

Question : In which country of North America do the members and supporters of a party choose its election candidates?
(a) Mexico
(b) The USA
(c) Canada
(d) Greenland
Answer : B

Question : In which among the following states, Shiv Sena exists as a Regional Political Party?
(a) Gujarat
(a) Karnataka
(a) Maharashtra
(a) Madhya Pradesh
Answer : C

Question : Identify the political party that emerged out of a mass movement:
(a) DMK
(b) Congress
(c) Forward Bloc
(d) Bahujan Samaj
Answer : A

Question : What is the challenge faced by political parties ?
(a) Lack of internal democracy.
(b) Dynastic succession.
(c) Growing role of money and muscle power.
(d) All of the above
Answer : D

Question : Which of the following is a 'National Political Party"?
(a) Samajwadi Party
(b) Rashtriya Janata Dal
(c) Rashtriya Lok Dal
(d) Bahujan Samaj Party
Answer : D

Question : Which of the following facilities is offered by the Election Commission to a recognised political party?
(a) Party name
(b) Election funds
(c) Election symbol
(d) Manifesto
Answer : C

Question : Which of the following countries has One Party system?
(a) China
(b) Indo-China
(c) Japan
(d) Germany
Answer : A

Question : Give an example of a country having the multi party system from the following options :
(a) China
(b) USA
(c) India
(d) United Kingdom
Answer : C

Question : Study the picture and answer the question that follows:

To which party the above image belongs ?
(a) All India Trinamool Congress
(b) Bahujan Samaj Party
(c) Communist Party of India
(d) Bharatiya Janata Party
Answer : A

Question : The rise of political parties is directly linked to :
(a) Emergence of representative democracies
(b) Large scale societies
(c) Mechanism of restrain and support the government
(d) All of the above
Answer : D

Question : Arrange the following in the correct sequence :
(i) Lack of internal democracy.
(ii) Meaningful choice to the voters.
(iii) Money and muscle power in politics.
(iv) Dynastic succession.
Options-
(a) (iv)-(iii)-(ii)-(i)
(b) (i)-(iv)-(iii)-(ii)
(c) (ii)-(i)-(iii)-(iv)
(d) (i)-(iv)-(ii)-(iii)
Answer : B

Question : What is meant by ‘Defection’ ?
(a) Being loyal towards a party.
(b) Changing party allegiance.
(c) Introducing political reforms.
(d) None of these.
Answer : B

Question : What is the challenge faced by political parties ?
(a) Lack of internal democracy.
(b) Dynastic succession.
(c) Growing role of money and muscle power.
(d) All of these.
Answer : D

Question : Which of these is the function of political party ?
(a) Contesting election
(b) Forming and running government
(c) Forming public opinion
(d) All of these
Answer : D

Question : What is a government formed by several parties known as ?
(a) Alliance
(b) Uni-party system
(c) Group
(d) None of these
Answer : A

Question : From which political party, this sign belongs to ?
(a) Bhartiya Janata Party
(b) Bahujan Samaj Party
(c) Communist Party of India
(d) Indian National Congress
Answer : C

Question : How many parties are registered with the Election Commission in India?
(a) More than 750 parties
(b) Less than 750 parties
(c) More than 800 parties
(d) Less than 750 parties
Answer : A 

Question : The political party which believes in Marxism- Leninism is
(a) Nationalalist Congress Party (b) Communist Party of India (c) Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) (d) Bahujan Samaj Party
Answer : B

Question : Who among the following chooses the candidates for contesting elections in India?
(a) Members and supporters of the party
(b) Top party leaders
(c) The existing government
(d) None of these 
Answer : B

Question : Identify the incorrect statement about CPI (M):
(a) Supports socialism, secularism and democracy
(b) Opposes imperialism and communalism.
(c) Wants to secure socio-economic justice in India.
(d) Is critical of the new economic policies that allow free flow of foreign capital. 

Answer : B

Question : Which of these is the function of a political party ?
(a) Contesting election
(b) Forming and running government
(c) Forming public opinion
(d) All of the above
Answer : D

Question : Who is a ‘Partisan’ ?
(a) Disloyal party member
(b) Ex-party member
(c) Estranged party member
(d) A committed member of a political party or army 
Answer : D

Question : A group of people who come together to contest elections for getting power to run government is known as :
(a) Political Party
(b) Interest Group
(c) Political leadership
(d) Factional group 
Answer : A

Question : Which of these is the main component of political party?
(a) Leaders
(b) The followers
(c) Active members
(d) All of these 
Answer : D

Question : What is meant by ‘Defection’ ?
(a) Being loyal towards a party.
(b) Changing party allegiance for personal interest.
(c) Introducing political reforms.
(d) None of these. 
Answer : B

Question : The government formed by several political parties is known as ?
(a) Alliance
(b) Uni-party system
(c) Group
(d) Coalition 
Answer : D

Question : The Communist Party of India (Marxist) had been ruling in which state for 30 years, from 1977 to 2011?
(a) Odisha
(b) Arunachal Pradesh
(c) West Bengal
(d) Sikkim 
Answer : C

Question : Which of these is a National Party ?
(a) INC
(b) BJP
(c) BSP
(d) All of these 
Answer : D

Question : A recognised political party is ________.
(a) A party that is present in one of the federal units.
(b) A party that is present in several and all units of the federation.
(c) A party that is based on regional and communal diversities.
(d) A party recognised by the 'Election Commission' with all the privileges and facilities. 
Answer : D

Question : The political party that runs government is known as ?
(a) Ruling party
(b) Pressure Group
(c) Opposition party
(d) None of these 
Answer : A

Question : Which one of the following is a ‘National Political Party’?
(a) Samajwadi Party
(b) Rashtriya Janata Dal
(c) Rashtriya Lok Dal
(d) Bahujan Samaj Party
Answer : D

Question : Who, among the following, organised the dalits into the ‘Depressed Classes Association’ in 1930?
(a) Kanshi Ram
(b) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
(c) Gandhiji
(d) Alluri Sitaram Raju
Answer : B

Question : Which one of the following facilities is offered by the ‘Election Commission’ to a recognised political party?
(a) Party name
(b) Election funds
(c) Election symbol
(d) Manifesto
Answer : C

Question : Who among the following recognises ‘Political Parties’ in India?
(a) Election Commission
(b) President of India
(c) Speaker of Lok Sabha
(d) Supreme Court
Answer : A 

(True/False)

Question : Political parties have a significant role to play in nation building. (True/False)
Answer : True

Question : Political parties in India are classified into three types.
Answer : False

Assertion and Reasoning Based Questions

Mark the option which is most suitable :
(a) If both assertion and reason are true and reason is the correct explanation of assertion.
(b) If both assertion and reason are true but reason is not the correct explanation of assertion.
(c) If assertion is true and reason is false.
(d) If both assertion and reason are false.

Question : Assertion : In a democracy, political parties are a must.
Reason : Without Political Parties there will be no elections.
Answer : (c) Despite the fact that Political Parties are needed in a democracy, a lack of them would not stop the election process. However, it would make it impossible to choose any one government. In a democracy, political parties are a must as without them, any number of candidates can contest elections.

Question : Assertion : Large established parties are called recognised parties.
Reason : These parties have been given certain specialised symbols that people can rally behind.
Answer : (a) Large established parties are recognised all over the country and in fact in the world too as they have been in power, made governments and have a presence in many places. They also have a clear ideology and a symbol that becomes synonymous to the party.

Question : Assertion : Political parties reflect fundamental political divisions in a society.
Reason : Parties work to convince people why their policies are better than others and implement them by seeking popular support.
Answer : (a) Political parties agree on some policies they believe are for collective good and aim to convince people for support. For popular vote, political parties tend to please certain sections of the society and thus, bring in partisanship.

Read the extract and answer the questions that follows :

In some countries, only one party is allowed to control and run the government. These are called one-party systems. In Class IX, we noted that in China, only the Communist Party is allowed to rule. Although, legally speaking, people are free to form political parties, it does not permit free competition for power. In some countries, power usually changes between two main parties. Several other parties may exists, contest elections and win a few seats in the national legislature. If several parties compete for power, and more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or in alliance with others, we call it a multi-party system. 

Question :  Which parties have chance of winning the elections ? Give examples.
Answer : (i) Only two main parties have a serious chance of winning majority of seats to form government. Such a party is called two-party system.
(ii) The United States of America and the United Kingdom are examples of two-party system.

Question : What is an alliance or a front ? Give an example.
Answer : (i) When several parties in a multi-party system join hands for the purpose of contesting elections and winning power, it is called an alliance or a front.
(ii) For example, in India there were three such major alliances in 2004 parliamentary elections— the National Democratic Alliance, the United Progressive Alliance and the Left Front. 

Question : Why is one party system not a good democratic option ?
Answer : One-party system cannot be a good option because this is not a democratic option. Any democratic system must allow at least two parties to compete in elections and provide a fair chance for the competing parties to come to power

One Word Answer Type Questions

Question : What is the symbol of BJP ?
Answer : Lotus.

Question : When was BSP formed ?
Answer : 1984

Question : Give the full form of the INC.
Answer : The Indian National Congress.

Question : When was BJP founded ?
Answer : 1980 

Question : Give the full form of BJP.
Answer : Bharatiya Janata Party.

Question : Name one of the oldest Political Party of India.
Answer : Indian National Congess

Question : Which coalition alliance was formed by BJP ?
Answer : National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Question : When was INC formed ?
Answer : 1885

Question : What is the symbol of BSP ?
Answer : Elephant.

Very Short Questions for Class 10 Social Science Political Parties

Question : Name the alliance formed by the Congress Party.
Answer : United Progressive Alliance -UPA. 

Question : What is meant by ‘Political Party’?
Answer : A political party is a group of people, who have come together to contest elections to hold power in the government. 

Question : Name any two regional parties of West Bengal.
Answer : Marxist Forward Bloc, All India Forward Block. 

Question :  Which party is recognised as a state party?
Answer : A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognised as a state party. 

Question : Why is one party political system not considered a good democratic system?
Answer : This is because ‘One party’ system does not provide any democratic option.

Question : What is the measure taken by Supreme Court for lowering the influence of money and muscle power in politics ?
Answer : For lowering the influence of money and muscle power in politics, the Supreme Court has made it mandatory for all candidates to submit an affidavit about property details and pending criminal cases against them.

Question : Name three main alliances of India.
Answer : The three main alliances of India are:
(i) The National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
(ii) The United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
(iii) The Left Front.

Question : Name the regional party of West Bengal along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of West Bengal is Revolutionary Socialist Party and its symbol is Spade and Stoker.

Question : How does the Election commission recognise a Political Party as a National Party ?
Answer : A Party that secures at least 6% total votes in the Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in 4 states and wins at least 4 seats in the Lok Sabha is recognised as a National Party. This is how election commission recognises a party as a National Party in India.

Question : Explain the meaning of Political Party.
Answer : A 'political party' comprises a group of people with identical ideologies. It intends to assume power in the government through winning elections.

Question : Which classes are represented by BSP?
Answer : The classes represented by BSP are OBCs, dalits, adivasis and religious minorities.

Question : Name the regional party of Punjab along with its symbol.
Answer : Shiromani Akali Dal is a regional party of Punjab and its symbol is Beam Balance.

Question : Explain multi-party system.
Answer : A multi - party system is the one in which more than two parties contest for the election and have a chance of winning.

Question : Name some regional parties of Jammu and Kashmir along with their symbols.
Answer : (i) Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, Symbol - Plough.
(ii) Jammu and Kashmir National's Panthers Party, Symbol - Bicycle.
(iii) Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party, Symbol - Inkpot and pen.

Question : Name the regional party of Assam along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Assam is Asom Gana Parishad and its symbol is Elephant.

Question : Discuss one advantage of multi-party system.
Answer : ne advantage of multi-party system is that it is based on democratic principles and offers ample of choices with different opinions. The system further strengthen democratic principles in true sense.

Question : What is the guiding philosophy of Bharatiya Janata Party?
Answer : (a) Cultural nationalism (b) Restoring India’s ancient culture and values

Question : Which party is allowed to rule in China?
Answer : The communist party is allowed to rule in China.

Question : What is mean by ‘defection’ in democracy? Explain.
Answer : Defection in politics means moving of a person from one party to another party for some personal benefit. It means changing party allegiance from the party on which the person got elected to a different party. The anti-defection rule prevents it.

Question : Why do political parties involve partisanship?
Answer : Because they are part of the society, hence political parties involve partisanship.

Question : Which party is recognised as a state party?
Answer : A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognised as a state party.

Question : What is the requirement laid down by the Election Commission for a political party to be recognized as a ‘State Party’?
Answer : A political party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognized as a state party.

Question : What is the chief objective of Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M)?
Answer : The chief objective of CPI–M is to secure socio-economic justice in India.

Question : Name the states where one can notice significant presence of Communist Party of India (CPI).
Answer : Kerala, West Bengal, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Question : Explain the statement, “No meaningful choice is given to voters.
Answer : The statement means that the voters are not able to get options as there are little ideological differences between the parties and all the parties are mainly concerned with their own selfish motives.

Question : Name the regional party of Andhra Pradesh along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Andhra Pradesh is Telugu Desam Party and its symbol is Bicycle.

Question : What is the role of money and muscle power in elections ?
Answer : Rich and influential people often contribute towards the party's campaigns and in return try to influence the policies and decisions of the party.

Question : What is the role of representative democracy in large and complex societies?
Answer : In large and complex societies, there are different views, which have to be presented to the government. The people's representatives play this role for making a responsible democracy where the idea of every groups or people of society are being respected and represented in government.

Question : Name the regional party of Goa along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Goa is United Goans Democratic Party and its symbol is Two Leaves.

Question : Name the regional party of Karnataka along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Karnataka is Janata Dal (Secular) and its symbol is A Lady Farmer carrying Paddy on her head.

Question : Is it right to say that political parties play a significant role in framing public opinion? How?
Answer : Yes, it is right to say that political parties play a significant role in framing public opinion as it often initiate movements for solving the social issues. Many times, public opinion is formed on the basis of the principles of the party. It highlights the loop holes of policies of government and create public awareness.

Question : Are the political parties accountable to the people for its actions? How?
Answer : Yes, the political parties are accountable to the people for its actions and they have to pay attention to the needs and demands of the public. In case of failure to do so, a party can lose the next elections.

Question : Suggest any one way to promote women participation in the Political Parties for enhancing the quality of democracy.
Answer : Political parties should be asked to reserve at least one third of the seats for women candidates. In the same way women should have their share in the party's decisionmaking bodies, so that steps can be taken for the betterment of women.

Question : Name the regional party of Arunachal Pradesh along with its symbol.
Answer : The regional party of Arunachal Pradesh is People's Party of Arunachal and its symbol is maize.

Question : Political Parties form and run ______________.
Answer : government

Question : What is a multi-party system? Why has India adopted a multi-party system? Explain.
Answer : A multi-party system is the one in which more than two parties contest for the elections and have a chance of winning. In case no party can win clear cut majority, several parties join to form coalition government. India is a large and complex country with social and regional diversities. A multi-party system enables to give representation to people from diverse backgrounds. 

Question : What do you understand by dynastic succession of politics?
Answer : Dynastic succession refers to offering unfair political advantages to family members and friends. However, such a practice shatters the spirit of democracy as incapable and inexperienced people come into power. Moreover, ruling of several generations of a family is against the principles of democracy and will fail to bring about any change in the life of the weaker section of society. This makes democracy fragile and convert it as virtual autocracy. 

Question : Discuss one merit and one demerit of a one-party system.
Answer : One merit of one party system is that it helps in the establishment of a stable government. One demerit of oneparty system is that it is against the principles of democracy as no options are available. 

Short Questions for Class 10 Social Science Political Parties

Question : “Lack of internal democracy within parties is the major challenge to political parties all over the world.” Analyse the statement.
OR
Explain the impact of lack of internal democracy within parties.
OR
The first challenge faced by political parties is lack of internal democracy within parties. What do you understand by the statement? Explain.
Answer : The lack of democracy within political parties is a major challenge as power is mainly concentrated in the hands of few topmost leaders who take major decisions in the name of the entire party. Membership registers are not maintained, internal elections are not held regularly, and ordinary members are not able to access information and do not have the ability to influence decisions. Disagreement with the leaders clearly means difficulty to remain within the party. Hence, lack of transparency in the political parties and dominance of influential people spoils the basic spirit of political parties in democracy.  

Question : What are the characteristics of a political party ?
Answer : The characteristics of a political party are as follows:
(i) It consists of like-minded people with same opinions and views.
(ii) It forms policies and programmes for collective welfare in the society.
(iii) Based on their agendas and policies, political parties try to convince people that their policies are better than that of other parties and thus they should vote them only.
(iv) It is known by the policies it supports and the interests it upholds.
(v) It is a part of society and attains its goal through partnership with the society members.

Question : Match the following items given in column A with those in column B. Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer : (a) 4, (b) 3, (c) 2, (d) 1

Question : How can the growing role of money and muscle power in political parties be controlled? Suggest any three measures.
Answer : Growing role of money and muscle power in political parties can be controlled by:
(i) Reducing nation wide funding of elections.
(ii) Rath Yatras, rallies and processions should be banned.
(iii) All types of elections ought to be held at identical time.

Question : What suggestion can be given for reforming the political parties ?
Answer : Following suggestions can be given for reforming the political parties:
(i) Laws should be made for regulating internal affairs of political parties. A register for members of the party should be maintained and internal elections of the party should be held regularly.
(ii) Each party should keep some per cent of seats reserved for women candidates.
(iii) State should provide support for conducting elections in cash or kind. This will help in lowering the influence of money and muscle power in elections.
(iv) It should be compulsory for very candidate contesting for elections to submit an affidavit of property details and pending criminal cases against him/her.

Question : Describe any three main policies of Bharatiya Janata Party.
Answer : Main policies of Bharatiya Janata Party are:
(i) BJP draws policies from India's ancient culture and values.
(ii) Cultural nationalism is an essential issue in its conception.
(iii) Wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.

Question : Explain the role of the opposition party in a democratic system.
Answer : Opposition parties help in mobilising opposition against the ruling party. They criticise government for its faulty policies and failures. In this way, they play the role of watchdog for keeping the work of the ruling party on track. They further make corrections in the governments policies.

Question : Which three challenges do you feel are being faced by political parties in India? Give your opinion.
Answer : Three challenges faced by political parties in India are :
(i) Lack of internal democracy.
(ii) Challenge of dynastic succession
(iii) Growing role of money and muscle power. Often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters.

Question : Analyse the three components of a political party. 
Answer : Three components of a political party are :
(i) Leaders
(ii) Active members
(iii) Followers

Question : “Nearly every one of the state parties wants to get an opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level coalition.” Support the statement with arguments.
Answer : State parties seeking national level coalition : Before general election of 2014, in three general elections not one national party was able to secure a majority on its own in Lok Sabha. Thus the national parties were compelled to form alliances with state or regional parties. Since 1996, nearly every one of the state parties has got an opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level coalition government. This has contributed to the strengthening of federalism and democracy.

Question : What is a multi-party system? Explain merits and demerits of multi-party system.
Answer :  Multi-party system : If several parties compete for power and more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or in alliance with other, we call it a multi-party system. India adopted a Multi party system because : (i) There is social diversity in India. (ii) India is such a large and diverse country which cannot easily be represented by two or three parties. Merits : (i) This system allows a variety of interests and opinions to enjoy political representation. (ii) People can make a choice between several candidates. Demerits : (i) No one party is likely to gain power alone. Therefore, it leads to difficulty in functioning of the government. (ii) Leads to political instability and often appears to be very messy with too many leaders.

Question : What is meant by regional political party? State the conditions required to be recognised as a ‘regional political party’.
Answer : A regional political party is a party that is present in only some states. Conditions required for a party to be recognized as a regional political party are :
(i) A party that secures at least six percent of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state. (ii) Wins at least two seats in the Legislative Assembly.

Question : Name the national political party which espouses secularism and welfare of weaker section and minorities. Mention any four features of that party. 
Answer : The national political party which espouses secularism and welfare of weaker sections and minorities is the Indian National Congress. Four features of this party are listed below :
(i) Founded in 1885.
(ii) Dominated Indian politics, both at the national and state levels, for several decades after India’s independence.
(iii) Ruling party at the centre till 1977 and then from 1980 to 1989. After 1989, its support base declined.
(iv) A centrist party (neither rightist nor leftist) in its ideological orientation.

Question : How do state or regional political parties contribute in strengthening federalism and democracy in India? Explain with examples.
Answer : The state and regional political parties strengthen federalism in following ways: They provide variety of choice to people as they each have different agendas and focus on issues more relevant to their regions. They provide a platform for different pressure and social groups and communities to put forward their demands. They make the parliament diverse by sharing power of government by helping to form a coalition government. For example in 2014 election the UPA was formed by Nationalist Congress party (NCP), Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) etc.

Question : Explain the three steps taken by the different authorities to reform political parties and their leaders in India.
Answer : (i) A law should be established to regulate the internal affairs of parties, thereby making them more transparent.
(ii) It should be made compulsory for political parties to maintain a register of its members, to follow its own constitution, to have an independent authority, to act as a judge in case of disputes, to hold open elections in case of disputes.
(iii) It should be made mandatory for the political parties to give a minimum number of tickets, about one-third, to women candidates.

Question : How do state or regional political parties contribute in strengthening federalism and democracy in India? Explain with examples.
Answer : State parties are commonly referred to as regional parties such parties play a significant role in strengthening federalism and democracy in India—
(i) Over the last three decades, the number and strength of these parties has expanded. This made the Parliament of India politically more and more diverse.
(ii) In the present political scenario no one national party is able to secure on its own a majority in the Lok Sabha. In such circumstances, state political parties come forward to join hands with the national resulting in the formation of alliances.
(iii) Since 1996, nearly every one of the state party has got an opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level coalition government. This has contributed to the strengthening of federalism and democracy in our country.

Question : Do you agree that this form of reforming political parties will be acceptable to them ?

Answer : Using media and propaganda are a fair means to reform political parties. These should be acceptable to them as it is as per the principle of democracy. Refusal to people's demands clearly means losing power in forthcoming elections.

Question : How can an ordinary citizen help in strengthening and deepening a political system ?
Answer : Yes, an ordinary citizen plays a vital role in reforming political parties. In a democratic system, people has the right to speak and express their ideas. People can pressurize political parties by putting forward petitions or by protesting through agitations. Mass media can serve as an significant instrument for presenting the views of ordinary citizens.
Moreover, citizens have a very powerful tool in the form of their votes and it is in the hand of the citizens to not support the leaders who fail to fulfill their promises. However, mere criticism can't bring about a significant change in a democratic process and concrete steps have to be taken in this direction.

Question : How do state or regional political parties contribute in strengthening federalism and democracy in India? Explain with examples.
Answer : State parties are commonly referred to as regional parties such parties play a significant role in strengthening federalism and democracy in India—
(i) Over the last three decades, the number and strength of these parties has expanded. This made the Parliament of India politically more and more diverse.
(ii) In the present political scenario no one national party is able to secure on its own a majority in the Lok Sabha. In such circumstances, state political parties come forward to join hands with the national resulting in the formation of alliances.
(iii) Since 1996, nearly every one of the state party has got an opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level coalition government. This has contributed to the strengthening of federalism and democracy in our country.  

Question : How do political parties shape the public opinion? Explain with three examples.
Answer : The three ways in which political parties shape the public opinion:
(i) They raise and highlight issues.
(ii) Parties have lakhs of members and activists spread all over the country. Many of the pressure groups are the extensions of political parties among different sections of the society.
(iii) Parties sometimes also launch movements for the resolution of problems faced by people. 

Question : (i) What is one party or single party system? Give one example.
(ii) What is be party or two party system? Give example.
(iii) What is a multi party system?
Answer : (i) The system in which only one party is allowed to control and run the government is called one-party system. For example, China.
(ii) In some countries, power usually changes between two main parties. Several other parties may exist, contest elections and win a few seats in the national legislatures. But only two main parties have a serious chance of winning majority of seats to form government. Such a party system is called bi-party or two party system. For example, the United States of America, The United Kingdom.
(iii) If several parties compete for power, and more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or in an alliance with others, it is known as a multi-party system. 

Question : How do political parties help in the formation of public opinion?
Answer : The three ways in which political parties shape the public opinion:
(i) They raise and highlight issues.
(ii) Parties have lakhs of members and activists spread all over the country. Many of the pressure groups are the extensions of political parties among different sections of the society.
(iii) Parties sometimes also launch movements for the resolution of problems faced by people.  

Question : Explain the three steps taken by the different authorities to reform political parties and their leaders in India.
Answer : (i) A law should be established to regulate the internal affairs of parties, thereby making them more transparent.
(ii) It should be made compulsory for political parties to maintain a register of its members, to follow its own constitution, to have an independent authority, to act as a judge in case of disputes, to hold open elections in case of disputes.
(iii) It should be made mandatory for the political parties to give a minimum number of tickets, about one-third, to women candidates.

Long Questions for Class 10 Social Science Political Parties

Question : Why is it difficult to imagine a modern democratic system without political parties ?
OR
“Political parties are a necessary condition for ademocracy.” Analyse the statement with examples.
Answer : 'Political parties are a necessary condition for a democracy', due to the following reasons :
(i) It is difficult to imagine a democratic system without political parties.
(ii) It helps in ensuring the formation of a responsive and accountable government.
(iii) It helps in ensuring that the government will run as per the set ideologies and policies for common welfare.
(iv) If political parties are not present, independent candidates will be responsible for their own constituencies, but administration of the entire country will be ignored.
(v) Political parties present their policies and ideologies in front of the people, on the basis of which people select them.
(vi) No one will be able to bring about a change by amending policies if there are no political parties.
(vii) The utility of government will be doubtful in absence of political parties.
(viii) Due to rising complexity and increasing size of society, political parties are utmost essential for collecting various views on different issues and for presenting it in front of the government. 

Question : “All over the world, people express their dissatisfaction with the failure of political parties to perform their functions well.” Analyse the statement with arguments.
Answer : The failure of political parties to perform their functions well is due to the following reasons:
(i) There is lack of democracy within a party, as power is mainly concentrated in the hands of a few top leaders. Moreover, there are no membership registers, internal elections are also not held regularly, and ordinary members lack access to information and can't influence decisions. Any disagreement with the leaders makes it difficult to continue in the party.
(ii) There is a tendency of dynastic succession, offering unfair advantage based on favouritism towards family and friends. However, such a practice shatters the spirit of democracy, as incapable and inexperienced people come into power.
(iii) The use of power of money increases especially during elections. Those who can raise funds are nominated. Those people who provide funds to parties, influence policies.
(iv) Parties fail to offer meaningful choices to voters. The reasons for this is little ideological difference between parties. For example, the Labour Party and the Conservative Party in Britain agree on fundamental aspects and differ only on framing and implementation of policies. 

Question : What did Kishenji mean by an alternative political formation?
Answer : The question came up in a conversation between Sudha, Karuna, Shaheen and Gracy. All four women had led very powerful people's movements in different parts of the country. They were meeting in a village in Odisha, away from their day-to-day struggles, to think afresh the future of people's movements.
The discussion naturally turned to Kishenji, who was regarded as a friend, political philosopher and moral guide by all the movement groups in the country. He had argued that people;s movement should embrace politics openly. His argument was simple yet powerful. Movements focused on a single issue are suitable as long as we wish to achieve limited changes in a particular aspect of life. But if we wish to bring about a fundamental social transformation, or basic change even in one aspect of life, we would need a political organisation. People;s movement must establish a new political formation to act as a moral force in politics. This was an urgent task, he said, because all the existing political parties had become irrelevant for social transformation.
''But Kishenji never clarified what that organisation will be. He talked of an alternative political formation or a third force in politics. But did he mean a political party?'' said Gracy. She felt that an old style political party was not the right instrument for social change.
Sudha agreed with her. ''I have thought about it several times. I agree that all the struggles that we are involved with - the struggle against displacement, against globalisation, against caste and gender oppression and for an alternative kind of development - all this is political. But the moment we form a party, all the goodwill we have earned all these years will be lost. People will think of us as no different from other politicians.''
''Besides'', added Karuna, ''we have seen that a lot can be achieved by putting pressure on the existing political parties. We tried putting up candidates in panchayat elections, but the results were not very encouraging. People respect our work, they even adore us, but when it comes to voting they go for the established political parties.''
Shaheen did not agree with them : ''Let us be very clear. Kishenji wanted all the people;s movements to forge a new political party. Of course he wanted this party to be a different kind of a party. That party was not for political alternatives, but for an alternative kind of politics.''

Question : Explain any four problem areas in the working of political parties.
Answer : (i) Lack of internal democracy : The first challenge is lack of internal democracy within parties. Concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top. Some parties are run like private groups.
(ii) Dynastic succession : Favour people close to them or their family members. In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family, this defies the concept of democracy.
(iii) Money and muscle power : The third challenge is about growing role of money and muscle power in parties, especially during elections.
(iv) Meaningful choice : The fourth challenge is that very often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters.
(v) Details of membership are not kept. Also there is no clarity in financial matters.
(vi) No organisational meetings or internal elections for organisational posts are held. 

Question : Does the cartoonist reflect the data graphics shown below :

Answer : Yes.

Question : “It is very difficult to reform politics through legal ways.” Evaluate the statement.
Answer : It is very difficult to reform politics through legal ways:
(i) Carefully-devised adjustments in regulation can assist to discourage incorrect political practices and inspire desirable ones.
(ii) Legal constitutional modifications through themselves cannot overcome challenges to democracy.
(iii) Any faculty action should be considered carefully as to what consequences it will have on politics. Sometimes, the result may be counter productive.
(iv) Democratic reforms are to carried out on the whole by political activities, parties, actions and politically conscious citizens.
(v) Laws that provide political leaders incentives to take do major decisions have more possibilities of correct working. 

Question : Explain the statement, “About hundred years ago there were a few countries that hardly had any political party. Now, there are a few countries that do not have political parties.”
Answer : Hundred years back, the society was simple and homogenous. However, with increasing growth and development, societies became more and more heterogenous and complex. As the societies have become large and complex, the notion of representative government has emerged, in which political parties play a significant role in collecting different ideas and representing the views of the people in front of the government. Through this mechanism, the policies of the government can be supported or opposed. It will not be wrong to say that
existence of democratic system without political parties is difficult to imagine. Political parties help in ensuring the formation of a responsive and accountable government. It helps in ensuring that the government will run as per the set ideologies and policies for common welfare. If political parties are not present, independent candidates will be responsible for their own constituencies, but administration of the entire country will be ignored. 

Question : Describe any five major functions of political parties perform in a democracy.
Answer : Five major functions of political parties performed in a democracy are as mentioned below:
(i) To contest elections: In a democratic country, elections are fought amongst the candidates who are put up by the political parties. There are many extraordinary ways of choosing candidates. For example, in India, pinnacle leaders pick their candidates who will fight elections for their party.
(ii) Forming policies and programs: Each political party puts forward its policies and agendas to deliberate for the welfare of the society. Voters pick from them, as every individual will have an exceptional view factor as to which policies are correct for the society and which are not.
(iii) Law Making: When party wins and come in power, it makes legal guidelines for the country. Irrespective of their private opinions, participants of the ruling party follow the directions given by the leaders. Formally, legal guidelines are debated and then passed by the legislature.
(iv) Government Formation: Political parties recruit leaders trains them and then makes them ministers to run the goverment in the way they want.
(v) Shaping Public Opinion and helping in the process of political socialization : Political parties have lakhs of members, activists, pressure groups (extensions of political parties) which are found all over the country. These members raise their voices against wrong, highlight relevant issues, and on several occasions also launch movements to solve the problems faced by common people and thus help in the formulation of public opinion of people for their political system. 

Question : Differentiate between one-party system and multi-party system.
Answer : 

Question : What are the various challenges faced by political parties?
Answer : Various challenges faced by political parties are as follows:
(i) Firstly, there is lack of democracy within a party, as power is mainly concentrated in the hands of a few top leaders. Moreover, there are no membership registers, internal elections are also not held regularly, and ordinary members lack access to information and can't influence decisions.
Any disagreement with the leaders makes it difficult to continue in the party.
(ii) Secondly, there is a tendency of dynastic succession, i.e. offering unfair advantage based on favouritism. However, such a practice shatters the spirit of democracy when the incapable and inexperienced people come into power.
(iii) Thirdly, there is increase in the use by power of money and muscle, especially during elections. Those who can raise funds are nominated. Those people who provide funds to parties, influence policies.
(iv) Fourthly, parties fail to offer meaningful choices to voters which reduces the options for voters. The reasons for this is little ideological differences between parties. For example, the Labour Party and the Conservative Party in Britain agree on fundamental aspects and differ on framing and implementation of policies. 

Question : What is a multi-party system? Why has India adopted a multi-party system? Explain.
Answer : Multi-party system :
If several parties complete for power, more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or by alliance with others, we call it a multi-party system.
India adopted a multi party system because :
(i) There is social and geographical diversity in India.
(ii) India is such a large country which is not easily represented by two or three parties.
(iii) The system allows a variety of interests and opinions for political representation.

Question : Differentiate between national and regional parties. Write any four points.
Answer : National Parties (i) A party that secures at least 6% of total votes in Lok Sabha elections or Assembly elections in four states and wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha is recognized as a national party.
(ii) National parties will have influence in more than three states. For example : INC, BJP, CPI-M, CPI and NCP.
Regional Parties (i)A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in an election to the Legislative Assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognized as a state party or regional party.
(ii) Regional parties can have influence in one or more states. For example : Samajwadi Party, Samata Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, DMK, AIADMK.

Question : What is meant by a political party? Describe the three components of a political party.
Answer :  Political Party: A political party is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government. Political parties take up policies and programmes for the society with a view to promote the collective good. The political party tries to persuade people why their policies are better than other parties, and tries to win the support of people. Three Components of a Political Party:
(i) The Leaders - Every political party has some prominent leaders who formulate policies and programmes of the party and choose candidates for contesting elections.
(ii) The Active Members : They are involved in different committees of the party and participate directly in the party activities.
(iii) The Followers : They believe in the party’s ideology and support the party by casting their votes in favour of the party at the time of election.

Question : How do political parties shape the public opinion? Explain with three examples.
Answer : The three ways in which political parties shape the public opinion:
(i) They raise and highlight issues.
(ii) Parties have lakhs of members and activists spread all over the country. Many of the pressure groups are the extensions of political parties among different sections of the society.
(iii) Parties sometimes also launch movements for the resolution of problems faced by people.

Question : (i) What is one party or single party system? Give one example.
(ii) What is be party or two party system? Give example.
(iii) What is a multi party system?
Answer : (i) The system in which only one party is allowed to control and run the government is called one-party system. For example, China.
(ii) In some countries, power usually changes between two main parties. Several other parties may exist, contest elections and win a few seats in the national legislatures. But only two main parties have a serious chance of winning majority of seats to form government. Such a party system is called bi-party or two party system. For example, the United States of America, The United Kingdom.
(iii) If several parties compete for power, and more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or in an alliance with others, it is known as a multi-party system.

Question : How do political parties help in the formation of public opinion?
Answer : The three ways in which political parties shape the public opinion:
(i) They raise and highlight issues.
(ii) Parties have lakhs of members and activists spread all over the country. Many of the pressure groups are the extensions of political parties among different sections of the society.
(iii) Parties sometimes also launch movements for the resolution of problems faced by people.

Question : (i) What is defection?
(ii) Mention the source of inspiration for:
• BJP • Congress • BSP
(iii) Mention one step taken by the supreme court of India in order to reduce the influence of money and criminals in politics.
Answer : (i) Defection is changing party allegiance from the party on which a person got elected (to a legislative body) to a different party.
(ii) • BJP draws inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values.
• Congress draws inspiration from secularism.
• BSP draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Sahu Maharaj, Mahatma Phule, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker and Babasaheb, Bhimrao Ambekdar.
(iii) The supreme court of India has made it mandatory for every candidate who contests elections to file affidavit giving details of his property and criminal cases pending against him/her.

Question : “Political parties are a necessary condition for a democracy”. Analyse the statement with examples. 
Answer :. “Political parties are necessary condition for democracy” because
(i) Without political parties, democracies cannot exist.
(ii) if we do not have political parties; in such a situation every candidate in elections will be independent, and will have a local point of view.
(iii) No one will be able to make any promises to the people about any major policy changes.
(iv) The government may be formed but its utility will remain uncertain.
(v) Elected representatives will be accountable to their constituency for what they do in their locality. But no one will be responsible for how the country will run.
(vi) The role of opposition party in a democracy necessitates the existence of political parties.
(vii) As societies become large and complex they also need some agencies to gather different views on various issues and to present these to the government, that’s why political parties are needed.

Question : Suggest and explain any five measures to reform political parties.
Answer : Effective measures to reform political parties are :
(i) A law should be made to regulate the internal affairs of political parties and hold internal elections.
(ii) It should be made compulsory for political parties to maintain a record of members.
(iii) It should be made mandatory for political parties to give a minimum number of tickets; about 1/3rd to women candidates.
(iv) There should be a quota for women in the decision making bodies of the party.
(v) There should be state funding of elections.
(vi) The government should give parties money to support their election expenses for example, petrol, paper, telephone, etc. or in cash.
(vii) Vote casting for Indian citizens should be made compulsory in each election. 

Question : Describe any five efforts made to reform political parties in India.
Answer : Efforts to reform political parties in India :
(i) The constitution is amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing parties to quit defection.
(ii) The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the effect of money and criminals during elections.
(iii) It is mandatory for every candidate who contests election to file an affidavit giving important points of the criminal cases pending towards him.
(iv) The Election Commission paved an order making it quite essential for political parties to file their Income tax returns.
(v) The new system has made a lot of information reachable to the public. 

Question : Discuss the major features of the CPI.
Answer : Communist Party of India (CPI) was formed in 1925. It believes in Marxism-Leninism, and supports the principles of secularism and democracy. It is against secessionism and communalism. It considers parliamentary democracy as a tool for promoting the interests of the poor, the working class and farmers. Its power became weak with the split in the party in 1964, that led to the formation of the CPI(M). It has significant presence in Kerala, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Its support base has gradually declined. It was able to secure about 1.4% votes and ten seats in the 2004 the Lok Sabha elections. It supports the coming together of all leftist parties to form a strong left front.

Question : What is the main agenda of the BJP?
Answer : The BJP or Bharatiya Janata Party was founded in 1980 by reviving the former Bharatiya Jana Sangh. It came to power in 1998 and became the leader of the National Democratic Alliance. The important points of its agenda are as follows:
(i) It wants to build a strong and modern India inspired from ancient Indian culture and values.
(ii) It considers cultural nationalism (or 'Hindutva') as an important part of its idea of Indian nationhood and politics.
(iii) It wants full regional and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
(iv) It aims at establishing a uniform civil code for all citizens irrespective of their religion and is strictly against religious conversions.

Question : Okay, granted that we can’t live without political parties. But tell me how do we live with the kind of political parties we have?
Answer : All the political parties have, more or less, a similar approach. It is in people's hands to mould political parties as per their desires. Political parties are a part of the society and represent the thoughts of the people. In case, the political parties are not working in the right direction, it is in the hands of the people to bring about a change by not supporting the party.

Question : Let us apply what we have learnt about party systems to the various States within India. Here are three major types of party systems that exist at the State level. Can you find the names of at least two States for each of these types?
Answer : Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh. 
Multi-party system with two alliances : Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jharkhand.
Multi-party system : Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh.

Question : Do you think political parties are significant part of democracy?
Answer : Yes, I think political parties form a significant part of democracy due to the following reasons:
(i) It is difficult to imagine a democratic system without political parties.
(ii) They help in ensuring the formation of a responsive and accountable government.
(iii) They help in ensuring that the government will run as per the set ideologies and policies for common welfare.
(iv) If political parties are not present, independent candidates will be responsible for their own constituencies, but administration of the entire country will be ignored.
(v) Political parties present their policies and ideologies in front of the people on the basis of which people select them.
(vi) No one will be able to bring about a change by amending policies if there are no political parties.
(vii) The utility of the government will be doubtful in absence of political parties.
(viii) Due to rising complexity and increasing size of society, political parties are utmost essential for forming various views on different issues and for presenting it in front of the government.

Question : What do you know about the CPI-(M)?
Answer : The CPI-(M) or Communist Party of India (Marxist) was founded in 1964 and it believes in the principles of Marx and Lenin. It supports socialism, secularism and democracy. It is against imperialism and communalism. It considers democratic elections as a valuable and influential tool for ensuring the objective of socio-economic justice in India. It enjoys considerable support in states like West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, it is a popular political party among the poor, farmers, agricultural labourers, factory workers and the intelligentsia. It is critical of the new economic policies that allow free flow of foreign money and goods into the country. It has been in power continuously in West Bengal for 30 years. In 2004 elections, it was able to win about six per cent of votes and secured forty three seats in the Lok Sabha. Presently, it supports the UPA government from outside, without joining it.

Source/Case Based Questions 

Question : Read the extract given below and answer the following questions: 

In some countries, only one party is allowed to control and run the government. These are called one-party systems. In China, only the Communist Party is allowed to rule. Although, legally speaking, people are free to form political parties, it does not permit free competition for power. In some countries, power usually changes between two main parties. Several other parties may exists, contest elections and win a few seats in the national legislature. If several parties compete for power, and more than two parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or in alliance with others, we call it a multi-party system. 

Answer the following MCQs by choosing the most appropriate option: 

(i) The government formed by several political parties is known as ?
(a) Community government
(b) Uni-party system
(c) Group
(d) Coalition government
Answer : (a) Community government. 

(ii) Political party system is of _________ types.
(a) 2
(b) 3
(c) 4
(d) All of the above
Answer : (b) 3 

(iii) In which of the following countries only bi-party system exist ?
(a) The USA
(b) India
(c) China
(d) All of these
Answer : (a) The USA. 

(iv) In which of the following countries multi-party system exist?
(a) India
(b) China
(c) South Korea
(d) Canada
Answer : (a) India.

Question : Read the source given below and answer the following questions: 

The first challenge is lack of internal democracy within parties. All over the world there is a tendency in political parties towards the concentration of power in one or few leaders at the top. Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organisational meetings, and do not conduct internal elections regularly. Ordinary members of the party do not get sufficient information on what happens inside the party. The second challenge of dynastic succession is related to the first one. Since most political parties do not practice open and transparent procedures for their functioning, there are very few ways for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party. Those who happen to be the leaders are in a position of unfair advantage to favour people close to them or even their family members. In many parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family. The third challenge is about the growing role of money and muscle power in parties, especially during elections. Since parties are focused only on winning elections, they tend to use short-cuts to win elections. Democrats all over the world are worried about the increasing role of rich people and big companies in democratic politics. The fourth challenge is that very often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters. In order to offer meaningful choice, parties must be significantly different. In recent years there has been a decline in the ideological differences among parties in most parts of the world. 

Answer the following MCQs by choosing the most appropriate option: 

(i) Identify the challenge faced by political parties that they need to overcome to remain effective instruments of democracy.
(a) Secularism
(b) Concentration of power in one or a few leaders at the top
(c) To gain paramount power in the world
(d) Decision-making by citizens
Answer : (b) Concentration of power in one or a few leaders at the top 

(ii) How do leaders at the top level take unfair advantage of their position?
(a) Support secularism and democracy and oppose imperialism.
(b) Espouse secularism and welfare of weaker sections and minorities.
(c) Favour people close to them or even their family members.
(d) Support all members of the party to play an equal role in progress and development of the nation.
Answer : (c) Favour people close to them or even their family members. 

(iii) What are the democrats all over the world worried about?
(a) Increasing role of rich people and big companies in democratic politics.
(b) Major ideological differences among parties in most parts of the world.
(c) Distribution of power among the different members of the party.
(d) Equal distribution of power and money in parties.
Answer : (a) Increasing role of rich people and big companies in democratic politics. 

(iv) Why do parties fail to offer a meaningful choice to the voters?
(a) Only rich people are favoured to cast their vote to the party.
(b) Parties use money and muscle power, and voters have no role as citizens.
(c) Huge ideological differences among parties, which confuse the citizens.
(d) Decline in ideological differences among parties in most parts of the world.
Answer : (d) Decline in ideological differences among parties in most parts of the world.