CBSE Class 10 Democratic Gender Religion And Caste Worksheet

CHAPTER: 4 GENDER, RELIGION AND CASTE

Questions 

SUMMARY OF THE LESSON

This chapter throws light on three social differences in India such as Gender, Caste and Religion which may turn to social division with the involvement of politics.

Awareness is given about the gender discrimination due to historical reasons, changes taken place due to feminist movements, education and urbanisation. This also emphasises the need for women to participate in politics for empowering themselves.

Religion is a social difference which can become social division due to communal politics. This chapter discusses about the nature of communal politics and its possible impact on the society. India is a secular state that does not discriminate or favours any one based on religion.

Caste is an age old social system in India, based on occupation. Many people argue that casteism is similar to racism. In spite of the efforts of social reformers like Rajaram Mohan Roy, Jyotiba Phule, Mahatma Gandhi etc, the casteism still exists in the society.

Urbanisation, education, and reducing influence of landlord system in the rural area have accelerated in the removal of caste from Indian society to an extent. Since independence, influence of caste in democratic politics is having its impact on the Indian society.

Gender Equality

ONE MARKS QUESTION

Question. In India, the official religion of the state is :
(a) Hinduism
(b) Islam
(c) Christianity
(d) None
Answer : NONE

Question. A system that values men more and gives them power over women is called?
(a) Feminist
(b) Socialist
(c) Patriarchy
(d) Communist
Answer : Patriarchy

Question. In which system of elected bodies about one-third seats are reserved for women?
(a) Panchayats and Municipals
(b) Lok Sabha
(c) State Assemblies
(d) None of these
Answer : Panchayat and Municipals

Question. Which of the following statement about India as a secular state is incorrect?
(a) Allows freedom to practice any religion
(b) There is no official religion
(c) Prohibits discrimination on religious grounds
(d) It reserves seats for religious minorities
Answer : It reserves seats for religious minorities

Question. Communalism signifies an ideology which stands for regional harmony and economic equality. (True/False)
Answer : FALSE

Question. Woman or a man who believes in equal rights and opportunities for men and women.” Select the correct option for the definition.
(a) Feminist
(b) Patriarchy
(c) Caste hierarchy
(d) Social change
Answer : Feminist

Question. Which leaders worked for the elimination of caste system in India?
(a) Jotiba Phule, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi and Periyar RamaswamiNaicker
(b) Raja Ram Mohun Roy, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi
(c) Jotiba Phule, Periyar Ramaswami Naicker and Mahatma Gandhi
(d) Swami Vivekanand, Jotiba Phule and Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Answer : Jotiba Phule, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi and PeriyarRamaswamiNaicker

Question. Gandhiji used to say that religion can never be separated from politics.(True/False)
Answer : TRUE

Question. Shifting of population from rural areas to urban areas for better opportunity is called____________.
Answer : Urbanisation

Question. Equal Wages Act’ signifies;
(a) Law that deals with family related matters.
(b) Law provides that equal wages should be paid for equal job for both men and women.
(c) An Act which signifies that all work inside the home is done by the women of the family.
(d) A radical law against the discriminatory attitude and sexual division of labour.
Answer : Law provides that equal wages should be paid for equal job for both men and women.

VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTION

Question. Mention any 2 reason for the breaking down of caste hierarchy in Indi(a)
Answer : Increase in literate rate and education
Occupational mobility

Question.. What is Feminism?
Answer : Feminism means the empowerment of women and giving women equal status in the society as men.

Question. The basic idea behind communalism is_______________.
Answer : Religion is the main basis of social community.

Question. The constitution makers viewed __________ as the major challenges to democracy in Indi(a)
Answer : Communalism

Question. What is the provision of equal wages Act
Answer : Equal wages should paid for equal work.

Question. In which country the participation of women in public life is very high.
Answer : Sweden

Question. Periyar Naikar want to establish a society in which __________ are absent.
Answer : caste inequalities

Question.. What is communal politics?
Answer : The use of religion for political purpose where one religion is shown as superior to other religions.

Question.. The equal remuneration Act was established in ___________.
Answer : 1976

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTION

Question. Mention different aspects of life in which women are discriminated or disadvantaged in India.
Answer : I Family laws of all religions discriminate against women.
II. There are reports of various kinds of harassment, exploitation and violence against women. Urban areas have become particularly unsafe for women
III. In India, the proportion of women in legislature has been very low
IV. Females are not getting equal wages.

Question. Define the following
Urbanisation:
Occupational mobility:
Caste hierarchy:
Answer : Urbanisation: Shift of population from rural areas to urban areas.
Occupational mobility: Shift from one occupation to another, usually when a new generation takes up occupations other than those practiced by their ancestors.
Caste hierarchy: A ladder like formation in which all the caste groups are placed from the ‘highest’ to the ‘lowest’ castes.

Question. Unless women control power, their problems will not get adequate attention. One way to ensure this is to have more women as elected representatives. Do you agree?
Answer : In India, the proportion of women in legislature has been very low. For example, the percentage of elected women members in Lok Sabha has touched 14.36 per cent of its total strength for the first time in 2019. Their share in the state assemblies is less than 5 per cent. In this respect, India is among the bottom group of nations in the world (see the graph below). India is behind the averages for several developing countries of Africa and Latin America.
One way to solve this problem is to make it legally binding to have a fair proportion of women in the elected bodies. This is what the Panchayati Raj has done in India. One third of seats in local government bodies – in panchayats and municipalities – are now reserved for women. Now there are more than 10 lakh elected women representatives in rural and urban local bodies.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTION 

Question. Elections is all about caste is not true. Explain
Answer : I. No parliamentary constituency in the country has a clear majority of one single caste. So, every candidate and party needs to win the confidence of more than one caste and community to win elections.
II. No party wins the votes of all the voters of a caste or community. When people say that a caste is a ‘vote bank’ of one party, it usually means that a large proportion of the voters from that caste vote for that party.
III. Many political parties may put up candidates from the same caste (if that caste is believed to dominate the electorate in a particular constituency). Some voters have more than one candidate from their caste while many voters have no candidate from their caste.
IV. The ruling party and the sitting MP or MLA frequently loses elections in our country. That could not have happened if all castes and communities were frozen in their political preferences.

Question. The makers of our Constitution were aware of this challenge. That is why they chose the model of a secular state. Explain it.
Answer : The makers of our Constitution were aware of this challenge. That is why they chose the model of a secular state. This choice was reflected in several constitutional provisions
l .There is no official religion for the Indian state. Unlike the status of Buddhism in SriLanka, that of Islam in Pakistan and that of Christianity in England, our Constitution does not give a special status to any religion
II. The Constitution provides to all individuals and communities freedom to profess, practice and propagate any religion, or not to follow any.
III. The Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.
IV. At the same time, the Constitution allows the state to inter venin the matters of religion in order to ensure equality within religious communities. For example, it bans untouchability.

Queston. Describe the term „sexual di vision of labour‟. 
Answer :
1. A system in which all work inside the home is either done by the women of the family, or organized by them through the domestic helpers.
2. In most families, women do all work inside the home such as washing clothes, tailoring, cooking, and looking after children etc. And men do all the work outside home.
3. It‟s not that men can‟t do housework. When these jobs are paid for, men are ready to take up these works. Eg. Cooks in hotels, Washer men and Tai lors are mostly men.
4. It‟s not that women do not do work outside home. In villages women fetch water, collect fuel and work in the fields. In urban area, women work in offices and also work as domestic help.
5. Infact , the majority of women do some sort of paid work in addition to domestic labour. But their work is not valued and does not get recognition.

Queston. What is meant by „femi nist mo vement‟?
Answer : The movements aimed at enhancing the political and legal status of women, improving their educational and career opportunities and equality in personal and family life, are called feminist movements.
3 How has the sexual division of labour minimised the social and political participation of women? How did women/ feminist organisations raise the issue of gender in politics?
1. The result of the division of labour on the basis of gender is that although women constitute half of the humanity, their role in public life, especially politics, is minimal in most societies.
2. Earlier, only men were allowed to participate in public affairs, vote and contest for public offices.
3. Gradually, women in different parts of the world organized and agitated for equal rights. These agitations demanded enhancing the political and legal status of women and improving their educational and career opportunities.

Queston. How has the political expression of gender division and political mobilisation improved the role of women in public life?
Answer : 1. Political expression of gender and political mobilisation has helped improve the role of women in public life. For example, now we find women working as scientists, doctors, engineers, lawyers, managers, teachers etc.
2. In some parts of the world, participation of women in public life is very high. For example, Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
3. In India, since independence, there has been some improvement.Eg.33 percent seats in local bodies are reserved for women.

Queston. State any three facts to show that the women face disadvantages and discrimination in our patriarch society. 

OR

Explain with examples the gender discrimination in Indian society.

Answer : 1. The literacy rate among women is only 54 per cent compared with 76 per cent among men. Similarly, a smaller proportion of girl students go for higher studies. But the girls drop out because parents prefer to spend their resources for their boys‟ education rather than spending equally on their sons and daughters.
2. The proportion of women among the highly paid and valued jobs is still very small. On an average an Indian woman works one hour more than an average man every day. Yet much of her work is not paid and therefore often not valued.
3. The Equal Wages Act provides that equal wages should be paid to equal work. However in almost all areas of work, from sports and cinema, to factories and fields, women are paid less than men, even when both do exactly the same work.
4. In many parts of India parents prefer to have sons and find ways to have the girl child aborted before she is born. Such sex-selective abortion led to a decline in child sex ratio (number of girl children per thousand boys) in the country to merely 927. This ratio has fallen below 850 or even 800 in some places.
5. There are reports of various kinds of harassment, exploitation and violence against women. They are not even safe even within their own home from beating, harassment and other forms of domestic violence.

Queston. What is the status of women‟s representation in India‟s legislati ves?
Answer : 1. In India, the proportion of women in legislature has been very low. For example, the percentage of elected women members in Lok Sabha has never reached even 10 per cent of i ts total strength.
2. Their share in the state assemblies is less than 5 per cent. In this respect, India is among the bottom group of nations in the world
3. In the government, cabinets are largely all-male even when a woman becomes the Chief Minister or the Prime Minister.

Queston. Explain the steps taken to ensure the political participation of women in India in Panchayati Raj system.
Answer : 1. In India, One –third of seats in local government bodies- Panchayats and Municipalities- are now reserved for women.
2. Now there are more than Ten Lakh elected women representatives in rural and urban bodies.
3. Women‟s organisations and acti vist are demanding One-third of seat reservation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. A bill with proposal for giving One –third reservation to Lo Sabha has been pending before the parliament .

Queston. Discuss various instances to show the relationship between religion and politics.

OR

How is religious differences often expressed in the field of politics?

Answer : 1. Gandhiji used to say that religion can never be separated from politics. What he meant by religion was not any particular religion like Hinduism or Islam but
moral values that inform all religions. He believed that politics must be guided by ethics drawn from religion.
2. Human rights groups in our country have argued that most of the victims of communal riots in our country are people from religious minorities. They have demanded that the government should take special steps to protect religious minorities.
3. Women‟s movement has argued that family laws of all religions discriminate against women. So they have demanded that government should change these laws to make them more equitable.

Queston. Explai n the meaning of the term „communalism‟.
Answer : 1. Communalism involves thinking along the following lines- The followers of a particular religion must belong to one community and their fundamental interests are the same.
2. It follows that people who follow different religions can not belong to the same social group and their interests are bound to be different and involve a conflict.
3. In its extreme form communalism leads to the belief that people belonging to different religions cannot live as equal citizens within a country.

Queston. What do you understand by „communal politics‟?
Answer : 1. Communal politics is based on the idea that religion is the principal basis of social community or nation.
2. In communal politics religion is expressed in exclusive and partisan terms and the followers of one religion is pitted against another. In such a situation, demands of one communal group may be opposed by another.
3. The government power may be misused to establish domination of one religious group over the rest. This manner of using religion in politics is communal politics.

Communal Politics

Queston. Why do you think that the idea of communalism is fundamentally flawed/ wrong?
Answer : .1. People of one religious community do not have the same interests and aspirations in every context except in religious beliefs.
2. Everyone has several other roles, positions and identities in a society. There may be many opinions within a community. All these voices have a right to be heard.
3. Therefore, any attempt to bring all followers of one religion together in context other than religion is bound to suppress many voices (freedom of expression) within that community.

ONE MARK QUESTIONS

Question. How much representation do local governments provide for women in India? or How many seats are reserved for the women in the Indian local self-government?
Answer : One-Third

Question. Define a feminist?
or By what term is now the person known who believes in equal rights and opportunities for women.
Answer : Feminist: A person who believes in equal rights and opportunities for all human beings.

Question. At which level of government in India l/3rd of seats are reserved for women?
Answer : Local Self Government bodies.

Question. In which constitutional institution have seats been reserved for women?
Answer : Panchayats and Municipalities

FIVE MARKS QUESTIONS

Question. How is gender division understood in Indian society? To what extent does political mobilization on gender basis help to improve women’s role in public life?
Answer : a. In Indian society, gender division tends to be understood as natural and unchangeable. It is based on social expectations and stereotypes. b. This attitude leads to sexual division of labour. Boys and girls are brought up to believe that the main responsibility of women is housework and bringing up children, whereas all the outside works are to be done by men. c. The result of this division of labour is that though the women constitute almost half the population, their role in public life in minimal. d. Political expression and political mobilisation on this question helped to improve women’s role in public life. We now find women working as scientists, doctors, engineers, teachers, etc. Now with lot of efforts 33% seats are reserved for women in local government bodies.

Question. “Gender division is not based on biology but on social expectations and stereotypes.” Support the statement.
Answer : a. Gender division is a form of hierarchical social division based on social expectation and stereotypes. b. Boys and girls are brought up to believe that the main responsibility of women is housework and bringing up children. c. There is a sexual division of labour in most families where women do all the household chores and men work outside the home. d. Majority of women do some paid work in addition to domestic labour both in rural and urban areas but work is not valued and does not get recognition. e. Women constitute half of the humanity, their role in public life, especially politics is minimal in most societies. f. In our country, women still lag behind men as ours is still a male dominated Patriarchal society. Women face disadvantage, discrimination and oppression in various ways.

Question. What form does communalism take in politics? 
or Explain any three forms of communal politics, with examples. or Explain how communalism is being expressed in politics?
or What does the term communalism mean? Explain any four forms which communalism takes in politics.
Answer : Communalism: It means attempts to promote religious ideas between groups of people which are identified as different communities. Communalism can take various forms in politics: a. The most common expression of communalism is in everyday beliefs. These routinely involve religious prejudices, stereotype of religious communities and belief in the superiority of one’s religion over other religions. This is so common that we often fail to notice it, even when we believe in it. b. A communal mind often leads to a quest for political dominance of one’s own religious community. For those belonging to majority community, this takes the form of majoritarian dominance. For those belonging to the minority community, it can take the form of a desire to form a separate political unit. c. Political mobilisation on religious lines is another frequent form of communalism. This involves the use of sacred symbols, religious leaders, emotional appeal and plain fear in order to bring the followers of one religion together in the political arena. d. Sometimes communalism takes its most ugly form of communal violence, riots and massacre.

Question. The focus on caste in politics can sometimes give an impression that elections are all about caste and nothing else. Do you agree? Explain.
Answer : No, I do not agree. The focus on caste in politics can sometimes give an impression that elections are all about caste and nothing else. This is far from true because: a. No parliamentary constituency in the country has a clear majority of one single caste. So, every candidate and party needs to win the confidence of more than one caste and community to win elections. b. No party wins the votes of all the voters of a caste or community. When people say that a caste is a ’vote bank’ of one party, it usually means that a large proportion of the voters from the caste vote for the party. c. Many political parties may put up candidates from the same caste (if that caste is believed to dominate the electorate in a particular constituency). Some voters have more than one candidate from their caste while many voters have no candidates from their caste. d. The ruling party of the sitting MP or MLA frequently lose elections in our country. That could not have happened if all castes or communities were frozen in their political preferences. 

Question. Examine the standard of women’s representation in India’s legislative bodies. [CBSE 2014] or Assess the status of women’s representation in India’s legislative bodies. 
Answer : The status of women’s representation in India’s legislative bodies is as follows: a. Central Legislature: Less than 10% of its total strength are women. b. State Legislature: Less than 5% of its total strength are women. c. Panchayati Raj: One-third of the seats are reserved for women. d. India is among the bottom group of nations in the world, in this aspect. e. Women’s organizations and activists have been demanding a similar reservation of at least one third of seats in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. But the bill to this effect has not been passed.

Question. Describe any five constitutional provisions that make India a secular. [CBSE 2014] or How does the Constitution of India ensure secularism?
Answer : What is the meaning of “Secularism”? How does the constitution make India a secular state? Explain. [CBSE 2012] or The makers of the Indian Constitution chose the model of a secular state for India. Which constitutional provisions make India a secular state in the light of the above statement? [CBSE 2012] or What is a secular state? How does the Constitution of India ensure that India remains a secular state? Explain. [CBSE 2012] or What is the meaning of “Secularism”? How does the constitution make India a secular state? Explain. Answer : [CBSE 2012] Secularism means no special status is given to any religion. It is just not an ideology of some parties or persons. a. There is no official religion for the Indian states, unlike the status of Buddhism in Sri Lanka or that of Islam is Pakistan. b. The constitution provides freedom to all to protest, practise and propagate any religion, or not to follow any, c. The Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion. d. The Constitution allows state to intervene in the matters of religion in order to ensure equality within religious communities. For example, it bans untouchability.

Question. Explain the factors that have led to the weakening of the caste system in India. [CBSE 2014] or Explain any five reasons for the declining caste system in India.
or Explain any five socio-economic changes responsible for breaking down the old notion of caste hierarchy in India.
or What factors have brought about a change in the Indian caste system in modern times? Explain.
Answer : Decline of the caste system in India: 1. Efforts of social reformers like Phule, Gandhiji, Ambedkar against caste system have helped to promote a tasteless society. 2. Economic development has reduced the emphasis on caste. 3. Large scale urbanisation has diminished the awareness of caste, as people rub shoulders in buses, trains and offices. 4. Growth of literacy and education has helped to decrease the belief in caste. 5. Occupational mobility is possible now and children are not compelled to continue the profession of the family or father. 6. Weakening of the position of landlords in the villages has led to decline of the rigid caste barriers in villages. 7. Constitutional provisions such as Right to Equality of all before law have helped to prevent discrimination legally. 8. Policy of reservation of seats in local selfgovernment bodies and legislatures as well in educational institutes have helped to uplift the political, social and economic position of lower castes.

Question. “Caste has not still disappeared from contemporary India.” Support the statement with suitable examples.
Answer : or “Caste has not still disappeared from contemporary India”. Do you agree with the statement? Justify your answer with suitable argument.
Yes, I agree with the statement. Arguments: a. Most people marry within their own caste or tribe. b. Untouchability has not ended despite provisions in the constitution. c. Effects of centuries of advantages and disadvantages continue to be felt today. d. A large mass of low caste people s?till do not have access to education. e. Caste is continued to be linked to economic status. (Or any other relevant argument) Note: Marks will also be awarded, if somebody disagrees and gives suitable arguments.

Question. Describe the positive and negative aspects of relationship between caste and politics. 
or Describe three advantages and two disadvantages of the political expression of caste differences.
or Analyse any five advantages and disadvantages of the political expression of caste differences?
Answer : Advantages: a. It gives disadvantaged groups the opportunity to demand a share in power and decision making.
b. Many’ political parties take up the issue of ending caste discrimination.
c. Measures for uplifting the status of the backward/ castes will be undertaken.
Disadvantages:
a. Caste-based politics divert attention from main issues such as poverty, corruption, etc.
b. Caste-based politics lead to tensions, conflicts and violence.

Question. Describe any five ways in which women in India are still discriminated and oppressed. 
or “In our country, women still lag much behind than men despite some improvements since independence.” Support the statement by giving five reasons.
or Explain with five examples that women are still discriminated in India. 
or How ’’Women in India still face discrimination and oppression in various ways.” Support the statement with five examples.
or What are the problems faced by Indian women which affect their social status? Explain any five.
Answer : In our country, women still lag much behind men despite some improvements since Independence. Women face disadvantage, discrimination and oppression in various ways: 1. The literacy rate among women is only 54 percent as compared with 76 percent among men. 2. Similarly, a smaller proportion of girl students go for higher studies. Girls are performing as well as boys in school. But they drop out because parents prefer to spend their resources for their boys’ education rather than spending equally on their sons and daughters. 3. The proportion of women among the highly paid and valued jobs is still very small. On an average, an Indian woman works one hour more than an average man everyday. 4. The Equal Remuneration Act provides that equal wages should be paid to equal work. However in almost all areas of work, from sports and cinema, to factories and fields, women are paid less than men, even when both do exactly the same work. 5. In many parts of India, parents prefer to have sons and find ways to have the girl child aborted before she is born. Such sex- selective abortion led to a decline in child sex ratio. 6. Woman face harassment, exploitation and violence on the domestic front.

Question. How can the relationship between politics and religion be beneficial and problematic at the same time? Explain.
or It is inevitable to ignore the relationship between politics and religion. In what way does this relationship impact modern day politics? Explain.
Answer : Beneficial: a. Influence of religion can make politics value based. b. Religious communities can politically express their needs and interests. c. Political authorities can monitor and control religious discrimination and oppression. Problematic: a. Religion can become the base for the development of nationalist sentiments which can lead to conflicts. b. Political parties will try to make political gains by pitting one group against the other. c. State power may be used to establish the domination of one religious group over another.

Question. How can caste take different forms in politics? Explain with examples. [CBSE 2012] or Analyse the role of caste in Indian politics.
Answer : Influence of caste on politics: a. While choosing candidates for election, political parties consider the caste composition of the voters to win support. b. When the government is formed, political parties take care that representative from different castes find place in the government. c. Political parties make appeal to the caste sentiments to win votes. d. Some political parties are known to favour some particular caste. e. Universal adult franchise and the principle of one-person one-vote have compelled the political leaders to bring caste sentiments into politics to muster support.

Please click on below link to download CBSE Class 10 Democratic Gender Religion And Caste Worksheet