CBSE Class 10 Democratic Politics Challenges To Democracy Worksheet Set A

1. Challenge: a challenge is not just any problem. We usually call only those difficulties a ‘challenge’ which are significant and which can be overcome. A challenge is a difficulty that carries within it an opportunity for progress. Once we overcome a challenge we go up to a higher level than before. 

2. Foundational Challenge: These countries face the foundational challenge of making the transition to democracy and then instituting democratic government. 

3. Expansion Challenge: This involves applying the basic principle of democratic government across all the regions, different social groups and various institutions. Ensuring greater power to local governments, extension of federal principle to all the units of the federation, inclusion of women and minority groups, etc. 

4. Deepening Challenge: This involves strengthening of the institutions and practices of democracy. This should happen in such a way that people can realize their expectations of democracy. 

Question and Answer 

Question. Elaborate the challenge of expansion of democracy. Give an example. or “Most of the established democracies are facing the challenge of expansion.” Support the statement with examples. or Explain the ‘Challenge of Expansion’ to democracy.
Answer : Most of the established democracies face the Challenge of Expansion:
a. Citizens have great expectations from the government.
b. Government tries its best for the upliftment of the society.
c. Ensuring greater power to the local government.
d. Extension of federal principles to all the units of the federation including women and minority groups.

Question. “The challenge of deepening of democracy is being faced by every democracy in one form or another.” Support the statement with arguments.
Answer : Deepening of democracy:
a. Deepening of democracy involves strengthening the institutions and the practices of democracy.
b. The ordinary people have different expectations from democracy in different societies.
c. It wants more of people’s participation and control.
d. They want to bring down the control of rich and powerful people in the making of the governmental decision.

Question. How would you like to expand the definition of democracy? Explain.
Answer : Definition of democracy shall be expanded by adding following features:
a. The government elected by the people must take all the decisions.
b. Elections must offer a choice and fair opportunity to the people to change the current rulers.
c. The choice and opportunity should be available to all the people on an equal basis.
d. The exercise of this choice must lead to a government limited by the basic rules of the constitution and citizen’s rights.

Question. Suggest some broad guidelines that can be kept in mind while devising ways and means for political reforms in India.
Answer : Guidelines for political reform: a. Any legal change must carefully look at what results it will have on politics. Sometimes the results may be counter-productive. b. The main focus of political reforms should be on ways to strengthen democratic practice. c. Any proposal for political reforms should think not only about what is a good solution but also  about who will implement it and how?

Question. How are the challenges to democracy linked to the possibility of political reforms? Explain. 
Answer : Each challenge in democracy is linked to the possibility of reforms. All the countries do not have same challenges.
a. Carefully devised changes in law can help to discourage wrong political practices.
b. Democratic reforms are to be carried out by political activists, parties, movements and politically conscious citizens.
c. Political participation by ordinary citizen should be there.
d. Democratic movements, citizen’s organization and media should play an important role.
e. Empowerment of people through laws, e.g., RTI.

Question. “A challenge is an opportunity for progress”. Support the statement with your arguments.
Answer : A challenge is an opportunity for progress because:
a. A challenge is not just a problem.
b. A challenge is a difficulty that carries within it an opportunity for progress.
c. Once we overcome a challenge, we go up to a higher level than before.
d. Challenges alone cannot overcome challenges to democracy like inequality, poverty, unemployment illiteracy, regionalism, casteism, communal ism, etc.
e. Legal constitutional changes and the cooperation of the citizen is the need of the hour.

Question. What type of financial reforms should be brought to strengthen democracy and why?
Answer : a. The financial accounts of every political party should be made public. These accounts should be made public. These accounts should be examined by government auditors. b. There should be state funding of elections. c. Citizen should be encouraged to give more donations to parties and to political workers such donations should be exempted from income tax.

Question. Explain three foundational challenges faced by democracies. or How do some countries face foundational challenge of democracy? Explain with example.
Answer : Foundational challenge:
a. Involves making the transition to democracy and then instituting democratic government.
b. This involves bringing down the existing non'democratic regime, keeping military away from controlling government and establishing a sovereign and functional state.
c. For example: Democratic Government of Nepal.

Question. What are the features of a good democracy?
Answer : Features of a good democracy are: a. Rulers are elected by the people to take all decisions. b. Elections give an opportunity and choice to the people. c. Democracy ensures that rights are given to the citizen.

Question. Highlight any three challenges that democracy faces in Contemporary India.
Answer : Challenges that democracy faces in contemporary India are as follows:
a. Challenge of corruption by government ministers and bureaucracy.
b. Challenge of caste politics and division of votes on the basis of caste instead of policies.
c. Challenge of communal politics leading to voting on the basis of religion.
d. Challenge of regionalism leading to disunity of society and country.

Question. Explain the challenges faced by countries which do not have a democratic form of government.
Answer : a. These countries face the foundational challenge of making the transition to democracy and then instituting democratic government.
b. They also face the challenge of bringing down the existing non-democratic regime and keeping the military away from controlling the government.
c. Such countries have to make great efforts to establish a sovereign and functional state.

Question. When was the ’Right to Information Act’ implemented? How does it act as the watch-dog of democracy? Explain.
Answer : ‘The Right to Information Act’ was implemented in 2005.
a. It empowers the people to find out what is happening in government.
b. It acts as the watchdogs of democracy.
c. It helps to control corruption and supplements the existing laws that banned corruption and imposed strict penalties.
d. It gives political actors incentives to do good.

Question. “Legal reforms may sometimes be counterproductive”. Support the statement with suitable arguments.
Answer : a. Any legal change must carefully look at the results it will have on politics. Sometimes, the results can be counter¬productive.
For example, many states have banned people who have more than two children from contesting panchayat elections.
b. This has resulted in the denial of democratic opportunity to many poor men and women, which was not intended. Generally, laws that seek to ban something are not very successful in politics.
c. The best laws are those which empower people to carry out democratic reforms. For example, Right to Information Act.

Question. What is a democratic reform. Mention a few broad guidelines for devising political reforms in India.
Answer : All suggestions or proposals about overcoming various challenges to democracy are called democratic reform or political reform.
Broad guidelines for devising political reforms in India are:
a. Legal Ways of reforming politics.
b. The Right to Information Act.
c. Reforms through political practice, (iu) Implementation reforms.

Question. How is Myanmar facing the foundational challenge of making a transition to democracy? Explain.
Answer : There is absence of democracy in Myanmar as the legitimately elected leader Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for more than 15 years. She has been released recently:
a. The army is in power in Myanmar and a democratically elected government is not allowed to function.
b. The country faces the challenge of making a transition to democracy and then instituting a democratic government.
c. The people of Myanmar need to bring down the military regime and keep it away while they sets up a sovereign and democratic government.

Question.  Briefly explain the three basic challenges faced by democracies. 

Discuss briefly the ‘foundational challenge’ of making transition to democracy.

“Challenge of expansion is very common which an established democracy faces”. Comment. 

What does the challenge of ‘Deepening of Democracy’ involve? 

 

1. Democracy faces three basic challenges during its different stages of growth, such as foundational challenge, challenge of expansion and challenge of deepening democracy. These challenges take different meanings and paths in different parts of the world. 

 Foundational Challenge: The first stage is the transition to democracy from a nondemocracy and then instituting democratic government. This involves bringing down the existing non-democratic regime, keeping military away from controlling government and establishing a sovereign and functional State. Eg. Nepal 

2. Challenge of ‘Expansion of Democracy: This stage involves applying the basic principle of democratic government across all the Regions, different social groups and various institutions. Ensuring greater power to local governments, extension of federal principle to all the units of the federation, inclusion of women and minority groups, etc. This also means that less and less decisions should remain outside the democratic control. Most of the democracies like India and USA faces challenge of expansion. 

3. Challenge of ‘Deepening of Democracy: This involves strengthening of the institutions and practices of democracy by people’s participation and control. This should happen in such a way that people can realise their expectations of democracy. This requires an attempt to bring down the control and influence of the rich and powerful in making governmental decisions.

 

Question. Suggest a few broad guidelines that should be kept in mind while devising ways and means for political reforms in India. 

How should political reforms be carried out in modern democracies? Explain. 

 

Answer :  The following are the FOUR broad guidelines that should be kept in mind while devising ways and means for political reforms in India.

 

1. Reforms through Legal Ways:-. Law has an important role to play in political reform. Carefully devised changes in law can help to discourage wrong political practices and encourage good ones. Eg. RTI. Such legal reforms are to be carried out mainly by political activists, parties, movements, and politically conscious citizens. 

2. Any legal change must carefully look at what results it will have on politics. Sometimes the results may be counter-productive. 

3.Reform through ‘Political Practices’: Democratic reforms are to be brought about principally through political practice. The most important concern should be to increase and improve the quality of political participation by ordinary citizens. 

4. Any proposal for political reforms should think not only about what is a good solution but also about who will implement it and how. Reform measures that rely on democratic movements, citizens’ organisations and the media are likely to succeed in reforming political system. The main focus of political reforms should be on ways to strengthen democratic practices.

 

Question. Analyse the Legal ways of reforming political system. 

Examine the merits and demerits of reforming political system through legal way.

 

Answer :  Reforms through Legal Ways:-. Law has an important role to play in political reform. But legal-constitutional changes by themselves cannot overcome challenges to democracy. Any legal change must carefully look at what results it will have on politics. Sometimes the results may be counter-productive. For example, many states have banned people who have more than two children from contesting Panchayat elections. This has resulted in denial of democratic opportunity to many poor and women, which was not intended. 

The best laws are those, which empower people to carry out democratic reforms. ’The Right to Information Act’ is a good example of a law that empowers the people to find out what is happening in government and act as watchdogs of democracy. Such a law helps to control corruption and supplements the existing laws that banned corruption and imposed strict penalties.

 

Question. Give some proposals to reform democracy.

See page no. 109 and write in Note Book.

 

Question. What are the main features of a good democracy?

‘Democracy is better than other forms of governments’. Justify.

 

Question. How can the principles of democracy be applied to all spheres of life?

1. This happens in the deepening stage of democracy. A democratic decision involves consultation with and the consent of all those who are affected by the decision.

 

2. Every individual irrespective his or her wealth, status, and power have the same right in decision making.

 

3. This practice should be equally applied to the government, a family or any other organization in the day today affairs.

 

Question. Why do challenges arise in a democracy?

‘Even though powers are vested in people in a democracy, a democratic regime has to face challenges’. Why?
Answer :  

1. Election of illiterate, incapable and corrupt representatives. 

2. Poverty, inequality and discrimination. 

3. Improper working of democratic institutions. 

4. Lack of public participation in democratic process.
5. Rising influence of corruption in society and politics.

 

Question. What role can citizens play in strengthening democracy?

1. By electing efficient, diligent and capable representatives in elections. 

2. By opposing governments from taking undemocratic decisions by peaceful movements and popular struggles. 

3. By not falling into the trap of political parties and leaders who make false promises and adopt wrong policies. 

4. By relying on democratic movements and media for stopping wrong decisions. 

5. By correct awareness of issues of public interest.

 

Question. A country holds election to elect peoples’ representatives to form the government but the elections are not fair. Identify the kind of challenge faced by the people in such a country.

 

Question. The quality of democracy depends upon the degree of public participation. Suggest any three values essential for a citizen for effective participation.

i. Awareness 

ii. mobilization for sharing opinions 

iii. feeling for nation building 

iv. Work for bringing social change 

v. Honesty in all spheres 

vi. Accommodation of all difference 

vii. any other relevant point