CBSE and NCERT Solution

‘Rulers and the ruled, both are responsible for making an ideal democracy.’ Justify by giving suitable reasons. Ans. Yes, the citizens of a country can turn a simple democracy into a good democracy. This can be achieved by : (i) Many flaws in politicians like causing polarisation to come to power, resorting to money and muscle power to win elections, exploiting social divisions based on caste religion etc, can be controlled by giving more power to the people and encouraging them to play a proactive role. (ii) Encourage people to question the government and strive good governance. (iii) Encourage participation at the grassroot level, making democracy more inclusive and participative. (iv) People must promote greater transparency and accountability in the system of governance. (v) Use the Right to Information effectively to keep away corruption in politics and the government.

What are the various shortcomings of democracy? Ans. The shortcomings of democracy are as under : (i) Money plays a great role in a democracy. It tends to pervert both the legislator and the administrator. (ii) Matters arc not discussed dispassionately. Partisan political passions may defeat the interests of the nation at large. (iii) The critics assert that democracy attaches undue importance to the doctrine of equality. Ignorant voters hardly know the issues at stake. Voting rights should be denied to the masses who are ignorant about social or political matters. (iv) It is a very expensive form of government. The legislative processes involve much debate and discussion. As such the governments cannot function efficiently and promptly. (v) There is a tendency to patronize such persons who also as have a criminal record.

State the merits of democracy. Ans. Merits of democracy: (i) A democratic government is a better government because it is a more accountable form of government. (ii) Democracy improves the quality of decision-making. (iii) Democracy provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts. (iv) Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens. (v) Democracy is better than other forms of government because it allows us to correct its own mistakes. (vi) Democracy is considered the best form of government.

State the demerits of democracy.  OR  Is it correct that democracy leads to corruption? It yes, mention other defects of democracy. Ans. Arguments against the democracy: (i) Leaders keep changing in a democracy. This leads to instability. (ii) Democracy is all about political competition and power play. There is no scope for morality. (iii) So many people have to be consulted in a democracy that it leads to delays. (iv) Elected leaders do no know the best interest of the people. It leads to bad decisions. (v) Democracy leads to corruption for it is based on electoral competition. (vi) Ordinary people do not know what is good for them; they should not decide anything.

State the drawbacks of the political conditions in Zimbabwe? Can we truly say that the conditions as democratic ? Ans. The drawbacks of the political conditions is democracy are, (i) Though elections are held in Zimbabwe, it is not fair and free. (ii) People do not have a proper say in the decision making process. (iii) Popular leaders are undemocratic and unpopular. (iv) There is no effective opposition party. (v) The freedom of press is curtailed and is controlled by the government. (vi) Political leaders or journalist who go against the government are harassed. (vii) The government is indifferent towards the decisions taken by the sup

State the political condition of Zimbabwe since its independence from 1980? Ans. (i) Zimbabwe attained independence from White minority rule in 1980. (ii) Since then the country has been ruled by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom struggle. Its leader, Robert Mugabe, has been ruling the countiy since independence. (iii) Elections have been held regularly and always won by ZANU-PF. President Mugabe is popular but also uses unfair practices in elections. (iv) Over the years his government has changed the constitution several times to increase the powers of the President and make him less accountable. (v) Opposition party workers are harassed and their meeting disrupted. (vi) Public protests and demonstrations against the government arc declared illegal. (vii) There is a law that limits the right to criticise the President. Television and radio are controlled by the government and give only the ruling party’s version. (viii) There are independent newspapers but the government harasse...

State the political condition of Mexico? Ans. (i) Mexico gained independence in the year 1930. After Independence Mexico holds elections after every six years to elect its President. The country has never been under a military or dictator’s rule. (ii) But until 2000 every election was won by a party called PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party). Opposition parties did contest elections, but never managed to win. (iii) The PRI was known to use many dirty tricks to win elections. All those who were employed in government offices had to attend its party meetings. Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for the PRI. (iv) Media largely ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticise them. (v) Sometimes the polling booths were shifted from one place to another in the last minute, which made it difficult for people to cast their votes. (vi) The PRI spent a large sum of money in the campaign for its candidates. None of the democractic features e...

State the political condition of China. Ans. No, the condition is far from democratic as the essential features of democracy are missing : (i) In China, elections are regularly held after every five years for electing the country’s parliament, called Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (National People’s Congress). (ii) The National People’s Congress has the power to appoint the President of the country. (iii) It has nearly 3,000 members elected from all over China. Some members are elected by the army. (iv) Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party. (v) Only those who are members of the Chinese Communist Party or eight smaller parties allied to it were allowed to contest elections held in 2002-03. The government is always formed by the Communist Party.

State the political conditions of Pakistan ? Ans. (i) In Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf led a military coup in October 1999. (ii) He overthrew a democratically elected government and declared himself the ‘Chief Executive’ of the country. (iii) Later he changed his designation to President and in 2002 held a referendum in the country that granted him a five-year extension. (iv) Pakistani media, human right organisations and democracy activists said that the referendum was based on malpractices and fraud. In August 2002 he issued a *Legal Framework Order’ that amended the constitution of Pakistan. (v) According to this Order, the President can dismiss the national or provincial assemblies. The work of the civilian cabinet is supervised by a National Security Council which is dominated by military officers. (vi) After passing this law, elections were held to the national and state assemblies. So Pakistan has had elections, elected representatives have some powers. But the final power ...

Why is democracy considered the best form of government ? Ans. (i) Democracy is the best form of government as the rulers arc accountable to the people and have to fulfill their needs - “Collective responsibility” (ii) Democracy is based on consultation and discussion. This reduces the chance of hasty and irresponsible decisions from being taken and improves the quality of decision making “Collective decision making.” (iii) It provides a method to deal with differences and conflicts especially in a diverse country like India. (iv) Infact democracy helps to keep our country together in peace and harmony - “Unity in diversity”. (v) Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens as it is based on the principle of political equality “Right to equality”.

What are some of the problems that pastoralists face in the modern world? How have these groups adapted to the new times? Ans. In the modern world, the life of pastoralists changed due to various reasons. Following are some of the problems :  (i) New laws and new borders affected the patterns of their movement. (ii) With increasing restrictions on their mobility, pastoralists find it difficult to move in search of pastures. (iii) As pasture lands disappear grazing becomes a problems, while pastures that remain deteriorate because of continuous over grazing. (iv) Times of drought become times of crises as cattle die in large numbers.

There are many similarities in the way in which the modem world forced changes in the lives of pastoral communities in India and East Africa. Write about any two examples of changes which were similar for Indian pastoralists and the Maasai herders. Ans. The changes which were similar for Indian and Maasai herders were : (i) Both Indian and Maasai herders were deprived of their grazing lands. (ii) When the forests were declared reserved both suffered as their entry to the forest produce was restricted. (iii) The reduction in area of grazing lands and frequent droughts led to a steady decline of the animal stock of the pastoralists. (iv) Life of pastoralists everywhere was controlled by rainfall and droughts. Pastoralists lead a nomadic life in search of greener pastures. So these droughts disturbed the lives of pastoralists everywhere. (v) Pastoralists not only looked after animal herds but traded in various products. (vi) The movement of pastorals was restricted to a limited area and t...

What restrictions were imposed by the colonial government on the African pastoralists? Ans. (i) The various pastoral groups were forced to live in special reserves. They were not allowed to move their stock without special permits which were not easy to get. Those who defied the rules were severely punished. (ii) Pastoralists were not allowed to enter the markets of white areas. In many regions, they were prohibited from participating in any trading activity. (iii) Europeans viewed pastoralists as being savage and dangerous. They wanted to avoid all contacts with them. (iv) But cutting off all links was not possible as the colonists had to depend on black labour to bore mines and build roads and towns. (v) Thus, the restrictions imposed on the pastoralists adversely affected their pastoral and trading activities.

Describe the social organisation of the Maasais in the pre-colonial times. Ans. (i) The Maasai society was divided into social categories : elders and warriors. (ii) The elders were the rulers and met in periodic councils to decide on community affairs and settle disputes. (iii) The warriors were the younger people, who were responsible for the protection of the tribe and organised cattle raids. (iv) Raiding was important because cattle signified wealth. (v) Young men were recognised as warriors when they helped in raiding the cattle of other groups and participated in wars. They went through an elaborate ritual before they become warriors,

Give reasons to explain why the Maasai community lost grazing lands. Ans. (i) In the late 19th century, European imperialists divided Africa among themselves. In 1885, Maasailand was divided between British Kenya and German Tanganyika. (ii) As a result, the best grazing lands were taken over by the European colonists. The Maasai were pushed into a small area which was arid and had poor pastures. (iii) In the late 19th century, the British encouraged local peasants communities to expand cultivation which reduced the amount of pasture land available. (iv) Large areas of grazing land were also turned into game reserves like the Maasai Mara and Samburu National Park in Kenya and Serengeti Park in Tanzania. (v) Very often these reserves were in areas that had traditionally been the regular grazing ground for Maasai herd.

How was the Grazing Tax implemented by the British on the pastoralists during mid-ninteenth century ? Explain. Ans. (i) Pastoralists had to pay tax on every animal they grazed on the pastures. In most pastoral tracts of India, grazing tax was introduced in the mid-nineteenth century. (ii) The tax per head of cattle went up rapidly and the system of collection was made increasingly efficient. (iii) During the 1850s to 1880s, the right to collect the tax was auctioned out to contractors. There contractors tried to extract as high a tax as they could to recover the money they had paid to the state and earn as much profit as they could within the year. (iv) By the 1880s the government began collecting taxes directly from the pastoralists. Each of them was given a pass. To enter a grazing tract, a cattle herder had to show the pass and pay the tax. The number of cattle heads he had and the amount of tax he paid was entered on the pass.

How did the pastoralists cope with the changes brought by the British through various laws? Ans. (i) Pastoralists reacted to these changes in many ways. Some reduced the number of cattle in their herds while others discovered new pastures when their movement to old grazing grounds became more difficult. (ii) After 1947, the Raikas could no longer move into Sindh. Therefore in recent years, they have been migrating to Haryana where sheep can graze on agricultural fields after the harvests are cut. This being the time when the fields need manure that the animals can provide. (iii) Over the years, the richer pastoralists have started buying land and giving up their nomadic existence. Some have become peasants cultivating their lands while others have taken to extensive trading. (vi) Many poor pastoralists, on the other hand lost their stock of cattle and became labourers, working on fields or in small towns. (iv) Thus pastoralists have not only survived but in many regions, their numbers ...

Explain any four laws which were introduced by the colonial government in India which changed the lives of pastoralists. Ans. (i) From the mid-nineteenth century. Waste Land Rules were enacted in various parts of the countiy. By these Rules uncultivated lands were taken over and given to select individuals. (ii) By the mid-nineteenth century, various Forest Acts were also being enacted in the different provinces. Through these Acts some forests which produced commercially valuable timber like deodar or sal were declared ‘Reserved’. No pastoralist was allowed access to these forests. Other forests were classified as Protected’. (iii) In 1871, the colonial government in India passed the Criminal Tribes Act. By this Act many communities of craftsmen, traders and pastoralists were classified as Criminal Tribes. They were stated to be criminal by nature and birth. Once this Act came into force, these communities were expected to live only in notified village settlements. (iv) To expand its ...

Discuss why the colonial government in India brought in the following laws. In each case, explain how the law changed the lives of pastoralists :  (i) Waste Land Rules (ii) Forest Acts (iii) Criminal Tribes Act (iv) Grazing Tax Ans. (i) Waste Land Rules : (a) The British wanted to transform all grazing lands into cultivated farms and thus increase its land revenue. (b) Colonial officials believed that all uncultivated land was *waste land’ that needed to be brought under cultivation. Therefore, Waste Land Rules were enacted in the mid-nineteenth century. (c) Under these Rules, uncultivated land was taken over and given to selective individuals. These individuals were given various concession and encouraged to cultivate these lands. Some of them were made village headmen. (d) In most areas the land taken over was actually the land used by the pastoralists which meant a decline in pastures. (ii) Forest Act : (a) The Forests Act changed the life of the pastoralists. (b) They were prev...

The colonial state wanted to transform all grazing lands into cultivated farms.’ Give three reasons. What was its impact on the Indian pastoralists ? Ans. (i) The colonial state wanted to transform all grazing lands into cultivated farms as land revenue was one of the main sources of its finance. By expanding cultivation, it could increase its revenue collection. (ii) It could at the same time produce more jute, cotton, wheat and other agricultural produce that were required in England. (iii) To colonial officials, all uncultivated land appeared to be unproductive : It produced neither revenue nor agricultural produce. It was seen as \vaste land’ that needed to be brought under cultivation. (iv) In most areas, the lands taken over were actually grazing tracts used regularly by pastoralists. (v) So the expansion of cultivation inevitably meant the decline of pastures and a problem for pastoralists.