NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS CLASS – 12 | SOCIOLOGY PART B IMPORTANT QUESTIONS | CHAPTER-3 | THE STORY OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY | EDUGROWN |

In This Post we are  providing  CHAPTER 3 THE STORY OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS for Class 12 SOCIOLOGY PART B which will be beneficial for students. These solutions are updated according to 2021-22 syllabus. These MCQS  can be really helpful in the preparation of Board exams and will provide you with a brief knowledge of the chapter

NCERT MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ON THE STORY OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY

Question 1.
What is the importance of Panchayati Raj? Write in detail.
Answer:
1. Rule of the People. Panchayati Raj System can be called the rule of the people because people play the most important role at every level of Panchayati Raj. At the time of the election, everything is in the hands of the people who elect the representative of their choice. Those elected representatives will have to work to solve the problems of the people. Every level of Panchayati Raj will have to provide basic facilities of drinking water, electricity, health, education, etc., to the people. Elected representatives know about the fact that if they do not take care of the problems of the people then they will not be re-elected. In this way, the elected representatives will have to work for the welfare of the people and therefore the rule is always in the hands of the people.

2. Democracy. Panchayati Raj gives strength to democracy. The meaning of democracy is the rule of the people and Panchayati Raj has been made with the purpose that they should rule over themselves. People themselves elect their representatives and can meet them at any time and call for the solution of their problems. Gram Sabha exists at the village level whose members are all the adults of the village. It has to meet at least twice a year in which discussion takes place about the functions, planning, budget, and expenditure of the Panchayat. In this way, people come to know about the identity of their representatives which is a symbol of democracy.

3. To make the people self-reliant. Another important objective of Panchayati Raj is to make villages self-dependent. While making laws related to this, every care must be taken that all the levels of Panchayati Raj should get powers according to their needs. Every Panchayat has been given enough rights for the solution of the problems of the village. A village panchayat makes a number of developmental plans for the village and presents them before the Gram Sabha. The local self-government collects taxes from the village and uses them for the village’s development. In this way, the village becomes self-dependent.

4. Knowledge of Rights and Duties. Through Panchayati Raj System, people come to know about their rights and duties towards their village. Knowledge about their rights as voters and as members of Gram Sabha is known at the time of the election and at the meetings of Gram Sabha. If Gram Sabha imposes any taxes on the village then the villagers pay it willingly as they know that money will be used for the development of the village.

5. Development of Agriculture. Panchayati Raj has played an important role in the development of agriculture. One of the important functions of Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, and Zila Parishad is that they work for the development of agriculture and increase production in their respective area. They have many government officials at their disposal whose main work is to give information on new seeds, machines, urea, etc., to the people so that they could increase their production.

Apart from this, Panchayati Raj institutions also arrange for new seeds and fertilizers for their respective areas. With this, the country becomes self-dependent in the field of food production and people also develop economically. In this way, Panchayati Raj Institutions play an important role in the economic development of the people.

Question 2.
Which changes came in society due to different laws? Explain.
Answer:
1. Change in the Status of Women. The social status of women has been improved due to these laws. Females had very limited right over their husband’s property but after the Hindu Succession Act of, 1956 they got equal right in husband’s property. Widows got the right to remarriage under the Widow Remarriage Act. They got the right to adopt any child. Dowry Prohibition Act was made. Some seats have been kept reserved for them in Panchayati Raj Institutions. That is why many changes came in the status of women due to these laws.

2. Change in the forms of Marriage. Many customs of marriage prevailed in Indian Society for ages, like polygamy, polygyny, polyandry, etc. By Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 polygamy was declared illegal. Monogamy was given legal sanction and court marriage was also given legal sanction.

3. Decline in obsolete Conventions. Many social evils prevailed in Indian society like Sati Pratha, Dowry, Child marriage, Untouchability, etc., Sati Pratha has been declared illegal through Sati Prohibition Act. This Pratha has been eliminated from society. Taking and giving dowry has been declared as a crime through Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and 1986. Child marriage has been banned and the legal age of marriage has been fixed for boys and girls. Untouchability has also been eliminated through the Untouchability Offenses Act, 1955, and Civil Rights Protection, 1976.

4. Change in Inter-Caste Relations. Inter-caste relations have also been changed through social laws. Inter-caste marriages have been sanctioned through Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The government is giving encouragement to such types of marriages. Untouchability has been declared illegal. That is why interaction between all the classes has increased and they are living with each other with peace and harmony.

5. Change in Rules of Marriage. Traditionally, Hindu marriage has been considered a religious sacrament. But due to certain laws, it has been changed into a social contract. Other rules related to marriage have also been changed. Inter-caste marriage has been sanctioned by law and the minimum age for the marriage has also been fixed.

Question 3.
What can be done to bring reforms in Panchayati Raj?
Answer:
1. People of rural areas should know about their rights and duties to bring reforms in Panchayati Raj. If rural people become conscious about their rights then they will be able to participate in Gram Sabha which in turn will enable them to know about some of their other rights.

2. Another necessary step is that all the levels of Panchayati Raj should be given complete freedom so that they could be able to work for the development of their respective areas. The government should not interfere in their function so that they could work for their areas, without any fear.

3. Government should not keep unnecessary control over the functions of these institutions and on them as well. Control results in a decline of work and officials are unable to work in a proper way.

4. Government officials and members related to these institutions should be given training from governmental and non-governmental institutions so that they can work for the people. The advantage of this training should reach directly to the people so that they could use it on their agricultural land.

5. Officials working in these institutions should be given good salaries so that they work wholeheartedly for the development of the village and do not become corrupt.

6. There should be a good balance between all the three levels of Panchayati Raj so that they can develop in their respective areas in a proper way.

7. Gram Sabha should be made more powerful by giving more rights to it so that it can check the functioning of Panchayat and people’s participation could be increased.

8. Educated candidates should be appointed at those posts which are related to the institutions of Panchayati Raj so that they could be able to understand the problems of the villages.

9. These institutions should be given more grants by the state and central governments so that they can do their work without any problem of finance.

Question 4.
What are the advantages of Planned development?
Answer:
1. Saving of time. Time can be saved if development is done with planning. It is quite possible that time and resources could be wasted in the absence of planning and we can move away from our objectives. With planning, we know of the fact that in a direction in which we have to work. It not only saves time but saves our resources as well.

2. Achievement of objective in less duration. Some objectives are always determined while making the plan of any work. Even planners fix the time to achieve those objectives. If no plan is made then they will keep on working without any direction and may get distracted from their objective. Therefore, objectives can be achieved in less duration only through planned development.

3. All-round Development. If the work is done in a planned way then all the sectors can develop in a better way. If the work is done without proper planning, then it may happen that one sector can develop completely and the other sector remains undeveloped. Therefore, planned work is necessary for the development of any sector. That is why the whole area is taken as a unit and all of its sectors are kept in mind.

4. Industrial Development. If industries of our country are required to be developed then proper planning is necessary. We need planning to establish any industry. Capital required to establish industry, the raw material to manufacture goods, labor to make goods, the arrangement of the market to sell goods, etc., needs a lot of planning. The industry cannot run in a proper way in the absence of planning. If more capital will be required, if more raw material will be required, if goods will not be sold then what will happen? These are some of the questions which require planning. Therefore, planned development can lead to the industrial growth of the country.

5. For Agricultural Development. Agricultural development also requires proper planning. Arrangement of good seeds, urea, to arrange for good technology, to increase and sell the produce, etc., needs a lot of planning. Non-planning of one sector may spoil
the entire work. Therefore, planned development is essential for the development of the agricultural sector as well.

6. Development of Lower Classes. The lower classes of our country have been exploited for ages. So proper planning was required to uplift their status. The plan was made and a reservation was kept for them in the Constitution. Five Year Plans have also done a lot for their welfare. Today, lower castes people are standing with higher castes people and their status has improved a lot. All this has happened due to proper planning.

Question 5.
In what ways do pressure groups and movements exert influence on politics?
Or
What role do pressure groups play in Indian democracy?
Answer:
Pressure groups are organized and unorganized groups that try to influence governmental policies and promote their interests. Movements also try to influence politics but they both did not take part in direct elections. They both try to influence politics in one way or the other. They affect politics in the following ways:

1. These pressure groups and movements start to campaign on any particular issue so that public support could be gained. Both of them take the help of mass media so that more public attention could be given to them.
2. They generally call for a strike, march, or protest and try to disrupt the governmental programs. They often call for strikes and dharnas to raise their voice. Most of the federations and unions used to take this route to influence governmental policies.
3. Generally, business groups form a lobby of the people with common objectives so that the government could be pressurized to change its policies.

Question 6.
Describe the forms of relationship between pressure groups and political parties.
Answer:
Generally, pressure groups are those groups of people who try to influence governmental policies. They make their aims and try to achieve those aims by exerting pressure on the government. Their main aim is to influence governmental policies. Generally, the members of these groups are those people who have some of their common interests, goals, aims, etc. They never try to contest the elections but form their own ideology. The forms of relationship between pressure groups and political parties are given below:

1. In many cases, these pressure groups are formed or led by political parties. These pressure groups act as extended arms of those political parties. For example, labor unions formed by different political parties.
2. Many a time, movements give birth to political parties. If the struggle of aims becomes too long then at times, it takes the form of a political party. For example, the roots of DMK and AIADMK can be seen from the movements.
3. Generally, political parties and interest groups stand against or in front of each other. Their relations are not direct but dialogue and negotiations are there. Their views and ideas are usually opposite to each other.

Question 5.
Explain how the activities of pressure groups are useful in the functioning of a democratic government.
Or
Is the influence of pressure groups and movements healthy for democracy? Comment.
Answer:
A pressure group is a group of people which tries to achieve its aims by influencing governmental policies. People with common aims, occupations, etc., form these groups. At the start, it seems that these pressure groups are not good for democracy because they try to influence the governmental policies to achieve the aims of one particular group. In a democracy, the government has to take care of the interests of all sections of society. Another factor against it is that these groups are trying to get powers but without taking any responsibility.

Like political parties, these groups are not bound to face the people in elections and are not accountable to anyone. They do not get any support or money from the masses. Many a time, due to their wealth, but little public support, they try to gain public sympathy in favor of their narrow agenda.

But on the other hand, pressure groups and movements are very much necessary for democracy. If everyone in the country is getting equal opportunity then it is not unhealthy for society. Generally, the government comes under pressure from these rich and influential people. Movements and public interest groups can play a useful role to reduce this undue control and they can tell the government about the needs of the ordinary people from time to time.

Every pressure group and interest group is generally associated with a political party. These groups help the political parties wholeheartedly at the time of elections so that their objectives could be achieved after elections.

Whenever any bill is introduced in Parliament then that bill is sent to permanent committees of the Parliament so that they could study the merits and drawbacks of that bill. These pressure groups influence the members of these committees so that the main features of this bill could be changed according to their interests.

Even different sectional interest groups can play an important role in it. If any interest group tries to influence the government to achieve its aims, then another interest group can also counterattack on the first group and can create hurdles in the desires of the first group. From this, the government can come to know about the needs of the people and can accommodate all of them with conflicting interests.

Question 6.
What is the difference between a pressure group and a political party?
Answer:
A pressure group can be an organized and unorganized group that tries to influence governmental policies and tries to promote its interests. They have some of their aims and they try to achieve those aims by exerting pressure on the government. Generally, the members of these groups are those people who have some of their common interests. They try to control the power with their influence.

But the political party is an organized body that tries to attain the political power of the country by contesting direct elections and by winning the majority. Members of one political party have their common goals and a common ideology.

The main difference between pressure groups and political parties is that pressure groups never try to contest the elections but they want to control the powers indirectly. On the other hand, the political party directly contests the elections to take power into its hands. A pressure group can be organized as well as unorganized but a political party is always an organized group.

Question 7.
What is Democracy? Explain its characteristics, merits, and demerits.
Answer:
Democracy is a form of government in which the people are supposed to govern. In it, the representatives of the people are elected by the voters on the basis of a universal adult franchise. It believes in the concepts like liberty, equality, and fraternity and these are its functional bases. In it, there should be maximum scope for the individual and collective development of society and personality. It has the following characteristics:

1. Rule of the people. Administration in a democracy is directly or indirectly run by the people and every decision in a democracy is taken by the majority.
2. The interest of the people. In a democracy, the administration is run in the interest of the people, and the interest of the weaker sections are properly taken care of by the government.
3. Principle of Equality. The basic principle of democracy is the principle of equality. In a democracy, every person is considered equal. No discrimination is done on the basis of birth, education, wealth, etc. All the citizens are given equal political rights. Every person has been given the right to vote through the universal adult franchise.
4. Rule of Majority. Democracy is the rule of the majority. Every decision in a democracy is taken by the majority. That party forms the government which gets a majority in elections.

Merits of Democracy-Democracy, in modern times, is considered as the best rule. That is why most of the countries have adopted this concept of democracy. It has certain merits which are given below:
1. It is based on public opinion. Democracy is that system of rule which is based on public opinion and the rule is being run according to the wishes of the people. No importance is given to public opinion in a monarchy and dictatorship and laws are also formed according to public opinion.

2. It is based on the principle of equality. All humans in a democracy are considered equal. No one gets special privileges on the basis of birth, caste, religion, sex, and wealth. General masses are given the right to take part in the decision-making process. All are considered equal.

3. Responsible government. Governments in monarchy and dictatorship are not responsive to anyone but the government in a democracy is responsive to people and the Parliament. Government has to work according to public opinion and cannot work against it as people can remove it from power in the next elections.

4.(iv) Strong and efficient government. The government in a democracy is strong and efficient. The administration is run by the representatives of the people who have the support of the public. Rulers are encouraged by the support of people with which they apply their decisions with full strength. Rulers are controlled by public opinion and they are responsive to the people for their decisions. In this way, it works in an efficient way.

Demerits of Democracy: After looking at the merits of democracy, it seems that this rule is the best but it is not so. This system also has certain demerits which are given below:
1. Principle of equality is unnatural. The main base of democracy is the principle of equality but critics say that equality is unnatural. Even nature has not kept equality among humans. Some are fools, some are wise, some are powerful and some are weak. If nature has kept this type of discrimination then how social, economic and political equality can be kept. This is the biggest demerit of equality that all are given equal rights.

2. Gives importance to quantity than quality. Quantity is given more importance than quality in democracy. In other words, every decision in a democracy is taken by the people. If 100 fools will say anything is right and 99 wises will say this is wrong then the decision of 100 fools will be considered. Representatives of the people are also elected by the majority. Every fool and wise has the right to vote and any wrong person can become the representative of the people.

3. It does not establish a responsive government. The government in a democracy is responsive to people but practically it is not. Leaders hardly care about the people after elections and come back to the public only at the time of the next elections. The majority party hardly cares about the opposition or minority parties.

4. Unstable and weak government. The government in a democracy is unstable and weak. Governments change frequently in a multi-party system. In the absence of a majority, many parties come together to make the government. This type of mixed government can be broken at any time. At the time of a problem, democratic governments prove to be weak. Decisions take a lot of time to be implemented.

Question 8.
What is meant by Political Party? Explain with definitions.
Answer:
Political parties have come to stay in every form of government. Their role is very significant in democracies, as compared with every other form of government. The scholars have attempted definitions of a political party in their own way but each good political party is required to have certain features or characteristics. Similarly, each political party is expected to perform some basic functions without which it cannot maintain its existence. Efforts have also been made to classify political parties but without much success. There are different types of party systems and each type has its own advantages as well as disadvantages.

Political parties have become an essential feature of every form of government. Being a link between the government and the people, these have assumed great significance. There are ideologically strong political parties that observe strong discipline. Although entry into such parties is difficult, those who once join it do not wish to leave it. On the other hand, ideologically weak political parties also exist whose members are not well disciplined.

Members can leave the party at any time. Whereas in some cases it is easy to enter a political party and rise as well, the reverse is the case in other systems. In some countries, there is a single-party system. In it, only one party dominates, and no other political party is allowed to be formed, whereas in other societies, there is the multi-party system and in still others, there is a mushroom of political parties.

The strength and Weakness of a political party, however, depends on the active participation and strength of its members. Its legitimacy depends on the way by which it has come to power. In a democracy, its popularity and mass base is reflected by the number of votes polled at the time of elections.

Definitions
Each political party consists of persons who have a common program on political issues to which they have agreed and are prepared to implement that on a common line of action. Each political party tries to seek political power either single-handedly or in cooperation with any other political party or parties.

1. According to Burke, “It is a body of men united for promoting by their joint endeavors the national interests upon some political principles in which they all are agreed.”
2. According to Gilchrist, “It is an organized group of citizens who profess to share the same political views and who by acting as a political unit try to control the government.”
3. According to Finer, “A political party is an organized body with voluntary membership its concerted energy being employed in the pursuit of political power.”
4. According to G. C. Field, “A political party is nothing else but a voluntary association of people for the purpose of attaining political power.”
5. According to Prof. Gettel,” A political party consists of a group of citizens more or less organized who act as a political unit and who by the use of their voting power aim to control the government and carry out their general policies.”

In this way on the basis of these definitions, we can say that a political party is an organized group that is tied with certain rules. Its membership is optional and can be attained or left at any time. It is the association of the people whose only aim is to obtain political power because of which they collectively make some efforts. Views of its members are common because they all belong to one party.

Question 9.
Explain certain features of the political party.
Answer:
1. In a democracy, every political party wants to create its own identity among other political parties of the country.

2. Since the Political interests and views of the members differ, therefore, policies and programs of each political party also differ. Each party separates itself from the other on the basis of its political program. The aim of each political party is to capture the power and if already in power, to retain it.

3. A political party should be well organized and its members should gladly accept the codes of conduct of the party. The members should keep party discipline above everything else.

4. Another characteristic of a political party is that its members should believe in some common program to which they have already agreed. They uphold the soundness of that at every stage.

5. It should have continuity in its activities and programs. It should organize itself on the basis of some programs because if the charisma of the leader is the basis of a party then it cannot remain in existence for long. It will end as soon as the charisma of the leader fades away.

6. The members of a good party should be agreeable on some common line of action for the implementation of their agreed programs. If that is not the case, then conflicts are bound to arise which can lead to its disintegration.

7. It should be prepared to shoulder responsibilities and should not be satisfied by having been in the opposition or by criticizing the party in power. It should be prepared to form the government either on its own or in coalition with other like-minded political parties. Not only this but it should use all legal means to capture the power and by all means try to convince the electorates that its programs are not only mere theories but if given a chance, these can be put into practice as well.

8. A political party should try to have the mass base or popular support because without that the electorates will never return it to power and it shall not be in a position to implement its political programs.

9. It should try to protect national over regional or local interests and for this purpose, it should try to get the support of citizens and not involve the foreigners or those who are anti-national. It is, however, left to each political party to identify the areas of national interest and fix its priorities.

10. It should always have faith in constitutional means a political party that beliefs in extra-constitutional means will never be allowed to function in any form of government and its activities will immediately be banned.

Question 10.
Explain different functions of political parties.
Answer:
1. Formation of Public Opinion. The electorates usually cannot have the same opinion. These may have constructive individual opinions that are of no use to the nation. It is the function of the political parties to consolidate public opinion and give that a constructive shape. If political parties do not come to the front there will be a multitude of opinions without any channels of expression. It is only through the change of these parties that multitudes of these ideas are molded, formulated, and given a definite and clear shape.

2. To Impart Political Education. The people are usually busy and have no resources to get proper political education. With ever-growing economic needs, the people are forced to devote much of their time and attention to solve their economic problems. It is only at the time of elections that the political parties organize vast and large-scale meetings, seminars, etc., by which the people get very much politically educated. They come to know about the various aspects of the problems facing the nation only through political parties.

3. Link between the Elected and Electorates. Political parties act as a link between the elected and the electorates. Without these parties, the elected have no methods of knowing the feeling of the electorates. Similarly, the electorates have no method to tell their grievances to the elected without this channel. The members of political parties always remain in close touch with the electorates, know their feelings, ideas, views, and opinions, and convey them on to their party leaders. Thus, they are a useful link between the elected and electorate.

4. Help in the Selection of Candidates. Political parties help in the selection of candidates at the time of general elections. The voters personally do not know the candidates and their views and ideas about political problems. Without them, it would have been rather impossible to select suitable candidates. It is through these parties that the candidates can most conveniently be selected. A candidate is known by the label of this political party. In fact, he is not voted for his individual views but for the views of his political party. He is responsible to the political party for all his deeds and misdeeds.

5. Help in Redressing the Grievances of the People. Each political party helps in getting the grievances of the people redressed. Parties try their best to see that the people do not feel very much hard-pressed about their problems. They also see that through their agency, the difficulties are redressed so that all credit goes to them. More particularly, the political party in power is very much careful about this. It knows completely well that even a little slackness on its part can result in the dissatisfaction of people who may not vote for them at the time of the next general elections, thereby unseating it from power and authority.

Similarly, parties in opposition are also careful in this regard. They are well aware that active work on their part can bring satisfaction to the people who will vote for them at the time of general elections and thus can bring them in power and authority.

6. These are responsive to Public Opinion. Political parties make the party in power responsive to public opinion. The party clearly knows that it must respect the sentiments of the public and its wishes if it is to enjoy the confidence of the masses. Any failure in this regard can result in serious troubles and consequences.