Class 10th Social Science Political Science Chapter 3 Democracy and Diversity

Very Short Answers Question

1. Who were the two US athletes who won medals in 1968 Mexico Olympics?
• Tommie Smith and John Carlos.
2. How did they protest in medal ceremony?
• They received their medals wearing black socks and no shoes to represent Black Poverty.
3. How had these US athletes represented Black Power in the medal ceremony?
• The black gloved and raised clenched fists were meant to symbolise Black Power.
4. What does ‘Black Power’ mean?
• Black Power was a movement that emerged in 1966 to end racism in USA and advocate violence, if necessary.
5. How did third athlete support the two American athletes?
• The silver medalist, white Australian athlete, Peter Norman, wore a human rights badge on his shirt during the ceremony to show his support to the two Americans.
6. Why did Afro-American wear black socks and no shoes?
• By wearing black socks and no shoes, they tried to draw international attention to racial discrimination in the United states.
7. What was the result of this peaceful protest by Afro-American athletes in Olympics?
• The International Olympic Association held Carlos and Smith guilty of violating the Olympic spirit by making a political statement. Their medals were taken back. Back home, they were subjected to a lot of criticism.
8. What happened to Peter Norman of Australia?
• Norman too suffered for his action and was not included in the Australian team for the next Olympics.
9. When did the Afro-American Athletes get recognition?
• Their action succeeded in gaining international attention for the Civil Rights Movement in the US. Recently, the San Jose State University, of which they were former students, honoured them and installed their statue in the University Campus.
10. What was common among three athletes?
• All of them were athletes and all won medals in Mexico Olympics.
11. What was difference between the three athletes?
• Tommie Smith and John Carlos were black while Peter Norman was a white. Smith and Carlos were from US while Norman was from Australia.
12. What is the origin of social difference?
• These social differences are mostly based on accident of birth. Normally we don’t choose to belong to our community.
13. What kind of social differences do we normally face in our society?
• People around us are male or female, tall or short, have different kinds of complexions, have different physical abilities or disabilities.
14. Which are social groups formed on the basis of our choice
• Some people are atheists, they don’t believe in God or any religion. Some people choose to follow a religion other than the one in which they were born. These differences are based on our choices.
15. How do social differences overlap with other differences?
• In our country, dalits tend to be poor, and landless. They often face discrimination and injustice.
16. How do social differences cross cut one another?
• In it, the groups that share a common interest on one issue are likely to be in different sides on a different issue.
17. What is the difference between overlapping and cross cutting social differences?
• Overlapping social differences create possibilities of deep social divisions and tensions. Cross cutting social differences are easier to accommodate.
18. Give one example of overlapping social differences.
• In Northern Ireland, class and religion overlap with each other. Here Catholics are more likely to be poor, they may have suffered a history of discrimination.
19. Give one example of cross cutting social differences.
• In Netherlands, class and religion tend to cut across each other. Catholics and Protestants are about equally likely to be poor or rich. So,there is no conflict in Catholics and Protestants.
20. How are some homogeneous countries becoming multicultural?
• Homogeneous countries are undergoing rapid changes with influx of people from other countries of the world. Migrants bring with them their own culture and tend to form a different social community and make a country multicultural.
21. How does social division affect politics?
• If in a democracy, people start competing in terms of some existing social divisions, it can make social divisions into political divisions and lead to conflict, violence or over disintegration of the country.
22. What was the ethnic composition of Northern Ireland?
• Population of Northern Ireland was divided into two major sets of Christianity: 53 per cent of protestant and 44 per cent of Roman Catholics.
23. Which political party represented Catholics?
• The Catholics were represented by Nationalist parties, who demanded that Northern Ireland be unified with the Republic of Ireland, a predominantly catholic country.
24. How were Protestants represented by the political parties?
• The Protestants were represented by Unionists, who wanted to remain with the UK which is predominantly Protestants.
25. What was the result of this ethno-political conflict of Northern Ireland?
• Hundreds of civilians, militants and security forces were killed in the fight between Unionists and Nationalists and between the security forces of UK and the Nationalists.
26. What was the result of Yugoslavia’s ethnic conflict?
• Yugoslavia did not have a happy end. Political competition along religious and ethnic lines led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia into six independent countries.
27. Is it dangerous to have social divisions and politics mix together?
• The politics and social divisions must not be allowed to mix. Wherever they exist, these divisions are reflected in the politics, but it is dangerous.
28. How does social division affect voting in a state?
• Social division affects voting in most countries. People from one community tend to prefer some party more than others. In many countries there are parties that focus only on one community.
29. On which factor does the outcome of politics of social division depend?
• The outcome depends on how people perceive their identities. If people see their identities in singular and exclusive terms, it becomes very difficult to accommodate
30. How do political leaders accommodate the demands of any community?
• It is easier to accommodate demands that are within the constitutional framework and are not at the cost of another community. For example, the demand for only ‘Sinhala’ was at the cost of the interest and identity of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka.
31. How does the government react to the demands of different groups of a country?
• In Belgium and Sri Lanka, if the rulers were willing to share power and accommodate the reasonable demands of minority community, social divisions would have become less threatening for the country. But if they try to suppress such a demand in the name of national  unity, the end result is often quite the opposite.

Short Answers Question

1. How can you say that most countries of the world are multi-cultural?
1. Social divisions of one kind or the other exist in most of the countries. It doesn’t matter whether the country is small or big.
2. India is a vast country with many communities. Belgium is a small country with many communities.
3. Even countries like Germany and Sweden, which were highly homogenous, are undergoing rapid change with the influx or coming of people from other countries.
   Migrants bring with them their own culture and tend to form a different social community. So most of the countries in the world are multi-cultural.
2. What problem was raised by Smith and Carlos of USA? With what gesture did they bring international attention to the social problems in USA?
• Receiving their gold and bronze medals, respectively; the American athletes wore black socks and no shoes to represent Black poverty. With this gesture, they tried to draw international attention to the prevailing racial discrimination in the United States. The black-gloved  and raised clenched fists were meant to symbolise Black Power.
3. How did their actions prove successful?
1. Their action succeeded in gaining international attention for the Civil Rights Movement in the US.
2. Recently, the San Jose (Pronounced as ‘Saan Hoze’) University, of which they were former students, honoured them and installed their statues in the University campus.
4. What was the result of this kind of protest in an Olympic game?
1. The International Olympic Association held Carlos and Smith guilty of violating the Olympic spirit by making a political statement.
2. Their medals were taken back. Back home, they were subjected to a lot of criticism.
3. Silver medalist, Norman from Australia, also suffered for his support and was not included in the Australian team for the next Olympics.
5. On what basis are social differences created?
1. Based on accident of birth:
   1. Normally, we don’t choose to belong to one community. We belong to it simply because we were born into it.
   2. We all experience social differences based on accident of birth in our everyday lives.
2. Based on physical abilities or disabilities:
   1. There is discrimination based on gender; some are tall or short, have different kinds of complexions or have different physical abilities or disabilities.
   2. All kinds of social differences are not based on accident of birth.
3. Differences based on choices:
   1. Some people are atheists, they do not believe in God or any religion.
   2. While some people choose to follow a religion other than the one in which they were born into.
   3. Most of us choose what to study, which occupation to take up and which games or cultural activities to take part in.
All these lead to the formation of social groups that are based on our choices.
6. What do you know about ‘Civil Rights Movement’ in the USA?
• It refers to a set of events and reform movements aimed at abolishing legal racial discrimination against Afro-Americans. It was led by Martin Luther King Jr. This movement practised nonviolent methods of civil disobedience against racial discriminatory laws and practices. In the Mexico Olympics of 1968, US athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos tried to draw international attention to racial discrimination in the US by wearing black gloves to represent black power.
7. Give any three reasons to prove that Dalits were depressed in India.
1. Dalits were poor and landless.
2. They often worked for wages and sometimes faced social humiliation in their work.
3. They were called ‘shudras’ during ancient times. They were generally involved in menial tasks like that of sweepers and cleaners.
8. Write short notes on the following terms:
1. Homogeneous Society
1. Homogeneous Society: A society that has similar kinds of people, especially where there are no significant ethnic differences.
2. Migrants
1. Migrant: Anybody who shifts from one region or country to another region within a country or to another country, usually for work or other economic opportunities.

Long Answers Questions

1. Give examples to prove that social differences cross-cut each other.
1. If social differences cross-cut one another, it is difficult to put one group of people against the other.
2. It means the groups that share a common interest on one issue are likely to be on different sides on a different issue.
3. In northern Ireland, class and religion overlap each other. A Catholic is more likely to be poor and they suffer discrimination.
4. In Netherlands, class and religion tend to cross-cut each other. Catholics and Protestants are both likely to be poor or rich. The result is that Catholics and protestants have had conflicts in northern Ireland, while they do not do so in the Netherlands.
That’s why cross-cutting social differences are easier to accommodate.
2. ‘But a positive attitude towards diversity and willingness to accommodate it do not come about easily.’ Elucidate.
• It is not easy to maintain positive attitude towards diversity and willingness to accommodate it because People who feel marginalised, deprived and discriminated have to fight against the injustices. Such a fight often takes the democratic path, voicing their demands in a peaceful and constitutional manner and seeking a fair position through elections. Sometimes social differences can take the form of unacceptable level of social inequality and injustice. The struggle against such inequalities sometimes takes the path of violence and  defiance of state power.
3. ‘Social diversity can take different forms in different societies.’ Explain
1. Racial discrimination was practised in US and it ultimately led to Civil Rights Movement. There were protests in the streets and US black athletes had protested against their racism in the open in the medal ceremony of Olympics.
2. In Sri Lanka, the differences could be seen in the form of various religions followed in the country and the languages like Sinhala and Tamil. There was a civil war in the country due to importance being given to Sinhalas only.
3. In Belgium, people speak different languages like Dutch, French and German. But that country opted for accommodation by giving due importance to all the languages.
4. Most of the social differences are based on the accident of birth but some of them are based on choices also like some people choose to follow a religion which is different from the one in which they were born.

HOT Answers Questions

1. How do overlapping and cross cutting of differences create social division? Explain.
1. Overlapping:
   • Under this, a social difference overlaps with another difference.
   • People start feeling that they belong to different communities.
   • They create possibilities of deep social divisions.
   • For example, difference between African Americans and Whites in the US is an overlapping difference because the African Americans tend to be poor and homeless.
   Cross-cutting:
   • Under this, a social difference cross-cuts another difference.
   • The group can share a common interest on one issue but are likely to be on different sides on different issues.
   • These are easier to accommodate.
   • For example, in Netherlands, class and religion tend to cross-cut each other as Catholics and Protestants are both likely to be poor or rich.
2. “Every social difference does not lead to social division.” Explain the statement.
1. Social differences divide similar people from one another, but they also unite very different people.
2. People belonging to different social groups share differences and similarities cutting across the boundaries of their groups.
3. It is fairly common for people belonging to the same religion to feel that they do not belong to the same community, because their caste or sect is different.
4. It is also possible for people from different religions to have the same caste and feel close to each other.
5. Rich and poor persons from the same family, often do not keep close relations with each other because they feel they are different.
3. “Reaction of the government to the demands of different groups is a crucial factor in determining the outcome of social divisions.” Explain the statement.
• Factors determining the outcome of social divisions are:
1. The outcome depends on how to perceive their identities. If people see their identities in singular and exclusive terms, it becomes very difficult to accommodate.
2. It is easier to accommodate demands that are within the constitutional framework and are not at the cost of another community. For example, the demand for only Sinhala was at the cost of the interest and identity of the Tamil community in Sri Lanka.
3. In Belgium, the rulers were willing to share power and accommodate the reasonable demands of minority community, social divisions became less threatening for the country. But if government tries to suppress such a demand in the name of national unity, the end result is often quite the opposite as we see in case of Sri Lanka.
4. The combination of politics and social division is very dangerous and explosive. Do you agree? Support the answer with suitable examples.
• Social divisions and politics really make a very explosive combination.
• We have seen the case of Sri Lanka, where preference is given to Sinhalese, dejecting the Tamils in the society as well as politics, which led to revolt and ultimately a civil war, which is creating disturbance in the country.
• In Northern Ireland, the Catholics were represented by Nationalist parties who wanted to join the Republic of Ireland.
• The Protestants were represented by Unionists, who wanted to remain with the United Kingdom. This led to conflict between them and hundreds of civilians, militants and security forces were killed.
• In Yugoslavia, the political competition along religious ending ethnic lines led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia into six independent countries.
5. “In a democracy, political expression of social division is very normal and can be healthy.” Justify this statement with suitable argument.
1. In a democracy, political expression of social division is very normal and can be healthy. In such democracies, they allow all the marginalised social groups to express their opinion and attend to their opinions too.
2. If there are conflicts among various social group of a country, they often cross cut each other and its intensity gets reduced. It further leads to the strengthening of democracy. 
3. Conflicts in social divisions sometimes became violent also. It led to the division of countries too like Yugoslavia, but in democratic countries, these diversities are accommodated easily.
6. What are civil rights? Do you think that the movement started in the USA and led by Martin Luther king was right? Write in short about the movement.
1. Civil rights are the rights of individuals to receive equal treatment (and to be free from discrimination) in a number of settings of education, housing, employment and more. Yes the movement started was indeed a positive step towards treating human beings with an honour.
   Civil Rights Movements in the USA (1954–1968): It refers to a set of events and reform movements aimed at abolishing legal racial discrimination against African-Americans. Led by Martin Luther King Jr., this movement practised non-violent methods of civildisobedience against racially discriminatory laws and practices.

Important Terms

1. Democracy: A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.
2. Diversity: Great deal of variety.
3. Civil Rights Movements: The civil rights movement was a struggle by African Americans in the mid-1950s to late 1960s to achieve Civil Rights equal to those of whites, including equal opportunity in employment, housing, and education, as well as the right to vote, the right of equal access to public facilities, and the right to be free of racial discrimination.
4. Discrimination: The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
5. Social Difference: The differences among the individuals on the basis of social characteristics and qualities are known as social differences. Social differences are the complex differences and they include class, race, culture, age, ability, sex, etc.
6. Social Divisions: They are categories such as class, race, gender and geographic location, that indicate differences in lifestyle and experience.
7. Overlapping: Cover some part of the same area of interest.
8. Cross Cutting: It exists when groups on one cleavage overlap among groups on another cleavage. ‘Cleavages’ include such things as racial, political, religious divisions in society.
9. Homogenous Society is a population that overwhelmingly shares certain traits or views. These commonalities may include ethnicity, language, religion, cultural practices and worldview. The opposite of homogeneous society, heterogeneous society, describes a population with diverse traits and characteristics.
10. Migrants: A person who moves from one place to another in order to find work or better living conditions.
11. Republic: A state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

Democracy and Diversity

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