Chapter 4 Pillars of Democracy
1. Discuss with your partner and choose the correct alternative.
a. ‘Government of the people, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the earth’. This famous statement is made by –
(a) Mahatma Gandhi
(b) Nelson Mandela
(c) Abraham Lincoln
(d) Dalai Lama
Answer: Abraham Lincoln
b. A system where the government is elected and ruled by people is called —
(a) Bureaucracy
(b) Aristocracy
(c) Democracy
(d) Autocracy
Answer:
Democracy
c. A democratic country is governed by, its –
(a) Military
(b) Police
(c) Politicians
(d) Constitution
Answer: Constitution
3. Explain the pillars of a democratic nation. Make list of obstacles that are a threat to the progress of a nation.
Answer: Legislative (Law-making body): Citizens elect their representatives who make rules and laws for the nation.
Executive (Law-implementing body): Responsible for carrying out and enforcing the laws passed by the legislature.
Judiciary (Law-interpreting body): Ensures justice, protects the rights of citizens, and checks misuse of power by legislature or executive.
Press (Media): Acts as the watchdog of democracy. It informs people about government activities and ensures transparency without bias.
Make a list of obstacles that are a threat to the progress of a nation.
a. Caste- and religion-based politics.
b. Disrespect for constitutional values.
c. Lack of universal and quality education.
d. Wide gap between rich and poor (economic inequality).
e. Scarcity of resources for the underprivileged.
f. External threats and attacks from enemy nations.
4. State weather the following statements are true or false. Correct the false statement.
a. There is nothing wrong in being grateful to great men.
Answer: True
b. Hero-worship leads to dictatorship.
Answer: True
c. Liberty cannot be divorced from equality.
Answer: True
d. One man one vote and one vote one value.
Answer: True
e. Fraternity means common sense.
Answer: False
5. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar has cited the quotes by John Stuart Mill and Daniel O’Connell. Write down 4 to 5 lines for each of them.
Answer: (i) John Stuart Mill was an English philosopher and economist who was considered to be the most powerful British thinker of the 19th Century. Mill’s philosophy concentrates on establishing standards for the relationship between authority and liberty. It also advocates freedom of speech, freedom to pursue taste as long as they do not harm others and the freedom to unite without being forced and harming anybody. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar agreed with Stuart Mill’s views on social liberty where people should have the right to have a say in the governments decision.
(ii) Daniel O’Connell who was often referred to as ‘The Liberator’ was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th Century. His philosophy has inspired leaders all over the world including Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. He advocated mass political participation and was very much against idealizing somebody at the cost of ones own hon our, chastity or liberty. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar felt that this Principle of Refraining from hero-worship propagated by Daniel O’Connell is badly needed in India and he agreed with Daniel who felt such kind of loyalty was actually slavery.
6. Make a list of steps that you feel are essential to unite the people of different caste, religions and languages in India.
Answer: India is a progressive nation but the directions of dividing India according to caste, religions and languages have still kept her handicapped. The possible remedies, I feel, to cure India from these diseases to make her stable and secure may be:
(i) Education for all irrespective of not only caste, creed, religion but also of gender.
(ii) Creation of job opportunities according to one’s abilities.
(iii) Provision for reservation to depend on the financial condition rather than caste or religion.
(iv) Creation of public welfare policies according to the need of the people of all communities and thus maintaining uniformity as well as equality in all matters.
7. Write your views/opinion in brief on the following topics.
a. We must always cast our vote.
Answer: Voting is one of the fundamental duties of the citizen of a country. We have no right to criticize the works of the government if we abstain from voting which gives us a chance to choose suitable representative to govern the country. Our constitution has given the common man an important power and responsibility to select the right persons to take the country forward on the right path. We are supposed to discharge this duty judiciously.
b. Liberty, equality and fraternity lead to an ideal nation.
Answer: The terms ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’ were the mottos of French revolution. Liberty
represents freedom and Indian constitution has specified various kinds of freedom for Indian
citizens. Euqality stands for having equal law for all irrespective of caste, creed, gender or
religion. Fraternity is associated with brotherhood among all communities of people sharing
common interest and purpose. An ideal nation is recognized by the maintenance of an atmosphere
of peace in all spheres of life. If the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity are followed
responsibly by the people of the country as well as the leaders governing them, the prosperity of the nation is assured.
c. Steps to be taken to eradicate inequality.
Answer: Inequality is a curse that can lead any nation to its doom. Inequality creates
dissatisfaction and unrest among people who feel deprived. Some possible steps to eradicate inequality can be:
(a) Remove poverty by reducing unequal distribution of resources and equal access to the opportunities as far as possible.
(b) Advocate gender equality by preventing female foeticide and making provision for girls’ education and preventing early marriage.
(c) Investing in employment-oriented education for all, creating employment readiness among youth and institutions for skill development need to be encouraged.
(d) Ensuring that all groups and communities can express their voice without fear. But the groups and communities also need to be responsible to avoid loss of lives, damage of public properties while expressing their grievances.
(e) Strictly eliminate caste discrimination which is still pervasive and is causing a serious threat to the progress of the country. To make the above steps successful is the joint responsibility of the government and the people of the country.
d. Role of youth in creating awareness.
Answer: Youths are the backbones of the society and that gives them the responsibility to act as
catalysts for creating social awareness. Empowerment of the youth is one of the ways to fulfill the
policies of good governance.
The social welfare units in the schools and colleges, NCC, NSS, etc., should be made more active
and need to be made a part and parcel of the curriculum so that a large number of young minds
are materialized to eradicate social evils like illiteracy, insanitation, superstitions, corruption.
They can organize various cultural programmes like street plays, musical programmes with social
messages, posters as well as powerpoint presentations.
They can set examples by fighting against various kinds of pollution with steps like quitting
smoking, propagating against loud music, cleanliness, saving water. “Charity begins at home”
thus, they need to bring about the change in their own habits and behaviour to create social
awareness.
8. Discuss hero-worship by citing some examples.
Answer: Hero-worship is to have exclusive admiration for someone which may lead to bias. The
admirer refuses to believe that the hero might have any imperfection. The hero is idolized. It
happens with film stars, sportsmen, politicians and sometimes with religious gurus.
9. ‘Fraternity leads to social stability’ – Explain the statement.
Answer: Fraternity is a common bond or feeling of unity among people. It automatically gives rise
to the concept of togetherness of all cast, creed and religion. For a society to be stable, these are
the basic necessities. In a vast country like India, it is definitely a tough job to maintain such
feelings, but it has to be observed for the progress of the country. India, being a country of diverse
communities, social stability is an essential ingredient for keeping the country safe and secure.
10. Find some words starting with ‘Anti’ like ‘Anti-social’
Answer: Anti-climax
Anti- pathy
Anti-thesis
Anti-dote
Anti-virus
Anti-hero
11. Supply information from the passage.
Answer: 1. When there was no way left for constitutional methods for achieving economic and
social objectives, there was a great deal of justification for unconstitutional methods.
2. There is nothing wrong in being grateful to great men who have rendered lifelong services to the
country.
12. Choose the correct statements which are the themes of the passage.
(i) This passage talks about the dangers of inequality.
(ii) This passage talks about the importance of equality and fraternity.
(iii) In this passage Dr. Ambedkar supported Bhakti in politics.
(iv) Dr. Ambedkar is pained to see the denial of ‘One Man One Value’.
Answer: (ii) This passage talks about the importance of equality and fraternity.
(iv) Dr. Ambedkar is pained to see the denial of ‘One Man One Value’.
13. State whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false statement.
a. The people of America did not think that they were a nation.
Answer: True
b. The laity accepted the word ‘nation’ wholeheartedly.
Answer: False – So many objections were raised by the laity to the word ‘nation’.
c. Politically-minded Indian were in favour of the expression ‘the people of India’.
Answer: False – Politically-minded Indians resented the expression ‘the people of India’.
d. According to Dr. Ambedkar, it is necessary to realize the importance of becoming a nation.
Answer: True
14. a. What are the two things necessary to maintain democracy?
Answer: The first thing that is needed to maintaihn democracy is to follow constitutional
methods of achieving our social and economic objectives. The second thing which is of utmost importance
to safeguard our democracy is not to lay our liberties even at the feet of a great man blindly.
b. What are the contradictions Dr. Ambedkar was worried about ?
Answer: Dr. Ambedkar was worried about the contradictions of equality and fraternity. He was
concerned about equality in politics but the possible inequality in our social and economic life. For
him, fraternity might be a good concept but it was difficult to achieve.
c. What according to Dr. Ambedkar, was the problem of India becoming a ‘nation’? What was his suggestion to overcome the problem?
Answer: According to Dr. Ambedkar, a nation divided into several thousands of castes, was one of
the biggest problems of India becoming a nation. His suggestion was the realization of this fact as
early as possible and think of ways and means to realize that goal.
15. Mention the threats of hero-worship in Indian politics.
Answer: Hero-worship plays a huge negative role in Indian politics. By excessive admiration for a
person, the people of India tend to sacrifice their liberties at the feet of the person whom they
admire. This can lead to misuse of power by exercising unconstitutional methods and encroaching
upon people’s freedom.
16. Dr. Ambedkar was worried about inequality because –
(i) It will lead democracy to danger.
(ii) Long-standing inequality may be the cause of rebellion among the people.
OR
Explain.
‘Fraternity is a different thing to achieve’.
Answer: India is a vast country with diverse cultures. Expecting brotherhood among all is not
easy since there might be differences of opinions. But for the greater interest of the well-being of
Mother India, this unity is desirable. Dr. Ambedkar also felt that was the right path to travel.
Answer by Dimpee Bora
