Chapter 1-What is Democracy? Why Is Democracy?

  1. In any society, people are bound to have difference of opinions and interests. Which is a better way of dealing with these conflicts?
    (a) By brutal power exercised by the government
    (b) By allowing one group to dictate terms to others
    (c) By providing equal opportunities to all
    (d) By opting for a strong leader who should have all the powers.
  2. In which of these cases can democracy not provide a complete solution? (a) Removing poverty completely (b) Providing education to all (c) Giving jobs to all (d) All the above
  3. Which of the following personalities quoted, “Democracy is of the people, for the people, by the people”? (a) Mahatma Gandhi (b) Albert Einstein (c) Abraham Lincoln (d) Rabindranath Tagore
  4. In which period did China face one of the worst famines that have occurred in the world? (a) 1932-36 (b) 1958-61 (c) 2001-2002 (d) 2004-2007
  5. Which of these is permitted under the Rule of Law? (a) Prime Minister can be punished for violating the Constitution. (b) Police has a right to kill anybody. (c) Women can be paid lesser salaries. (d) President can rule for as long as he wants.
  6. Which organ of the government is required to protect the rights of the citizens? (a) Executive (b) Legislature (c) Independent judiciary (d) Police
  7. A democratic government has to respect some rules after winning the elections. Which of these points is not a part of those rules? (a) Respecting guarantees given to the minorities. (b) Every major decision has to go through a series of consultations. (c) Office-bearers are not accountable. (d) Office-bearers have some responsibilities.
  8. Which of these features is/are necessary to provide the basic rights to the citizens? (a) Citizens should be free to think (b) Should be free to form associations (c) Should be free to raise protest (d) All the above
  9. Which party always won elections in Mexico since its independence in 1930 until 2000? (a) Revolutionary Party (b) Mexican Revolutionary Party (c) Institutional Revolutionary Party (d) Institutional Party
  10. ‘One person, one vote’ means
    (a) One person is to be voted by all
    (b) One person has one vote and each vote has one value
    (c) A person can vote only once in his life
    (d) Both (a) and (c)
  11. What kind of government is there in Myanmar?
    (a) Government elected by the people
    (b) Communist government
    (c) Army rule
    (d) Monarchy
  12. The word ‘Democracy’ comes from the Greek word –
    (a) Democracia
    (b) Demokratia
    (c) Demos
    (d) Kratia
  13. What is Constitutional Law?
    (a) Provisions given in the Constitution
    (b) Law to make Constitution
    (c) Law to set up Constituent Assembly
    (d) None of the above
  14. Democracy improves the quality of decision-making because
    (a) decisions are taken by educated people
    (b) decisions are taken by consultation and discussion
    (c) decisions are taken over a long period of time
    (d) all decisions are approved by judiciary
  15. How does democracy allow us to correct its own mistakes?
    (a) Mistakes are hidden and cannot be corrected
    (b) Re-electing the same government to enable it to correct its mistakes
    (c) The rulers can be changed
    (d) None of the above
  16. Which of these is not an instance of broader meaning of democracy?
    (a) Taking opinion of all the family members before taking a decision
    (b) Being allowed to ask questions in the class
    (c) Having no say in one’s marriage plan
    (d) None of the above
  17. The most common form that democracy takes in our time is that of
    (a) limited democracy
    (b) representative democracy
    (c) maximum democracy
    (d) none of the above
  18. The head of the government in Nepal is the :
    (a) President
    (b) Prime Minister
    (c) King
    (d) Vice President
  19. In which case was the real power with external powers and not with the locally elected representatives?
    (a) India in Sri Lanka
    (b) US in Iraq
    (c) USSR in Communist Poland
    (d) Both (b) and (c)
  20. Who led a military coup in Pakistan in 1999? (a) Benazir Bhutto (b) Nawaz Sharif (c) Pervez Musharraf (d) None of the above
  21. Which body in Indian political system is an example of direct democracy?(a) Zila Parishad (b) Panchayat Samiti (c) Gram Sabha (d) Vidhan Sabha
  22. Why can the Chinese government not be called a democratic government even though elections are held there? (a) Army participates in election (b) Government is not accountable to the people (c) Some parts of China are not represented at all (d) Government is always formed by the Communist Party
  23. Which party has ruled Zimbabwe since its independence and who is its ruler? (a) ZANU-PF, Robert Mugabe (b) ZANU-PF, Kenneth Kaunda (c) Zimbabwe Freedom Party, Nelson Mandela (d) Zimbabwe Party, P Johnson
  24. Which of these statements is/are correct in the case of Zimbabwe? (a) Popular governments are always democratic (b) Popular governments can be undemocratic (c) Popular leaders can be autocratic (d) Both (b) and (c)
  25. Some of the drawbacks of democracy are (a) instability and delays (b) corruption and hypocrisy (c) politicians fighting among themselves (d) all the above