Questions of People's Struggles and Movements in Democratic Politics - Class 10 Chapter 5

    Multiple choice questions?

Question 1. By what name is the popular struggle of Bolivia known?

(a) Struggle for democracy

(b) Struggle for public problems

(c) Water battle of Bolivia

(d) Civil War of Bolivia

Answer – (c) Bolivia's water war

Question 2. When did the Socialist Party come to power in Bolivia?

(a) in 2004 AD

(b) in 2005 AD

(c) in 2006 AD

(d) in 2007 AD

Answer – (c) in 2006 AD

Question 3. Whenever people unite and struggle for their demands without forming an organization, it is called-

(a) movement

(b) interest group

(c) pressure group

(d) mobilization

Answer – (a) movement

Question 4. Such groups which represent common interests are called-

(a) mobilization

(b) movement

(c) interest group

(d) pressure group

Answer – (c) interest group

Question 5. What was the people's struggle in Nepal called?

(a) Movement against dictatorial rule

(b) Second for democracy

(c) struggle against the king

(d) Movement for change in administrative system

Answer – (b) Second movement for democracy

Question 6. What was the main reason for starting the agitation against King Gyanendra in April 2006 ?

(a) Dissolution of the elected government in 2005 AD

(B) Rejecting the demands of the people

(c) resorting to repressive policy on the public

(d) all of the above

Answer—(a) Dissolving the elected government in 2005 AD

Question 7. What kind of discrimination does BAMCEF campaign against? 

(a) against corruption

(b) against the wrong policies of the government

(c) against communalism

(d) against caste discrimination

Answer – (d) against caste discrimination

Question 8. What were the reasons for the popular struggle in Bolivia?

(a) dictatorial attitude of the government

(b) non-formation of a democratic government

 (c) Regional dissatisfaction with the government

(d) Selling water supply rights in Cochabamba city to a multinational company and increasing the price of water by four times by the company 

Ans-(d) Selling water supply rights in Cochbamba city to a multinational company and increasing the price of water four times by the company

Question 9. Against whom was the people's struggle of Bolivia?

(a) against the government

(b) against Kochbamba Municipal Corporation

(c) against multinational company

(d) against the government system

Answer – (b) against Kochbamba Municipal Corporation

Question 10. What was the name of the alliance formed by all the major political parties of Nepal Parliament ?

(a) trade union

(c) Seven Party Alliance

(b) Nepali Communist Party

(d) all of the above

Answer – (c) Seven Party Alliance

Q 11. What is BAMCEF?

(a) Organization of government employees

(b) organization of workers

(c) Organization of traders

(d) organization of players

Answer—(a) Organization of government employees

Question 12. When did the mass movement start in Nepal? 

(a) In March 2004 AD

(b) in May 2005 AD

(c) in April 2006 AD

(d) in June 2007 AD

Answer – (c) in April 2006 AD

Question 13. What kind of movement was the 'Save Narmada' movement?

(a) pressure group

(b) long term movement

(c) Single issue movement 

(d) class special interest group

Answer – (b) long duration movement

Question 14. Which one of the following options is correct regarding the unique popular movement that broke out in Nepal in 2006 AD?

(a) Strengthening of monarchy

(b) abolition of democracy

(c) Restoration of democracy

(d) establishment of dictatorship

Answer – (c) restoration of democracy

Question 15. Which of the following organizations participated in the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Nepal?

(a) Organization of seven parties

(b) Maoist

(c) Labor organizations and their federations 

(d) all of the above

Answer – (d) all of the above

Question 16. Which financial agency/organization pressured the Bolivian government to give up control of municipal water supplies?

(a) International Monetary Fund

(b) World Bank

(c) Central Bank of Bolivia 

(d) none of these

Answer – (b) World Bank

Question 17. Democratic conflicts are generally resolved by-

 (a) mobilization of the public

(b) Institutions like Parliament or Judiciary

(c) both of the above

(d) none of the above

Answer—(a) Mobilization of the public

Question 18. In a mysterious massacre of the royal family, King Virendra was killed when

Did you go?

(a) 2000

(b) 2001

(c) 2002

(d) 2003

Answer – (b) 2001

Very short answer type questions?

Question 1. What is meant by public interest group?

Answer- Such an organization which does not represent the interests of any one section of the society but represents the common interests. Like-Fedcor and BAMCEF.

Question 2. What is meant by class special interest group?

Answer – Class special interest-groups usually want to promote the interests of a particular section or group of the society. Examples of this are trade unions, professional unions etc.

Question 3. What is a major interest group?

Answer- When people having same economic interests form their organization then it is called interest group. For example, trade unions, trade unions and professional associations.

Question 4. What is a pressure group? 

Answer- When organizations with the same economic interests start putting pressure on the government to fulfill their demands, interest groups become pressure groups.

Q 5. What is Fedecor?

Answer – The movement in Bolivia against the privatization of water in Cochabamba city of Bolivia was led by an organization named Fedecor.

Question 6. What are Public Welfare Groups?

Answer- Such organizations which do not represent the interests of any one section of the society but represent the general interests, hence it is called a public welfare group. 

Question 7. State the characteristics of the movement.

Answer – Characteristics of the movement

(1) Organization in movements is loose.

(2) Decisions in movements are taken informally. (3) Movements depend on the spontaneous participation of the public.

Question 8. D.M.K. and A.I. A.D.M.K. How did parties like these come into existence?

Answer – There were social reform movements in Tamil Nadu in the 1930s and 1940s. DMK and A.I. A.D.M.K. Parties like these were the result of this social reform movement.

Question 9. How did the Assam Gana Parishad party come into existence?

Answer – In Assam, a movement was launched by the students against Bangladeshi and people living outside the states. This movement later came into existence as the Asom Gana Parishad party.

Question 10. Why did the water war start in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba?

Answer – The Bolivian government sold the water supply rights to a multinational company in the city of Cochabamba. This company hastily increased the price of water by four times due to which dissatisfaction spread among the people.

Question 11. What were the main results of the people's struggle in Bolivia? 

Answer- (1) Agreements with multinational companies were cancelled.

(2) The water supply had to be handed over to the municipality.

(3) Old rates were again implemented.

Q 12. What is BAMCEF? 

Answer- What kind of campaign does it run? It is an organization of government employees which campaigns against caste discrimination. This organization looks after the problems of its members who are victims of caste discrimination.

Question 13. What do you understand by Maoist?

Answer – Communists who follow the ideology of Mao, the leader of the Chinese revolution. The Maoists seek to overthrow the government through armed revolution to establish the rule of workers and peasants.

Question 14. What was the Seven Party Alliance of Nepal?

Answer- All the major political parties in the Parliament of Nepal formed a 'Seven Party' alliance and started a movement whose goal was to hand over the reins of governance from the hands of the King to the hands of the people.

Question 15. What is meant by constitutional monarchy?

Answer- Constitutional monarchy is such a government in which the head of the state is the king but he has nominal powers.

Question 16. Which struggle is being called the second movement for democracy in Nepal?

Answer – Struggle for democracy in April 2006.

Short Answer Type Questions?

Question 1. Discuss the second movement launched in Nepal for the establishment of democracy.

OR How did democracy rule start in Nepal? Mention in brief.

Answer – This movement was launched against King Gyanendra because he dissolved the constitutional monarchy system accepted in the 1990s by royal order. Like Fedecor in Bolivia, a joint coalition of seven political parties was formed here too. The four-day bandh announced initially took an indefinite form. Gyanendra tried to suppress this protest by police and military forces but could not succeed. The demand of this movement group was that parliamentary democracy should be re-accepted, an all-party government should be formed and a Constituent Assembly should be formed. On April 24, 2006, Raja Gyanendra finally had to bow down before the agitators. An internal government was formed and it took back most of the king's power to legislate.

Question 2. What are pressure groups? How are they different from political parties? Explain.

OR Mention two differences between a pressure group and a political party. Give an example of a pressure group.

Ans- - Such a group of people who form a powerful organization that exerts pressure indirectly to get their demands accepted from the government is called a pressure group. They are directly related to running the movement etc. Difference between pressure group and political party:

(1) Pressure groups differ on the basis of class and collective interest, while political parties are regional or national political parties according to the criteria of the Election Commission.

(2) Pressure groups exert pressure on political parties at the time of elections. It is because of these that public opinion is affected.

(3) Adolescence of political parties is the pressure group.

Question 3. How did the struggle of the people of Nepal become a source of inspiration for democracy lovers all over the world? Explain.

Answer - Democracy was established in Nepal in the 1990s, in which the king was formally made the head. Raja Gyanendra dissolved the elected government in 2005 following the assassination of Raja Veerendra, against whom the movement rose in 2006. All major political parties in Parliament formed a Seven Party Alliance coalition and called for a four-day bandh in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. This protest soon took the form of an indefinite bandh. People started taking to the streets in lakhs. In the end, the king had to bow down to the agitators and was forced to accept all the three demands of the people. PCA elected Girija Prasad Koirala as the Prime Minister of the Interim Government. Parliament was restored again and the Parliament passed several new laws.

The struggle of the people of Nepal forced the king to bow down and an important step was taken by the king for democracy in Nepal. This sent a message to democracy lovers all over the world that a democratic system can be achieved through struggle. Any dictatorial government can be bowed down.

Question 4. List some of the negative effects of coercion on democracy .

Answer-(1) is not beneficial for democracy- Some believe that pressure groups representing the interests of only one party or class are not beneficial for democracy because in democracy the interests of all should be protected, not of any one class. Needed Pressure groups want to exercise power but avoid responsibility.

(2) Not being accountable to the public- Political parties have to face the public at the time of elections but these groups are not accountable to the public.

(3) Dominance of capitalist people- Sometimes it may happen that pressure groups get support of very few people but they have more money and on this basis it is successful in turning the public debate in their direction. Go

Question 5. How does democracy develop through people's struggle?

Answer – The development of democracy happens through mass struggle. It is possible that some important decisions are taken by consensus and there is no conflict behind them. Still, this would be called an exception. The decisive moment of democracy is mostly the same when there is a struggle between those in power and those who want to share power. Such a time comes when a country is taking steps in the democratic direction, democracy is expanding in that country or the roots of democracy are in the process of getting stronger there.

Question 6. What is an interest group? When does it become a pressure group?

Answer – Different types of interests of farmers, capitalists, landowners, teachers, government employees and laborers and other businessmen are found in every society. When people having similar interests take some organized form. So it is called an 'interest-group'. According to Dhillon, “Simply put, an interest group is a community of people who share common interests.” When an interest group seeks help from the government to fulfill its objective and tries to influence the members of the legislature in such a way that their interests are taken into account while making or amending general laws, So it takes the form of a pressure group. Pressure groups put pressure on the government to develop and protect the interests of its members by providing them necessary facilities and preventing the government from acting against their interests. Pressure groups exert influence on legislators and government officials through fair or unfair means to get their work done. For this reason, pressure-groups are sometimes called centers of corruption.

The following definitions of pressure group have been given by various scholars-

 1. Ch. According to Dhillon, “In simple words, a group of persons having similar interests is called an interest group. They take the form of pressure-groups when they get government assistance for their gains.” 

2. According to Amond and Powell, “by interest group we mean such persons who meet together for a particular interest or profit

Group

and having a consciousness of those interests."