Explore Political Parties MCQs for CBSE Class 10

1) _________ is a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold
power in the government.

a) Pressure group

b) Political party

c) Interest group

d) Business lobby

Answer: Option (b)

2) The ___________ has officially banned wall writing by parties during election times.

a) Parliament

b) President

c) Election Commission

d) Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)

Answer: Option (c)

3) Political parties reflect fundamental ______in a society. Parties are about a part of
society and thus involve PARTISANSHIP.

a) Social divisions

b) Economic divisions

c) Religious divisions

d) Political divisions

Answer: Option (d)

4) In countries like India, _________ choose candidates for contesting elections.

a) Top party leaders

b) Members of the party

c) Supporters of the party

d) None of the above

Answer: Option (a)

5) A government is expected to base its policies on the line taken by the ________.

a) Opposition parties

b) Ruling party

c) President

d) Parliament

Answer: Option (b)

6) Many of the pressure groups are the extensions of _________ among different
sections of society.

a) Legislature

b) Government

c) Political parties

d) Bureaucracy

Answer: Option (c)

7) The rise of political parties is directly linked to the emergence of _______.

a) Monitory democracies

b) Direct democracies

c) Representative democracies

d) Constitutional democracies.

Answer: Option (c)

8) Many political parties protested against POSCO, the Korean steel company, for
being permitted by the State Government to export iron ore from ______ to feed steel
plants in China and Korea.

a) Andhra Pradesh

b) Tamil Nadu

c) West Bengal

d) Odisha

Answer: Option (d)

9) In India, ______ parties are registered with the Election Commission of India.

a) Less than 750

b) Less than 75

c) Less than 100

d) More than 750

Answer: Option (d)

10) The ___________ and the United Kingdom are examples of a two-party system.

a) United States of America

b) Russia

c) China

d) Canada

Answer: Option (a)

11) Which of the following is an example of a multi-party system?

a) India

b) New Zealand

c) Canada
d) All of the above

Answer: Option (d)

12) Which of the following statements are true about political parties?

a) The proportion of those who said they were members of some political party was lower in
India than in many advanced countries like Canada and Japan.

b) Over the last three decades, the proportion of those who report to be members of political
parties in India has gone down steadily.

c) The proportion of those who say they feel ‘close to a political party’ has also gone down in
India.

d) None of the above.

Answer: Option (d)

13) National parties have their units in various states, but by and large, all these units
follow the same policies, programmes and strategy that is decided at the ________.

a) National level

b) State level

c) District level

d) Village level

Answer: Option (a)

14) A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election to the
Legislative Assembly of a State and wins at least __________ is recognised as a state
party.

a) Two seats

b) Three seats

c) One seat

d) Four seats

Answer: Option (a)

15) A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or
Assembly elections in four states and wins at least _____________ in the Lok Sabha is
recognised as a national party.

a) One seat

b) Two seats

c) Four seats

d) Three seats

Answer: Option (c)

16) According to the given classification, there were _________ national recognised
parties in India in 2006.

a) Seven

b) Six

c) Five

d) Ten

Answer: Option (b)

17) Indian National Congress (INC) is one of the oldest parties in the world, founded in
_________.

a) 1885

b) 1880

c) 1888

d) 1889

Answer: Option (a)

18) Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is a national party formed in _______ under the
leadership of Kanshi Ram.

a) 1964
b) 1974

c) 1994

d) 1984

Answer: Option (d)

19) Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M) was founded in _______. It supports
socialism, secularism and democracy and opposes imperialism and communalism.

a) 1978

b) 1964

c) 1968

d) 1954

Answer: Option (b)

20) Berlusconi was the Prime Minister of ________. His company owns TV channels,
the most important publishing company, and a football club (AC Milan).

a) Italy

b) France

c) Spain

d) Germany

Answer: Option (a)

Q1. What is a political party?

1.
A. Self made groups who automatically hold power
B. A group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power
in the government
C. Non government groups to do social work
D. Government organisations for social work

Q2. Parties are about a part of the society and thus involve …………….?
1.
A. Partnership
B. Participation
C. Partisanship
D. Political partnership

Q3. What are the components of a political party?

1.
A. Leaders
B. Active members
C. Followers
D. All

Q4. In a democracy…..
1.
A. Parties are unanimously chosen
B. Parties contest elections
C. Parties are self chosen
D. Parties are aristocratic
Q5. Parties function through…..
1.
A. Demands of the people
B. The way they want to
C. Policies and programmes
D. None of the above

Q6. Can parties play a role in making laws for the country?
A. Yes
B. No
C. May be
D. In some conditions

Q7. Those parties that lose in the elections…….

1.
A. Can still run the government
B. Play the role of opposition
C. Can make policies and programmes
D. Cannot criticise the government

Q8. Who is the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party?

1.
A. Sahu Maharaj
B. Jyotiba Phule
C. B.R. Ambedkar
D. Kanshi Ram

Q9. Which political party believes in Marxism-Leninism?

1.
A. Communist Party of India
B. Nationalist Congress Party
C. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
D. Bahujan Samaj Party

Q10. Which party is the oldest political party in India?

1.
A. Indian National Congress (INC)
B. Bahujan Samaj Party
C. Bhartiya Janta Party
D. Communist Party

Q11. Which country has an example of a Multi-Party System?

1.
A. India
B. United Kingdom
C. USA
D. China

Q12. Which is a recognized political party?

1.
A. A party that is present in only one of the federal units
B. A party that is based on regional and communal diversities
C. A party that is recognized by the ‘Election Commission’ with all the
privileges and facilities
D. A party that is present in several and all units of the federation
Q13. What does the term ‘Partisan’ mean?
1.
A. The affair of the state or the science of the governance
B. A group of people who come together to promote common beliefs
C. A person who is strongly committed to the party
D. The ruling party which runs the government

Q14. How many parties are required in any democratic system to compete in
elections in order to come to power?
1.
A. At least two parties
B. A least four parties
C. More than two parties
D. At least three parties

Q15. Pick the country where the two-party system exists?

1.
A. United Kingdom
B. China
C. India
D. Pakistan

Q16. How many numbers of parties are registered with The Election Commission of
India?
1.
A. More than 750 parties
B. Less than 750 parties
C. 705 parties
D. 750 Parties

Q17. Give the meaning of ‘Alliance’.

1.
A. Two parties together form the government.
B. Leftist and Rightist together form the government.
C. When state and national parties together form the government.
D. When several parties in a multiparty system join for the purpose of
contesting elections and winning power.

Q18. Which one of the following is considered the best form of government?
1.
A. Democracy
B. Dictatorship
C. Monarchy
D. Military Rule

Q19. Select the statement related to the advantages of a multiparty system?

1.
A. Multi-party system provides limited choice to voters.
B. There is a chance of conflict.
C. Provides choice to the voters.
D. In a Multi-party system regional parties get representation.

Q20. Political parties are allotted symbols by………?

1.
A. The government of India
B. The constitution of India
C. The party leaders
D. The Election Commission

Q21. An Affidavit signifies (Legal) __________

1.
A. Signed document where a person makes a sworn statement regarding his
or her antecedents.
B. A law to check the menace.
C. Legal document to declare the academic qualification.
D. All of the above

Q22. What is an ideological one-party system?

1.
A. Party based on suppression of other parties.
B. Party based on coercion.
C. Party based on ideological reasons; coercion and suppression of other
parties.
D. Party based on communist ideology.

Q23. Political parties are most visible institutions in a democracy.Which of these is

false?
1.
A. Even less educated citizens know about political parties.
B. Ordinary citizens’ democracy is equal to political parties.
C. Parties have become identified with social : and political divisions.
D. Most people in a democracy are not critical of political parties.

Q24. Which party is only allowed to rule in China?

1.
A. Socialist party
B. Communist party
C. Liberal party
D. Maoist party

Q25. A government is expected to base its policies on the line taken by the…..?
1.
A. All nominated parties
B. Ruling party
C. Opposition party and Ruling Party
D. All

Q26. The Constitution was amended to stop……?

1.
A. Corruption
B. Dictatorship
C. Defection
D. None
Q27. One of the demerits, of multiparty, is that it often appears very messy and leads
to political ………….?
1.
A. Corruption
B. Defection
C. Instability
D. Aristocracy

Q28. What is the name of the alliance that formed the government in 1998?
1.
A. National Democratic Alliance
B. United progressive Alliance
C. National progressive Alliance
D. United Democratic Alliance

Q29. In which year was the Communist Party of India (CPI) formed?
1.
A. 1945
B. 1925
C. 1935
D. 1955

Q30. Who founded the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)?

1.
A. Bharatiya Jana Sangh
B. Syama Prasad Mukherjee
C. Mamata Banerjee.
D. Deendayal Upadhyaya
1.What is a signed document submitted to an officer regarding his/her personal

information?

(a) Affidavit

(b) Declaration

(c) Agreement

(d) Appeal

Answer: (a) Affidavit

2.Berlusconi was the Prime Minister of ________. His company owns TV channels, the most
important publishing company, a football club (AC Milan).

(a) Italy

(b) France

(c) Poland

(d) Germany

Answer: (a) Italy

3.How many numbers of parties are registered with The Election Commission of India?

(a) 7100 Parties

(b) Less than 750 parties

(c) 700 parties

(d) More than 750 parties

Answer: (d) More than 750 parties

4.Political parties are allotted symbols by_______?

(a) The government of India

(b) The constitution of India

(c) The party leaders

(d) The Election Commission

Answer: (d) The Election Commission

5.Bahujan Samaj party was founded by_______

(a) B R Ambedkar

(b) Kanshi Ram

(c) Mamta Banerjee

(d) Syama prasad

Answer: (b) Kanshi Ram

6.Which country is an example of a Multi-Party System?

(a) India

(b) United Kingdom

(c) USA

(d) China

Answer: (a) India

7.How many recognised national parties are there in India?

(a) Five
(b) Six

(c) Seven

(d) Eight

Answer: (d) Eight

8.In countries like India, _________ choose candidates for contesting elections.

(a) Top party leaders

(b) Members of party

(c) Supporters of party

(d) Government officers

Answer: (a) Top party leaders

9.Match Column I with Column II and select the correct answer:

Column
Column I
II
1 Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) A.1964
2 Indian National Congress (INC) B. 1980
3 Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) C.1885
4 Communist Party of India -Marxist (CPI-M) D. 1999
(a) 1.B, 2.C, 3.D,4.A

(b) 1.C, 2.B, 3.D, 4. A

(c) 1.C, 2.A, 3.B, 4. D

(d) 1.B, 2.C, 3.A, 4. D

Answer: (a) 1.B, 2.C, 3.D, 4.A

10. Which of the following is not a function of a political party?

(a) To articulate the will of the people

(b) To form and run government

(c) To recruit and train leaders

(d) To provide social services

Answer: (d) To provide social services

11.Match Column I with Column II and select the correct answer:

Column I Column II
A. Congress party 1.National Democratic Alliance
B. Bharatiya Janata party 2.State party
C. Communist party of India 3.United Progressive Alliance
D. Telugana Rashtra 4.Left Front
(a) A3, B1, C2, D4

(b) A3, B4, C1, D2

(c) A3, B1, C4, D2

(d) A4, B3, C1, D2

Answer: (c) A3, B1, C4, D2

12.What is the meaning of ‘Alliance’?

(a) Two parties together form the government.

(b) Leftist and Rightist together form the government.

(c) When state and national parties together form the government.

(d) When several parties in a multiparty system join for the purpose of contesting election
and winning power

Answer: (d) When several parties in a multiparty system join for the purpose of
contesting election and winning power
13.Which of these countries is having Bi-party system?

(a) India

(b) UK

(c) China

(d) None of these

Answer: (b) UK
14.Which of these is a National Party?

(a) INC

(b) CPI
(c) BJP

(d) All of these

Answer: (d) All of these

15.What is the full form of UPA?

(a) United Progressive Alliance

(b) Unique Public Alliance

(c) United Public Alliance

(d) Unique Progressive Alliance

Answer: (d) United Progressive Alliance

REASON AND ASSERTION QUESTIONS

 A). Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
 B). Both A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation of A
 C). A is true but R is false
 D). A is false bur R is true

Q.1. Assertion (A): The Constitution was amended to prevent elected

MLA’s and MP’s from changing parties.
Reason (R): It should be made mandatory for political parties to give one-
third tickets to women candidates.

➤ Show AnswerAnswer: (b) The Constitution was amended to prevent elected MLA’s and
MP’s from changing parties. This was done because many elected representatives were
indulging themselves in defection in order to become ministers or for cash rewards. To
reform the political parties, it was suggested that minimum number of tickets (about one-
third) should be given to the woman candidates. Thus, reason is not the correct explanation of
assertion.
Q.2. Assertion (A): Only those parties that are recognised as national parties can contest
elections for the Union level.
Reason (R): Recognition to a political party as a national party is accorded by the Election
Commission.

➤ Show AnswerAnswer: (d) A is false as political parties whether it is State or National can contest
elections for the Union level.
Reason (R) is true as the Election Commission treats all parties equally, but it offers some special
facilities to large and established parties like National Parties. These parties are given unique symbol.
Only the official candidates of that party can use election symbol.

Q.3. Assertion (A): Political Parties play a major role in making laws for the country.
Reason (R): No law can become a bill unless majority parties support it.

Answer: (a) Political Parties plays a major role in making laws for the country as no law can become a
bill unless majority parties support it. Laws are debated and passed in the Parliament which consists
of members of different political parties.
Thus, both Assertion and Reason are true and Reason is the correct explanation of Assertion.

Q.4. Assertion (A): Nationalist Congress Party was formed in 1999.

Reason (R): It is a major party in Maharashtra and demands for Gandhian Secularism.

Answer: (b) Nationalist Congress Party was formed in 1999 following a split in the
Congress Party. It supports democracy, Gandhian Secularism, equity, social justice and
Federalism. It has its significant presence in Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Manipur and Assam.
Thus, both Assertion and Reason are true but Reason is not the correct explanation of
Assertion.

Q.5. Assertion (A): Political Parties do not enjoy much trust among the people in South
Asia.
Reason (R): Political Parties are one of the least trusted institutions all over the world.

Answer: (a) As per the large sample surveys conducted over several decades, it shows that
political parties do not enjoy much trust among the people in South Asia. Most of the other
democracies as political parties are one of the least trusted institutions all over the world.
Thus, reason is not the correct explanation of Assertion.

Tips for Answering ARQs:

Here are some tips and strategies to help you answer assertion reason questions in the Class
10 Social Science exam:

1. Read the assertion and reason carefully

The first step to answering assertion reason questions is to read the assertion and reason
carefully. Make sure you understand what the assertion is saying and what the reason is
explaining. Pay attention to keywords and phrases that indicate the relationship between the
assertion and reason, such as “because”, “since”, “therefore”, “as a result”, etc.

2. Check for accuracy

Once you have read the assertion and reason, check for accuracy. Is the assertion true or
false? Is the reason a valid explanation for the assertion? If you are unsure about the accuracy
of the assertion or reason, go back and reread the relevant portion of the text or consult your
notes.

3. Identify the relationship between the assertion and reason

Once you have determined the accuracy of the assertion and reason, identify the relationship
between the two. Is the reason a cause of the assertion? Is it a consequence? Is there no
relationship at all? If you are unsure about the relationship between the assertion and reason,
read the text or your notes again.

4. Eliminate options

After identifying the relationship between the assertion and reason, eliminate the options that
are clearly incorrect. For example, if the assertion is true but the reason is false, eliminate the
option that says both the assertion and reason are true. This will help you narrow down your
choices and increase your chances of selecting the correct answer.

5. Use logic and reasoning

Finally, use logic and reasoning to arrive at the correct answer. If the assertion is true and the
reason is a valid explanation, select the option that says both the assertion and reason are true.
If the assertion is false but the reason is true, select the option that says the assertion is false
but the reason is true. If the assertion and reason are both true but do not have a cause-and-
effect relationship, select the option that says both the assertion and reason are true but the
reason is not a valid explanation for the assertion.

Example of an Assertion Reason Question:

Assertion: The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885. Reason: The Indian National
Congress was founded with the objective of securing greater representation for Indians in the
government.

Evaluation of the assertion: The assertion is true. The Indian National Congress was indeed
founded in 1885.
Evaluation of the reason: The reason is also true. The Indian National Congress was
founded with the objective of securing greater representation for Indians in the government.

Evaluation of the relationship between the assertion and the reason: The reason is the
correct explanation for the assertion.

Therefore, the answer is (A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation for A.

1). Assertion (A) : If the budget presented to the Rajya Sabha is not passed within the
stipulated period, the budget proposals are not affected.
Reason (R ) : In financial matters, the Lok Sabha is more powerful than the Rajya
Sabha.
Answer- A). Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A

2). Assertion (A) : In India political parties which formed the government represent the
majority of seats secured in the elections to the House of the People at the Centre and
the Legislative Assemblies in the States but not the Majority of votes.
Reason (R ) : The elections based on the majority vote system decided the result on the
basis of relative majority of votes secured.
Answer- A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A

3). Assertion (A) : Only those parties that are recognized as national parties can contest
in elections for Parliament.
Reason (R ) : Recognition to a political party as a national party is accorded by the
Election Commission.
Answer- D). A is false bur R is true

4). Assertion (A) : India has a parliamentary system of government.

Reason (R ) : Indian Parliament is bicameral.
Answer- B). Both A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation of A

5). Assertion (A) : The Constitution of India has made the President the Supreme
Commander of Armed Forces.
Reason (R ) : Democracy maintains civilian supremacy over the military force.
Answer- A). Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
1. Which practice of elected MLAs and MPs has been prohibited by a
Constitutional Amendment?
 A) Defection

 B) Coalition
 C) Partisanship
 D)Alliance
2. After the polls close in any election, the EVMs are sealed and taken to a safe
location. Which of the four political party difficulties is addressed by this part of
the procedure
 A) Fighting among political parties to take possession of the EVMs

 B) Damaging EVMs in order to pressurise the Election Commission

 C) Rigging the results with money and muscle power
 D) Influential families gathering popular support to carry out vote-counting
in public
3. What should be avoided to make political parties more democratic and to
reduce the influence of a few candidates over others? (Choose more than one
option)
 A) Declaration from members about their property, education and criminal
records
 B) Registration of influential party members
 C) Internal elections
 D) Funding by candidates
4. What is the reason for the presence of so many regional political parties in
India?
 A) Regional identity

 B) Federal progression
 C) Structural decentralisation
 D) Constitutional need
5. If political parties are affiliated with a certain ethnicity, caste, purpose or
ideology, what does this express about the polity?
 A) Social and political division

 B) Demographic composition
 C) Political aspirations of the group
 D) Multi-party system
6. Which of the three elements make up a political party?
 A) Commissioners

 B) Investors
 C) Active members
 D) Followers
 E) Leader
7. Why does a multi-party system make more sense in India?
 A) Because of history

 B) Because of geographical expanse

 C) Because of social diversity
 D) Because of international relations
8. Which other political party challenge is related to the challenge of dynastic
succession?
 A) Role of money and muscle power

 B) Partisanship
 C) No meaningful choice
 D) Lack of internal democracy
9. Which three of the following activities contribute to the problem of lack of
internal democracy in political parties?
 A) Internal elections are not held regularly.

 B) Money and power is used for influence.

 C) Organisational meetings are not held.
 D) Real choices are not given for internal elections.
 E) Membership records are not kept.
10. To be recognised as a national political party, which three of the following
conditions must a political party meet?
 A) Receive at least 6% of the total votes cast in a legislative assembly
election
 B) Receive at least 6% of the vote in a Lok Sabha election
 C) Receive at least 6% of the total vote in four states’ assembly elections
 D) Win at least two seats in a legislative assembly election
 E) Win at least four Lok Sabha seats
11. What is the challenge that political parties confront when power is
concentrated in the hands of only one or a few leaders?
 A) Use of money and muscle power

 B) Lack of internal democracy

 C) Dynastic succession
 D) Lack of meaningful choice to voters
12. Which of the following political systems in the world has two types of political
parties?
 A) Aristocracy

 B) Federal
 C) Monarchy
 D) Two-party system
13. Bhartiya Janta party, Indian National Congress and the Communist Party of
India- Marxist are which kind of parties?
 A) State

 B) Regional
 C) National
 D) International
14. Which one of the following has the most power?
 A) Ruling party with a majority

 B) Opposition party
 C) Independent MPs
 D) Coalition government
15. Which one of the following is the most visible institution in a democracy?
 A) Political committee

 B) Pressure groups
 C) Political parties
 D) NGOs
16. Which of the following country has a one-party system?
 A) UK

 B) USA
 C) China
 D) India
17. Who among the following organised the dalits into the Depressed Classes
Association in 1930? [CBSE 2012]
 A) Kansi Ram

 B) B. R. Ambedkar
 C) Gandhiji
 D) Alluri Sitaram Raju
18. If a regional political party wants to be a part of the national government,
which feature of the Indian political structure can help it achieve its aim?
 A) President’s rule
 B) Political merger
 C) Constitutional amendment
 D) Coalition
19. In order to be recognised, which of the following constitutional bodies must
every political party in India register with?
 A) Comptroller and Auditor General

 B) Parliament
 C) Election Commission
 D) Enforcement Directorate
20. To be recognised as a state political party, which of the following two
conditions must a political party meet?
 A) Receive at least 6% of the total vote in four states’ assembly election

 B) Receive at least 6% of the total votes cast in a legislative assembly

election
 C) Receive at least 6% of the vote in a Lok Sabha election
 D) Win at least two seats in a legislative assembly election
 E) Win at least four Lok Sabha seats
21. What are the three best ways for ordinary people to exert pressure on
political parties?
 A) Writing petitions

 B) Launching an armed rebellion

 C) Boycotting the laws
 D) Arranging protests
 E) Making use of media platforms

22. What measure can be adopted to make political parties more democratic and
to reduce the influence of a few candidates over others?
 A) Funding by candidates

 B) Internal elections
 C) Declaration from members about their property, education and criminal
records
 D) Registration of influential party members
23. Which Supreme Court order was issued to limit the power of money and
criminals?
 A) Restricting entry of wealthy people

 B) Prohibiting the use of monetary and materialistic compensations

 C) Banning contestants with criminal allegations
 D) Filing an affidavit with property and criminal details
24. Read the extract and answer the questions given below:
“The difference between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party in Britain is
very little. They agree on more fundamental aspects but differ only in details on how
policies are to be framed and implemented. In our country too, the differences among
all the major parties on the economic policies have reduced. Those who want really
different policies have no option available to them. Sometimes people cannot even
elect very different leaders either, because the same set of leaders keep shifting from
one party to another.” (NCERT, Political Parties, Pg. No. 84)
i. What is the central idea of the above extract?
 A) Lack of internal democracy

 B) No meaningful choice to voters

 C) Role of money and muscle power
 D) Dynastic succession
ii. Why is a decline in the ideological differences among parties not considered
good for the democratic system?
 A) Political parties would not practise open and transparent procedures.

 B) This can make parties focus only on winning elections.

 C) Leaders would assume greater power to make decisions in the name of
the party.
 D) Voters who want different policies have no options.
25. What suggestion has been made to prevent money from being misused to
influence elections?
 A) State-funded elections

 B) Educational parameters
 C) Committee to control expenses
 D) Internal elections
26. How can a political party’s decision-making process be made more gender-
sensitive?
 A) VETO power for women over certain decision-making processes

 B) Women to make decisions related to women

 C) Only women in decision-making body
 D) Reserved seats for women on decision-making bodies
27. What can be done to improve gender balance in elections?
 A) Giving candidature to women instead of reserved constituencies of SCs
and STs
 B) Giving candidature to at least one-third of the seats to women in elections
 C) Allowing only women voters to take part in polling
 D) Giving candidature to only women in all constituencies of the country
28. Assertion based questions
Directions: In the following questions, A statement of Assertion (A) is followed by a
statement of Reason (R). Mark the correct choice as:
(A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(B) Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.
(C) A is true but R is false.
(D) A is false and R is true
i. Assertion (A): Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country.
Reason (R): Opposition parties also oppose the government in Assemblies.
ii. Assertion (A): India is a country with a multi-party system set up.
Reason (R): The multi-party system often appears very messy and leads to political
instability.
iii. Assertion (A): Political parties are easily one of the most visible institutions in a
democracy.
Reason (R): For most ordinary citizens, democracy is equal to political parties.
iv. Assertion (A): Most people tend to be very critical of political parties.
Reason (R): They tend to blame parties for all that is wrong without democracy and
our political life.
v. Assertion (A): Parties put forward different policies and programmes and the voters
choose from them.
Reason (R): Each of us has similar opinions and views on what policies are suitable
for society
vi. Assertion (A): Council Members form and run governments.
Reason (R): Parties recruit leaders, train them and then make them ministers to run the
government in the way they want.
vii. Assertion (A): The rise of political parties is directly linked to the emergence of
representative
democracies.
Reason (R): As societies became large and organised, they do not need any agency to
gather different views on various issues and to present these to the government.
viii. Assertion (A): In some countries, power usually changes between two main
parties.
Reason (R): In India there were three such major alliances in 2004 parliamentary
elections– the National Democratic Alliance, the United Progressive Alliance and the
Left Front.
ix. Assertion (A): Every party in the country has to register with the Election
Commission.
Reason (R): While the Commission treats all parties equally, it offers some special
facilities to large and established parties.
x. Assertion (A): Over the last three decades, the number and strength of these parties
has expanded.
Reason (R): This made the Parliament of India politically less and less diverse.
xi. Assertion (A): Since 1994, nearly every one of the State parties has got an
opportunity to be a part of one or the other national level coalition government.
Reason (R): This has contributed to the strengthening of federalism and democracy in
our country.
xii. Assertion (A): The first challenge is lack of internal democracy within parties.
Reason (R): Very often parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters.

Answers
1. A) Defection
2. C) Rigging the results with money and muscle power
3. B) & D) Registration of influential party members; Funding by candidates
4. a) Regional identity
5. a) Social and political division
Political parties are the most visible and accessible institution in a democracy. When
they are associated with a particular race, caste, purpose, or ideology, they reveal
society’s social and political divisions.
6. C), D), E)
Active members
The active members provide the workforce and strength to a political party in
electoral politics.
Followers
The political party’s followers strengthen their space both in the social sphere and in
electoral politics.
Leader
The leader of a political party determines the ideology and course of the political
party.
7. C) Because of social diversity
8. D) Lack of internal democracy
Because dynastic succession undermines internal democracy, it is linked to the
challenge of lack of internal democracy.
9. D) Internal elections are not held regularly
10. B), C), E)
Receive at least 6% of the vote in a Lok Sabha election
Receive at least 6% of the total vote in four states’ assembly elections
Win at least four Lok Sabha seats
11. B) Lack of internal democracy
The challenge that political parties confront is the lack of internal democracy within
parties and a tendency to concentration of power in one or a few leaders at the top.
12. B) Federal
All over the world, political systems with the federal structure have two kinds of
political parties — central and regional.
13. C) National
14. A) Ruling party with a majority
A party that wins a majority in elections does not depend on other parties to form and
run the government. It has more power than coalitions, opposition parties and
independent MPs.
15. A) Political parties
16. C) China
China has a one-party system, and only the Communist Party is allowed to govern.
17. B) B. R. Ambedkar
He arranged Dalits into an association in 1932. It gave the Depressed Classes (later
to be known as the Schedule Castes) reserved seats in provincial and central
legislative councils, but they were to be voted in by the general electorate.
18. D) Coalition
In a coalition government, a few regional parties can come together and contest
election at the national level, or regional parties can form an alliance with a
national-level political party.
19. C) Election Commission
20. B), D)
Win at least two seats in a legislative assembly election
Receive at least 6% of the total votes cast in a legislative assembly election
21. A), D), E)
Making use of media platforms
Ordinary people can pressurise political parties by making use of media platforms
and questioning officials, demanding answers and transparency.
Arranging protests
Ordinary people may pressurise political parties by staging protests to demand
something or express their dissatisfaction with policies or decisions.
Writing petitions
Ordinary people can put pressure on political parties by writing petitions about issues
they are concerned about.
22. B) Internal elections
23. D) Filing an affidavit with property and criminal details
24. i. B) No meaningful choice to voters; ii. D) Voters who want different policies
have no options.
25. A) State-funded elections
To avoid money from being used to influence elections, it has been proposed that
elections be financed by the state, which would allow for more control over spending.
26. D) Reserved seats for women on decision-making bodies
27. D) Giving candidature to at least one-third of the seats to women in elections
28.
i. B
ii. B
iii. A
iv. A
v. C
vi. D
vii. D
viii. B
xi. A
x. C
xi. A
xii. B

3. Berlusconi was the Prime Minister of ________. His company owns TV channels, the
most important publishing company, a football club (AC Milan).
a. Italy
b. France
c. Poland
d. Germany
4. How many numbers of parties are registered with The Election Commission of India?
a. 7100 Parties
b. Less than 750 parties
c. 700 parties
d. More than 750 parties
5. Bahujan Samaj party was founded by_______
a) B R Ambedkar
b) Kanshi Ram

c) Mamta Banerjee
d) Syama prasad
6. Which of these is a National Party?
a. INC
b. CPI
c. BJP
d. All of these
7. What is a signed document submitted to an officer regarding his/her personal
information?
(a) Affidavit

(b) Declaration
(c) Agreement
(d) Appeal
8. What is the meaning of ‘Alliance’?
a. Two parties together form the government.
b. Leftist and Rightist together form the government.
c. When state and national parties together form the government.
d. When several parties in a multiparty system join for the purpose of contesting election
and winning power
9. Match and select the correct answer:
1 Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) a:1964
2 Indian National Congress (INC) b:1980
3 Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) c:1885
4 Communist Party of India -Marxist (CPI-M) d:1999
a. 1.b, 2.c, 3. d ,4. a
b. 1.c, 2.b, 3. d ,4. a
c. 1.c, 2.a, 3. b ,4. d
d. 1.b, 2.c, 3. a ,4. D
10. Political parties are allotted symbols by_______?
a) The government of India
b) The constitution of India
c) The party leaders
d) The Election Commission

ASSERTION REASON QUESTIONS

1 Assertion: It is mandatory for every candidate who contests election to file an
AFFIDAVIT .
Reason: The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and criminals.
2 Assertion: In a democracy, political parties are a must.
Reason: There will be no election Without political parties.
3 Assertion: Political parties are easily one of the most visible institutions in a democracy.
Reason: For most ordinary citizens, democracy is equal to political parties.
4 Assertion: Large established parties are called recognised parties.
Reason: These parties have been given certain specialised symbols that people can rally
behind.
5 Assertion:- China doesn’t follow One party system
Reason:- In China only the communist party is allowed to rule
6 Assertion: India has a parliamentary system of government.
Reason: Indian parliament is bicameral.
7 Assertion A : Only those parties that are recognised as national parties can contest in
elections for Parliament
Reason R : Every party in the country has to register with the Election Commission.
8 Assertion: India has evolved a multiparty system.
Reason: It is because the social and geographical diversity in such a large country is not
easily absorbed by two or even three parties.

Q. No. 1) Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

i. Which party is only allowed to rule in China?
a. Socialist party
b. Communist party
c. Liberal party
d. Maoist party
Ans. Option (b)
ii. What does the term Alliance mean?
a. Two parties together form the government
b. State and national parties together form the government
c. Leftists and Rightists together form the government
d. Several parties join for the purpose of contesting elections and winning
power
Ans. Option (d)
iii. Political parties are allotted symbols by _____.
a. The government of India
b. The constitution of India
c. The party leaders
d. The Election Commission
Ans. Option (d)
iv. Which party is recognized as a ‘State party’?
a. A party that secures 6% of total votes in the Assembly election
b. A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in an election to the State
Assembly and wins at least 2 seats
c. A party that wins 4 seats in the Assembly election
d. None of the above
Ans. Option (b)
v. Which of the following criteria is one of the requirements for a party to be
recognized by the election commission as a National Political Party?
a. At least 6 Lok Sabha seats
b. At least 12 Lok Sabha seats
c. At least 6% of total votes in Lok Sabha elections
d. At least 12% of total votes in Lok Sabha elections
Ans. Option (c)
vi. From the ideas and teaching of which leader did BSP draw inspiration?
a. Sahu Maharaj
b. Mahatma Phule and Ramaswami Naicker
c. Babasaheb Ambedkar
d. All of the above
Ans. Option (d)
vii. Who among the following is the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party?
a. Kanshi Ram
b. Sahu Maharaj
c. B. R. Ambedkar
d. Jotiba Phule
Ans. Option (a)
viii. Which one of the following political parties seeks to represent and secure
power for Dalits, OBCs, and Adivasis?
a. Bahujan Samaj Party
b. Bharatiya Janata Party
c. Nationalist Congress Party
d. Communist Party of India
Ans. Option (a)
ix. Arrange political parties according to their year of formation in increasing
order:
I. BSP
II. BJP
III. INC
IV. CPI
a. I - IV - III - II
b. III - IV - I - II
c. IV - I - II - III
d. III - IV - II - I
Ans. Option (D) [INC - 1885, CPI - 1925, BJP - 1980, BSP - 1984]
x. In which of these categories can the Indian National Congress be put?
a. Centrist party
b. Rightist party
c. Leftist party
d. None of these
Ans. Option (a)
xi. This party was founded in 1925 and believes in Marxism-Leninism. Identify
the party:
a. Communist Party of India
b. Communist Party of India - Marxist
c. All India Trinamool Congress
d. None of these
Ans. Option (b)
xii. Which one among the following pairs is correctly matched?
List I List II

a. Bharatiya Janata Party National Democratic Alliance

b. Congress Party Left front

c. Communist Party of India Regional Party

d. Mizo National Front United Progressive Alliance

Ans. Option (a)

xiii. Identify the party:
 Launched on 1 January 1998 under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee.
 The Party's symbol is flowers and grass.
 Committed to secularism and federalism.
a. Bahujan Samaj Party
b. All India Trinamool Congress
c. Communist Party of India
d. Communist Party of India - Marxist
Ans. Option (b)
xiv. Identify the party:
 It is critical of the new economic policies that allow the free flow of
foreign capital and goods into the country.
 It was in power in West Bengal without a break for 34 years.
 It was founded in 1964.
 The party believes in Marxism-Leninism.
a. Bahujan Samaj Party
b. All India Trinamool Congress
c. Communist Party of India
d. Communist Party of India - Marxist
Ans. Option (d)
xv. Match the following political parties from column A with their ideologies
given in column B.
Column A (Political Parties) Column B (Ideologies)

A. Bharatiya Janata Party i. Believes in Marxism-Leninism

B. Bahujan Samaj Party ii. Supports new economic reforms with a human face

iii. Stands for the cause of securing the interests and

C. Indian National Congress
welfare of the dalits and oppressed people.

D. Communist Party of India iv. Uniform Civil Code

a. A - iv, B - ii, C - iii, D - i

b. A - iv, B - ii, C - i, D - iiii
c. A - i, B - ii, C - iii, D - iv
d. A - iv, B - iii, C - ii, D - i
Ans. Option (d)
xvi. Which of the following is a State Political Party?
a. Samajwadi Party
b. Nationalist Congress Party
c. Bahujan Samaj Party
d. Communist Party of India
Ans. Option (a)
xvii. Which of the following is a regional party of West Bengal?
a. Asom Gana Parishad
b. Trinamool Congress
c. Samajwadi Party
d. Biju Janata Dal
Ans. Option (b)
xviii. Changing party allegiance from the party on which a person got elected is
known as _____.
a. Defection
b. Mobility
c. Changing party
d. None of these
Ans. Option (a)
xix. An affidavit signifies:
a. A law to check the shifting of allegiance
b. A signed document where a person makes a sworn statement about his or
her antecedents
c. Legal document to declare the academic qualifications
d. All of the above
Ans. Option (b)
Q. No. 2) What is a political party? What are the main components of political
parties?
Ans. Political party: A political party is a group of people who come together to
contest elections and hold power in the government. They agree on some policies
and programs for society with a view to promoting the collective good. They try to
persuade people as to why their policies are better than others and seek to
implement these policies by winning popular support through elections.
The main components of political parties are:
 The leaders
 The active members, and
 The followers.
Q. No. 3) Give one special feature that distinguishes a pressure group from a political
party.
Ans. One special feature that distinguishes a pressure group from a political party is
that pressure groups do not seek to get into power, while political parties do.
Q. No. 4) Examine the role of Political Parties in a democratic country.
Or,
“Modern democracies cannot exist without political parties.” Evaluate the statement
with the help of relevant arguments.
Or,
Political parties fill political offices and exercise political power. But they do this by
performing a series of important functions. Explain any five of them.
Ans. Functions of a political party:
 Parties contest elections.
 Parties put forward different policies and programs and the voters choose
from them.
 Parties play a decisive role in making laws for a country.
 Parties form and run governments.
 Those parties that lose in the elections play the role of opposition to the
parties in power, by voicing different views and criticizing the government for
its failures or wrong policies.
 Parties shape public opinion. They raise and highlight issues.
 Parties provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes
implemented by governments.
Q. No. 5) Explain the functions of the opposition parties.
Ans. Functions of the opposition parties:
 They oppose the government by voicing different views.
 They criticize the government for its failure and wrong policies.
 They mobilize opposition to the government.
 Opposition parties safeguard the liberty and rights of people by monitoring
the activities of the ruling party.
 It keeps a check on the dictatorial behavior of the ruling party.
Q. No. 6) How do political parties shape public opinion?
Ans. Political parties shape public opinion in the following ways:
 They raise and highlight issues.
 They form pressure groups as an extension.
 They launch movements for the resolution of problems faced by the people.
 Often, public opinion is shaped by the stand taken by political parties.
Q. No. 7) The rise of political parties is directly linked to the emergence of
representative democracy. Justify the statement.
Ans.
 As societies become large and complex, they need some agency to get
different views on various issues and to present this to the government.
 They need some way to bring various representatives together so that a
responsible government could be formed.
 They need a mechanism to support or restrain the government, make policies,
and justify or oppose them.
 Political parties fulfill these needs that every representative government has.
Thus, political parties are a necessary condition for democracy.
Q. No. 8) Differentiate between one-party and two-party systems.
Ans.
One-Party System Two-Party System

i. Countries, where only one party is allowed to control i. Countries where only two main parties contest electio
and run the government are called one-party systems. are called two-party systems.

ii. For example in China only Communist Party is allowed ii. For example - the United States of America and the
to rule. United Kingdom are examples of a two-party system.

iii. Not a democratic option. iii. It is a democratic option.

Q. No. 9) Why is one party political system not considered a good option in a
democratic system?
Ans. A one-party system is not considered a good option in a democratic system
because voters are not offered any choice at the time of voting. This is not a
democratic option. Any democratic system must allow at least two parties to
compete in elections and provide a fair chance for the competing parties to come to
power.
Q. No. 10) What is a multiparty system? Give reasons why the multi-party system has
evolved in India.
Ans. Multi-party system: If several parties compete for power, and more than two
parties have a reasonable chance of coming to power either on their own strength or
in alliance with others, we call it a multiparty system.
The multi-party system evolved in India because:
 India is blessed with tremendous social and geographical diversity. This
diversity cannot be easily accommodated by two or three political parties.
 Because of the multiparty system, a variety of interests and opinions enjoy
political representation.
Q. No. 11) Why is it not possible for all the countries of the world to have the same
party system, i.e., single, two, or multiparty system?
Ans. It is not possible for all the countries of the world to have the same party
system because:
 A party system is not something any country can choose.
 It evolves over a long time depending on the nature of society, its social and
regional divisions, its history of politics, and its system of elections.
 Each country develops a party system that is conditioned by special
circumstances. No system is ideal for all countries and all situations.
Q. No. 12) a. What is meant by a ‘national political party’?
b. State the conditions required to be a national political party.
c. How many national parties are there in India? Name them.
Ans. a. National political parties are country-wide parties. They have units in various
states. All these units follow the same policies, programs, and strategy that is decided
at the national level.
b. Conditions required to be a national political party are:

 A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in Lok Sabha elections or
Assembly elections in four states.
 Wins at least four seats in the Lok Sabha.
c. There were 7 recognized national parties in India in 2019.

 All India Trinamool Congress (AITC)

 Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)
 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
 Communist Party of India (CPI)
 Communist Party of India – Marxist (CPI-M)
 Indian National Congress (INC)
 Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
Q. No. 13) What is meant by a regional political party? State the conditions required
to be recognized as a ‘regional political party’.
Ans. A regional party is a party that is present in only some states. Regional parties
are commonly referred to as ‘State parties’.
Conditions required for a party to be recognized as a regional political party are:

 A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in an election to the

Legislative Assembly of a State
 Wins at least 2 seats in the Legislative Assembly.
Q. No. 14) Write about the main features of the BJP.
Ans. The main features of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are:
 Founded in 1980 by reviving the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.
 Wants to build a strong and modern India by drawing inspiration from India’s
ancient culture and values, and Deendayal Upadhyaya’s ideas of integral
humanism and Antyodaya.
 Cultural nationalism or Hindutva is an important element in its beliefs.
 Wants a uniform civil code for all religions and a ban on religious conversions.
 Is currently the ruling party at the center and a member of the National
Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Q. No. 15) Name the national political party which espouses secularism and the
welfare of weaker sections and minorities. Mention any four features of that party.
Ans. The national political party which espouses secularism and the welfare of
weaker sections and minorities is the Indian National Congress (INC).
The main features of the Indian National Congress (INC) are:

 It is one of the oldest parties in the world founded in 1885.

 A centrist party (neither rightist nor leftist) in its ideological orientation, the
party espouses secularism and the welfare of weaker sections and minorities.
 Supports new economic reforms but with a human face.
 Is a member of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).
Q. No. 16) Identify the following political parties as national or regional political
parties:
i. National Conference
ii. Shiromani Akali Dal
iii. DMK
iv. Nationalist Congress Party
v. Bharatiya Janata Party
vi. Shiv Sena
vii. Forward Block
viii. Janata Dal (U)
ix. Rashtriya Janata Dal
x. Samajwadi Party
Ans.
i. Regional Party
ii. Regional Party
iii. Regional Party
iv. National Party
v. National Party
vi. Regional Party
vii. Regional Party
viii. Regional Party
ix. Regional Party
x. Regional Party
Q. No. 17) Political parties need to face and overcome a number of challenges in
order to remain effective instruments of democracy. Write about such challenges.
Or,
“All over the world, people express their dissatisfaction with the failure of political
parties to perform their functions well.” Analyze the statement with arguments.
Ans. Challenges to political parties:
 Lack of internal democracy within parties.
 The challenge of dynastic succession.
 The growing role of money and muscle power in parties, especially during
elections.
 Parties do not seem to offer a meaningful choice to the voters.
Q. No. 18) Illustrate the situations which display a lack of internal democracy within a
political party.
Ans. Situations that display a lack of internal democracy within a political party are:
 Parties do not keep membership registers, do not hold organizational
meetings, and do not conduct internal elections regularly.
 Ordinary members of the party do not get sufficient information on what
happens inside the party.
 They do not have the means or the connections needed to influence the
decisions. As a result, the leaders assume greater power to make decisions in
the name of the party.
 Since one or few leaders exercise paramount power in the party, those who
disagree with the leadership find it difficult to continue in the party.
 More than loyalty to party principles and policies, personal loyalty to the
leader becomes more important.
Q. No. 19) “Dynastic succession is one of the most serious challenges before the
political parties.” Analyze the statement.
Ans. The challenge of dynastic succession is one of the most serious challenges
before the political parties because:
 Most parties do not practice open and transparent procedures, hence, there
are very few opportunities for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party.
 Top leaders favor people close to them or even their family members. In many
parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of one family.
 This practice is unfair to other members of that party and is also bad for
democracy since people who do not have adequate experience or popular
support come to occupy positions of power.
Q. No. 20) Examine the role of money and muscle power among political parties
during elections.
Ans. Role of money and muscle power among political parties during elections:
 Since parties are focused only on winning elections, they tend to use
shortcuts to win elections.
 They tend to nominate those candidates who have or can raise lots of money.
 Rich people and companies who give funds to the parties tend to have an
influence on the policies and decisions of the party.
 In some cases, parties support criminals who can win elections.
 Democrats all over the world are worried about the increasing role of rich
people and big companies in democratic politics.
Q. No. 21) “A decline in the ideological differences among parties in most parts of the
world has been seen.” Which challenge of a political party is being referred to here?
Enumerate some of the features of the identified challenge.
Ans. The challenge being referred to here is the lack of meaningful choices for the
voters.
Some of the features of this challenge are:

 In recent years there has been a decline in the ideological differences among
parties in most parts of the world.
 They agree on more fundamental aspects but differ only in details on how
policies are to be framed and implemented.
 Those who want really different policies have no option available to them.
 Sometimes people cannot even elect very different leaders either, because the
same set of leaders keeps shifting from one party to another.
Q. No. 22) Elucidate some of the recent efforts taken in our country to reform
political parties and their leaders.
Ans. Some of the recent efforts in India to reform political parties and their leaders
are:
 The constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from
changing parties. This was done because many elected representatives were
indulging in defection in order to become ministers or for cash rewards. Now
the law says that if any MLA or MP changes parties, he/she will lose the seat
in the legislature.
 The Supreme Court passed an order to reduce the influence of money and
criminals. Now, it is mandatory for every candidate who contests elections to
file an affidavit giving details of his property and criminal cases pending
against them.
 The Election Commission passed an order making it necessary for political
parties to hold their organizational elections and file their income tax returns.
Q. No. 23) What do you mean by the term defection? What measures were adopted
to prevent this practice?
Ans. Defection in politics means changing party allegiance from the party on which a
person got elected (to a legislative body) to a different party.
The constitution was amended to prevent elected MLAs and MPs from changing
parties. This was done because many elected representatives were indulging in
defection in order to become ministers or for cash rewards. Now the law says that if
any MLA or MP changes parties, he/she will lose the seat in the legislature.

However, this has made any dissent even more difficult. MPs and MLAs have to
accept whatever the party leaders decide.

Q. No. 24) Suggest and explain any five ways to reform political parties in India.
Ans. Suggestions to reform political parties in India:
 Regulation of party’s internal affairs: A law should be made to regulate the
internal affairs of political parties. It should be made compulsory for political
parties to maintain a register of their members, to follow their own
constitution, to have an independent authority, etc.
 Ensure women's participation: It should be made mandatory for political
parties to give a minimum number of tickets, about one-third, to women
candidates.
 State funding: There should be state funding of elections. The government
should give money to parties to support their election expenses to avoid
corruption.
 The pressure of public opinion: Political parties can be reformed if people put
pressure on them. This can be done through petitions, propaganda, and
agitations. Pressure groups and media play an important role in this.
 Public participation: Political parties can improve if those who want this join
political parties. The quality of democracy depends on the degree of public
participation.
Q. No. 25) Suggest some broad guidelines that can be kept in mind while devising
ways and means for political reforms in India.
Ans. Guidelines for political reform:
 Any legal change must carefully look at what results it will have on politics.
Sometimes the results may be counter-productive.
 The main focus of political reforms should be on ways to strengthen
democratic practice.
 Any proposal for political reforms should think not only about what is a good
solution but also about who will implement it and how?

Q.1. A person who is strongly committed to a party, group or faction.

(a) Partisan
(b) Party man
(c) Follower
(d) None of the above
Q.2. Which of the following countries has two Party System?
(i) United States of America
(ii) United Kingdom
(iii)India
(iv) China
(a) Only (i) and (ii)
(b) Only (ii) and (iii)
(c) Only (iii) and (iv)
(d) All of the mentioned above.
Q.3. Which of the following countries has adopted Multi-Party System?
(a) India
(b) China
(c) United States
(d) United Kingdom
Q.4. Every party in India has to register Itself with………..
(a) The President
(b) The Parliament
(c) The Election Commission
(d) The Police
Q.5. A party that secures at least 6% of the total votes in an election to the
Legislative Assembly of a State and wins at least two seats is recognized as
a…………
(a) National Party
(b) State Party
(c) International Party
(d) None of the above
Q.6. A party that secures at least percentage of the total votes in Lok Sabha
election or Assembly election in four states and win at least seats in the Lok
Sabha is recognised as a National Party.
(a) 3%, 4
(b) 5%, 4
(c) 2%, 4
(d) 6%, 4
Q.7. Which one of the following is the guiding philosophy of the Bharatiya
Janata Party ?
(a) Bahujan Samaj
(b) Revolutionary democracy
(c) Cultural nationalism
(d) Modernity
Q.8. Which country has a Bi-party system?
(a) India
(b) Pakistan
(c) China
(d) Britain
Q.9. Which one of the following is a better way of carrying out political
reforms in a democratic country?
(a) The Legal changes
(b) The Constitutional changes
(c) The empowerment of people
(d) The legislation for reforms
Q.10. Which one of the following is true regarding a coalition government?
(a) Only two parties form an alliance and contest elections.
(b) Several parties compete for power.
(c) The government is formed by two or more parties coming together.
(d) Several parties form an alliance and compete for power.
Q.11. Which one of the following is not a component of a political party?
(a) The leaders
(b) The followers
(c) The active members
(d) Women
Q.12. A recognised political party is one that:
(a) Is registered with the Election Commission of India
(b) Is given a unique election symbol
(c) Gets some other facilities recognised by the Election Commission
(d) All of these
Q.13. What is ruling party?
(a) Political party which always solves the people’s problem
(b) Political party which is never defeated.
(c) Political party that follows the rules
(d) Political party that runs the government

Q.14. In which one of the following states does ‘Shiv Sena’ exist as a regional
political Party?
(a) Gujarat
(b) Karnataka
(c) Maharashtra
(d) Madhya Pradesh
Q.15. In which one of the following does the ‘Rashtriya Lok Dal’ exist as a
regional political party?
(a) Haryana
(b) Uttar Pradesh
(c) Kamataka
(d) Odisha
Q.16. In which one the following states does ‘Biju Janata Dal’ exist as a
regional political party ?
(a) Karnataka
(b) Andhra Pradesh
(c) Bihar
(d) Odisha
ANSWERS:-
(a) Partisan
(a) Only (i) and (ii)
(c) The Election Commission

(a)India
(b) State Party

(d) 6%, 4

(c) Cultural nationalism

(d) Britain

(c) The empowerment of people

(c) The government is formed by two or more parties coming together.

(d) Women

(d) All of these

(d) Political party that runs the government

(c) Maharashtra

(b) Uttar Pradesh

(d) Odisha

Political Parties Class 10 Important Questions Social

2016
Very Short Answer Type Questions [1 Mark]

Question 1.
Name any one political party that has national level political organisation but is not
recognised as the national political party.
Answer:
Samajwadi Party, Samta Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal are the examples of the parties that
have national level political organisations but are not recognised as national political parties.

National Career Service (NCS) aims to bridge the gap between those who need jobs and
those who want to hire them.

Question 2.
Why did India adopt multi-party system?
Answer:
India adopted a multi-party system because of its social and geographical diversity. In such a
diverse country, two or even three parties cannot absorb all the differences

Question 3.
Why is one-party political system not considered a good option in democratic system?
Answer:
One-party system is not considered a good option in democratic system because voters are
not offered any choice at the time of voting.

Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 4.
What is meant by a national political party? State the conditions required to be a national
political party.
Answer:
A national political party is a party that is present in several or all units of the federation. In
other words, it is a country-wide party. It has its uni|s in various states. By and large, all these
units follow the same policies. The following are the conditions required for a party to
become a national party.

 A party has to secure at least six percent of total votes polled in the Lok Sabha
elections or Assembly elections in four states.
 It has to win at least four seats in the Lok Sabha to be recognised as a national party

Question 5.
‘Nearly every one of the state parties wants to get an opportunity to be part of one or the
other national-level coalition.’ Support the statement with arguments
Answer:
Nearly every one of the state parties wants to get an opportunity to be part of one or the other
national-level coalition because:

 the members of the state party get a chance of being included in the cabinet or the
council of ministers.
 state parties get an opportunity and a platform to express their views and ideology at
the national level.
 it helps in strengthening of federalism and democracy, and thus bringing diversity in
the parliament.
Question 6.
What is meant by a regional party? State the conditions required to be recognised as a
regional political party.
Answer:
A regional party, also called a state party, is a political party which takes care of regional
concerns and state’s interests only. It happens to have succeeded only in some states units of
the federation.
The following are the conditions required for a party to be recognised as a regional party.

 A party has to secure at least six per cent of the total votes polled in the election to the
legislative assembly of a state.
 It has to win at least two seats in the election to the legislative assembly of . a state to
be recognised as a state or regional party.

Question 7.
Which three challenges do you feel are being faced by political parties in India? Give your
opinion.
Answer:
As political parties are the essence of democracy, it is natural that they are often blamed for
the failure of any policy or the working of democracy. Mostly, political parties face the
following challenges in their working area.

 Lack of internal democracy: Political parties face the problem of internal democracy,
which implies that:
 parties do not hold organisational meetings.
 they do not conduct regular internal elections.
 membership of the party members is not fairly registered.
 all the members, except top leaders, are not included in the decision-making process.
 Dynastic succession:
 Another challenge is that in most of the political parties, the top posts are always
controlled by the members of one family, which is very unfair to other members.
 Since open and transparent functioning is lacking, there are very few chances for an
ordinary worker to rise to the top.
 Money and muscle power: The third challenge is the growing role of money and
muscle power.
 Nowadays, elections are focussed mainly on winning at any cost, so parties try to use
short-cuts like using money and muscle power.
 They try to select or nominate those candidates who can raise money or provide
muscle power.
 Sometimes, wealthy people and big companies also get involved in the democratic
politics for their own interest and try to influence the decision-making process.
 In some cases, parties support criminals who can win elections.
 Absence of a meaningful choice:
 In the present political scenario, there is no ideological difference among the political
parties, so they do not provide a meaningful choice to voters.
 Those voters, who really want a change in the government and its policies, never get
any positive option. For instance, in India, where we have multi-party system, the
differences between the parties over the economic matters have reduced.
 Also, people cannot even elect different leaders because the same set of leaders keep
shifting from one party to another.
Question 8.
Analyse the three components of a political party.
Answer:
The following are the three elements of a political party.

 The leaders: The leaders contest elections and, if they win, perform the administrative
jobs.
 The active members: The active members attend party meetings and are close to the
party leaders. They can be called the assistants of the leaders.
 The followers: The followers are the dedicated workers of the party. They work under
the able guidance of the active members.

Question 9.
What is a political party? State any two points of ideology of Bhartiya Janata Party.
Answer:
A political party is an association or a voluntary group of people who come together to
contest election and hold power in the government. They agree on some policies and
programmes.The ideology of Bhartiya Janata Party is as follows.

 It wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
 It wants to build a strong and modern India by drawing inspiration from India’s ancient
culture and values.
 It wants a uniform civil code for all people living in the country, irrespective of
religion.
 It wants religious conversions to be banned in India.

Question 10.
‘No party system is ideal for all countries and all situations.’ Justify the statement with
arguments.
Answer:
No party system is ideal for all countries and all situations. This statement can be justified
giving the following arguments.

 A one-party system cannot be considered a good option because the voters do not have
any choice and it is not a democratic option.
 A two-party system cannot be considered ideal for a country because in this system,
power usually shifts from one party to the other. Several other parties with better
programmes and policies may exist, contest elections and win a few seats, but only the
two party have serious chance of forming government.
 A multiparty system also cannot be considered a good option because it often appears
messy and leads to political instability. In this system the government is formed by
various parties and ideologies coming together which may further raise issues and
conflicts.

Long Answer Type Questions [5 Marks]

Question 11.
‘All over the world, people express their dissatisfaction with the failure of political parties to
perform their functions well.’ Analyse the statement with arguments.
Answer:
All over the world people express their dissatisfaction with the failure of political parties to
perform their functions well. Popular discontent is focussed on various problems like
unemployment, price rise and poverty which the political parties are not able to address. They
are rather ineffective in following democracy. Certain evils have crept into the political
parties which justify that there is popular dissatisfaction and criticism for political parties and
their way of functioning. Following are the arguments to support the given statement: Refer
to answer 7

Question 12.
‘Political parties are a necessary condition for a democracy.’ Analyse the statement with
examples.
Answer:
In a democratic set-up, political parties are required because without political parties:

 every candidate in the elections will be independent. No promises could be made and
the utility of the government formed will remain uncertain.
 no one will be responsible for running the country. Elected representatives
will only be accountable to their constituency
 there will be no agency to gather and present different views on various issues to the
government.
 no one will be responsible for bringing various representatives together so as to form a
responsible government.
 there will be no mechanism to support the government, make policies and justify or
oppose them.

Question 13.
Suggest and explain any five measures to reform political parties.
Answer:
The following reforms could be suggested in order to strengthen parties so that they perform
their functions well.

 Regulation of party’s internal affairs: A law should be made to regulate the internal
affairs of political parties. It should be made compulsory for political parties to
maintain a register of their members, to follow their own constitution, to have an
independent authority, etc.
 State funding: There should be state funding of elections. The government should give
money to parties to support their election expenses to avoid corruption.
 Pressure of public opinion: Political parties can be reformed if people put pressure on
them. This can be done through petitions, propaganda and agitations. Pressure groups
and media play an important role in this.
 Ban on political parties based on religion and caste: The Election Commission should
ban the political parties which are formed on the basis of religion and caste.
 Ensure women participation: It should be made mandatory for all political parties to
allot one-third of the tickets to women to ensure their decisive voice in decision
making.If the above-mentioned suggestions are taken into consideration, it can be
ensured that these could lead to some improvement in the working of the political
parties.

Question 14.
Examine any two institutional amendments made by different institutions to reform political
parties and their leaders.
Answer:
The following are the two institutional amendments made by different institutions to reform
political parties and their leaders.

 Anti-defection law: The anti-defection law was passed to prevent elected MLAs and
MPs from changing their parties. It was seen that many MLAs and MPs were changing
their parties for personal gains. Now, according to the law, if any MLA or MP changes
his/her party, his/her seat in the legislature will be lost. Also, MLAs and MPs have to
accept whatever the party leaders decide.
 Affidavit: To reduce the influence of money and muscle power (criminals), an order
has been passed by the Supreme Court making it mandatory for every candidate
contesting election to file an affidavit giving details of his/her property and criminal
records. This system has helped in making a lot of information available to the public.
But, we cannot say that this amendment has been successful as it cannot be said that
information provided by the candidates is true.
 Mandatory organisational meeting andfiling of ITR: An order has been passed by the
Election Commission making it mandatory for political parties to hold their
organisational elections and file their income tax returns. The parties have started
doing this, but sometimes it is only a formality. It is not clear if this step has brought
some reform or not. {any two)

2015
Very Short Answer Type Questions [1 Mark]

Question 15.
If all the decisions of a political party are made by a single family and all other members are
neglected, than what challenge is being faced by that party?
Answer:
If all the decisions of a political party are made by a single family and all other members are
neglected, then the party faces the challenge of dynastic succession.

Question 16.
What is meant by a political party?
Answer:
A political party is an association or a voluntary group of people who cometogether to contest
elections and hold power in the government. They agree on some policies and programmes.

Question 17.
Name any two regional parties of West Bengal.
Answer:
Two regional parties of West Bengal are:

 Forward Bloc
 Trinamool Congress
 Revolutionary Socialist Party

Question 18.
Why do political parties involve partisanship?
Answer:
Political parties involve partisanship because they are part of the society and reflects the
fundamental political divisions in a society. They are known by the part they stand for,
policies they support and interests of the society they uphold.

Question 19.
What is the requirement laid down by the Election Commission for a political party to be
recognized as a state party?
Answer:
The party that secures at least six per cent of total votes in an election to the Legislative
Assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognised as a state party.

Question 20.
What is a political party?
Answer:
A political party is an association or a voluntary group of people who come together to
contest elections and hold power in the government. They agree on some policies and
programmes.

Question 21.
What is the guiding philosophy of Bhartiya Janata Party?
Answer:
The guiding philosophy of Bhartiya Janata Party is to modernise India on the basis of Indian
traditions and cultural values and the promotion of a uniform civil code.

Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 22.
What is a multiparty system? Why has India adopted a multiparty system? Explain
Answer:
A multiparty system is a political system in which several parties contest the election to hold
political power. In this system, there is a chance of two or more parties coming to power.
This system also advocates coalition government and alliance politics.India adopted a
multiparty system because of the following reasons.

 India is blessed with tremendous social and geographical diversity. This diversity
cannot be easily accommodated in one or two political parties.
 Because of multiparty system, variety of interests and opinions enjoy political
representation.

Question 23.
‘Lack of internal democracy within parties is the major challenge to political parties all over
the world.’ Analyse the statement,
Answer:
Lack of internal democracy within political parties is a major challenge to political parties all
over the world. This statement can be analysed giving the following reasons.

 It is a tendency among political parties to concentrate power in the hands of one or few
top leaders.
 Parties do not often keep membership registers and do not hold organisational
meetings and do not conduct internal elections regularly.
 Sufficient information on what happens inside the party is not provided to the ordinary
members of the party.
 In such a situation, personal loyalty to the leader becomes more important.

Question 24.
‘Dynastic succession is one of the most serious challenges before the political parties.’
Analyse the statement.
Answer:
The challenge of dynastic succession is undoubtedly one of the most serious challenges
before the political parties. The statement can be analysed giving the following arguments.

 Most parties do not practise open and transparent procedures, hence, there are very few
opportunities for an ordinary worker to rise to the top in a party.
 Top leaders favour people close to them or even their family members. In many
parties, the top positions are always controlled by members of*one family.
 This is bad for democracy because people without sufficient experience or popular
support are able to enjoy positions of power.

Question 25.
How do money and muscle power play an important role in elections? Explain.
Answer:
Ans. Nowadays elections are focused mainly on winning at any cost so parties try to use
short-cuts like money and muscle power.

 They try to select or nominate those candidates who can raise money or provide
muscle power.
 Sometimes, wealthy people and big companies also get involved in the democratic
politics for their own interest and influence decision-making process.
 In many cases, candidates with criminal records, who can win elections, are supported.

Question 26.
“Serious efforts were made by the legal organisations to reform political parties in India.”
Support the statement.
Answer:
Serious efforts were made by the legal organisations to reform political parties in India. The
following points support the statement.

 The Supreme Court has made it mandatory for the candidates contesting elections to
produce an affidavit giving details of property and cases pending against them. It is
hoped that this will reduce the influence of money and muscle power in elections.
 Anti-defection law has been passed by amending the constitution to prevent elected
MLAs and MPs from changing their parties.
 The Election Commission has made it mandatory for the political parties to hold
organisational elections and file their income tax returns.

Question 27.
Describe any three main features of a two-party system
Answer:
Three main features of a two-party system are as follows.
 Power usually changes between two parties, while other political parties may exist.
 The party that wins the majority forms the government, while the other forms the
major opposition.
 Decision-making and implementation is prompt and quick.
 Such a system gives a strong and good opposition.

Long Answer Type Questions [5 Marks]

Question 28.
Describe any five major functions of political parties
Answer:
The following are the various functions political parties perform in a democracy.

 Contest elections: Parties contest elections. In countries like India, top party leaders
choose candidates for contesting elections.
 Putforward policies and programmes: Parties put forward different policies and
programmes and voters choose from them. Political parties accommodate different
views and opinions.
 Play an important role in making laws: Political parties play a decisive role in making
laws for a country. Formally, laws are debated and passed in the legislature, but since
most of the members belong to a party, they go by the direction of the party leadership,
irrespective of their personal opinions.
 Form and run government: To run the government, political parties prepare a council of
ministers by recruiting and training the leaders.
 Provide access to government machinery and welfare schemes: Political parties
provide people access to government machinery and welfare schemes implemented by
governments. For an ordinary citizen, it is easy to approach a local party leader than a
government officer.
 Play the role of position: The party which loses election plays the role of opposition.
Opposition party tries to put checks on the ruling party by constantly criticizing its
policies.
 Shape public opinion: One of the most important functions of political parties is that
they shape public opinion on relevant issues for the proper functioning of the
government and to deepen the concept of democracy

Question 29.
What is meant by a political party? Describe the three components of a political party.
Answer:
A political party is a political association or a voluntary group of people who come together
to contest elections and hold political power in the government. They agree on some policies
and programmes.Political parties are necessary for democracy. They provide an important
two-way link between the government and the people. They also unite and aggregate like-
minded people from diverse backgrounds and religions to form a wide coalition of people and
provide unity in diversity.
For the three components of a political party, refer to answer 8.

Question 30.
Suggest any five effective measures to reform political parties.
Answer:
Refer to answer 13
Question 31.
‘Modem democracies cannot exist without political parties.’ Examine the statement.
Answer:
Refer to answer 12

2014
Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 32.
Why do we need political parties?
Answer:
Refer to answer 12

Question 33.
Describe the three components of a political party.
Answer:
Refer to answer 8

Question 34.
State the conditions laid down by the Election Commission to recognise a state party and a
national party.
Answer:

 A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in an election to the
legislative assembly of a state and wins at least two seats is recognised as a state party.
 A party that secures at least six per cent of the total votes in lok sabha elections or
assembly elections in four states and wins at least four seats in the lok sabha is
recognised as a national party.

Question 35.
Name the six national political parties of India in chronological order.
Answer:
The following are the six national political parties of India in chronological order.

 Indian National Congress (1885) .

 Communist Party of India (1925)
 Communist Party of India-Marxist (1964)
 Bhartiya Janata Party (1980)
 Bahujan Samaj Party (1984)
 National Congress Party (1999)

Question 36.
Name any three national political parties along with their symbols.
Answer:

 Indian National Congress—symbol: hand, palm facing the people

 Bhartiya Janata Party—symbol: a lotus
 Bahujan Samaj Party—symbol: an elephant
Question 37.
Name any six regional political parties of the four southern states of India.
Answer:

 The four southern states with regional political parties are as follows.
 Kerala: Indian Federal Democratic Party and Kerala Congress (Mani)
 Tamil Nadu: All India Anna DMK and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
 Andhra Pradesh: Telegu Desam Party
 Karnataka: Janata Dal (Secular)

Question 38.
Name the regional political parties predominant in Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand
respectively with their symbols
Answer:
The regional political parties predominant in:

 Punjab—Shiromani Akali Dal, symbol: scales

 Haryana—Indian National Lok Dal, symbol: a pair of spectacles
 Uttarakhand—Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, symbol: chair

Question 39.
Name the regional political parties predominant in Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Orissa,
respectively with their symbols.
Answer:

 The regional political parties predominant in:

 Jharkhand—Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, symbol: bow and arrow
 Maharashtra—Shiv Sena, symbol: bow and arrow
 Orissa—Biju Janata Dal, symbol: conch

Question 40.
Name the regional political parties predominant in Sikkim, Nagaland and Manipur,
respectively with their symbols.
Answer:

 The regional political parties predominant in:

 Sikkim—Sikkim Democratic Front, symbol: an umberlla
 Nagaland—Nagaland People’s Front, symbol: a cock
 Manipur—Manipur People’s Party, symbol: a cycle

Long Answer Type Questions [5 Marks]

Question 41.
Why can modern democracies not exist without political parties? Explain
Answer:
Refer to answer 12

Question 42.
Suggest any five political reforms to strengthen democracy.
Answer:
Refer to answer 13

Question 43.
‘About hundred years ago there were few countries that had hardly any political party. Now
there are few countries that do not have political parties.’ Examine the statement.
Answer:
The statement has two parts.

 About a hundred years ago, there were few countries that had hardly any political
party. It shows that very few countries were democratic countries and if they were not
democracies, there was no need for political parties.
 Now there are few countries that do not have political parties. In the last
hundred years many countries became independent from colonial control. After
independence, they adopted democratic governments. So there was an increasing
necessity for political parties.
The political parties have become very important in a democratic country because of
the following reasons.
 Not having political parties will lead to chaos and turmoil in the society. It will be
against democratic principles.
 Without parties, candidates elected will be independent and will not be able to make
policies. They will not be responsible and accountable to the people.
 The existence of parties in a democracy ensures that a country runs as per its policies
and ideologies and have a government which is answerable to the people.

Question 44.
Explain any five functions of political parties.
Answer:
Refer to answer 28

Question 45.
How is dynastic succession a major challenge for political parties in India? Explain.
Answer:
The challenge of dynastic succession is undoubtedly a major challenge for political parties in
India. The following points explain this.

 Usually, an ordinary worker does not rise to the top positions in a party because the
functioning of most political parties is not transparent.
 Most of the top leaders favour and choose members of their families. This is unfair to
other members.
 The top positions are always controlled by members of one family. This is unhealthy
for democracy.
 People who are at top levels usually do no have adequate experience, education or
popular support.
 The challenge of dynastic succession is related to the challenge of lack of internal
democracy. Non-deserving leaders exercise paramount power and make decisions.
Those who disagree with the leadership find it difficult to continue in the party.

2oi3
Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]
Question 46.
Name the national political party which gets inspiration from India’s ancient culture and
values. Mention four features of that party.
Answer:
Bharatiya Janata Party gets its inspiration from India’s ancient culture and values. Four
features of Bharatiya Janata Party are as follows.

 It wants full territorial and political integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India.
 It wants a uniform civil code for all people living in the country, irrespective of
religion.
 It wants a ban on religious conversions.
 Hindutva or cultural nationalism is an important element in its conception of politics.

Question 47.
Name the national political party which espouses secularism and welfare of weaker sections
and minorities. Mention any four features of that party.
Answer:
National Congress Party, formed in 1999, espouses secularism and welfare of weaker
sections and minorities. Four features of this party are as follows:

 It wants high offices in the government to be confined to natural-born citizens of the

country.
 It stands for social justice, federalism and equity.
 It is a major party in Maharashtra with a significant presence in Meghalaya, Manipur
and Assam.
 In Maharashtra, it is a coalition partner in alliance with the Congress.
 It is a member of the United Progressive Alliance since 2004.

Question 48.
Name the national political party which draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of
Sahu Maharaj. Mention any four features of that party.
Answer:
The national political party which draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Sahu
Maharaj is Bahujan Samaj Party.Four features of this party are as follows.

 It wants to secure the interest and welfare of the dalits and oppressed classes.
 It seeks to represent and secure power for the bahujan samaj which includes dalits,
adivasis, OBCs and religious minorities.
 It draws inspiration from the ideas and teachings of Mahatma Phule, Periyar,
Ramaswami Naicker and Dr Ambedkar.
 Its main base is in Uttar Pradesh.

Question 49.
‘No party system is ideal for all countries and in all situations.’ Justify the statement with five
arguments.
Answer:
Refer to answer 10

Long Answer Type Questions [5 Marks]

Question 50.
Describe any five functions of the political parties.
Answer:
Refer to answer 28

Question 51.
Describe any five measures to reform political parties in India.
Answer:
Refer to answer 13

Question 52.
Give the meaning of challenge. Describe four challenges faced by political parties in India.
Answer:
A challenge is a difficultly that carries with it an opportunity for progress.As political parties
are the essence of democracy, it is natural that they are often blamed for the failure of any
policy or the working of democracy.Mostly, political parties face four challenges in their
working area such as the following: Refer to answer 7

2012
Short Answer Type Questions [3 Marks]

Question 53.
Explain the three steps taken by different authorities to reform political parties and their
leaders in India
Answer:
Refer to answer 14

Question 54.
Why are political parties necessary for modern democracies? Explain any three reasons.
Answer:
Refer to answer 12

Question 55.
How do political parties shape public opinion? Explain with three examples.
Answer:
Political parties shape public opinion in the following ways.

 They highlight and raise issues.

 Parties have lakhs of members spread all over the country. Often pressure groups are
an extension of political parties, among different sections of the society. They help in
taking up issues and forming public opinion.
 Sometimes, parties launch movements for solving the problems faced by people. Often
the public opinion develops on the same lines that the parties take.

Question 56.
‘There is lack of internal democracy within political parties in India.’ Support the statement
with examples.
Answer:
Refer to answer 23

Long Answer Type Questions [4/5 Marks]

Question 57.
Why can’t modern democracies exist without political parties?
Answer:
Refer to answer 12

Question 58.
How do state or regional political parties contribute in strengthening federalism and
democracy in India? Explain with examples.
Answer:
State and regional political parties contribute in strengthening federalism and democracy in
India in the following ways.

 They provide a variety of choice to people as each of them has different agendas and
focus on different issues.
 They provide a platform for different pressure and social groups, and communities to
put forward their demands.
 They help in power sharing by sharing power of government with the help of coalition
government.

2011
Long Answer Type Questions [4/5 Marks]

Question 59.
Explain any four suggestions to reform political parties in India.
Answer:
Refer to answer 13

Question 60.
Explain how dynastic succession is a major challenge for political parties.
Answer:
Refer to answer 45

Question 61.
Explain the growing role of money and muscle power in political parties.
Answer:
Refer to answer 52.

2010
Long Answer Type Questions [4/5 Marks]

Question 62.
Describe any four functions of the political parties.
Answer:
Refer to answer 28

Question 63.
What is the necessity of political parties in a democratic set-up? Explain any four points.
Answer:
Refer to answer 12