All 5 questions from the exercises of NCERT’s textbook Political Theory, Chapter 5 “Rights”, in the English edition’s own wording, with a full model answer for each. The questions printed inside the chapter (Let’s Do It, Let’s Debate, Let’s Think and the two cartoons) are answered at the end. Try answering first, then check.
1 What rights are, and why they matter
Q. What are rights and why are they important? What are the bases on which claims to rights can be made?
Answer: A right is essentially an entitlement or a justified claim. It denotes what we are entitled to as citizens, as individuals and as human beings, something that the rest of society must recognise as a legitimate claim that must be upheld. Rights matter because they represent conditions that we and others regard as necessary for a life of respect and dignity.
There are two main grounds on which rights are claimed: first, a life of dignity, such as the right to livelihood or the right to freedom of expression, which matter to every person living in society and so are called universal. Second, our well-being, such as the right to education, which helps develop our capacity and talents. By contrast, activities injurious to our health and well-being, such as taking drugs, cannot be claimed as a right.
2 Universal rights, three examples
Q. On what grounds are some rights considered to be universal in nature? Identify three rights which you consider universal. Give reasons.
Answer: Rights that are considered necessary, without distinction, for every human being in society to lead a life of dignity and respect are called universal. Three universal rights:
(a) Right to life: every human being has the right to live and be safe, without which all other rights become meaningless.
(b) Right to freedom of expression: this gives every person the opportunity to be creative and original, and is also important for democratic government since it allows free expression of beliefs and opinions.
(c) Right to education: it develops our capacity to reason, gives us useful skills and enables us to make informed choices, which is why it is designated a universal right.
3 New rights being put forward in our country
Q. Discuss briefly some of the new rights claims which are being put forward in our country today, for example the rights of tribal peoples to protect their habitat and way of life, or the rights of children against bonded labour.
Answer: As societies face new threats and challenges, the list of claimed rights has kept growing. Beyond the generally accepted civil and political rights, claims are now being made for the right to information, the right to clean air and the right to safe drinking water. Some new rights being put forward in our country:
(a) Right of tribal peoples to protect their habitat and way of life: tribal communities are claiming protection of their traditional forest areas, resources and ways of life so that development projects or outside interference do not destroy their culture and livelihood.
(b) Right of children against bonded labour: the claim being made for children is that they should not be forced into labour, but instead should have a right to education and a safe childhood.
(c) Environment-related rights: our awareness of the need to protect the natural environment has generated demands for rights to clean air, water and sustainable development.
(d) Right to livelihood and rights of children: a new awareness of the changes which many people, especially women, children or the sick, face in times of war or natural crisis has led to demands for a right to livelihood, rights of children and the like.
4 Difference between political, economic and cultural rights
Q. Differentiate between political, economic and cultural rights. Give examples of each kind of right.
Answer:
| Kind | What it covers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Political rights | equality before law and participation in the political process, including civil liberties | voting, electing representatives, contesting elections, forming political parties, a free and fair trial, free expression of views |
| Economic rights | the state’s obligation to ensure basic needs (food, clothing, shelter, health) are met | housing and medical facilities, minimum wage for the unemployed, India’s rural employment guarantee scheme |
| Cultural rights | the right to live, learn in and preserve one’s own language and culture | primary education in one’s mother tongue, the right to set up institutions to teach one’s language and culture |
Political rights make the government accountable to the people, economic rights meet basic needs and so give the other rights meaning, and cultural rights protect the identity and traditions of communities.
Q. Rights place some limits on the authority of the state. Explain with examples.
Answer: Rights do not only say what the state must do, they also say what the state must not do. In this way rights place restraints on state power too:
(a) No arbitrary arrest: a person’s right to liberty means the state cannot simply arrest them at its own will. If it wishes to put someone behind bars, it must justify that action and give reasons before a court, which is why the police must produce an arrest warrant before taking a person away.
(b) Limits on curtailing civil liberties: governments may restrict civil liberties in the name of national security, but such restrictions must not themselves become a threat to rights. Even an arrested person must be given legal counsel and the opportunity to present their case before a court.
(c) Limits from legal recognition: Fundamental Rights enshrined in the Constitution ensure that other laws and policies respect them, meaning no ordinary law can violate constitutionally guaranteed rights.
Thus, even though the state is the sovereign authority, it is bound to act without violating the sanctity of individual life and liberty, because the state exists not for its own sake but for the welfare of the people.
6 In-text Questions
The chapter also asks questions inside the text: in its Let’s Do It, Let’s Debate and Let’s Think boxes and in its two cartoons. They are answered below in the order in which they appear in the book, in the English edition’s own wording. Activities and debates have no single right answer; the model answers show what a good response contains.
Q. Go through recent newspapers and make a list of people’s movements that have made proposals for new kinds of rights.
Answer. This is a newspaper activity. Your list should name the movement and the new right it asks for. The chapter itself points to the kinds of claims you will find: the right to information, the right to clean air and the right to safe drinking water; rights for children, unborn foetuses and even animals; and, as societies face new threats, rights to clean air, water and sustainable development, the right to livelihood and the rights of children. The exercises add the rights of tribal peoples to protect their habitat and way of life and the rights of children against bonded labour. For each item, note the ground on which the right is claimed: a life of dignity, or our well-being.
Q. “My father had applied for a telephone connection. It’s been over two months and he still hasn’t got it. What can he do?” “You know what! Now we have a right to information. We can find out the status of his application as well as the cause for the delay.”
Answer. The cartoon shows one of the new rights the chapter mentions at the start, the right to information, at work in daily life. A citizen can use it to ask a government office about the status of an application and the reason for a delay. It also shows the chapter’s point that rights are mostly claims directed towards the state: the right places an obligation on the state to act, here by telling the citizen what is happening and why.
Q. Go through the newspapers of the last few days and identify cases of rights violations which have been discussed. What should the government and civil society do to prevent such violations?
Answer. This is a newspaper activity. For each case, write which right was violated (for example the right to life, liberty, a free and fair trial, free expression, privacy, or the ban on untouchability) and by whom. What the government should do: the chapter says rights place an obligation on the state both to act (make laws that protect people from injury by others and punish those who harm them) and to refrain (no arrest at its own will, reasons given before a court, an arrest warrant produced). What civil society should do: be vigilant about limitations placed on rights, support the victims, and respect the rights of others, since my rights are limited by the principle of equal and same rights for all.
Q. The right to culture means that no one should be allowed to make films that offend the religious or cultural beliefs of others.
Answer. For the motion: cultural rights are being recognised as necessary for leading a good life, and in exercising my rights I cannot deprive others of their rights, so a film that insults a community’s beliefs may be seen as harming that community’s dignity. Against the motion: the right to culture, as the chapter describes it, means the right to primary education in one’s mother tongue and to establish institutions for teaching one’s language and culture; it is a right to practise one’s own culture, not a right to stop others from expressing views. Freedom of expression lets us be creative and original and is important for democratic government. A balanced answer can say that rights can never be absolute and must be balanced when they conflict, so only expression that incites violence or harms others’ rights should be restricted, not anything someone finds offensive. Give your own view with reasons.
Q. Which of the following rights granted to groups/communities are justifiable? Discuss.
- Jain community in a town sets up its own school and enrols students only from its own community. Partly justifiable. Setting up institutions to teach one’s own language and culture is a recognised cultural right. But a school that admits only its own community limits other children’s access to education, which is a universal right, so the claim is debatable.
- Purchase of land or property in Himachal Pradesh is restricted to those who are residents in that state. Can be defended. It protects the land, livelihood and culture of the local people from being bought up by outsiders, much like the claims of tribal peoples to protect their habitat. Critics say it restricts the freedom of other citizens.
- The principal of a co-ed college issued a circular that no girl should wear any ‘western’ dress. Not justifiable. It is not a right of a group at all but a restriction on individual girls’ freedom of choice, applied only to girls. If I do not want others to interfere in the choices I make, such as the dress I wear, I must leave others free to choose too.
- A Panchayat in Haryana decided that the boy and the girl from different castes who married each other will not be allowed to live in the village. Not justifiable. It violates the couple’s right to life and liberty and treats them unequally on grounds of caste; a group cannot claim a “right” that deprives individuals of their basic rights.
Q. “Did you see the latest sting operation on TV yesterday? I couldn’t believe the conversation between the hotshot official and the famous actress.” “That was cheap sensationalism. Besides, it was an infringement of their right to privacy.”
Answer. The cartoon illustrates the third responsibility that comes with rights: we must balance our rights when they come into conflict. The media’s freedom of expression does not extend to violating a person’s right to privacy, just as, in the chapter’s example, taking pictures of a person bathing in his house without his consent and posting them on the internet would violate his right to privacy. In exercising my rights I cannot deprive others of theirs.
Q. One man’s rights end where the other man’s nose begins.
Answer. For the motion: the saying sums up the chapter’s view that my rights are limited by the principle of equal and same rights for all; I cannot use the right to free speech to incite a crowd to kill my neighbour, and I must respect the choices of others if I want mine respected. Against, or adding to, the motion: the line between my right and another’s “nose” is not always clear, rights sometimes conflict (free expression and privacy) and have to be balanced, and restrictions imposed in the name of others’ safety can themselves become a threat to rights, which is why citizens must stay vigilant. Rights can never be absolute, but they must not be curtailed without good reason. Give your own view with reasons.