21 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in every exam-style shape used in the paper. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markIn which country was the cycle Ramdhari finally bought for his daughter manufactured?
(A) China(B) The US(C) Japan(D) India - 1 markWhich aspect of globalisation does Janardhan’s call centre job illustrate?
(A) The movement of commodities(B) A conflict of values(C) The globalisation of services(D) The flow of capital - 1 markAccording to the chapter, what is the crucial element of globalisation?
(A) Faster economic growth in every country(B) The free movement of capital alone(C) The rule-making power of the WTO(D) The ‘worldwide interconnectedness’ created and sustained by constant flows - 1 markSome economists have described economic globalisation as:
(A) The end of the nation state(B) The re-colonisation of the world(C) The McDonaldisation of the world(D) The soft power of US hegemony - 1 markIn which year did India embark on its programme of economic reforms?
(A) 1991(B) 1985(C) 1947(D) 1999 - 1 markThe patenting of which plant by American and European firms generated considerable opposition in India?
(A) Basmati(B) Neem(C) Tulsi(D) Turmeric
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): Globalisation is a multi-dimensional concept.
Reason (R): It has political, economic and cultural manifestations, and these must be adequately distinguished.
(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 but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Globalisation always reduces the capacity of the state.
Reason (R): Enhanced technologies at the disposal of the state allow it to collect information about its citizens, so that it is better able to rule.
(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 but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch the person in List I with the aspect of globalisation their story illustrates in List II.
List I: (i) Janardhan, (ii) Ramdhari, (iii) Sarika
List II: (A) A conflict of values, (B) The globalisation of services, (C) The movement of commodities
(A) (i)-A, (ii)-B, (iii)-C(B) (i)-B, (ii)-C, (iii)-A(C) (i)-C, (ii)-A, (iii)-B(D) (i)-B, (ii)-A, (iii)-C - 1 markMatch the term in List I with its meaning in List II.
List I: (i) Cultural homogenisation, (ii) Cultural heterogenisation, (iii) Soft power of US hegemony, (iv) Re-colonisation of the world
List II: (A) The imposition of Western culture on the rest of the world in the name of a global culture, (B) How some economists have described economic globalisation, (C) The rise of a uniform culture, (D) Each culture becoming more different and distinctive
(A) (i)-A, (ii)-D, (iii)-C, (iv)-B(B) (i)-C, (ii)-A, (iii)-D, (iv)-B(C) (i)-D, (ii)-C, (iii)-A, (iv)-B(D) (i)-C, (ii)-D, (iii)-A, (iv)-B
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) Globalisation as a concept fundamentally deals with flows.
(ii) The flows the chapter names are ideas, capital, commodities and people.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii) - 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) Advocates of economic globalisation argue that greater trade among countries allows each economy to do what it does best.
(ii) More moderate supporters say globalisation provides a challenge that can be responded to intelligently without accepting it uncritically.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii)
5 Chronological Ordering
Chronological Ordering
- 1 markArrange the following in the correct chronological order.
(i) The fourth World Social Forum meeting in Mumbai
(ii) The first World Social Forum meeting at Porto Alegre
(iii) India embarked on a programme of economic reforms
(iv) Protests at the WTO Ministerial Meeting in Seattle
(A) (iii), (iv), (ii), (i)(B) (iv), (iii), (ii), (i)(C) (iii), (ii), (iv), (i)(D) (iv), (ii), (iii), (i) - 1 markArrange these World Social Forum meetings in chronological order.
(i) Mumbai
(ii) Nepal
(iii) Porto Alegre
(A) (i), (ii), (iii)(B) (i), (iii), (ii)(C) (ii), (iii), (i)(D) (iii), (i), (ii)
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 mark“The burger is no substitute for a ________ and, therefore, does not pose any real challenge.”
(A) samosa(B) thali(C) masala dosa(D) chapati - 1 mark“Blue jeans, on the other hand, can go well with a homespun ________ kurta.”
(A) silk(B) khadi(C) cotton(D) linen
7 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markThree of these are flows the chapter says globalisation deals with. Which is the odd one out?
(A) Ideas(B) Capital(C) Institutions(D) People
8 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
At the most simple level, globalisation results in an erosion of state capacity, that is, the ability of government to do what they do. All over the world, the old ‘welfare state’ is now giving way to a more minimalist state that performs certain core functions such as the maintenance of law and order and the security of its citizens. However, it withdraws from many of its earlier welfare functions directed at economic and social well-being. In place of the welfare state, it is the market that becomes the prime determinant of economic and social priorities. The entry and the increased role of multinational companies all over the world leads to a reduction in the capacity of governments to take decisions on their own.
- 1 markAccording to the passage, which functions does the more minimalist state continue to perform?
(A) Education and health(B) Economic and social well-being(C) The maintenance of law and order and the security of its citizens(D) The regulation of multinational companies
Passage
At the same time, it would be a mistake to assume that cultural consequences of globalisation are only negative. Cultures are not static things. All cultures accept outside influences all the time. Some external influences are negative because they reduce our choices. But sometimes external influences simply enlarge our choices, and sometimes they modify our culture without overwhelming the traditional. The burger is no substitute for a masala dosa and, therefore, does not pose any real challenge. It is simply added on to our food choices. Blue jeans, on the other hand, can go well with a homespun khadi kurta.
- 1 markAccording to the passage, why are some external influences negative?
(A) Because they reduce our choices(B) Because they enlarge our choices(C) Because they modify our culture(D) Because they come from the West
9 True / False
True / False
- 1 mark(i) The latest World Social Forum meeting was held in Nepal in February 2024.
(ii) The World Social Forum brings together human rights activists, environmentalists, labour, youth and women activists opposed to neo-liberal globalisation.
(A) Both statements are true(B) Both statements are untrue(C) (i) is true and (ii) is untrue(D) (i) is untrue and (ii) is true - 1 mark(i) The chapter treats globalisation as a purely economic phenomenon.
(ii) The chapter defines the erosion of state capacity as a loss of the ability of government to do what they do.
(A) Both statements are true(B) Both statements are untrue(C) (i) is true and (ii) is untrue(D) (i) is untrue and (ii) is true
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (A) The chapter says he finally does buy a cycle, which is actually manufactured in China but is being marketed in India. It meets his requirements of quality as well as affordability. The Barbie doll of the previous year is the one that was manufactured in the US.
- (C) The chapter says so in as many words when it sums the three opening examples up: in the first instance Janardhan was participating in the globalisation of services. Ramdhari’s purchases illustrate the movement of commodities and Sarika’s decision illustrates a conflict of values.
- (D) After listing the four flows the chapter says the crucial element is the ‘worldwide interconnectedness’ that is created and sustained as a consequence of these constant flows. This is also the phrase exercise Question 6 asks you to explain, so it is worth learning as printed.
- (B) The chapter reports that some economists have described economic globalisation as re-colonisation of the world. The McDonaldisation of the world and the soft power of US hegemony belong to the cultural section of the chapter, not the economic one.
- (A) The chapter says that in 1991, responding to a financial crisis and to the desire for higher rates of economic growth, India embarked on a programme of economic reforms that has sought increasingly to de-regulate various sectors including trade and foreign investment. Note that exercise Question 1 makes you reject the claim that globalisation itself began in 1991.
- (B) The chapter names only one plant here: the patenting of certain plants like Neem by American and European firms has also generated considerable opposition.
Assertion-Reason
- (B) Both sentences are the chapter’s own. The second restates what the first means: globalisation has political, economic and cultural manifestations, which must be distinguished. It does not explain why the first is said; it defines the term.
- (D) The chapter says in as many words that globalisation does not always reduce state capacity, so A overstates the case and is false. R is the chapter’s own claim, and it is the very evidence that defeats A: with this information the state is better able to rule, not less able, and states become more powerful than they were earlier as an outcome of the new technology.
Match the Following
- (B) The chapter matches all three itself in one paragraph: Janardhan was participating in the globalisation of services; Ramdhari’s birthday purchases tell us something about the movement of commodities from one part of the world to another; and Sarika is faced with a conflict of values.
- (D) Each pairing is the chapter’s own wording: the rise of a uniform culture is what is called cultural homogenisation; the same process leads to each culture becoming more different and distinctive, which is called cultural heterogenisation; the imposition of Western culture in the name of a global culture is known as the soft power of US hegemony; and some economists have described economic globalisation as re-colonisation of the world.
Statement-Based Questions
- (C) Both are the chapter’s own. It first says globalisation as a concept fundamentally deals with flows, and then lists exactly these four kinds: ideas moving from one part of the world to another, capital shunted between two or more places, commodities being traded across borders, and people moving in search of better livelihoods.
- (C) Both are the chapter’s own sentences from the paragraph that sets out the case for economic globalisation, which also argues that de-regulation generates greater economic growth and well-being for larger sections of the population.
Chronological Ordering
- (A) The four years the chapter gives are 1991 for India’s reforms (iii), 1999 for the Seattle protests (iv), 2001 for the first WSF meeting at Porto Alegre (ii) and 2004 for the fourth WSF meeting in Mumbai (i).
- (D) The chapter dates all three: Porto Alegre in 2001 was the first meeting, Mumbai in 2004 the fourth, and Nepal in February 2024 the latest.
Fill in the Blanks
- (C) The chapter’s example is the masala dosa, and the point of the sentence is that the burger is simply added on to our food choices rather than replacing anything.
- (B) The chapter’s word is khadi, and the sentence continues into its best-known image: the outcome of outside influence here is a new combination that is unique, a khadi kurta worn over jeans.
Odd One Out
- (C) The chapter’s list has exactly four items: ideas, capital, commodities and people. Institutions such as the IMF and the WTO appear in the chapter as actors in economic globalisation, and never as one of the flows.
Passage-Based Questions
- (C) The passage names these as the core functions the minimalist state performs, and says it withdraws from many of its earlier welfare functions directed at economic and social well-being.
- (A) The passage draws a careful three-way distinction: some external influences reduce our choices and are negative, some simply enlarge our choices, and some modify our culture without overwhelming the traditional.
True / False
- (A) Both come from the chapter’s paragraph on the WSF, which describes it as another global platform bringing together a wide coalition of exactly those groups, and dates its first, fourth and latest meetings to 2001, 2004 and February 2024.
- (D) Statement (i) is refuted by the chapter’s own warning that it is wrong to assume globalisation has purely economic dimensions, just as it would also be mistaken to assume that it is a purely cultural phenomenon; exercise Question 1 makes the same point. Statement (ii) is the chapter’s own definition, given as a parenthesis in the political consequences section.
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