19 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 markWhat does the chapter compare justice to, at the very start?
(A) Time(B) Wealth(C) Power(D) Love - 1 markAccording to the Chinese philosopher Confucius, how should a king maintain justice?
(A) By punishing wrongdoers and rewarding the virtuous(B) By giving tax exemptions(C) By changing the state religion(D) By expanding the army - 1 markIn which book did Plato discuss questions of justice?
(A) Hind Swaraj(B) The Republic(C) Das Kapital(D) The Prince - 1 markImmanuel Kant was a philosopher from which country?
(A) Greece(B) France(C) England(D) Germany - 1 markAccording to Kant, if all persons are granted dignity, what is each person then due?
(A) A political office(B) The opportunity to develop their talents and pursue their chosen goals(C) More wealth(D) A special title - 1 markIn the chapter’s example, one person gets one hundred rupees for a job; how much does another person get for the same job, purely because they belong to a different caste, an outcome the chapter calls unjust?
(A) Sixty rupees(B) Ninety rupees(C) Seventy five rupees(D) Fifty rupees - 1 markHow much time was Suresh given for his mathematics exam, while the rest of the class got three hours?
(A) Two hours(B) Three hours and thirty minutes(C) Four hours(D) Three hours - 1 markIn which two areas does the Constitution provide reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes?
(A) Government jobs and admission to educational institutions(B) Sport only(C) Marriage only(D) Foreign travel only - 1 markBehind the veil of ignorance, from whose position does a person reason when choosing rules?
(A) Their friend’s position(B) The king’s position(C) The richest person’s position(D) The position of the worst-off
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): Questions of justice are of central importance for politics.
Reason (R): Justice concerns the way public life is ordered and the principles by which social goods and social duties are distributed among the members of society.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A(C) A is true, R is false(D) A is false, R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): The principle of recognising special needs contradicts the principle of equal treatment.
Reason (R): The principle of equal treatment already implies that people who are not equal in important respects should be treated differently.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A(C) A is true, R is false(D) A is false, R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch the following:
(A) Equal treatment (B) Proportionate justice (C) Special needs (D) Just distribution
(i) Land reforms (ii) Extra time for a disabled student (iii) Equal pay for equal work (iv) Marks by quality of the answer
(A) A-iii, B-iv, C-ii, D-i(B) A-i, B-ii, C-iii, D-iv(C) A-ii, B-iii, C-i, D-iv(D) A-iv, B-i, C-ii, D-iii
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markStatement I: Governments may sometimes find it difficult to harmonise the three principles of justice: equal treatment for equals, proportionate justice and recognition of special needs.
Statement II: Pursuing equal treatment by itself can never work against giving due reward to merit.
(A) Both statements are false(B) Both statements are true(C) Statement I is true, Statement II is false(D) Statement I is false, Statement II is true - 1 markStatement I: Many free-market supporters today are willing to accept some restrictions, such as guaranteeing a basic minimum standard of living.
Statement II: All free-market supporters today support a completely unregulated market.
(A) Statement I is false, Statement II is true(B) Statement I is true, Statement II is false(C) Both statements are false(D) Both statements are true
5 Arrange in the Correct Order
Arrange in the Correct Order
- 1 markArrange Rawls’ argument in the correct logical order:
(i) Each person seeks rules that ensure reasonable opportunities to the weaker sections
(ii) People imagine deciding the rules of society behind a ‘veil of ignorance’
(iii) Fair and just laws and policies result, as the outcome of rational action
(iv) Not knowing their own future position, each person looks at society from the point of view of the worst-off
(A) i, ii, iii, iv(B) ii, iv, i, iii(C) iv, ii, iii, i(D) ii, i, iv, iii
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 markBasic needs are generally considered to include nutrition, housing, clean drinking water, education and _______.
(A) a minimum wage(B) a guarantee of higher education(C) foreign travel(D) a free vehicle
7 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markWhich of the following is NOT one of the steps the chapter describes for promoting social justice in India?
(A) Abolishing all private property(B) Abolition of untouchability(C) Land reforms by state governments(D) Reservation in government jobs and educational institutions
8 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
If a society has a deep and persistent divide between those who enjoy wealth, property and the power that goes with it, and those who are excluded and deprived, we would say that social justice is lacking there. Justice does not demand complete equality or sameness in how people live, but a society would be considered unjust if the gap between rich and poor is so wide that they seem to live in entirely different worlds, and the deprived have no real chance of improving their condition.
- 1 markAccording to the passage, when would a society be considered unjust?
(A) When the gap between rich and poor is so wide that the deprived have no real chance to improve their condition(B) When incomes are not exactly equal(C) When the population is large(D) When more than one language is spoken in the country
9 True / False
True / False
- 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) Supporters of free markets believe that the market does not care about a person’s caste or religion.
(ii) Critics argue that free markets often end up working in favour of those already privileged.
(A) Only (i) is true(B) Both are true(C) Only (ii) is true(D) Both are false
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (D) The chapter opens by saying that just as love is hard to define precisely yet we understand it intuitively, the same is true of justice.
- (A) Confucius argued that a king should maintain justice by punishing wrongdoers and rewarding the virtuous.
- (B) In fourth century B.C. Athens, Plato discussed issues of justice in his book The Republic.
- (D) Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher, according to whom every human being possesses dignity.
- (B) According to Kant, if all persons are granted dignity, then what is due to each of them is the opportunity to develop their talents and pursue their chosen goals.
- (C) The chapter gives the example of one person getting one hundred rupees and another getting only seventy five rupees for the same work, purely because they belong to different castes, which it calls unfair and unjust.
- (B) Suresh, a visually impaired student, gets three hours and thirty minutes to finish his mathematics paper, while the rest of the class gets only three hours.
- (A) The Constitution provided for reservation of government jobs and quotas for admissions to educational institutions for people belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.
- (D) Since no one knows who they would be, everyone will envisage the future society from the point of view of the worst-off.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) Both statements are true, and R correctly explains A: because justice is about how public life is ordered and how social goods and duties are shared out, it is central to politics.
- (D) A is false, this principle extends equal treatment rather than contradicting it. R is true, and it is exactly why this is an extension, not a contradiction.
Match the Following
- (A) Equal treatment: equal pay for equal work (iii); proportionate justice: marks by quality of the answer (iv); special needs: extra time for a disabled student (ii); just distribution: land reforms (i).
Statement-Based Questions
- (C) Statement I is true, the chapter says governments might sometimes find it difficult to harmonise the three principles. Statement II is false, the chapter says pursuing equality of treatment by itself might sometimes work against giving due reward to merit.
- (B) Statement I is true: not all free-market supporters today want unregulated markets, and many now accept some restrictions. Statement II is false for the same reason.
Arrange in the Correct Order
- (B) First people imagine deciding the rules behind the veil of ignorance (ii); not knowing their own position, each looks at society from the point of view of the worst-off (iv); so each seeks rules that ensure reasonable opportunities to the weaker sections (i); and fair and just laws and policies result, as the outcome of rational action, not benevolence (iii).
Fill in the Blanks
- (A) According to the chapter, basic needs include the basic amount of nourishment, housing, clean drinking water, education and a minimum wage.
Odd One Out
- (A) The chapter names the abolition of untouchability, land reforms by state governments and reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It does not mention abolishing private property.
Passage-Based Questions
- (A) The passage clarifies that justice does not require complete equality, but if the gap is so wide that the deprived have no real chance to improve their condition, that is unjust.
True / False
- (B) Both statements are true: the free-market supporters’ argument (i) and the critics’ argument (ii) are both given in the chapter.
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