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 markWhich of the following is the correct definition of a right?
(A) An entitlement or a justified claim(B) Everything I regard as necessary and desirable(C) Any facility given by the state(D) The majority opinion in society - 1 markWhich of these cannot be claimed as a right, according to the chapter?
(A) The right to education(B) The right to take banned drugs(C) The right to freedom of expression(D) The right to livelihood - 1 markWhich three natural rights of man did seventeenth-eighteenth century political theorists identify?
(A) Education, health, employment(B) Life, liberty, property(C) Voting, contesting elections, forming organisations(D) Language, culture, religion - 1 markAccording to Kant, what is the second basis of the moral conception of rights?
(A) We should respect only the wealthy(B) We should only obey the law(C) We should never claim any rights(D) We should never treat another person merely as a means to our ends - 1 markWhat did pop star Bob Geldof appeal to western governments about?
(A) Education reform in Europe(B) Healthcare in Asia(C) Ending poverty in Africa(D) Increasing employment in America - 1 markWhat are the basic rights recognised by India’s Constitution called?
(A) Natural rights(B) Fundamental Rights(C) Universal rights(D) Civic duties - 1 markWhat does the requirement that police produce a warrant before arrest illustrate?
(A) Rights are only a list of duties(B) Rights apply only to economic matters(C) Rights diminish over time(D) Rights also place restraints on state power - 1 markWhich examples does the chapter give under “protecting the common good”, the first of the four responsibilities that come with rights?
(A) Only paying taxes(B) Only voting(C) Protecting the ozone layer, minimising pollution, planting trees(D) Only joining the army
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): A right is essentially an entitlement or a justified claim.
Reason (R): Anything a person regards as necessary automatically becomes a right.
(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, R is false(D) A is false, R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Legal and constitutional recognition gives rights a special status in society.
Reason (R): Legal recognition is the only valid basis for claiming a right.
(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, R is false(D) A is false, R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): In the name of national security, a government may use unlimited torture on anyone.
Reason (R): Even an arrested person should be allowed legal counsel and the opportunity to present their case before a court.
(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, R is false(D) A is false, R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch the following:
(A) Kant (B) UDHR (C) Fundamental Rights (D) Natural rights
(i) Declaration adopted on 10 December 1948 (ii) rights enshrined in India’s Constitution (iii) life, liberty, property, given by nature (iv) human dignity is above all price
(A) A-iv, B-i, C-ii, D-iii(B) A-i, B-ii, C-iii, D-iv(C) A-ii, B-iv, C-i, D-iii(D) A-iii, B-i, C-iv, D-ii
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markStatement I: Rights are always claims made only against the state; society never has any role in them.
Statement II: Society can contribute to fulfilling the right to education by opening schools and funding scholarships, but the primary responsibility rests with the state.
(A) Both statements are true(B) Statement I is true, Statement II is false(C) Statement I is false, Statement II is true(D) Both statements are false - 1 markStatement I: According to Kant, every person has dignity, however poor or powerless they may be.
Statement II: According to Kant, an uneducated or poor person cannot be considered entitled to dignity.
(A) Both statements are true(B) Statement I is true, Statement II is false(C) Statement I is false, Statement II is true(D) Both statements are false
5 Chronological Ordering
Chronological Ordering
- 1 markArrange these stages in the development of the idea of rights in the correct order:
(i) The term human rights comes to be used more than the term natural rights
(ii) Political theorists argue that rights are given to us by nature or God (natural rights)
(iii) The UN General Assembly adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(A) ii, iii, i(B) i, ii, iii(C) iii, ii, i(D) ii, i, iii
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 markThe UN General Assembly adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on ________.
(A) 2 October 1948(B) 26 January 1950(C) 15 August 1947(D) 10 December 1948
7 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
For the eighteenth-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant, every person has dignity, however uneducated, poor or powerless he may be. Kant’s moral conception of rights rests on two arguments: first, we should treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. Second, we should never treat another person merely as a means to our ends; we should respect people not because they are useful to us, but because they are human beings.
- 1 markAccording to the passage, what is Kant’s first argument?
(A) We should treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves(B) We should respect only educated people(C) We should give dignity only to the wealthy(D) We should never respect anyone
Passage
Rights do not only say what the state must do, they also say what the state must not do. For instance, 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.
- 1 markAccording to the passage, what must the state do before arresting a person?
(A) Arrest without any notice(B) Justify the action and give reasons before a court(C) Confiscate the person’s property(D) Only inform the police station
8 True / False
True / False
- 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) The right to have primary education in one’s mother tongue is an example of an economic right.
(ii) For a person living on the pavement and struggling to meet basic needs, political rights by themselves have little value.
(A) Only (i) is true(B) Both are true(C) Only (ii) is true(D) Both are false
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (A) The chapter’s own definition is that a right is an entitlement or a justified claim; the other options confuse a right with a want, a facility, or an opinion.
- (B) Since prohibited drugs are injurious to health and affect our relations with others, they cannot be claimed as a right.
- (B) According to the chapter, the three natural rights of man were life, liberty and property, and all other rights were said to be derived from these.
- (D) Kant’s second argument: we should not treat other people as means to our ends, but respect them because they are human beings.
- (C) Bob Geldof appealed to western governments to end poverty in Africa, an appeal that received wide support from ordinary people.
- (B) The basic rights enshrined in India’s Constitution are called Fundamental Rights.
- (D) This example shows that rights also tell the state what it must not do, which means they restrain the exercise of state power.
- (C) The chapter gives protecting the ozone layer, minimising air and water pollution, and planting trees as examples of the common good.
Assertion-Reason
- (C) A is true, this is the chapter’s own definition. R is false, there is a difference between a want and a right, not every want becomes a right.
- (C) A is true. R is false, the chapter states clearly that legal recognition alone cannot be the basis on which a right is claimed.
- (D) A is false: the chapter says that in such situations the question to ask is whether the person concerned poses an imminent threat to society, and that we need to be extremely cautious about giving governments powers that could curtail civil liberties; it does not endorse unlimited torture. R is true.
Match the Following
- (A) Kant-dignity (iv), UDHR-1948 (i), Fundamental Rights-India’s Constitution (ii), natural rights-life/liberty/property (iii).
Statement-Based Questions
- (C) Statement I is false, society can also contribute to rights like education. Statement II is true, this is exactly what the chapter says.
- (B) Statement I is true. Statement II is false, according to Kant every human being is entitled to dignity regardless of their social condition.
Chronological Ordering
- (A) First the idea of natural rights, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries (ii); then the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted on 10 December 1948 (iii); and in recent years the term human rights has come to be used more than natural rights (i).
Fill in the Blanks
- (D) The UDHR was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948.
Passage-Based Questions
- (A) According to the passage, Kant’s first argument is that we should treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves.
- (B) According to the passage, the state must justify the act of arrest and give reasons before a court.
True / False
- (C) Statement (i) is false: it is a cultural right; economic rights are things like housing, medical facilities, a minimum wage or the rural employment guarantee scheme. Statement (ii) is true: the chapter says political participation can be exercised fully only when basic needs of food, shelter, clothing and health are met.
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