22 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 markHow many seats had the Congress party won in the Lok Sabha in 1984?
(A) 197(B) 282(C) 415(D) 303 - 1 markThe elections of 1989 marked the end of what political scientists have called:
(A) the ‘Congress system’(B) the era of coalitions(C) the ‘Mandal issue’(D) the National Front - 1 markWhich two diametrically opposite political groups gave the National Front their support in 1989?
(A) The Congress and the Left Front(B) The Congress and the BJP(C) The BSP and the BJP(D) The BJP and the Left Front - 1 markThe BJP finally came to power by leading a coalition government that ran from:
(A) October 1999 to May 2004(B) May 1996 to June 1997(C) May 1998 to June 1999(D) May 1999 to October 2004 - 1 markIn which year did the central government appoint the Commission that came to be called the Mandal Commission?
(A) 1977(B) 1980(C) 1978(D) 1990 - 1 markWhat proportion of seats in educational institutions and government jobs did the Mandal Commission recommend reserving for the backward castes?
(A) 15 per cent(B) 22.5 per cent(C) 33 per cent(D) 27 per cent - 1 markBy whom was Hindutva popularised as the basis of Indian nationhood?
(A) Vinayak Damodar Savarkar(B) Bindeshwari Prasad Mandal(C) Kanshi Ram(D) Karpoori Thakur - 1 markThe chapter’s “Do you know?” box records an incident at the Janmabhoomi site involving Nihang Sikhs. What date does it give?
(A) November 28 1858(B) November 9 1858(C) November 28 1528(D) November 28 1949 - 1 markThe chapter gives the rise in the number of seats of the Indian National Congress as from 145 in 2004 to:
(A) 196 in 2009(B) 206 in 2009(C) 282 in 2009(D) 116 in 2009
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): After the elections of 1989 the National Front formed a coalition government at the Centre.
Reason (R): The National Front was supported from outside by both the BJP and the Left Front, which did not join the government.
(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): The chapter describes the Ayodhya issue as having been resolved by following the due process of law.
Reason (R): The issue was settled by a 5-0 verdict of a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court on November 9, 2019, reached after court hearings, mediation attempts and popular movements.
(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 year in List I with the event in List II.
List I: (i) 1978, (ii) 1980, (iii) 1984, (iv) 1985
List II: (P) The Bharatiya Janata Party is formed, (Q) The Shah Bano case, (R) BAMCEF is formed, (S) Kanshi Ram founds the Bahujan Samaj Party
(A) (i)-R, (ii)-S, (iii)-P, (iv)-Q(B) (i)-R, (ii)-P, (iii)-S, (iv)-Q(C) (i)-P, (ii)-R, (iii)-S, (iv)-Q(D) (i)-R, (ii)-P, (iii)-Q, (iv)-S
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) The new economic reforms were started by Rajiv Gandhi.
(ii) These changes first became very visible in 1991.
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) In September 2013 the BJP declared Narendra Modi, then the Chief Minister of Bihar, as its Prime Ministerial candidate.
(ii) The BJP won 282 seats on its own in the 16th Lok Sabha elections held in 2014.
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) The caption under the photograph of the anti-Mandal protests says that the implementation of the Mandal Commission report sparked off agitations and political upheavals.
(ii) The chapter notes that since the 1989 election the votes polled by the Congress and the BJP most of the time add up to more than fifty per cent, except in 1996, 2004 and 2009.
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 press clippings in the correct chronological order, as the chapter’s own exercise asks.
(i) Implementation of the recommendation of the Mandal Commission
(ii) Formation of the Janata Dal
(iii) Supreme court Judgment on the Ram Janmabhoomi
(iv) Assassination of Indira Gandhi
(v) The formation of NDA government
(vi) Formation of the UPA government
(A) (ii), (iv), (i), (v), (vi), (iii)(B) (iv), (ii), (i), (v), (vi), (iii)(C) (iv), (ii), (v), (i), (vi), (iii)(D) (iv), (i), (ii), (vi), (v), (iii)
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 markThe new economic reforms, also called the structural adjustment programme, were started by Rajiv Gandhi and first became very visible in ________.
(A) 1991(B) 1989(C) 1990(D) 1996
7 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markThree of these are named by the chapter as elements of the consensus that has emerged among most parties. Which is the odd one out?
(A) Agreement on a uniform civil code(B) Agreement on new economic policies(C) Acceptance of the political and social claims of the backward castes(D) Acceptance of the role of State level parties in governance of the country
8 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
“…At the heart of the Constitution is a commitment to equality upheld and enforced by the rule of law. Under our Constitution, citizens of all faiths, beliefs and creeds seeking divine provenance are both subject to the law and equal before the law. Every judge of this Court is not merely tasked with but sworn to uphold the Constitution and its values. The Constitution does not make a distinction between the faith and belief of one religion and another. All forms of belief, worship and prayer are equal…”
(Excerpt printed in the chapter from the Judgment of the constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court, November 9, 2019. For details see, Supreme Court Judgments, November 9, 2019, p. 920.)
- 1 markAccording to the extract, what lies at the heart of the Constitution?
(A) The protection of religious sites of every faith(B) A commitment to equality upheld and enforced by the rule of law(C) The separation of religion from the business of the state(D) The duty of every citizen to respect all religions - 1 markAccording to the extract, what does the Constitution not do?
(A) It does not permit any interference in personal law(B) It does not allow the state to acquire a religious site(C) It does not recognise any religion as the religion of the state(D) It does not make a distinction between the faith and belief of one religion and another - 1 markWhat does the extract say every judge of the Court is sworn to do?
(A) To uphold the Constitution and its values(B) To decide every dispute within a fixed time(C) To treat archaeological evidence as conclusive(D) To give reasons for every judgment in writing
9 True / False
True / False
- 1 mark(i) The chapter states that no single party secured a clear majority of seats in any Lok Sabha election held since 1989 till 2014.
(ii) The chapter states that this development initiated an era of coalition governments at the Centre, in which regional parties played a crucial role in forming ruling alliances.
(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
- (C) The chapter gives the figure exactly: the party “had won as many as 415 seats in the Lok Sabha in 1984”. That massive victory came in the elections held immediately after the assassination of Indira Gandhi, with Rajiv Gandhi leading the party.
- (A) The chapter says the 1989 elections “marked the end of what political scientists have called the ‘Congress system’”. It is careful to add that the Congress remained an important party and ruled the country more than any other party even after 1989, but that it “lost the kind of centrality it earlier enjoyed in the party system”.
- (D) The chapter’s phrase is exact: the National Front “received support from two diametrically opposite political groups: the BJP and the Left Front”. Note the second half of the same sentence, which is what most students miss: “the BJP and the Left Front did not join in this government”.
- (C) The chapter says the BJP “finally came to power by leading a coalition government from May 1998 to June 1999 and was re-elected in October 1999”. Of the two NDA governments, it is the one formed in 1999 that “completed its full term”.
- (C) The box says the central government “appointed a Commission in 1978 to look into and recommend ways to improve the conditions of the backward classes”. Do not confuse this with 1980, which is when the Commission gave its recommendations, or with 1977-79, the tenure of the Janata Party government.
- (D) The Commission’s survey found that the backward castes “had a very low presence in both educational institutions and in employment in public services”, and it “therefore recommended reserving 27 per cent of seats in educational institutions and government jobs for these groups”. It also made other recommendations, such as land reform.
- (A) The chapter says: “Hindutva was popularised by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, as the basis of Indian nationhood.” It then gives the meaning the chapter itself supplies: that to be an Indian, one must accept India as their ‘fatherland’ (pitrubhu) as well as their holy land (punyabhu).
- (A) The box reads: “There is a very interesting incident dated November 28 1858, when Nihang Sikhs captured the Janmabhoomi site and performed Puja and Havan, before being forcibly ousted by colonial administration.” Keep this date separate from 1528, 1949 and November 9, 2019, all of which the chapter also uses.
- (B) The chapter’s own bracket is: “a rise in the number of seats (from 145 in 2004 to 206 in 2009) of the Indian National Congress (INC)”. Dr. Manmohan Singh was then sworn in as Prime Minister for a second term, heading the coalition government of UPA again.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) Both are the chapter’s own statements, and the second is the basis the chapter gives for the first: the National Front “received support from two diametrically opposite political groups: the BJP and the Left Front. On this basis, the National Front formed a coalition government, but the BJP and the Left Front did not join in this government.”
- (A) Both are the chapter’s own, and the second is the chapter’s own explanation of the first. “Through a number of democratic and legal procedures including court hearings, mediation attempts, popular movements, and finally with a 5-0 verdict of a constitutional bench of the Supreme Court on November 9, 2019, the Ayodhya issue was resolved.”
Match the Following
- (B) All four years are the chapter’s own. BAMCEF was formed in 1978; the supporters of the erstwhile Jana Sangh formed the BJP in 1980; Kanshi Ram’s note names him founder of “BAMCEF, DS-4 and finally the BSP in 1984”; and the Shah Bano case is dated 1985.
Statement-Based Questions
- (C) Both are the chapter’s own. The third of the five developments is the initiation of the structural adjustment programme or the new economic reforms: “Started by Rajiv Gandhi, these changes first became very visible in 1991 and radically changed the direction that the Indian economy had pursued since Independence.” The chapter adds that the policies were widely criticised, but that every government since has continued to follow them.
- (B) The second is correct as printed. The first names the wrong State: the chapter says the BJP “declared Narendra Modi (then the Chief Minister of Gujrat) as its Prime Ministerial candidate in September 2013”. The chapter spells the State ‘Gujrat’; the office and the month are the point of the question.
- (C) Both are printed in the chapter. The caption reads “Implementation of Mandal Commission report sparked off agitations and political upheavals.” The second is one of the bullet points the chapter puts under its Vote Share figure, and the three exception years are worth memorising as a set: 1996, 2004 and 2009.
Chronological Ordering
- (B) This is Question 1 of the printed exercise. Two of the six have no year printed anywhere in the chapter body, so order them from the chapter’s own text rather than from outside dates. Indira Gandhi’s assassination comes first, because Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister after it and led the Congress to victory “immediately thereafter in 1984”. The Janata Dal comes next: it was formed in 1988 (the chapter places it “in the 1980s”), and the National Front that fought 1989 was an alliance of the Janata Dal and other regional parties. The rest are dated: the Mandal decision in August 1990, the NDA in 1999, the UPA in 2004, and the Supreme Court judgment on November 9, 2019.
Fill in the Blanks
- (A) The chapter’s third development of the period: “Started by Rajiv Gandhi, these changes first became very visible in 1991 and radically changed the direction that the Indian economy had pursued since Independence.” Later governments continued to follow these policies.
Odd One Out
- (A) The chapter’s consensus “consists of four elements”: agreement on new economic policies; acceptance of the political and social claims of the backward castes; acceptance of the role of State level parties in governance; and emphasis on pragmatic considerations rather than ideological positions. A uniform civil code is not one of them and the chapter never names it.
Passage-Based Questions
- (B) The extract opens with it: “At the heart of the Constitution is a commitment to equality upheld and enforced by the rule of law.” This is one of the two excerpts the chapter prints from the judgment of the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court of November 9, 2019, cited to page 920.
- (D) The extract says: “The Constitution does not make a distinction between the faith and belief of one religion and another. All forms of belief, worship and prayer are equal…” The other three statements may sound familiar from elsewhere, but none of them is in this extract.
- (A) The extract’s words are: “Every judge of this Court is not merely tasked with but sworn to uphold the Constitution and its values.” Note the construction, ‘not merely tasked with but sworn to’, which is the sentence’s emphasis.
True / False
- (A) Both are the chapter’s own words: “no single party secured a clear majority of seats in any Lok Sabha election held since 1989 till 2014. This development initiated an era of coalition governments at the Centre, in which regional parties played a crucial role in forming ruling alliances”. It adds that in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections the BJP got a clear majority on its own.
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