Power Sharing

1. What language is spoken by the majority of people in the Flemish region of Belgium?

(A) French
(B) Dutch
(C) German
(D) English

Answer: (B) Dutch

2. What percentage of the population in Belgium speaks French?

(A) 74%
(B) 18%
(C) 40%
(D) 59%

Answer: (C) 40%

3. In the capital city Brussels, what percentage of people speak French?

(A) 59%
(B) 40%
(C) 20%
(D) 80%

Answer: (D) 80%

4. What was the major cause of tension between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking communities in Belgium?

(A) Religious differences
(B) Economic inequality and late development for Dutch-speaking people
(C) Language policies
(D) Colonial history

Answer: (B) Economic inequality and late development for Dutch-speaking people

5. Which community was richer and more powerful in Belgium during the 1950s and 1960s?

(A) Dutch-speaking
(B) German-speaking
(C) French-speaking
(D) English-speaking

Answer: (C) French-speaking

6. What is the population size of Belgium approximately?

(A) 5 crore
(B) 1 crore
(C) 2 crore
(D) 10 lakh

Answer: (B) 1 crore

7. When did the Belgian leaders amend their constitution to accommodate every community?

(A) Between 1970 and 1993
(B) Between 1960 and 1980
(C) Between 1950 and 1970
(D) Between 1990 and 2000

Answer: (A) Between 1970 and 1993

8. What is a key feature of the Belgian model of accommodation?

(A) Equal representation for all political parties
(B) Equal number of ministers from Dutch and French-speaking communities
(C) Military rule in Brussels
(D) One-party governance

Answer: (B) Equal number of ministers from Dutch and French-speaking communities

9. What type of government was established in Brussels under the Belgian model?

(A) Central government only
(B) Dictatorship
(C) Separate government for each language group with equal representation
(D) Presidential government

Answer: (C) Separate government for each language group with equal representation

10. Which of the following is NOT a feature of the Belgian model of accommodation?

(A) Equal representation in the central government
(B) Special laws requiring the support of majority from each language group
(C) Federal arrangements allowing state governments power
(D) One national language to unify all citizens

Answer: (D) One national language to unify all citizens

11. What was the purpose of providing equal number of Dutch and French-speaking ministers in the central government of Belgium?

(A) To make the Dutch dominant
(B) To suppress the German-speaking community
(C) To ensure that no single community could make unilateral decisions
(D) To encourage economic competition

Answer: (C) To ensure that no single community could make unilateral decisions

12. What kind of government was introduced to take care of cultural, educational, and language-related issues in Belgium?

(A) Municipal Government
(B) Community Government
(C) Parliamentary Government
(D) Presidential Government

Answer: (B) Community Government

13. What is the main ethnic composition of Sri Lanka?

(A) Sinhala and Tamils
(B) Tamil and Muslims
(C) Sinhala and Hindus
(D) Sinhala and Christians

Answer: (A) Sinhala and Tamils

14. Which community forms the majority in Sri Lanka?

(A) Tamil-speaking
(B) Sinhala-speaking
(C) Muslim-speaking
(D) French-speaking

Answer: (B) Sinhala-speaking

15. What percentage of Sri Lanka's population are Sinhala speakers?

(A) 74%
(B) 18%
(C) 13%
(D) 7%

Answer: (A) 74%

16. The Tamils in Sri Lanka were primarily concentrated in which part of the country?

(A) North and East
(B) South and West
(C) Central Highlands
(D) Coastal areas

Answer: (A) North and East

17. What was the main reason for the conflict between the Sinhala and Tamil communities in Sri Lanka?

(A) Language differences
(B) Religious differences
(C) Preferential policies of the Sinhala dominated government
(D) Economic competition

Answer: (C) Preferential policies of the Sinhala dominated government

18. Which of the following is the result of the Sinhala-majority government's policies in Sri Lanka?

(A) Peaceful coexistence of all communities
(B) Widespread protests and violence
(C) Equal rights for Tamils and Sinhala speakers
(D) Full independence for Tamil Nadu

Answer: (B) Widespread protests and violence

19. Which of the following statements is true about Sri Lankan Tamils?

(A) They are mostly Buddhists
(B) They form 74% of the population
(C) They include Indian Tamils and Sri Lankan Tamils
(D) They mostly live in the western region of Sri Lanka

Answer: (C) They include Indian Tamils and Sri Lankan Tamils

20. Which community in Sri Lanka was marginalized due to the majoritarian policies?

(A) Sinhala
(B) Tamil
(C) Muslim
(D) Christian

Answer: (B) Tamil

21. Power sharing between different organs of government is known as:

(A) Horizontal distribution of power
(B) Vertical distribution of power
(C) Electoral power sharing
(D) Religious power sharing

Answer: (A) Horizontal distribution of power

22. Why is power sharing considered important from a prudential point of view?

(A) It helps one group dominate others
(B) It ensures political instability
(C) It reduces the possibility of social conflict
(D) It encourages dictatorship

Answer: (C) It reduces the possibility of social conflict

23. What is the moral reason in favour of power sharing in a democracy?

(A) It helps the majority to rule effectively
(B) It keeps the military away from politics
(C) It respects the spirit of democracy and involves people in governance
(D) It helps the central government to control all resources

Answer: (C) It respects the spirit of democracy and involves people in governance

24. What is the key difference between prudential and moral reasons for power sharing?

(A) Prudential focuses on values of democracy, while moral focuses on better outcomes
(B) Prudential focuses on avoiding conflict for better outcomes, while moral focuses on the spirit of democracy and people's participation
(C) Prudential promotes majority control, while moral promotes dictatorship
(D) Prudential encourages political instability, while moral encourages economic growth

Answer: (B) Prudential focuses on avoiding conflict for better outcomes, while moral focuses on the spirit of democracy and people's participation

25. What is the horizontal distribution of power?

(A) Power shared among social groups
(B) Power shared between central and state governments
(C) Power shared among legislature, executive, and judiciary
(D) Power shared among citizens directly

Answer: (C) Power shared among legislature, executive, and judiciary

26. What is the main purpose of horizontal power sharing?

(A) To help the judiciary dominate other branches
(B) To ensure quick decision-making
(C) To allow each organ of government to check the others
(D) To centralize power in one body

Answer: (C) To allow each organ of government to check the others

27. What is vertical division of power?

(A) Power divided among different political parties
(B) Power divided among legislature and judiciary
(C) Power divided between different levels of government
(D) Power divided between men and women

Answer: (C) Power divided between different levels of government

28. In India, what do we call the general government for the entire country?

(A) Provincial Government
(B) Union or Central Government
(C) Community Government
(D) Panchayat Government

Answer: (B) Union or Central Government

29. What is the division of power between different levels of government called?

(A) Horizontal power sharing
(B) Community-based distribution
(C) Federal division of power
(D) Social representation

Answer: (C) Federal division of power

30. What is the purpose of reserving constituencies in India?

(A) To promote monarchy
(B) To ensure elite dominance
(C) To give socially weaker sections representation
(D) To support the majority community only

Answer: (C) To give socially weaker sections representation

31. What is an example of power sharing among social groups?

(A) Coalition government
(B) Community government in Belgium
(C) Executive veto power
(D) Vertical division of power

Answer: (B) Community government in Belgium

32. How do political parties and pressure groups share power in a democracy?

(A) By organizing elections
(B) By dominating the judiciary
(C) By forming coalition governments or influencing decisions
(D) By ruling all levels of government directly

Answer: (C) By forming coalition governments or influencing decisions