Class 10 Civics Ch 3 – Gender, Religion and Caste
NCERT CLASS 10 CIVICS • CHAPTER 3 • GENDER, RELIGION AND CASTE • SOLUTIONS

Gender, Religion and Caste

Detailed Solutions from Textbook

Descriptive Questions
Question 1
Mention different aspects of life in which women are discriminated against or disadvantaged in India.
Women face discrimination in several ways:
  • Literacy Rate: The literacy rate among women is only 54% compared to 76% among men. Fewer girls go for higher studies, and the dropout rate is higher.
  • Unpaid Work: On average, an Indian woman works one hour more than an average man every day, but much of her work (household) is not paid and therefore not valued.
  • Sex Ratio: The Child Sex Ratio (number of girl children per thousand boys) has declined to 919 in the country due to preference for sons and female foeticide.
  • Political Representation: The proportion of women in legislature has been very low (less than 15% in Lok Sabha).
Question 2
State different forms of communal politics with one example each.
1. Everyday Beliefs: The most common form involves religious prejudices and stereotypes of religious communities. (e.g., believing one religion is superior to others).
2. Political Mobilization: This involves the use of sacred symbols, religious leaders, and emotional appeal to bring the followers of one religion together in the political arena.
3. Majoritarian Dominance: For the majority community, this takes the form of majoritarian dominance. For minorities, it forms a desire for a separate political unit.
4. Violence: Sometimes communalism takes its ugliest form in communal violence, riots, and massacre. (e.g., Partition of India and Pakistan).
Question 3
State how caste inequalities are still continuing in India.
Despite constitutional prohibition, caste inequality persists:
  • Marriage: Most people still marry within their own caste or tribe.
  • Untouchability: Despite being banned by the Constitution, untouchability has not ended completely.
  • Education and Status: Caste groups that had access to education under the old system continue to do well, while those who were prohibited remain lagging behind. There is a strong link between economic status and caste.
Long Answer Questions
Question 1
State two reasons to say that caste alone cannot determine election results in India.
1. No Single Caste Majority: No parliamentary constituency in the country has a clear majority of one single caste. So, every candidate needs to win the confidence of more than one caste and community to win the election.
2. Split in Caste Vote: No party wins the votes of all the voters of a caste or community. When people say a caste is a ‘vote bank’ of one party, it usually means a large proportion of the voters from that caste vote for that party, but not all.
Additional Point: Sitting MPs or MLAs frequently lose elections. This would not happen if all castes and communities were frozen in their political preferences.
Question 2
What is the status of women’s representation in India’s legislative bodies?
Lok Sabha: The percentage of elected women members in Lok Sabha has touched 14.36% of its total strength for the first time in 2019. This is still very low compared to the world average.
State Assemblies: In the state assemblies, the representation is even lower, mostly less than 5%.
Local Government: The situation is better in Panchayats and Municipalities because one-third of seats are legally reserved for women. There are now more than 10 lakh elected women representatives in rural and urban local bodies.
Question 3
Mention any two constitutional provisions that make India a secular state.
1. No Official Religion: The Constitution does not give the status of official religion to any one religion. Unlike the status of Buddhism in Sri Lanka or Islam in Pakistan, there is no official religion in India.
2. Freedom to Practice: The Constitution provides to all individuals and communities the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate any religion, or not to follow any.
3. No Discrimination: The Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.
Objective Questions
Question 4
When we speak of gender divisions, we usually refer to:
(a) Biological difference between men and women
(b) Unequal roles assigned by the society to men and women
(c) Unequal child sex ratio
(d) Absence of voting rights for women
Answer: (b) Unequal roles assigned by the society to men and women
Question 5
In India, seats are reserved for women in:
(a) Lok Sabha
(b) State Legislative Assemblies
(c) Cabinets
(d) Panchayati Raj bodies
Answer: (d) Panchayati Raj bodies
Question 6
Consider the following statements on the meaning of communal politics. Communal politics is based on the belief that:
A. One religion is superior to that of others.
B. People belonging to different religions can live together happily as equal citizens.
C. Followers of a particular religion constitute one community.
D. State power cannot be used to establish the domination of one religious group over others.
Which of the statements is/are correct?
(a) A, B, C, and D
(b) A, B, and D
(c) A and C
(d) B and D
Answer: (c) A and C
Question 7
Match List I with List II.
1. A person who believes in equal rights for women and men B. Feminist
2. A person who says that religion is the principal basis of community A. Communalist
3. A person who thinks that caste is the principal basis of community D. Casteist
4. A person who does not discriminate on the basis of religious beliefs C. Secularist
Correct Option: (b) 1-B, 2-A, 3-D, 4-C
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