Sri Lanka
Which one of the following countries does not share its boundary with Belgium? (a) France (b) Netherlands (c) Sweden (d) Luxembourg
C. Sweden
In Belgium, the percentage of French community is: (a) 54% (b) 40% (c) 30% (d) 20%
b. 40%
.A war-like conflict between two opposite groups in a country is called a. Cold war (b) Civil war (c) Ethnic war (d) None of these
b. Civil War
Power shared among governments at different levels is also called: a. horizontal distribution (b) vertical distribution (c) slant distribution (d) none of the above
b. Vertical distribution
An Act of recognizing Sinhala as the official language was signed in: (a) 1942 (b) 1956 (c) 1954 (d) 1948
b. 1956
.Power struggle demanding separate Eelam was launched by: a. Sinhalese (b) Buddhists (c) Tamilians (d) none of these
c. Tamilians
Which language is dominantly spoken in Belgium? a. Dutch (b) Spanish (c) France (d) Italian
a. Dutch
A system of ‘checks and balances’ is another name for which one of the following power-sharing arrangements: (a) Power sharing among different social groups. (b) Vertical division of power or power shared among different levels of government. (c) Horizontal division of power or power shared among different organs of the government. (d) Power sharing in the form of political parties, pressure groups and governments.
(c) Horizontal division of power or power shared among different organs of the government.
Which of the following is not the benefit of power sharing? a.It upholds the spirit of democracy. b. Political parties get their expected share. c. It ensures political stability in the long-run. d. It reduces the possibility of conflicts between social groups.
b. Political parties get their expected share.
State one prudential reason and one moral reason for power-sharing with an example from the Indian context.
While prudential reasons stress that power-sharing will bring out better outcomes. In India, the power is shared horizontally among various organs of government. The Legislature, Executive and Judiciary are responsible for administering India. Reservation is applicable in India, where various sections are given benefits over others to avoid conflicts.
Moral reasons emphasise the very act of power-sharing as valuable. In India, citizens are conferred with fundamental rights and directive principles of state policies are implied in the government.
Sri Lanka is an island nation, just a few kilometers from the Southern coast of a. Goa (b) Kerala (c) Tamil Nadu (d) Lakshadweep
c. Tamil Nadu
.Belgium has worked on the principles of: a. majoritarianism (b) accommodation (c) both (a) and (b) (d) none of the above
b. accommodation
Prudential reasons of power sharing stress on the facts that:
A. It ensures the stability of political order. B. It reduces the possibility of conflict between social groups. C. It gives a fair share to minority. D. It is the very spirit of democracy.
A,B,C
2.Majoritarianist constitution was adopted by: a. Belgium (b) India (c) Sri Lanka (d) Pakistan
c. Sri Lanka
The Mayor of Merchtem, a town near Brussels in Belgium, has defended a ban on speaking French in the town’s schools. He said that the ban would help all non-Dutch speakers integrate into this Flemish town. Do you think that this measure is in keeping with the spirit of Belgium’s power-sharing arrangements?
NO, in Belgium, there is a need to maintain the power-sharing between the Dutch and the French to avoid civil unrest. Banning the French will promote the tendency of civil unrest.
.What is the percentage of Sinhala-speaking people in Sri Lanka? (a) 74% (b) 75% (c) 14% (d) 19%
a. 74%
What led to tensions between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking communities in Belgium during the 1950s and 1960s?
(a) Both the communities demanded special powers
(b) The minority French-speaking community was richer and more powerful than the majority Dutch-speaking community
(c) The majority Dutch-speaking community was richer and more powerful than the minority French-speaking community
(d) Both the communities were equal in socio-economic ladder and this was resented by the French-speaking community
(b) The minority French-speaking community was richer and more powerful than the majority Dutch-speaking community
Assertion : Tyranny of majority is highly desirable. Reason : It helps in making the political order more stable.
(d) Both assertion and reason are false.
Non-sharing of power leads to
(a) peace among all the communities
(b) tyranny of the majority and oppression of the minority
(c) negation of the very spirit of democracy
(b) tyranny of the majority and oppression of the minority
(c) negation of the very spirit of democracy
Giving power to Panchayats is also a way to reduce corruption and increase administrative efficiency, is this a prudential or a moral reason? Why?
Prudential reason, a justifiable provision has been made for power sharing so that problems at the grass root level are assessed and a measure to stop that has been taken.
Most of the Sinhala-speaking people are
(a) Buddhists
(b) Hindus
(c) Muslims
(d) Christians
(a) Buddhists
Which of the statements about power-sharing arrangements in Belgium and Sri Lanka are correct?
(a) In Belgium, the Dutch-speaking majority people tried to impose their domination on the minority French-speaking people
(b) In Sri Lanka, the policies of the government sought to ensure the dominance of the Sinhala-speaking majority
(c) The Tamils in Sri Lanka demanded a federal arrangement of power-sharing to protect their culture, language and equality of opportunity in education and jobs
(d) The transformation of Belgium from a unitary government to a federal one prevented the division of country on linguistic lines.
(d) The transformation of Belgium from a unitary government to a federal one prevented the division of country on linguistic lines.
Which of the following is not one of the aspects of federal division of powers?
(a) Sharing of powers among central provincial and local governments
(b) Division of powers involving higher and lower levels of government
(c) The Constitution clearly lays down powers of different levels of government
(d) There is no vertical division of powers
(d) There is no vertical division of powers
What was the provisions made in the Belgium constitution?
The constitution requires that the number of Dutch and French-speaking officials in the central administration be equal.
Many powers of the central government have been given to state governments of the two regions of the country. Which country in your opinion has adopted this method?
Belgium