Grounded in the chapter’s indicators of gender division.
Women receive less education in many families, do a disproportionate share of unpaid household work, and are concentrated in lower-paid jobs even when performing similar work. The child sex ratio reflects son preference, while domestic violence, harassment and unequal property control restrict security and autonomy. Women also remain underrepresented in legislatures and senior public positions.
Grounded in the four forms of communalism described in the chapter.
Communalism can appear as everyday belief in the superiority of one religion; as a majoritarian demand that one community dominate the state; as political mobilisation using sacred symbols, religious leaders, emotional appeals and fear; and as communal violence, riots or massacre. Examples include a leader claiming only one religion truly belongs to the nation, parties seeking votes solely in a religious community’s name, religious processions used for mobilisation, and violent riots during Partition.
Grounded in the caste-inequality data and discussion.
Most people still marry within their caste, and untouchability has not disappeared despite its constitutional ban. Older caste hierarchies overlap with economic inequality: privileged castes are disproportionately urban, educated and wealthy, while Dalits, Adivasis and many backward groups are more likely to be poor and landless. Access to education, occupations, land and social dignity therefore remains unequal, even though urbanisation and occupational change have weakened some traditional rules.
Grounded in the bullet list under ‘Caste in politics’.
No parliamentary constituency has a majority of a single caste, so candidates must win support across communities. Also, no party receives every vote of any caste: voters differ by class, gender, party loyalty, government performance and leadership. Frequent defeats of ruling parties further show that caste preferences are not fixed.
Grounded in the women-in-legislatures comparison and local reservation.
Women’s representation in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies has remained low compared with their share of the population and with many other countries. In contrast, constitutional reservation of at least one-third of seats in panchayats and municipalities has brought large numbers of women into local government. The chapter therefore presents national and state representation as inadequate despite progress at the local level.
Any two of the listed constitutional safeguards satisfy the question.
The Constitution gives every person freedom to profess, practise and propagate any religion, and it prohibits discrimination by the state on grounds of religion. It also gives no religion official state status and permits intervention to secure equality within religious communities.
- (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 in democracies
Gender division is primarily a social division of roles and power, not merely biological difference.
(b) Unequal roles assigned by the society to men and women
- (a). Lok Sabha
- (b). State legislative assemblies
- (c). Cabinets
- (d). Panchayati Raj bodies
At least one-third of local-government seats are reserved for women.
(d) Panchayati Raj bodies
- (a). A, B, C, and D
- (b). A, B, and D
- (c). A and C
- (d). B and D
Communal politics assumes religious communities have unified interests and often ranks one above another; B and D reject communal domination.
(c) A and C
- (a). prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion.
- (b). gives official status to one religion.
- (c). provides to all individuals freedom to profess any religion.
- (d). ensures equality of citizens within religious communities.
India has no official religion; the other statements describe secular constitutional protections.
(b) gives official status to one religion.
Caste is the India-specific form discussed after gender and religion.
caste