Parties and the Party Systems in India Class 12 MCQs Questions with Answers
Question 1.
Whom would you like to identify the slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ with?
(A) Indira Gandhi
(B) Syndicate
(C) Lai Bahadur Shastri
(D) Nehru
Answer:
(C) Lai Bahadur Shastri
Explanation:
Jai Jawaan Jai Kisaan was a slogan given by the second Prime Minister of India Lai Bahadur Shastri in 1965 at a public gathering at Ramlila Maid an, Delhi.
Question 2.
Prime Minister Jawahar Lai Nehru passed away in May:
(A) 1954
(B) 1964
(C) 1974
(D) 1984
Answer:
(B) 1964
Question 3.
was unanimously chosen as the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party after the death of Nehru.
(A) Indira Gandhi
(B) Lai Bahadur Shastri
(C) Morarji Desai
(D) Natarajan Annadurai
Answer:
(A) Indira Gandhi
Explanation:
When Nehru passed away, the then president, K. Kamraj, of the Congress party consulted party members and found that there was a consensus in favour of Lai Bahadur Shastri as he was a non-controversial leader from Uttar Pradesh who had been a Minister in Nehru’s cabinet for many years. Nehru had come to depend a lot on him in his last years.
Question4.
In the decade of 1960’s, the Congress Party under the leadership of Indira Gandhi was affected by:
(A) Violence
(B) Defection
(C) Internal conflicts
(D) Censorship
Answer:
(C) Internal conflicts
Explanation:
Emergency applicable by Indira Gandhi has played a major role in creating internal conflicts.
Question 5.
The economic situation in 1967 triggered off:
(A) Price rise
(B) Price fall
(C) Economic progress
(D) Military rise
Answer:
(A) Price rise
Question 6.
The had played a role in the installation of Indira Gandhi as the Prime Minister by ensuring her election as the leader of the Parliamentary Party.
(A) Constituent Assembly
(B) Syndicate
(C) Opposition
(D) Economic conditions
Answer:
(B) Syndicate
Question 7.
The Syndicate wanted Indira Gandhi to act as a:
(A) strong leader
(B) puppet E
(C) financial backup
(D) face of the country
Answer:
(B) puppet E
Explanation:
The senior Congress leaders belief that her administrative and political inexperience would compel her to be dependent on them for support and guidance.
Question 8.
The Grand Alliance of opposition of 1971:
(A) got a combined tally of seats that was less than 40.
(B) had a clear ideological programme.
(C) had a grand finish in the 1970 elections.
(D) proved to be a great success.
Answer:
(A) got a combined tally of seats that was less than 40.
Explanation:
Grand Alliance was an alliance between Congress and CPI in which they won 352 seats out of 375.
Question 9.
Whom would you like to identify the slogan ‘Indira Hatao’ with?
(A) Syndicate
(B) Karpoori Thakur
(C) V V. Giri
(D) Subhash Chandra Bose
Answer:
(A) Syndicate
Explanation:
In 1971, Jayaprakash Narayan from opposition 0anta Party) gave the slogan Indira Hatao to crush Congress in Lok Sabha Elections, 1977.
Question 10.
Which period of Indian politics was referred to as “dangerous decade”?
(A) 1970s
(B) 1950s
(C) 1980s
(D) 1960s
Answer:
(D) 1960s
Explanation: This decade witnessed the transition of Indian politics from Nehru to Shastri to Indira Gandhi. The number of challenges like inequality, poverty, unemployment, religious and communal divide, and national security was witnessed during this decade.
Question 11.
For how many years Lai Bahadur Sashtri remained cabinet minister prior becoming the PM?
(A) four
(B) three
(C) five
(D) ten
Answer:
(D) ten
Question 12.
Who gave slogan “Garibi Hatao”?
(A) Lai Bahadur Sashtri
(B) Indira Gandhi
(C) Jawahar Lai Nehru
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(B) Indira Gandhi
Explanation:
In 1971, when Jayaprakash Narayan gave the slogan Indira Hatao to crush Congress in Lok Sabha Elections, 1977. In contrast to that Indira Gandhi Gave the slogan Garibi Hatao to generate a support base among the disadvantaged.
Question 13.
Why Indira Gandhi was called “Goongi Gudiya” in Indian Politics?
(A) Because people believed that she was a puppet of powerful leaders.
(B) Because she remained an inactive PM at that time.
(C) Because she lost the elections and there was a rift in the party.
(D) All the above.
Answer:
(A) Because people believed that she was a puppet of powerful leaders.
Explanation:
Indira Gandhi was called “Gongi Gudiya” because opposition felt that she is not taking any decisions on her own without the consent of the powerful leaders. Besides, the country was facing many problems like drought, famine, economic crises, decrease in agricultural produce, decrease in industrial production etc.
Question 14.
Why the results of general elections 1967 were called ‘political earthquake’?
(A) Because congress lost all the seats
(B) The elections were not at all successful
(C) The popularity of Congress had reduced by a large scale
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(C) The popularity of Congress had reduced by a large scale
Explanation:
The results of the General Election of 1967 were a shock for the congress at the national and the state levels. Most of the ministers in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet lost the elections.
Question 15.
Whose name was proposed by the syndicate for the Presidential elections 1969?
(A) K Kamraj
(B) V V Giri
(C) N. Sanjeeva Reddy
(D) None of these
Answer:
(C) N. Sanjeeva Reddy
Explanation:
In 1969, President Zakir Hussain’s death made the post of President of the India fell vacant. The ‘syndicate’ nominate the then speaker of the Lok Sabha, N. Sanjeeva Reddy, while Indira Gandhi retaliated by encouraging the then Vice-President, V. V Giri, to file his nomination.
Question 16.
When did congress party split into two groups?
(A) 1969
(B) 1979
(C) 1959
(D) 1960
Answer:
(A) 1969
Explanation:
The defeat of the official Congress candidate formalised the split in the party. By November 1969, the Congress group led by the ‘syndicate’ came to be referred to as the Congress (Organisation) and the group led by Indira Gandhi came to be called the Congress
Requisitionists). These two parties were also described as Old Congress and New Congress.
Question 17.
When Indira Gandhi recommended dissolution of Lok Sabha?
(A) December 1971
(B) November 1970
(C) December 1970
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(C) December 1970
Explanation: Indira Gandhi vigorously campaigned for implementing the existing land reform laws and undertook further land ceiling legislation. In order to end her dependence on other political parties and strengthen her party’s position in the Parliament, Indira Gandhi’s government recommended the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in December 1970.
Question 18.
In General Elections 1971 which party was supported by the majority of the voters?
(A) Congress (O)
(B) Congress (R)
(C) Congress (D)
(D) UPA
Answer:
(B) Congress (R)
Question 19.
What was the motto of Grand Alliance?
(A) Garibi Hatao
(B) Economy Badhao
(C) Corruption Hatao
(D) Indira Hatao
Answer:
(D) Indira Hata
Explanation:
To make matters worse for Indira Gandhi, all the major non-communist, non- Congress opposition parties (SSR PSFJ Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Swatantra Party and the Bharatiya Kranti Dal) formed an electoral alliance known as the Grand Alliance.
Assertion and Reason Based MCQs
Directions: In the following questions, a statement of –
Assertion (A) is followed by a statement of Reason (R). Mark the correct choice as:
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (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.
Question 1.
Assertion: Our leaders were conscious of the critical role of politics in any democracy.
Reason: They.did not see politics as a problem; they saw it as a way of solving the problems.
Answer:
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Explanation:
Every society needs to decide how it will govern and regulate itself. There are always different policy alternatives to choose from. There are different groups with different and conflicting aspirations. How do we resolve these differences? Democratic politics is an answer to this question. Our leaders meticulously chose what was right for the nation.
Question 2.
Assertion: It was not just the size of the country and the electorate that made this election unusual. The first general election was also the first big test of democracy in a poor and illiterate country. [A] Reason: At that time there were 17 crores eligible voters, who had to elect about 3,200 MLAs and 489 Members of Lok Sabha. Yet, the elections were conducted successfully.
Answer:
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Explanation:
Despite of the size of the voters, election commission was able to organize a nationwide election. It firmly believed in democracy and staked all the resources and labour to conduct the elections in a fair manner.
Question 3.
Assertion: The elections had to be postponed twice and finally held from October 1951 to February 1952.
Reason: But this election is referred to as the 1951 election since most parts of the country voted in January 1951.
Answer:
(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
Explanation:
The elections had to be postponed. Since the majority of the population was able to vote in January 1952, it is referred as 1952 elections.
Question 4.
Assertion: The Indian National Congress was expected to lose this election.
Reason: The Congress party, as it was popularly known, had inherited the legacy of the national movement.
Answer:
(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
Explanation:
This period was the inception of “One Party dominance” in the politics of India. There was no other party which could give congress a tough competition. Hence, Congress won the elections as expected.
Question 5.
Assertion: What distinguished the dominance of the Congress party in India from all the other cases was it happened under democratic conditions.
Reason: Many parties contested elections in conditions of free and fair elections and yet the Congress managed to win election after election.
Answer:
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Explanation:
In the other cases the dominance of one party was ensured by compromising democracy. But Congress never restricted any party to compete in the elections. Elections were conducted peacefully and in a fair manner.
Question 6.
Assertion: The roots of the extraordinary success of the Congress party go back to the legacy of the freedom struggle. [0]
Reason: This was similar to the dominance the African National Congress has enjoyed in South Africa after the end of apartheid.
Answer:
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Explanation:
Indeed the dominance of Congress can be compared with that of the African National Congress. But Congress in India had the legacy of their struggle for freedom of India. Congress was seen as inheritor of the national movement.
Question 7.
Assertion: Congress evolved from its origins in 1785 as a pressure group for the newly educated, professional and commercial classes to a mass movement in the twentieth century.
Reason: Thus the Congress began as a party dominated by the English speaking, upper caste, upper middle-class and urban elite.
Answer:
(D) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Explanation:
Congress party evolved in 1885. Its initial members were from upper class, elites, and English-speaking class. But with every movement it launched, the common people from all the caste and class began to be included in Congress.
Question 8.
Assertion: Congress accommodated the
revolutionary and pacifist, conservative and radical, extremist and moderate and the right, left and all shades of the centre.
Reason: All these members had differences in deciding the party policies and launching freedom struggle.
Answer:
(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
Explanation:
Though Congress had members from various ideologies and backgrounds. It managed to create a balance between them and as a result, all the freedom struggles launched by congress were responded by the people belonging to every strata of the society
Question 9.
Assertion: The Communists failed to generate popular support for their position and were crushed by the armed forces.
Reason: This forced them to rethink their position. In 1951 the Communist Party abandoned the path of violent revolution and decided to participate in the approaching general elections.
Answer:
(A) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Question 10.
Assertion: This coalition-like character of the Congress gave it an unusual strength.
Reason: Congress acted as an extremist as far as coalition politics is concerned and handled all the issues arbitrarily.
Answer:
(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
Explanation:
Instead of being rigid in politics, Congress understood that compromise and inclusiveness are the hallmarks of a coalition. This strategy put the opposition in a difficulty
Question 11.
Assertion: The Bharatiya Jana Sangh was formed in 1986 with Shyama Prasad Mukherjee as its Founder-President.
Reason: It emphasized the idea of one country, one culture and one nation and believed that the country could become modern, progressive and strong on the basis of Indian culture and traditions.
Answer:
(D) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
Explanation:
The Bharatiya Jana Sangh was formed in 1951 by Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. It emphasized that the country can be modern by following Indian culture only. Its ideology was based on right wing politics.
Question 12.
Assertion: The factions took different ideological positions making the Congress appear as a grand centrist party.
Reason: The Bhartiya Jana Sangh called for a reunion of India and Pakistan in Akhand Bharat. The party was in forefront of the agitation to replace English with Hindi as the official language of India and was also opposed to the granting of concessions to religious and cultural minorities.
Answer:
(B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
Explanation:
Congress and Bhartiya Jana Sangh were the two different sides of the coin of Indian politics. Congress supported the idea of the secularism and was leaning towards the leftist ideology. Bhartiya Jana Sangh, since its inception, was of the ideology which never favoured any concessions to be given to the minorities. It had a very clear vision of Akhand Bharat.
Case-Based MCQs
I. Study the picture given below and answer the questions that follows:
Question 1.
What does the cartoon represent?
(A) General elections 1989
(B) Midterm elections 1971
(C) The Presidential elections of 1969
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(C) The Presidential elections of 1969
Question 2.
Why Indira Gandhi in the picture looks pleased?
(A) Because she can now impose emergency in the country.
(B) Because her nominee won.
(C) Because the person won was a relative to her.
(D) All the above.
Answer:
(B) Because her nominee won.
Question 3.
Identify the person wearing garland in winning position.
(A) Sardar Patel
(B) Chaudhary Charan singh
(C) KKamraj
(D) V V Giri
Answer:
(D) V V Giri
Question 4.
Who is lying on the ground?
(A) N Sanjeeva Reddy
(B) K. Kamraj
(C) Jay Prakash Narayan
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(A) N Sanjeeva Reddy
II. Study the picture given below and answer the questions that follows:
Question 1.
The cartoon depicts the results of which elections?
(A) The results of 1989 elections
(B) The results of 1971 elections
(C) The results of 1969 elections
(D) The results of 1990 elections
Answer:
(B) The results of 1971 elections
Question 2.
What was the outcome of these elections labelled as?
(A) The Great Finish
(B) An Extraordinary Finish
(C) Indira, the Iron Lady
(D) The Grand Finish
Answer:
(D) The Grand Finish
Question 3.
Who are depicted as the players in the cartoon?
(A) Congress’ leaders
(B) Communist Party of India’s leaders
(C) The then leading opposition figures
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(C) The then leading opposition figures
Question 4.
Which party did Indira Gandhi lead in 1971 elections?
(A) Congress (R)
(B) Congress (O)
(C) Congress United
(D) UPA .
Answer:
(A) Congress (R)
III. Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follows:
Earlier, Lai Bahadur Shastri had resigned from the position of Railway Minister accepting moral responsibility for a major railway accident. Shastri was the country’s Prime Minister from 1964 to 1966. During Shastri’s brief Prime Ministership, the country faced two major challenges. While India was still recovering from the economic implications of the war with China; failed monsoons, drought and serious food crisis presented a grave challenge.
As discussed in the previous chapter, the country also faced a war with Pakistan in 1965. Shastri’s famous slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’, symbolised the country’s resolve to face both these challenges. Shastri’s Prime Ministership came to an abrupt end on 10 January, 1966, when he suddenly expired in Tashkent, then in USSR and currently the capital of Uzbekistan. He was there to discuss and sign an agreement with Muhammad Ayub Khan, the then President of Pakistan, to end the war.
Question 1.
Why Shastri resigned from the position of Railway Minister?
(A) Accepting moral responsibility for railway accident.
(B) He was forced to resign.
(C) His party lost elections.
(D) None of the above.
Answer:
(A) Accepting moral responsibility for railway accident.
Explanation:
Shastri ji was a Railway Minister under Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet. He gave his resignation when in August, 1956 a major railway accident happened in Mahabubnagar, Andhra Pradesh.
Question 2.
What was the tenure of Shastri as a PM of India?
(A) 1966 to 1970
(B) 1967 to 1970
(C) 1964 to 1966
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(C) 1964 to 1966
Question 3.
What two major crises India faced during Shastri’s tenure?
(A) Political and social crises.
(B) Economic and serious food crises.
(C) War and communalism.
(D) War and political crises.
Answer:
(B) Economic and serious food crises.
Question 4.
What was the famous slogan given by Shastri?
(A) “Aya Ram, Gaya Ram”
(B) ” Swachha Bharat, Swastha Bharat”
(C) “JaiJawan, JaiKisan”
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(C) “JaiJawan, JaiKisan”
Explanation:
Jai Jawaan Jai Kisaan was a slogan given by the second Prime Minister of India Lai Bahadur Shastri in 1965 at a public gathering at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi.
IV. Read the following excerpt and answer the questions that follows:
The dramatic nature of the political change would be more apparent to you at the State level. The Congress lost majority in as many as seven States. In two other States, defections prevented it from forming a government. These nine States where the Congress lost power were spread across the country – Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Madras and Kerala. In Madras State (now called Tamil Nadu), a regional party – the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) – came to power by securing a clear majority.
The DMK won power after having led a massive anti-Hindi agitation by students against the centre on the issue of imposition of Hindi as the official language. This was the first time, any non-Congress party had secured a majority of its own in any State. In the other eight States, coalition governments consisting of different non-Congress parties were formed. A popular saying was that one could take a train from Delhi to Howrah and not pass through a single Congress ruled State. It was a strange feeling for those who were used to seeing the Congress in power.
Question 1.
In how many states Congress lost majority?
(A) Five states
(B) Seven states
(C) Nine states
(D) Eleven states
Answer:
(B) Seven states
Question 2.
What is the current name of Madras?
(A) Telangana
(B) Chennai
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(C) Tamil Nadu
Question 3.
On what agenda DMK came into power in Tamil Nadu?
(A) Eradication of poverty.
(B) Agenda against one party dominance.
(C) Promise to increase educational institution.
(D) Against the imposition of Hindi as a national language.
Answer:
(D) Against the imposition of Hindi as a national language.
Question 4.
In how many states a coalition government of non-congress parties were formed?
(A) Eight
(B) Seven
(C) Six
(D) Ten
Answer:
(A) Eight
V. Read the paragraph given below and answer the questions that follows:
India’s grand old party, the Congress, faced its first major split as the old guard led by party President, S. Nijalingappa expelled Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from the party for “fostering a cult of personality”. The “Syndicate”, as the senior members were called, could not quite come to terms with the fact that the “Gungi Gudiya” (dumb doll)-their snide reference for Indira-had a mind of her own. The break was complete when Indira after proposing N.
Sanjeeva Reddy’s name for presidentship asked Congressmen to “vote according to their conscience”. V. V. Giri, the rebel Congress candidate won. When the communal temperature was at its peak in India, the country had a Muslim President and a Muslim Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
After serving as vice-president to the great Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan for five years, Zakir Hussain, an academic and former vice-chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University, became the philosopher scholar’s successor at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 1967. Hussain, however, had one of the briefest terms as the country’s president as he died less than two years later. He was also the first Indian president to die in office.
Question 1.
Who was called “Gungi Gudiya”?
(A) Indira Gandhi
(B) Lai Bahadur Shastri
(C) S. Nijalingappa
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(A) Indira Gandhi
Question 2.
Whose name was proposed for president by Indira Gandhi?
(A) V V Giri
(B) N Sanjeeva Reddy
(C) Zakir Hussain
(D) Indira Gandhi herself
Answer:
(B) N Sanjeeva Reddy
Question 3.
Who was the vice-president to Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan?
(A) V. V. Giri
(B) N Sanjeeva Reddy
(C) Zakir Hussain
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(C) Zakir Hussain
Question 4.
Who was the first president to die in the office?
(A) Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
(B) S. Nijalingappa
(C) Zakir Hussain
(D) None of the above
Answer:
(C) Zakir Hussain