Class XII / PS / Regional Aspirations and Recent Developments in Indian Politics Worksheet

1. How many seats did the Congress party win in the Lok Sabha in 1984?
(a) 197 (b) 415
(c) 1991 (d) 1989

2. What was the ‘Mandal issue’ in Indian politics?

(a) A dispute between political parties over election funding
(b) A conflict over language policy in different regions
(c) A debate over the reservation of jobs for Other Backward Classes
(d) A controversy over the role of the media in reporting on politics

3. How did the ‘Mandal issue’ shape politics since 1989?

(a) It led to the rise of the Congress party (b) It led to the decline of regional parties
(c) It divided political parties along caste lines (d) It had no significant impact on politics

4. When did the National Front government decide to implement the recommendation of the Mandal
Commission?
(a) 1984 (b) 1989
(c) 1990 (d) 1991

5. When was Rajiv Gandhi assassinated?

(a) May 1990 (b) May 1991
(c) May 1992 (d) May 1993

6. Who became the Prime Minister of India after Rajiv Gandhi’s death?
(a) Atal Bihari Vajpayee (b) Sonia Gandhi
(c) Narsimha Rao (d) Manmohan Singh

7. Who was defeated in the elections held in 1989?

(a) BJP (b) Janata Dal
(c) Congress party (d) Left Front

8. When did the era of multi-party system begin in India?

(a) Before 1989 (b) After 1989
(c) During the 1950s (d) None of the above

9. When did the BJP come to power for the first time?
(a) 1989 (b) 1991
(c) 1996 (d) 1998

10. Which political party brought together a combination of political groups with strong support among
the OBCs in the 1980s?
(a) Bharatiya Janata Party (b) Congress Party
(c) Janata Dal (d) Samajwadi Party

11. What helped in shaping the politics of ‘Other Backward Classes’ in the 1980s?
(a) The implementation of the recommendations of the Mandal Commission
(b) The implementation of the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission
(c) The implementation of the recommendations of the Mandal-Massey Commission
(d) The implementation of the recommendations of the Ranganath Misra Commission

12. Who was the Chairperson of the Second Backward Classes Commission?
(a) Morarji Desai (b) Karpoori Thakur
(c) Bindeshwari Prasad Mandal (d) LK Advani

13. Who founded the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)?

(a) Karpoori Thakur (b) Bindeshwari Prasad Mandal
(c) Kanshi Ram (d) B. R. Ambedkar

14. Which state did the BSP achieve a breakthrough in during the 1989 and 1991 elections?
(a) Punjab (b) Haryana
(c) Uttar Pradesh (d) Bihar

15. What is the BSP’s strongest support base?

(a) Upper caste voters (b) OBC voters
(c) Religious minorities (d) Dalit voters

16. What strategy did the BJP adopt to mobilise the Hindus?
(a) Politics of Hindutva (b) Politics of socialism
(c) Politics of capitalism (d) Politics of communalism

17. According to ‘Hindutva’ believers, what is necessary to be a member of the Indian nation?
(a) Acceptance of India as a holy land
(b) Acceptance of India as a fatherland
(c) Acceptance of both India as a fatherland and holy land
(d) Acceptance of Hinduism as the national religion

18. What was the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986?
(a) An act that granted maintenance to divorced Muslim women
(b) An act that prohibited divorce among Muslims
(c) An act that nullified the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Shah Bano case
(d) An act that gave women equal rights in property disputes

19. What was the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Shah Bano case?
(a) The woman was denied maintenance from her former husband
(b) The woman was granted maintenance from her former husband
(c) The case was dismissed due to lack of evidence
(d) The case was postponed for further hearings

20. Who built the Babri Masjid mosque in Ayodhya?

(a) Mughal emperor Akbar (b) Mughal emperor Jahangir
(c) Mughal emperor Babur’s General, Mir Baqi (d) Mughal emperor Shah Jahan

21. What was the order given by the Faizabad district court in February 1986?
(a) To demolish the Babri Masjid mosque
(b) To allow Hindus to offer prayers at the Babri Masjid premises
(c) To hand over the Babri Masjid premises to the government
(d) To prevent any religious activity at the Babri Masjid premises

22. What was the Rathyatra?

(a) A political party formed by Hindu organisations
(b) A massive march organised by the Muslim community
(c) A campaign against communal violence
(d) A massive march organised by the BJP from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya in UP

23. What were the consequences of the large-scale mobilisation on the Babri Masjid issue?
(a) It led to the peaceful resolution of the dispute
(b) It led to the strengthening of communal harmony
(c) It led to a surcharged atmosphere and many instances of communal violence
(d) It led to the government’s intervention in the dispute
▶ (c) It led to a surcharged atmosphere and many instances of communal violence

24. Who headed the coalition government of 1989 ?

(a) Chandra Shekhar (b) V.P. Singh
(c) I.K. Gujral (d) Rajiv Gandhi

1. What is the basic principle of the Indian approach to diversity?

(a) The Indian nation shall deny the rights of different regions and linguistic groups to retain their own
culture.
(b) The Indian nation shall allow different regions and linguistic groups to retain their own culture.
(c) The Indian nation shall forcefully assimilate different regions and linguistic groups into a single
culture.
(d) The Indian nation shall not concern itself with the culture of different regions and linguistic groups.

2. What are the three social and political regions that comprise Jammu and Kashmir?
(a) Jammu, Rajasthan, and Ladakh (b) Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh
(c) Jammu, Punjab, and Ladakh (d) Jammu, Haryana, and Ladakh

3. Who was the Hindu ruler of Jammu and Kashmir before 1947?
(a) Jawaharlal Nehru (b) Gyanendra Singh
(c) Hari Singh (d) Manvendra Singh
4. Who led the popular movement in Jammu and Kashmir to get rid of the Maharaja?
(a) Muhammad Ali Jinnah (b) Jawaharlal Nehru
(c) Sheikh Abdullah (d) Mahatma Gandhi

5. Which organization did Sheikh Abdullah lead in Jammu and Kashmir?

(a) Muslim League (b) National Conference
(c) Indian National Congress (d) Bharatiya Janata Party

6. Who was the Prime Minister of J and K after the Instrument of Accession was signed?
(a) Jawaharlal Nehru (b) Sheikh Abdullah
(c) Hari Singh (d) Muhammad Ali Jinnah

7. Who led the formation of Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) in the Dravidian movement?
(a) M.V. Ramanidhi (b) E.V. Ramasami ‘Periyar’
(c) K. Karunanidhi (d) C.N. Annadurai

8. What did the Dravidian movement strongly oppose?

(a) The dominance of OBCs (b) The dominance of Muslims
(c) The dominance of SC/STs (d) The dominance of Brahmins

9. What was the reason for Sheikh Abdullah’s dismissal in 1953?

(a) He supported the central government’s position on Kashmir’s status.
(b) He did not enjoy popular support.
(c) He was involved in malpractices and rigging in elections.
(d) There was a growing difference between him and the central government about Kashmir’s status.

10. Who became the Chief Minister after Sheikh Abdullah’s death?
(a) Farooq Abdullah (b) Indira Gandhi
(c) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed (d) Breakaway faction of National Conference

11. What was the cause of the militant movement in Kashmir?

(a) A separate Ladakh nation (b) A separate Jammu and Kashmir nation
(c) An independent Kashmiri nation (d) An independent Jammu and Kashmir nation

12. Who provided support to the militants?

(a) India (b) Pakistan
(c) China (d) Bangladesh

13. What is the demand of the third strand in Kashmiri separatist politics?
(a) Merging Kashmir with Pakistan
(b) Greater autonomy for the people of the State within the Indian union
(c) Separating Kashmir from India and Pakistan
(d) None of the above
14. Which political party led the movement for the formation of a ‘Punjabi suba’?
(a) Congress (b) BJP
(c) Akali Dal (d) Communist Party of India

15. What change in the social composition of Punjab occurred after Partition?
(a) An increase in the Hindu population (b) A decrease in the Sikh population
(c) A decrease in the Muslim population (d) A decrease in the Christian population

16 When did the Akalis come to power in Punjab?

(a) 1950 (b) 1967
(c) 1977 (d) 1980

17. When was the Akali Dal formed?

(a) 1950 (b) 1920
(c) 1967 (d) 1977

18. When Anandpur Sahib Resolution was passed?

(a) 1962 (c) 1967
(b) 1965 (d) 1973

19. What was the goal of the Anandpur Sahib Resolution?

(a) To attain the dominance of the Sikhs
(b) To redefine centre-state relationship in the country
(c) To strengthen federalism
(d) All of the above

20. Who was the leader of the Naga National Council?

(a) V.P. Singh (b) Lal Denga
(c) Karunanidhi (d) Angame Zapu Phizo.

21. What was the Operation Blue Star?

(a) A military operation carried out by the Indian government in Punjab.
(b) A code name for army action in the Golden Temple.
(c) A movement to demand the redistribution of water resources.
(d) A demand for greater autonomy for the people of Punjab.

22. When did the assassination of Indira Gandhi take place?

(a) 31 August 1984 (b) 31 September1984
(c) 31 October 1984 (d) 31 November 1984

23. Who was the leader of M.N.F.?

(a) Laldenga (b) Dalai lama
(c) V.P. Singh (d) None of the above
24. What is the North-East region also known as?
(a) The seven brothers (b) The seven friends
(c) The seven sisters (d) The seven partners

25. What is the small corridor that connects the North-East region to the rest of India?
(a) Siliguri Corridor (b) Cherapunji Corridor
(c) Kolkata Corridor (d) Darjeeling Corridor

26. When was Nagaland State created?

(a) 1947 (b) 1963
(c) 1972 (d) 1987