RBSE Class 11 Political Science Important Questions Chapter 3 Equality

Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 11 Political Science Important Questions Chapter 3 Equality Important Questions and Answers. 

RBSE Class 11 Political Science Important Questions Chapter 3 Equality

Very Short Answer Type Questions 

Question 1. 
Who said this“Men by nature are equal”? 
Answer: 
Locke.

 

Question 2. 
Who said this: “External vigilance is the price of Liberty”?
Answer: 
Laski.

Question 3. 
Who said this: “A large measure of equality, so far from being Inimical to Liberty, is essential to it”?
Answer: 
Prof. Tawny.

Question 4. 
Write one essential positive aspect of equality.
Answer: 
Equal opportunities to all.

Question 5. 
Name two kinds of Equality.
Answer: 

1. Economic equality 
2. Social equality

Question 6. 
What is Social Equality?
Answer: 
Social equality means no discrimination should be made on the basis of caste, colour, race, creed, sex, religion, etc.

Fill in the blank:

Question 7. 
There is close relation between  and equality.
Answer: 
Liberty.
Correct and Rewrite the Sentence:

Question 8. 
The right to vote is Economic Right.
Answer: 
The right to vote is Political Right. Complete the sentence:

Question 9. 
Political liberty without equality is   
Answer: 
Political Liberty without equality is a myth. 

Question 10. 
Who said this: “A large measure of equality, so far from being inimical to liberty, is essential to it”?
Answer: 
R.H. Towney.

Multiple-Choice Questions

Choose the Correct Answers :
1. The statement “Men by nature are equal” is given by :
(a) Hobbes 
(b) Locke
(c) Rousseau 
(d) Laski
Answer: 
(b) Locke

2. For Marxists fundamental equality is:
(a) Social equality 
(b) Political equality
(c) Economic equality
(d) Legal equality 
Answer: 
(c) Economic equality

3. The demand for legal equality was raised in:
(a) 17th century 
(b) 19th century
(c) 18th century 
(d) 20th century
Answer: 
(c) 18th century 
 
Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What do you mean by Equality?
Answer: 
Equality stands for special privileges to some and denied to others. The state should grant equal civil and political rights to all people, making no discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, etc. All persons should be regarded as equal before the eyes of law. All men and women should be given adequate opportunities td develop their abilities.

Question 2. 
Define Equality.
Answer: 
Some of the important definitions of equality are as under:
According to Barker, “The principle of equality accordingly means that whatever conditions are guaranteed to me, in the form of rights, shall also, and in the same measure be guaranteed to others, and that whatever rights are given to others shall also be given to me.” According to Prof. Laski, “Undoubtedly, it implies fundamentally a certain levelling process. It means that no man shall be so placed in society that he can over-reach his neighbour to the extent which constituted a denial of the latter’s citizenship”.

Question 3. 
Write two features of Equality.
Answer: 

1. Equality is not Absolute. Equality is not absolute in nature. It accepts the presence of natural inequalities.
2. Equal Rights for all. Equality stands for equal rights for all citizens.

Question 4.
Mention kinds of Equality, 
Answer: 

1. Natural Equality
2. Economic Equality
3. Social Equality
4. Political Equality
5. Civil Equality
6. Legal Equality

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
What do you mean by ‘Equality’?
Answer: 
Equality does not mean that all persons may be treated equally in all respects. Equality stands for the absence or removal of special privileges to some and denied to others. The state should grant equal civil and political rights to all people, making no discrimination on the grounds of race, colour or income. All persons should be regarded as equal before the eyes of law. Equality also means that all men should be given adequate opportunities to develop their abilities. The State should provide suitable opportunities for everyone to develop his own genius.

Question 2. 
Mention any two kinds of Equality.
Answer: 
Economic Equality. Properly understood, economic equality implies the elimination of excessive inequalities of material resources. Economic equality does not mean that everybody should have equal income. But it does mean that all the citizens should have the means to meet their needs. Economic equality also implies the absence of exploitation of man by man or of one class by another. Social equality. Social equality implies that no distinction is made in the social status of the people on the ground of race, class, caste, sex, religion, etc. It implies that all members of the society are socially equal and no man is recognised as socially superior or inferior to any other member of the community.

Question 3. 
What is Political Equality? 
Answer: 
Political equality means that all the citizens should be treated equally in political sphere. According to Laski, by political equality is meant the equal access of everyone to the avenue of authority. All the citizens should get equal political rights. Every citizen should get the right to vote, right to contest elections, right to get government jobs, right to criticise the government and right to address petitions. Nobody should be discriminated against on the basis of caste, colour, sex, creed, religion and blood. Certain qualifications can be laid down for getting the right to vote but these conditions should not be laid down on the basis of caste, colour, creed, sex and religion.

Question 4. 
Define Social Equality.
Answer: 
Social equality implies that no distinction is made in the social status of the people on the grounds of race, class, caste, sex, religion, etc. It implies that all members of the society are socially equal and no one is recognised as socially superior or inferior to any other member of community. It also means that all persons should be treated equal regardless of wealth, colour, caste and creed. If the society is divided into different castes or classes, that shows absence of social equality-that an untouchable should hold the same status in society as a Brahmin and a lord should not be considered superior to an ordinary citizen.

Long Answer Type Questions

Meaning of Equality

Question 1. 
What do you understand by the term ‘Equality’? 
Answer: 
Like liberty, equality also has its importance for the individual. Equality does not mean that all persons may be treated equal in all respects. The popular meaning of equality is that all men are equal, that all should get equal incomes and equal treatment. But this is a misconception of the principle of equality. All men are never equal. Nature has endowed different men with different capacities. In simple words, the term equality means that all should be entitled to equal opportunity and treatment. All that is necessary to ensure the principle of equality is that special privileges of all kinds should be abolished. 

The State should grant equal civil and political rights to all people, making no discrimination on the grounds of race, colour or income. All persons should be regarded as equal before the eyes of law. Like liberty, equality has a positive connotation also. Not only all special privileges should be abolished, but all men should be given adequate opportunities to develop their abilities. The State should pass such laws that everyone in the State should be given full chances of development. The State should actively promote the welfare of all citizens. On the basis of the above mentioned facts, we come to know about the following features of equality:

1. Absence of Special Privileges. An important feature of equality is that no individual or section of people is given special privileges in the society. Nobody is given special privileges on the basis of caste, colour, creed, religion and blood. All the members of the State and society should get equal opportunities on equal basis. The principle of equality cannot enjoy special privileges.

2. Provision for Adequate Opportunities of Development. Equality means that every man in the State should get adequate opportunities for realising his/her best self. The state should pass such laws that no one in the State should be denied the opportunity of developing his own genius. No one can be deprived of the opportunity to make progress on the basis of caste, colour, creed and religion. The right to vote and the right to be elected should be given to all equally so that everybody gets the chance to participate in the administration. Merit should be the main criterion to enter government service.

3. Provision for Minimum Standard of Living for Every Individual. Another important feature of equality is that all the basic needs of every individual should be satisfied in the society. The things without which life is meaningless must be accessible to all. “The urgent claims of all must be met before we can meet the particular claims of some.” There should not exist gross inequalities of wealth among the members of society. 

Kinds of Equality

Question 2. 
Discuss the different kinds of I Equality.
Answer: 
Equality can be classified under the following heads:
1. Natural Equality. Natural equality has been explained differently by different writers. Some thinkers hold the opinion that Nature has created all the people equal and all persons should be given identical treatment irrespective of their capacity and temperament. But the fact is that Nature has not created all people equal. People differ in colour, health, temperament and ability. Natural equality may mean that all the individuals are basically equal and they should be treated equally. No individual can be sacrificed at the cost of the development of personality of another individual.

2. Social Equality. Social equality implies that all the members of the society are equal and no man is recognised as socially superior or inferior to any other member of the community. It also means that all persons should be treated as equal regardless of wealth, colour, caste and creed. If society is divided into different castes or classes, that shows absence of social equality-that an untouchable should hold the same status in society as a Brahmin, and a lord should not be considered superior to an ordinary citizen.

3. Civil Equality. Civil equality means that everyone in the State enjoys the same status in the sphere of private law. It also sometimes implies the rule of law. It means that no person in the State should enjoy any special privileges. Fair justice is not possible in the absence of civil equality. This means that civil rights and liberties are enjoyed equally by all citizens irrespective of creed, colour and caste.

4. Economic Equality. The aim of economic equality is to make all individuals equal in respect of wealth and income. This is the socialist idea. Laski defines economic equality in a limited sense as consisting in equal opportunities for everyone to develop his natural faculties and power. It should be the aim of democracy to reduce great inequalities in wealth. Economic equality can exist when all people have reasonable economic opportunities to develop themselves.

5. Political Equality. Political equality means that all the citizens should be treated equally in political sphere. According to Laski, by political equality it is meant equal access of everyone to the avenue of authority. All the citizens should get equal political rights. Every citizen should get the right to vote, right to contest elections, right to get a Government job, right to criticise the Government and right to address petitions, and nobody should be discriminated against on the basis of caste, colour, creed, religion and blood. Certain qualifications can be laid down for getting the right to vote but these conditions should not be laid down on the basis of caste, colour, creed and religion.

6. National Equality. National equality means that all nations of the world are equal while dealing with the other nations of the world.

Relationship between Liberty and Equality

Question 3. 
‘Liberty and Equality are closely related to each other.’ Comment.
Or
‘Liberty is meaningless without Equality.’ Do you agree with this view? Give reasons for your answer.
Or
Describe the relationship between *. Liberty and Equality.
Answer: 
Relation between Liberty and Equality. Liberty and Equahty are the two basic principles of democracy. Political thinkers differ among themselves on the exact relationship between liberty and equality. Some thinkers are of the opinion that the concept of equahty is only a utopia and not a reality. They say that both liberty and equality are opposed to each other and they are not complementary terms. Both liberty and equality cannot go together. But there are thinkers also who say that liberty and equality are closely related to each other and one cannot exist without the other. Liberty in the absence of equality is meaningless.

Liberty and Equality are opposed to each other. There is a viewpoint that both liberty and equahty are opposed to each other and they cannot go side by side. The main advocates of this viewpoint are De Tocquevile and Lord Acton. According to Lord Acton, “The passion for equality has made vain the hope for liberty.” Equahty curtails individual liberty. If everybody is considered equal in the eyes of law and equahty is established in economic sphere, then everybody’s liberty will be curtailed. These thinkers say that liberty and equahty are opposed to each other on the following grounds:

1. Natural inequality. They are of the opinion that Nature has not created all the people equal. Nature has created all the people unequal and all of them do not possess the same qualities. From their very birth, some people are intelligent, some are fools, some are weak, some are strong, some are active and others are lazy. Therefore, all these people cannot be considered equal. If all these people are treated equally, it will be unjust and irrational.

2. One destroys the other. On the basis of the principles of individualism, some people consider that both these concepts are opposed to each other. The  individualists say that the individual should be left alone in the economic sphere and there should be free trade and competition. This will greatly help in the development of individual personality and the individual will live in a free atmosphere. If the State establishes economic equality, then intelligent and hard working people will not be able to make the best use of ability and capacity. 

If the individuals are left to themselves, every individual will earn money according to his ability and capacity.  It will result in gross inequalities of wealth and hence the end of equality. If the Government controls production and fixes the wages of the labourers, it will also result in the curtailment of liberty and the difference between the capable and incapable will come to an end.

3. Checks the Progress. It is great injustice to treat the capable and incapable, the intelligent and the fool equally. This neither enhances the liberty of the people, nor does it help in the promotion of public welfare. The labourers, doctors, engineers, scholars, scientists, traders and artists, all cannot be treated on equal footing. This way equality is such a concept which is far away from reality. Liberty and Equality are not opposed to each other. Most of the thinkers do not accept the viewpoint that liberty and equahty are opposed to each other. It is said that liberty in the absence of equahty is meaningless. Prof. Laski, Prof. Tawny, Pollard and Maclver are the thinkers who support this view point. According to Prof.

Tawny, “A large measure of equahty, so far from being inimical to liberty, is essential to it.” According to Pollard, ‘There is only one solution of problem of liberty. It hes in equahty.” Those who think that liberty and equahty are opposed to each other misunderstand the meaning of these words. The imposition of reasonable and moral restrictions instead of unjust and immoral restrictions on the actions of man is called liberty. The aim of liberty is to create a comfortable atmosphere which can be conducive to the development of individual personality.

The people also misunderstand the meaning of equality. Equality does not mean that all the people are born equal and all are entitled to get equal wages and equal work. Rather equahty means that nobody should enjoy special privileges in the State and everybody should be entitled to get equal opportunities in life. Equality means reasonable distribution of wealth and not equal distribution of wealth among the members of the society.

Thus, equahty, instead of being opposed to liberty, is an essential condition of it. It is only when equal opportunities are provided to all that a man can be really free to develop his personality and powers according to his choice. Thus, properly understood, the two terms are not opposed to each other but rather complementary to each other. Laski rightly says, “De Tocqueville and Lord Acton misunderstood the meaning of the term equality when they said liberty and equality cannot exist together.

They wrongly thought that equality means the identity of treatment of all or identity of reward for all and, therefore, it is incompatible with liberty, which means freedom for everybody to develop his or her personality according to his or her nature.” According to Prof. Ashirvatham, “The French Revolutionists were neither mad nor stupid when they made their war cry-Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.” 

Conclusion It is quite clear from the above discussion that both liberty and equality go together. They are not opposed to each other. One cannot be achieved without the other. Both are consistent and the progress of man is impossible till he can enjoy political liberty and economic equality. Both of them are compatible and complementary. They must be enjoyed together to bring about maximum individual and social welfare. Both must exist side by side and in the absence of one, we cannot have the other.

Question 4. 
Study the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:
In democratic societies political equality would normally include granting equal citizenship to all the members of the state. Equal citizenship brings with it certain basic rights such as the right to vote, freedom of expression, movement and association and freedom of belief. These are rights which are considered necessary to enable citizens to develop themselves and participate in the affairs of the state. But they are legal rights, guaranteed by the constitution and laws.

We know that considerable inequality can exist even in countries which grant equal rights to all citizens. These inequalities are often the result of differences in the resources and opportunities which are available to citizens in the soical and economic spheres. For this reason a demand is often made for equal opportunities, or for ‘a level playing field’. But we should remember that although political and legal equality by itself may not be sufficient to build a just and egalitarian society, it is certainly an important component of it.

1. Which type of equality is mentioned in the above passage?
2. Mention any one Political Equality.

Answer: 

1. Political Equality is mentioned in the above passage.
2. Right to vote.

Question 5.
Ken Saro-Wiwa, an ogoni by birth, was recognised as an author, journalist and television producer in the 1980s. In this work, he observed and reacted to the exploitations around him as the oil and gas industry took riches from beneath the feet of the poor ogoni farmers, and in return left the land polluted and the people disenfranchised.

Look at the picture and answer the following questions.
(a) Write down the name of the gentleman shown in the picture.
(b) Write a note on Ken Saro-Wiwa.
Answer: 
(a) The name of the gentleman shown in the picture is Ken Saro-Wiwa.
(b) Ken Saro-Wiwa, an ogoni by birth, was recognised as an author, journalist and television producer in the 1980s. He raised his voice against the exploitation of ogoni people by the rich.

Question 6. 
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Most of the thinkers do not accept the viewpoint that liberty and equality are opposed to each other. It is said that liberty in the absence of equality is meaningless. Prof. Laski, Prof. Tawny, Pollard and Maclver are the thinkers who support this view point. According to Prof. Tawny, “A large measure of equality, so far from being inimical to liberty, is essential to it.” According to Pollard, “There is only one solution of problem of liberty. It lies in equality.” Those who think that liberty and equality are opposed to each other misunderstand the meaning of these words. The imposition of reasonable and moral restrictions instead of unjust and immoral restrictions on the actions of man is called liberty.

6.1. What is the viewpoint of most of the thinkers about Liberty and Equality?
(a) Liberty and Equality are opposed to each other
(b) Liberty and Equality are not opposed to each other
(c) Liberty negative and Equality is positive
(d) None of these
Answer:
(b) Liberty and Equality are not opposed to each other

6.2. Who are the thinkers that support the view that Liberty and Equality are not opposed to each other?
(a) Laski 
(b) Tawny
(c) Pollard 
(d) All of these
Answer: 
(d) All of these

6.3. Who said that “A large measure of equality, so far from being inimical to Liberty, is essential to it?”
(a) Laski 
(b) Prof Tawny
(c) Pollard 
(d) T.H. Green
Answer: 
(b) Prof Tawny

6.4. Who said that, “There is only one solution of problem of liberty it lies in equality?”
(a) Pollard 
(b) Tawny
(c) Laski 
(d) T.H. Green
Answer: 
(a)

HOTS QUESTIONS

Question 1. 
What do you understand by equal opportunities for all?
Answer: 
Equality means that every man in the state should get equal and adequate opportunities for realising his best self. The state should pass such laws that no one in the state should be denied the opportunity of developing his own genius. No one should be deprived of the opportunity to make progress on the basis of caste, colour, creed and religion. Everybody should be governed by the same law of the land and all should be equal in the eyes of the law.

Question 2. 
What do you understand by equality before law?
Answer: 
Equality before law means that all the citizens should be equal before law. The citizens should not be discriminated in the name of caste, colour, creed and sex. They should be provided equal opportunities for progress. Nobody should enjoy special privileges. Nobody should be above law. There should be equal punishment for equal crime.

Question 3. 
Explain the Marxist View of Equality.
Answer: 
Marxism has greatly emphasised on economic equality. According to Marxism, economic inequality leads to class struggle. They have greatly criticised the centralisation of money and power. According to Marx, the economically sound class dominates the political power of the state and uses the state’s machinery for their own benefit. Marx favoured nationalisation of all property because centralisation leads to conflict, chaos and inequality in society.

Question 4. 
Distinguish between Political Equality and Social Equality.
Answer: 
Political equality means, as Laski has said, “the equal access of everyone to the avenue of authority”, whereas social equality implies that all men of the society are socially equal. Political equality implies that all citizens should be treated equally in the political sphere, whereas social equality implies no man is recognised as socially superior or inferior to any other member of community. Thus, one talks about the political life of an individual and other is concerned with his social life.

Question 5. 
‘Absolute Equality is neither feasible nor desirable.’ Comment.
Answer: 
Some thinkers view equality as absolute without any conditions or restrictions. But absolute equality is neither desirable nor practicable. All men are not absolutely equal. Even Nature has not created all men absolutely equal in all respects. Nature has endowed different men with different capacities. In simple words, equality means that all should be entitled to equal opportunity and treatment.

SELF-EVALUATION TEST 

1. Who said: Men by nature are equal”? 
2. Write one essential positive aspect of Equality.
3. Name two kinds of Equality. 
4. Complete the sentence: 
Political Liberty without equality is ................
5. What do you mean by Equality? 
6. Define Equality. 
7. Write two features of Equality. 
8. Mention kinds of Equality. 
9. What do you mean by ‘Equality’? 
10. Mention any two kinds of Equality. 
11. What is Political Equality? 
12. Define Social Equality. 
13. Ken Saro-Wiwa, an ogoni by birth, was recognised as an author, journalist and television producer in the 1980s. In his work. he observed and reacted to the exploitations around him as the oil and gas industry took riches from beneath the feet of the poor ogoni farmers and in return left the land polluted and the people disenfranchised. 

Look at the given picture and answer the following questions.
(a) Vnte down the name of the gentleman shown in the picture.
(b) Write a note on Ken Saro-Wiwa.
14. What do you understand by the term Equality?
15. Discuss the kinds of Equality.
16. Liberty and Equality are closely related to each other’. Comment.