MCQ Political Science (English) HS 2nd year "Era of one-party dominance" Part B chapter 2

Topic 1: Challenge of Building Democracy

1. What was the major challenge faced by independent India in terms of governance? a) Establishing a monarchy
   b) Instituting democratic politics
   c) Expanding colonial rule
   d) Abolishing elections
   Answer: b) Instituting democratic politics

2. Which factor did NOT contribute to many post-colonial countries adopting non-democratic rule? a) National unity as a priority
   b) Fear of conflicts in democracy
   c) Influence of democratic ideals
   d) Control by the military or one-party rule
   Answer: c) Influence of democratic ideals

3. What was the primary reason India adopted democracy despite challenges? a) Commitment of freedom struggle to democratic ideals
   b) Influence of foreign powers
   c) Economic benefits of democracy
   d) Public protests against dictatorship
   Answer: a) Commitment of freedom struggle to democratic ideals

Topic 2: First General Elections (1952)

4. Who was the first Chief Election Commissioner of India? a) Rajendra Prasad
   b) Sukumar Sen
   c) Jawaharlal Nehru
   d) B.R. Ambedkar
   Answer: b) Sukumar Sen

5. How many eligible voters participated in the first general election of India? a) 5 crore
   b) 10 crore
   c) 17 crore
   d) 25 crore
   Answer: c) 17 crore

6. What was the main difficulty in preparing electoral rolls for the first election? a) Lack of literacy among voters
   b) Political opposition to elections
   c) Exclusion of women’s names as independent voters
   d) Technical failure of voting machines
   Answer: c) Exclusion of women’s names as independent voters

Topic 3: Congress Dominance in Early Elections

7. Which party won the majority in the first general elections of 1952? a) Bharatiya Jana Sangh
   b) Communist Party of India
   c) Indian National Congress
   d) Socialist Party
   Answer: c) Indian National Congress

8. Who was the most prominent leader of the Congress party during the early elections? a) Lal Bahadur Shastri
   b) Sardar Patel
   c) Jawaharlal Nehru
   d) Rajendra Prasad
   Answer: c) Jawaharlal Nehru

9. How many seats did the Congress win in the first Lok Sabha elections? a) 250
   b) 364
   c) 400
   d) 489
   Answer: b) 364

Topic 4: Electoral System and Voting Methods

10. What method of voting was initially used in India’s first elections? a) Electronic Voting Machines
    b) Open ballot
    c) Separate ballot boxes for each candidate
    d) Online voting
    Answer: c) Separate ballot boxes for each candidate

11. What replaced the separate ballot box system in later elections? a) Direct voice voting
    b) Ballot papers with candidate names and symbols
    c) Postal ballots only
    d) Voting through mobile apps
    Answer: b) Ballot papers with candidate names and symbols

12. By which year did India fully transition to Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)? a) 1980
    b) 1995
    c) 2004
    d) 2010
    Answer: c) 2004

Topic 5: Rise of Opposition Parties

13. Which was the largest opposition party in the first Lok Sabha elections? a) Bharatiya Jana Sangh
    b) Communist Party of India
    c) Swatantra Party
    d) Praja Socialist Party
    Answer: b) Communist Party of India

14. The Socialist Party originated from which pre-independence political group? a) Indian National Army
    b) Congress Socialist Party
    c) Hindu Mahasabha
    d) Forward Bloc
    Answer: b) Congress Socialist Party

Topic 6: One-Party Dominance vs. Democracy

15. Why was Congress dominance different from other one-party states? a) It was established through a constitutional mandate
    b) It was maintained through democratic elections
    c) It was imposed by military rule
    d) It did not allow opposition parties
    Answer: b) It was maintained through democratic elections