Chapter 5: Concept of Representation

Choose the correct alternative and complete the following statement.

Ancient Greece had ______.

OPTIONS

dictatorship
direct democracy
indirect democracy
monarchy

The oldest representative assembly in the world is ______.

OPTIONS

House of Commons
House of Lords
Senate
House of Representatives

State the appropriate concept for the given statement.

The political system where people elect representatives to govern themselves.

SOLUTION

The political system where people elect representatives to govern themselves. - Representative Democracy

Find the odd word in the given set.

OPTIONS

The Indian National Trade Union Congress
All India Kisan Sabha
National Students Union of India
Indian National Congress

Complete the concept map/maps.

SOLUTION

Explain the co-relation between the following.

Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations.

SOLUTION

Governmental organizations are public organizations that have a formalized structure. They are formed by election or nomination. They have legal status in terms of their jurisdiction. They are more concerned with political and administrative aspects.

However, such organizations due to their structure and scope may not be able to satisfy the concerns of different sections of the population or to represent various interests and causes. This leads to people who are devoted to the cause to come together as non-profit groups and further their cause. NGO's work in the field of political and environmental awareness, the welfare of the elderly/women/children/disabled, etc., for e.g., Green Peace (environment), Help Age (senior citizens), CRY (children), AGNI (Political awareness), PFA (animals).

Express your opinion of the following.

Pressure groups are different from political parties.

OPTIONS

Agree
Disagree

SOLUTION

I agree with the statement.

The political parties are part of the governmental system. They seek to influence government policy from the inside. A pressure group tries to influence the government from the outside. They do not stand for elections or aim to become members of the legislature/government. Political parties have a broad agenda. They seek to represent the people for political, social, economic, cultural, and other concerns. Pressure groups usually have a narrow focus. They focus on specific issues or agitations for a specific cause e.g., the environment.

Answer the following in detail with reference to the given points.

What is meant by representation? Explain the various methods of the representation?

meaning
electoral
non-electoral
non-official

SOLUTION

Meaning - The concept of representation is important in any democracy. ' Today, most countries have large territory and population. Hence, direct democracy is not possible. The form of democracy today is indirect democracy or representative democracy. People elect representatives among themselves to govern the country for e.g., in India, Members of Parliament (MP's), Members of State Legislative Assemblies/Councils (MLA's, MLC's), of corporations, etc., are all our representatives.
Electoral Method - Persons are directly or indirectly elected by the citizens to govern them as members of representative assemblies e.g., General elections to Lok Sabha, Assembly elections.
Non-electoral Method - Representatives occupy their position though nomination or appointment for e.g., President of India appoints 12 Members to the Rajya Sabha.
Non-official Method - Civil society represents the people through various pressure groups like trade unions, student groups, peasant organisations.

Suggest ways by which you can encourage people to vote in election.

SOLUTION

NGO's such as AGNI have special programmes designed to encourage people to exercise their franchise.
Street plays, flash mobs at railway stations, talks in colleges about the importance of voting.
Voter enrollment drives to encourage youngsters to vote.
Advertisements, especially involving celebrities as 'ambassadors' for the franchise.
In some countries of the world, the franchise is compulsory.

Observe the given image and write in brief about it.

SOLUTION

This is a heart-warming and motivating photograph. We can observe the following about it.

In India, women have participated in the election process since 1950 when they were given voting rights.
It shows political awareness and participation of women, dressed in traditional attire, braving the hot sun standing in the queue to vote.
They are proudly holding up their identity proof which shows how motivated and proud they are to have the political right to vote.

Balbharati Solutions for Political Science 11th Standard Maharashtra State Board Chapterwise List - Free

The answers for the Balbharati books are the best study material for students. These Balbharati Solutions for Political Science 11th Standard Maharashtra State Board will help students understand the concepts better.

• Chapter 1: The State

• Chapter 2: Liberty and Rights

• Chapter 3: Equality and Justice

• Chapter 4: Constitutional Government

• Chapter 5: Concept of Representation

• Chapter 6: Role of the Judiciary

• Chapter 7: Public Administration

• Chapter 8: Development Administration

• Chapter 9: The world since 1945 - 1

• Chapter 10: The world since 1945 - 2