Maharashtra Board 12th Political Science Exam 2025 : Most Important Question Answers for Last-Minute Revision

3. The Indus Waters Treaty is signed between India and

(a) Bangladesh

(b) Nepal

(c) China

(d) Pakistan

Answer: (d) Pakistan

4. At Kundankulam there is opposition to building of the

(a) airport

(b) special economic Zone

(c) nuclear power plant

(d) oil refinery

Answer: (c) nuclear power plant

5. The Revolution aimed to make India self-sufficient in food grains.

(a) Import substitution

(b) Green

(c) White

(d) Infrastructural

Answer: (b) Green

6. The is a scheme introduced in 1978-79 to create opportunities for self-employment in the rural sector.

(a) MGNREGA

(b) JRY

(c) IRDP

(d) KVY

Answer: (c) IRDP

7. ‘Unity in diversity is one of the important Indian values associated with

(a) Panchayati Raj

(b) National integration

(c) Concept of a nation

(d) Concept of ‘melting pot’

Answer: (b) National integration

8. Charu Majumdar is associated with the

(a) JKLF

(b) Naxal movement

(c) Hizb-ul-Mujahideen

(d) Assam Oil Blockage

Answer: (b) Naxal movement

9. The concept of ‘citizens charter’ is part of

(a) POSDCORB

(b) development administration

(c) good governance

(d) NGO activity

Answer: (c) good governance

10. The good governance model looks at inter-linkages between the government and

(a) civil society

(b) political parties

(c) public administration

(d) human rights

Answer: (a) civil society

11. The core of nonalignment was

(a) Independent understanding of world affairs

(b) Participation in cold war

(c) Democratic socialism as policy

(d) Policy of regionalism

Answer: (a) Independent understanding of world affairs

12. Farakka Agreement about sharing of river waters is between India and

(a) Bangladesh

(b) Pakistan

(c) China

(d) Nepal

Answer: (a) Bangladesh

13. The culture of ‘secrecy’ in administration has been challenged by the good governance value of

(a) effectiveness

(b) transparency

(c) accountability

(d) equity

Answer: (b) transparency

14. The Consumer Protection Act was passed in the year

(a) 1986

(b) 1990

(c) 2000

(d) 2012

Answer: (a) 1986

15. In the late 1990s, Foreign Minister Primakov mooted the idea of a Trilateral Summit between Russia, India and

(a) USA

(b) Pakistan

(c) China

(d) Vietnam

Answer: (c) China

16. Status of Kashmir has been a cause of tension between India and

(a) Bangladesh

(b) China

(c) Afghanistan

(d) Pakistan

Answer: (d) Pakistan

17. In 1972, Shimla Agreement was signed between India and

(a) USA

(b) Russia

(c) Pakistan

(d) China

Answer: (c) Pakistan

18. In 1975, the Himalayan Kingdom of opted to integrate with India.

(a) Nepal

(b) NEFA

(c) Sikkim

(d) Bhutan

Answer: (c) Sikkim

19. Naxal operations are primarily prevalent in underdeveloped areas of the country.

Answer: Naxalism is a movement based on Maoist ideology that began in 1967 at Naxalbari (West Bengal) as a protest against the feudal order and oppression by the landlords. Naxalites target existing infrastructure and aim to show government programmes as ineffective. Naxalites find support amongst landless agricultural labour, tribals and dalits. They are based in inaccessible, underdeveloped areas of India which lack communication facilities, are heavily forested or have difficult terrain where the security forces find it difficult to operate.

20. National unity is not homogeneity.

Answer: National unity refers to solidarity among citizens of a country. It advocates a ‘community of communities’ with respect to diversity, shared values and experiences. It is ethnic, religious, linguistic acceptance towards peace and stability. National unity is a major step towards social peace i.e., it is essential in maintaining a stable, functional and harmonious society. National unity in India reflects the ‘salad bowl’ concept i.e., it is not an assimilation of diverse groups but the maintenance of distinctive beliefs in a plural society.

21. India went into an economic transformation in the 1990s.

Answer: After independence, India adopted a socialistic pattern of society with mixed economy and Five Year Plans. However, keeping in view, socio-political changes in the world such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, India went into an economic transformation in the 1990s. It opted for economic liberalisation to tackle the problem of economic stagnation. This led to economic recovery of the country.

 

Answer: In 1991, the Soviet Union disintegrated and the Cold War ended. This led to the end of an international order dominated by the two superpowers i.e., USA and Soviet Union. Bipolarity gave rise to unipolarity. During the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, the USA took the initiative and led a multinational force to free Kuwait. The US President, George H. Bush used the term ‘New World Order’ to describe the existing global situation. The US initiative was supported by China, Israel, Arab States, Soviet Union and countries of the NATO. Soviet Union was facing internal problems so not much opposition was possible against the USA. Thus, the term ‘New World Order’ implied American dominance and it’s leadership in matters of security was accepted at the global level. This was the first expression of the unipolar world order.

 

Answer: Globalisation refers to the rapid spread of goods and services, technology and information, ideas and culture, trade and interactions across the world. It is the connection of different parts of the world resulting in the expansion of international cultural, informational, economic and political activities. In the early 1990s, the term globalisation was used to include economic, political, socio¬cultural, technological and ideological changes that occurred in the world in the post cold war era. The world has become more interconnected due to advances in technology and communication. Events in one part of the world have an impact on other parts of the world. Changes have taken place economically and culturally.

The political issues in the context of globalisation are :-

1. Importance of Democracy – Disintegration of the Soviet Union and the revolutions in East European countries was an expression of end of communism and a move towards democratic systems. Today, concepts like ‘Participatory State’, ‘Good governance’, etc., have become important. A participatory State indicates that all sections of society participate in policy making and in the democratic process. Good governance focuses on the role of civil society in the functioning of an accountable, responsible and responsive government.

2. Position of the State – Under globalisation, sovereignty of the State which is closely linked to it’s jurisdiction appears to be challenged internally and externally. Internal challenges include activism of nonstate actors, rise of divisive factors, decline of national consensus, etc while external challenges include rise of regional economic organisations, growing humanitarian concerns, etc.

3. Nonstate actors – Today, not only States but also non-state actors like NGO’s play a significant role in international affairs and in promoting humanitarian issues.

4. Human Rights – Protection and promotion of human rights is an important issue in the age of globalisation. Countries interpret human rights in accordance with their history, culture, economy and polity, Many nations including India lay stress on social justice before full enjoyment of civil and political rights.

It is often argued that the role and importance of the State is slowly reducing, However, the State is still pivot in domestic and international spheres.

Answer: Green Revolution refers to a large increase in crop production that is achieved by the use of high yielding crop varieties, pesticides, artificial fertilizers, machines and better management of agricultural resources. Norman Borlaug, an agricultural scientist of USA is considered as ‘Father of the Green Revolution’ for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1970). In India, M.S. Swaminathan is credited with introducing the Green Revolution in 1965 especially in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

This was necessitated due to famine and acute food shortages due to low productivity in food production. Green Revolution was mainly in wheat, maize and gram production. During it’s early years, the Green Revolution yielded great economic prosperity leading to significant increases in agricultural output and farmers incomes. However, this did not benefit marginal farmers who could not afford expensive inputs.

25. What is empowerment? Suggest measures for empowerment of women.

Answer: Empowerment refers to the process by which oppressed or marginalized sections of the population become stronger, especially in controlling their own life and claiming their own rights. This may happen socially, economically, politically or nationally. The approach to women’s issues has progressed from ‘welfare’ to ‘development’ to ‘empowerment’.

Some of the measures for empowerment of women include -

1. Political empowerment – giving women better representation in legislative bodies and in the decision making process.

2. Economic empowerment – such as strengthening women’s access to property inheritance and land rights, skill training, work opportunities, micro-credit, increased right to economic resources and power.

3. Social empowerment – through literacy/education, training and raising awareness, freedom from domestic violence, access to information, health services and sanitation.

In India, schemes to empower women include Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojana (2015), Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP), Mahila Shakti Kendras (2017) etc.

26. Describe international efforts to deal with environmental concerns.

Answer: There have been many international efforts to deal with environmental concerns as well as about the relationship between economic development and environmental degradation.

1. UN Conference on Human Environment (Stockholm, 1972) The purpose was to encourage and provide guidelines for protection of the environment.

2. World Commission on Environment and Development (1983) also called Brundtland commission put forward the concept of sustainable growth.

3. Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit (1992) sought to raise public awareness on the need to integrate environment and development and to create a partnership between developing and more industrialized nations to ensure a healthy future for the planet.

4. Earth Summit at Johannesburg (2002) recognized sustainable development as the most important goal for institutions at the national, regional and international levels

5. UN Conference on sustainable development (Rio-2012) is also called Rio Earth Summit or Rio+20. Environmental sustainability is defined as responsible interaction with the environment to avoid depletion or degradation of natural resources and allow for long-term environmental quality. It’s goal is to conserve natural resources, to reduce pollution, to develop alternate sources of power, etc.

27. Trace the changes that have taken place in Article 370.

Answer: Article 370 gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir (J & IQ conferring it with the authority to have a separate constitution, separate State flag and autonomy over it’s internal administration. The article was drafted in Part XXI of the Indian constitution : Temporary, Transitional and special provisions. Along with Article 35A, this article defined that residents of Jammu and Kashmir had separate laws related to citizenship, ownership of property, etc. The Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir was empowered to recommend articles of the India constitution that should be applied to the State and a subsequent. Presidential Order (1954) was issued.

On 5th August 2019, the Government of India revoked the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Art. 370. President Ramnath Kovind issued an order nullifying all provisions of autonomy granted to the State. Both houses of Parliament passed the Reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir bill. As of now the following changes are apparent;

1. People of the State have access to all government schemes like Reservations, RTE, RTI, etc.

2. The State was bifurcated into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

28. Find out examples of the reforms that have been initiated for each of the measures stated below.

Answer:

1. Enacting laws giving rights to people – Reform initiated – Right to Information (2005).
2. Setting up of new institutional mechanisms to redress citizens’ grievances – Reform initiated: Creating commissions like NHRC, NCW, NCM, etc.
3. Improving accessibility to citizens by setting up units closer to people – Reform initiated: Building a countrywide infrastructure reaching down to the remotes areas.
4. Simplifying procedures to reduce bureaucratic delays – Reform initiated: Formulation of Citizen’s Charters to specify service standards.
5. Using technology to improve internal efficiency – Reform initiated: e-governance i.e., use of Information and Communications Technology (I.C.T) to enable easy access over the internet.
6. Improving discipline within the organisation – Reform initiated: Establishing body of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for States.

Answer: After independence, Jawaharlal Nehru attempted to weave unity among countries of Asia. One of the major partners in this effort was Indonesia. During the Cold War period, India’s relations with most of the South-East Asian nations was nominal. In 1991, India under Prime Minister P. V. Narsimha Rao propounded the “Look East” Policy as an effort to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations with the South-East Asian countries and bolster it’s standing as a regional power. Subsequent Prime Ministers such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr. Manmohan Singh also pursued this policy.

In 2014, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi a more outcome-based policy of Act East was announced to focus more on relations with ASEAN and other East Asian countries especially Vietnam and Japan. India has particularly good relations with Singapore which is a major investor in India. Relations with Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia have also improved. India has a Free Trade Agreement with the ASEAN and is a partner in ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) a regional security group. India has promoted regional cooperation groups like BIMSTEC.

30. Describe India-Pakistan relations.

Answer:

1. There have been tensions and military standoffs between India and Pakistan since 1947 for e.g., Conflict of 1947-48, Kargil conflict (1999) as well as two-wars (1965, 1971). The main problem areas between India and Pakistan is over the Kashmir issue. India has accused Pakistan of sponsoring cross border terrorism in Indian territory.

2. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is a route for Chinese investments in Pakistan. China has extended support to Pakistan on the Kashmir issue while Pakistan recognizes China’s claims to Aksaichin.

3. Disputes over sharing of the Indus river waters and Baglihar Dam issue. Efforts have been made to improve bilateral relations between India and Pakistan such as the Shimla Agreement (1972) signed between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Z. A. Bhutto. In 1999, Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan signed three agreements. Both countries have launched several mutual confidence building measures such as the Delhi-Lahore bus service, hotlines between Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan, etc.