Unit 6: Major contemporary issues - Practice Quiz

1 What is democracy primarily based on?

2 What does economic growth generally mean?

3 Which institution is central to representative democracy?

4 Which factor can help economic growth in a democracy?

5 What is an important democratic value related to economic development?

6 Who are minorities in a society?

7 Which right is especially important for protecting minorities?

8 What is discrimination?

9 Which challenge may minorities face?

10 What does cultural diversity refer to?

11 What is environment degradation?

12 Which of the following is a major cause of air pollution?

13 Which resource is commonly affected by water pollution?

14 What is one effect of deforestation?

15 Which practice supports environmental protection?

16 What is protective discrimination?

17 What is the main aim of protective discrimination?

18 Which measure is an example of protective discrimination?

19 What is the reservation system in India designed to provide?

20 Reservation in India may apply to which area?

21 A country experiences rapid economic growth, but income inequality and political exclusion also increase. Which conclusion best reflects the relationship between democracy and economic growth?

22 A democratic government introduces welfare policies after public protests over unemployment. What does this example best illustrate?

23 Which policy is most likely to promote both democratic participation and inclusive economic growth?

24 A government claims that civil liberties must be suspended indefinitely to achieve faster development. Which democratic principle most directly challenges this claim?

25 When economic globalization reduces the policy freedom of elected governments, which democratic challenge is most evident?

26 A linguistic minority requests education in its own language while accepting the national curriculum. Which principle does this demand primarily express?

27 Which situation best demonstrates the difference between formal equality and substantive equality for minorities?

28 A majority group uses its numerical strength to deny a minority access to public employment. Which democratic value is most clearly violated?

29 Why can recognition of minority identities strengthen rather than weaken democracy?

30 Which measure would best address the political marginalization of a religious minority?

31 A factory creates jobs but releases untreated waste into a river used by nearby villages. Which concept best explains the environmental problem?

32 Why is sustainable development considered an important response to environmental degradation?

33 A city introduces congestion charges and invests the revenue in public transport. Which policy logic is being applied?

34 Climate change is often described as a collective-action problem because:

35 Which approach best reflects the principle of environmental justice?

36 Protective discrimination is justified mainly on the grounds that:

37 A university reserves seats for a historically excluded community but applies minimum academic standards to all applicants. Which principle is illustrated?

38 Which criticism of protective discrimination is most relevant when benefits go mainly to already advantaged members within a disadvantaged group?

39 The reservation system in India is primarily intended to:

40 Why are reservations in elected bodies different from reservations in educational institutions?

41 A government introduces rapid market reforms that increase GDP but also weaken labor protections and concentrate wealth. Which evaluation best captures the democratic dilemma?

42 Suppose economic growth raises average income while political equality declines because wealthy actors dominate campaign financing and media access. Which conclusion is most defensible?

43 A country expands welfare programs through taxation but restricts dissent and electoral competition. Which analytical distinction should be applied?

44 When a government justifies displacement for infrastructure by citing national growth, which principle provides the strongest democratic test?

45 A formally equal law burdens a religious minority because it conflicts with a practice central to that group’s identity. Which response best reflects substantive equality?

46 Why can minority rights be necessary even in a majoritarian electoral system?

47 A state recognizes cultural autonomy for a minority but denies individual members the ability to challenge oppressive internal practices. What is the central theoretical problem?

48 A language minority has the formal right to vote but cannot access ballots, courts, or public education in a language it understands. Which diagnosis is most accurate?

49 A factory’s pollution imposes health costs on nearby residents who receive no share of its profits. Which concept most directly explains the problem?

50 Under the precautionary principle, policymakers should generally act when a proposed activity presents serious environmental risks even if scientific certainty is incomplete. Why?

51 Two countries agree to reduce emissions by the same percentage, although one has far higher historical emissions and greater present capacity. Which criticism is strongest?

52 A conservation project protects a forest by removing an Indigenous community that has sustainably managed it for generations. Which assessment is most appropriate?

53 What is the strongest justification for protective discrimination in a society with historically entrenched exclusion?

54 A selection policy benefits members of a disadvantaged group, but the benefits are captured mainly by its affluent segment. Which reform best addresses this concern without abandoning the policy’s purpose?

55 Which distinction best separates protective discrimination from ordinary individual charity?

56 A policy improves representation of a historically excluded group but assigns beneficiaries to low-authority positions without promotion access. What limitation does this reveal?

57 What is the central constitutional logic of reservation in India when viewed through the relationship between formal and substantive equality?

58 Why is the creamy-layer principle relevant to debates about reservation policy?

59 A university reserves seats for a disadvantaged category but provides no preparatory support, while applicants come from sharply unequal schooling backgrounds. Which inference is strongest?

60 A reservation policy is challenged because its beneficiaries include economically poor persons from a socially dominant group, while historically stigmatized groups remain underrepresented. Which principle best guides evaluation?