Multiple Choice Questions along with answers:-

Q.1 What is one of the primary goals of secularism?

a) To promote a specific religion within a state.

b) To oppose all forms of inter-religious and intra-religious domination.

c) To eliminate the practice of religion altogether.

d) To encourage the dominance of one religion over others.

Answer: b) To oppose all forms of inter-religious and intra-religious domination.

Q.2 What do the examples of the 1984 Sikh massacre, the displacement of Hindu Kashmiri Pandits, and the 2002 Gujarat riots have in common?

a) They are instances of economic deprivation.

b) They represent the struggle for political power.

c) They are examples of religious persecution and inter-religious domination.

d) They are instances of environmental conflicts.

Answer: c) They are examples of religious persecution and inter-religious domination.

Q.3 Which of the following best describes the term ‘intra-religious domination’ ?

a) The dominance of one religion over another.

b) The dominance of certain sects or groups within the same religion.

c) The imposition of religious laws on a secular society.

d) The use of religion to control political power.

Answer: b) The dominance of certain sects or groups within the same religion.

Q.4 Which of the following is a characteristic of a theocratic state ?

a) Separation of religious and state institutions.

b) Equality and freedom for all religious groups.

c) Governance by religious leaders or a priestly order.

d) The promotion of mutual help and understanding between communities.

Answer: c) Governance by religious leaders or a priestly order.

Q.5 According to the Western model of secularism, what is the relationship between the state and religion?

a) The state and religion are completely intertwined.

b) The state intervenes in religious matters to maintain order.

c) The state and religion operate in separate, independent spheres without interfering in each other’s affairs.

d) The state financially supports religious institutions.

Answer: c) The state and religion operate in separate, independent spheres without interfering in each other’s affairs.

Q.6 What is the state’s role if a religious institution forbids a woman from becoming a priest under the Western model of secularism?

a) The state must intervene and enforce equality.

b) The state can only be a silent witness and cannot interfere.

c) The state should provide financial support to the institution.

d) The state must encourage the institution to change its rules.

Answer: b) The state can only be a silent witness and cannot interfere.

Q.7 Which of the following best describes the concept of freedom in the Western model of secularism?

a) Freedom is understood as the collective liberty of religious communities.

b) Freedom is interpreted in an individualist manner, focusing on the liberty of individuals.

c) Freedom involves the state’s active intervention in religious practices.

d) Freedom allows the state to impose religious policies.

Answer: b) Freedom is interpreted in an individualist manner, focusing on the liberty of individuals.

Q.8 Which of the following actions was taken by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to modernize and secularize Turkey?

a) Adoption of the traditional Turkish calendar.

b) Banning of the traditional Fez cap worn by Muslims.

c) Encouraging religious practices in public life.

d) Strengthening the institution of the Khalifa.

Answer: b) Banning of the traditional Fez cap worn by Muslims.

Q.9 What was Nehru’s view on the relationship between the state and religion in the context of Indian secularism?

a) The state should adopt one religion as the state religion.

b) The state should protect all religions without favoring any.

c) The state should remain completely uninvolved in religious matters.

d) The state should enforce religious practices uniformly across communities.

Answer: b) The state should protect all religions without favoring any.

Q.10 What was Nehru’s view on the relationship between the state and religion in the context of Indian secularism?

a) The state should adopt one religion as the state religion.

b) The state should protect all religions without favoring any.

c) The state should remain completely uninvolved in religious matters.

d) The state should enforce religious practices uniformly across communities.

Answer: b) The state should protect all religions without favoring any.

Q.11 What makes Indian secularism distinctive from Western secularism?

a) It focuses solely on the separation of religion and state.

b) It arose in the context of deep religious diversity and emphasizes inter-religious equality.

c) It was developed entirely based on Western modern ideas.

d) It only deals with intra-religious issues, ignoring inter-religious equality.

Answer: b) It arose in the context of deep religious diversity and emphasizes inter-religious equality.

Q.12 What does the Indian model of secularism equally oppose?

a) Only inter-religious domination.

b) Only intra-religious domination.

c) Both intra-religious and inter-religious domination.

d) The presence of any form of religious tolerance in society.

Answer: c) Both intra-religious and inter-religious domination.

Q.13 How does the debate over religious markers in France highlight the difference between Indian and Western secularism?

a) India prohibits religious markers in public institutions like France.

b) India allows the display of religious markers in public institutions, unlike France.

c) Both India and France strictly prohibit religious symbols in public places.

d) The Indian model is more restrictive about religious expression in public.

Answer: b) India allows the display of religious markers in public institutions, unlike France.

Q.14 What is the idea behind Indian secularism’s approach to state intervention in religious matters?

a) The state should remain completely neutral and uninvolved in religious matters.

b) The state may intervene to protect the rights of specific communities and promote peace between them.

c) The state must enforce all religious practices equally.

d) The state should ban all forms of religious expression in public life.

Answer: b) The state may intervene to protect the rights of specific communities and promote peace between them.

Q.15 What is the core argument against the view that secularism is excessively coercive?

a) Indian secularism rejects non-interference completely.

b) Indian secularism permits state-supported religious reform but does not equate this with coercive intervention.

c) Indian secularism imposes strict religious reforms on all communities.

d) Indian secularism does not allow any form of state intervention in religious matters.

Answer: b) Indian secularism permits state-supported religious reform but does not equate this with coercive intervention.

Q.16 What dilemma is highlighted regarding personal laws and secularism in India?

a) Whether personal laws should be completely abolished to align with secularism.

b) Whether personal laws should be reformed to ensure equality while respecting community-specific rights.

c) Whether personal laws should be enforced more strictly to maintain religious purity.

d) Whether personal laws should be ignored in favor of a unified legal system.

Answer: b) Whether personal laws should be reformed to ensure equality while respecting community-specific rights.

Q.17 What role should the state play in reforming personal laws under Indian secularism?

a) The state should impose reforms through coercion.

b) The state should adopt a policy of complete distance from personal laws.

c) The state should act as a facilitator by supporting liberal and democratic voices within religions.

d) The state should enforce uniform personal laws across all communities.

Answer: c) The state should act as a facilitator by supporting liberal and democratic voices within religions.

Q.18 What is the key concern with vote bank politics as described in the text?

a) It promotes self-interest over the welfare of the community.

b) It enhances genuine community welfare without any drawbacks.

c) It leads to the formation of a unified group interest regardless of internal diversity.

d) It encourages equitable resource distribution among all groups.

Answer: c) It leads to the formation of a unified group interest regardless of internal diversity.

Q.19 What does the concept of Principled Distance refer to in the context of secularism?

a) The complete separation of religion from the state
b) The state’s equal intervention in all religions to promote harmony
c) The flexible distance the state maintains from all religions, involving intervention only when necessary
d) The banning of all religious practices in public spaces

Answer: c) The flexible distance the state maintains from all religions, involving intervention only when necessary

Q.20 Who is credited with coining the term “secularism”?

A) John Locke
B) Thomas Jefferson
C) George Holyoake
D) Karl Marx

Answer: c) George Holyoake