CLASS-8 SOCIAL SCIENCE CHAPTER-2 UNDERSTANDING SECULARISM

 EVENTS CONVENT HIGH SCHOOL

05/10/2021      CLASS-8     SESSION 2021-22
SUBJECT :SOCIAL SCIENCE(CIVIC)

CHAPTER-2
UNDERSTANDING SECULARISM

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I. Multiple Choice Questions

(i) Which one is a correct statement with regard to Saudi Arabia?
(a) Non-Muslims can gather in a public place for prayer.
(b) They cannot build a temple, church, etc.
(c) They can live in their own way.
(d) None of the above

(ii) The most important aspect of secularism is its …………
(a) separation of religion from State power
(b) separation of politics from religion
(c) separation of one community from another
(d) mixing of religion with State power

(iii) The government cannot force Sikhs to wear a helmet while driving two-wheelers because ………..
(a) Sikhs are very powerful
(b) they do not obey government rules
(c) they look handsome in pagri
d) wearing a pagri is a very important part of Sikh religion
(iv) In American secularism, there is a …………
(a) the strict separation between religion and the State
(b) the loose separation between religion and the State
(c) the strict mingling of religion with the State
(d) the strict rule that contracts all religions
Answer:
(i) (b), (ii) (a), (iii) (d), (iv) (a).

II. Fill in the Blanks.appropriate words to complete each sentence.

1. The intervention of the State can also be in the form of ………….
2. In the United States of America, most children in government schools have to begin their school day reciting the
3. ‘Pledge of ……………….
4. The most important aspect of secularism is its separation of religion from …………. power.
5. Government schools don’t celebrate any ………….. festivals on the school premises.
6. The Indian State is not ruled by a ……………….. group and nor does it …………… any one religion.

Answer:

1.support  3.Allegiance  4.state 5.religious 6.religious, support

III. True/False

State whether each of the following statements is True or False.

1. In Indian secularism, the State is not strictly separate from religion.
2. Wearing a pagri is central to a Sikh’s religious practice.
3. Government schools can promote any one religion.
4. The Indian Constitution does not grant religious communities to set up their own schools and colleges.
5. In Indian secularism, the State cannot intervene in religion.

Answer:

1. True
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. False

IV. Matching Skills

Match the items given in Column A correctly with those given in Column B.

Answer:
(i) (d), (ii) (e), (iii) (a), (iv) (b), (v) (c).

I. Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. What examples does history provide us on the grounds of religion?
Answer:
History provides us with several examples of discrimination, exclusion, and persecution on the grounds of religion.

Question 2.What happened in the Jewish state of Israel?
Answer:
Muslim and Christian minorities were treated badly in the Jewish state of Israel.

Question 3.How are non-Muslims treated in Saudi Arabia?
Answer:
In Saudi Arabia, non-Muslims are not allowed to build a temple, church etc. They also cannot gather in a public place for prayers.

Question 4.What does the term ‘secularism’ refer to?
Answer:
The term ‘secularism’ refers to the separation of the power of religion from the power of the State.

Question 5.What do you mean by the freedom to interpret’?
Answer:
‘Freedom to interpret’ means an individual’s liberty to develop his own understanding and meaning of the religion that one practices.

Question 6.Why cannot government schools celebrate religious festivals?
Answer:
Government schools cannot celebrate religious festivals because it will be a violation of the government’s policy of treating all religions equally.

Question 7.Why is Paramjit allowed to drive in pagri?
Answer:
Paramjit is a Sikh youth and for him wearing a pagri is a very important part of his religion.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.Why is it important to separate religion from the State? Explain with examples.
Answer:
There are two main reasons why the separation of religion from the State is important:

The first is to prevent the domination of one religion over another. Example: Almost all countries of the world will have more than one religious group living in them. Within these religious groups, there will most likely be one group that is in a majority. If this majority religious group has access to State power, then it could quite easily use this power and financial resources to discriminate against and persecute persons of other religions. This would violate Fundamental Rights.

Question 2.What are the three objectives of a secular State?
Answer:
The three objectives of a secular State are:

• One religious community does not dominate another.
• Some members do not dominate other members of the same religious community.
• The State does not enforce any particular religion nor does it take away the religious freedom of individuals.

Question 8.How is Indian secularism different from that of American secularism?
Answer:
Unlike Indian secularism, there is a strict separation between religion and the State in American secularism.

Question 9.What is meant by ‘principled distance’?
Answer:
This means that any interference in religion by the State has to be based on the ideals laid out in the Constitution.