Political Power Sharing in Europe and Sri Lanka

Multiple Choice Questions

• Question 1: The headquarters of the European Union is located in Brussels.
• Question 2: Asvini's father would likely explain that "Eelam" refers to a proposed separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka.
• Question 3: Horizontal power sharing is exemplified by India, where power is divided among different organs such as the legislature, executive, and judiciary, functioning at the same level.
• Question 4: Power sharing is essential for democracy. It fosters balance and harmony among different groups, reducing the likelihood of conflict.
• Question 5: In Belgium, the people belonging to the respective linguistic communities elect the government.
• Question 6: Column A lists different communities in Sri Lanka, and column B lists the corresponding communities in Belgium.

Other Questions

• Question 7: The Belgium model does not include a community government with special administrative powers.
• Question 8: Community governments in Belgium are elected by members of a single language community. They have powers over cultural, educational, and linguistic issues.
• Question 9: Modern democracies use a system of horizontal power sharing, which includes the legislature, executive, and judiciary.
• Question 10: The correct chronological order (least to most powerful) are: (1) Sadabad Nagar Panchayat, (2) Agra Municipality, (3) Madhya Pradesh Government, and (4) Government of India
• Question 11: The correct pairing: Dutch – Belgium.
• Question 12: Devising laws to accommodate the ethnic differences in Sri Lanka could have prevented a civil war.
• Question 13: A democratic country needs power to be shared among the different branches of government to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful.
• Question 14: Power is shared in Belgian community governments among different social groups.
• Question 15: A community government is the third type of government in Belgium.
• Question 16: The most likely consequence of displacing linguistic communities and favoring one over another is conflict, leading to social division.
• Question 17: Power sharing in a democracy helps reduce societal conflicts by including all groups, protecting specific rights, and avoiding the supremacy of one party.
• Question 18: Luxembourg is located next to Belgium.
• Question 19: The Belgian government amended its constitution several times to address the needs of diverse communities and ensure peaceful co-existence.
• Question 20: North Korea's insistence on a single state religion is the odd one out. Other options allow for multiple religions and/or group representation.
• Question 21: Belgium's community government handles cultural, educational, and linguistic issues.
• Question 22: Sri Lanka experienced a civil war, largely due to conflicts arising from the dominant Sinhala community's preference for Sinhala over Tamil in governmental matters.
• Question 23: The image depicts the dangers of concentration of power in leading to an absence of democracy.
• Question 24: Power can be shared among different levels of government (central, provincial, regional).
• Question 25: in a fully functional democracy, diverse social groups are respected and included in policy-making.
• Question 26: Buddhism was protected by Sri Lankan constitutional provisions.
• Question 27: Belgium's framework for power sharing involves an equal number of representatives from both language communities in the central government, separate governments for Brussels, and Community governments elected by members of one language community.
• Questions 28-29: Tamil-speaking communities in Sri Lanka are concentrated in the northern and eastern parts of the island, and their repeated demands for separate electorates and freedom have been denied.