Gender, Religion and Caste – important questions for Boards 2027

CBSE Class 10 Social Science

1. MCQ · 1 mark

   Which statement best describes how women’s work is often treated? (A) Domestic and paid work by women is always fully recognised. (B) Women’s domestic and paid work is often undervalued and goes unrecognised. (C) Women do not undertake paid work. (D) Only men do work inside the home.

   Answer

   (B) Women’s domestic and paid work is often undervalued and goes unrecognised — their work is not valued and does not get recognition.

2. SA · 2 marks

   What is meant by the sexual division of labour? Give one reason why it does not mean that men cannot do domestic work or women do not do paid work.

   Answer

   A system in which all work inside the home is either done by the women of the family, or organised by them through the domestic helpers. When these jobs are paid for, men are ready to take up these works. Similarly, it is not that women do not work outside their home.

3. MA · 3 marks

   Explain how the Constitution protects equality in matters of religion, including when the state may intervene. Why is secularism considered a foundation of India?

   Answer

   1. The Constitution gives no religion official status and prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion. 2. Individuals and communities may profess, practice and propagate any religion, or not follow any; the state may intervene in religious matters to ensure equality within religious communities, as when it bans untouchability. 3. Secularism is a foundation of India; communalism threatens the idea of India.

4. LA · 5 marks

   Explain why casteism wrongly treats caste as the sole basis of social community. Why is caste only one aspect, and not necessarily the most important aspect, of people’s experience?

   Answer

   Casteism wrongly assumes that caste alone determines people’s social identity and interests. 1. Caste groups were traditionally associated with hereditary occupations, marriage within the caste and restrictions on eating with other castes. However, these practices do not prove that every member of a caste has identical interests today. 2. People belonging to the same caste may have very different economic conditions. Rich and poor people from one caste can have different needs and interests. 3. Men and women within the same caste may also have different experiences and interests. Caste is therefore one aspect of people’s lives, not the only relevant aspect. 4. People of different castes may share common interests, while people of the same caste may disagree. Caste alone cannot define a natural social community. Thus, caste matters, but it is not necessarily the most important basis of people’s experience.

5. MCQ · 1 mark

   Which set of demands was raised by women’s movements? (A) Equal rights, voting rights, improved legal and political status, and better educational and career opportunities (B) The removal of women’s voting rights (C) Limiting women’s education and employment (D) Restricting women’s participation in public affairs

   Answer

   (A) Equal rights, voting rights, improved legal and political status, and better educational and career opportunities — women’s movements agitated for voting rights and these improvements.

6. SA · 2 marks

   How has the gendered division of labour contributed to women’s limited role in public life and politics?

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7. LA · 5 marks

   Describe how caste influences electoral politics through candidate selection, appeals to caste sentiment and the formation of governments. How did universal adult franchise and one-person-one-vote affect political mobilisation and the political consciousness of groups treated as inferior?

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8. MCQ · 1 mark

   The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 provides for: (A) equal wages for equal work (B) equal working hours for all workers (C) reserved jobs for women in every sector (D) paid leave for household work

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9. SA · 2 marks

   What do feminist movements seek to achieve in relation to women and men, including in personal and family life?

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10. LA · 5 marks

    Explain how caste remains linked to economic status. In your answer, compare the average economic position of upper castes, Dalits and Adivasis, and backward classes; describe the pattern of extreme poverty; and explain which groups are over- or under-represented among the rich.

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