Amirah Ahmad
February 12, 2017
POS-2150
POS 2150- STUDY QUESTIONS for CHAPTER 4- INDIA
1. According to the text, why is India a study in contrasts?
India is a study in contrasts because over the last three decades, it has had the world’s fastest growing economy but it also has the largest number of malnourished and illiterate children, and is characterized by incompetence, inefficiency, and corruption.
2. What problem was activist Ana Hazare’s “fast unto death” addressing
Activist Ana Hazare’s “fast unto death” was addressing the problem of corruption, and demanded that the government enact a law that would effectively address corruption in public office. This demand was fulfilled a few days later when the Indian government agreed to create …show more content…
What does India’s total geographic area and population rank worldwide?
India’s total geographic area is 3,287,590 square kilometers, and is the seventh largest country in the world. Its population is 1.3 Billion, which ranks the second largest in the world after China.
5. How long did the British colonize India? From when to when?
The British colonized India for around 190 years, from 1757 to 1947.
6. What is the caste system? List and describe them.
The caste system is the division of India’s Hindu society into castes. According to the Hindu religion, membership in a caste is determined at birth. Castes form a rough social and economic hierarchy, and are based off a conception of the world as divided into realms of purity and impurity. Each hierarchy and endogamous group constitutes a jati, which is itself organized by varna, or shades of color. The four main varnas are the Brahmin, or priestly caste; the Kshatriya, or warrior and royal caste; the Vaishyas, or trading caste; nad the, or Shudra, or Artisan caste.
7. What is the religious composition?
88.5% of India’s population is Hindu, 13.4% Muslim, 2.3% Christian, 2% Sikh, and 1.8% Buddhists, Jains, Others, and Unspecified.
8. How many distinct languages and dialects are spoken in …show more content…
What is India’s current political system?
India’s current political system is a parliamentary democracy and a federal republic.
11. Define the patronage system.
The patronage system is a political system in which government officials appoint loyal followers to positions rather than choosing people based on their qualifications.
12. Who was Gandhi?
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born to a prominent but poor family, and raised in Porbander, a small state in Gujarat. He got married at age 13, went to London to study law at a university, then moved to South Africa where he lived for 21 years working as a lawyer and activist. He returned to India in 1915, and became active in the fight against British colonialism by transforming the Indian National Congress into a mass party and organizing a noncooperation movement to boycott British legal and educational institutions and British merchandise. Gandhi led the Indian National Congress and mobilized millions of Indians to demand independence from Britain. Britain granted India independence to India in 1947, but divided it into two countries, a move that Gandhi was ardently opposed to, but could not avert. Five months after India became independent, Gandhi was
February 12, 2017
POS-2150
POS 2150- STUDY QUESTIONS for CHAPTER 4- INDIA
1. According to the text, why is India a study in contrasts?
India is a study in contrasts because over the last three decades, it has had the world’s fastest growing economy but it also has the largest number of malnourished and illiterate children, and is characterized by incompetence, inefficiency, and corruption.
2. What problem was activist Ana Hazare’s “fast unto death” addressing
Activist Ana Hazare’s “fast unto death” was addressing the problem of corruption, and demanded that the government enact a law that would effectively address corruption in public office. This demand was fulfilled a few days later when the Indian government agreed to create …show more content…
What does India’s total geographic area and population rank worldwide?
India’s total geographic area is 3,287,590 square kilometers, and is the seventh largest country in the world. Its population is 1.3 Billion, which ranks the second largest in the world after China.
5. How long did the British colonize India? From when to when?
The British colonized India for around 190 years, from 1757 to 1947.
6. What is the caste system? List and describe them.
The caste system is the division of India’s Hindu society into castes. According to the Hindu religion, membership in a caste is determined at birth. Castes form a rough social and economic hierarchy, and are based off a conception of the world as divided into realms of purity and impurity. Each hierarchy and endogamous group constitutes a jati, which is itself organized by varna, or shades of color. The four main varnas are the Brahmin, or priestly caste; the Kshatriya, or warrior and royal caste; the Vaishyas, or trading caste; nad the, or Shudra, or Artisan caste.
7. What is the religious composition?
88.5% of India’s population is Hindu, 13.4% Muslim, 2.3% Christian, 2% Sikh, and 1.8% Buddhists, Jains, Others, and Unspecified.
8. How many distinct languages and dialects are spoken in …show more content…
What is India’s current political system?
India’s current political system is a parliamentary democracy and a federal republic.
11. Define the patronage system.
The patronage system is a political system in which government officials appoint loyal followers to positions rather than choosing people based on their qualifications.
12. Who was Gandhi?
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born to a prominent but poor family, and raised in Porbander, a small state in Gujarat. He got married at age 13, went to London to study law at a university, then moved to South Africa where he lived for 21 years working as a lawyer and activist. He returned to India in 1915, and became active in the fight against British colonialism by transforming the Indian National Congress into a mass party and organizing a noncooperation movement to boycott British legal and educational institutions and British merchandise. Gandhi led the Indian National Congress and mobilized millions of Indians to demand independence from Britain. Britain granted India independence to India in 1947, but divided it into two countries, a move that Gandhi was ardently opposed to, but could not avert. Five months after India became independent, Gandhi was