Social & Political Life (Civics) • Topic 1 of 4

Diversity, Discrimination & Government

India is shaped by diversity — differences of language, religion, region, food, dress and custom — and learning to respect that diversity is a core civics theme. Diversity becomes a problem only when it turns into discrimination: treating people unfairly or as inferior because of who they are (their religion, caste, gender, wealth or where they come from). Prejudice (a fixed negative judgement) and stereotypes (a fixed image of a whole group) feed discrimination. Against this background comes government: government is the set of institutions and people that make decisions, make and enforce rules (laws) and provide services for everyone in a country. Government works at three levels — local (village/town), state, and central (Union) — and it does many things, from running schools, hospitals and roads to defending borders and settling disputes. Governments are broadly of two types: democratic, where people elect their rulers and the government must answer to them, and non-democratic (such as a monarchy or dictatorship), where people have no such say.

✅ Solved examples

1. Treating people unfairly or as inferior on the basis of their religion, caste or gender is called:
Discrimination. It arises when differences (diversity) are used to deny people equal treatment, and is often driven by prejudice and stereotypes.
2. A government in which people elect their own representatives and the rulers must answer to the people is called:
A democratic government (a democracy). Its opposite is a non-democratic government such as a monarchy or dictatorship, where people do not choose their rulers.
3. In India, government functions at how many levels, and what are they?
Three levels — local (village/town), state, and central (Union) government. Each level handles different responsibilities.
4. A fixed, oversimplified image applied to every member of a particular group is known as a:
Stereotype. Stereotypes (and prejudice) feed discrimination by judging individuals only by the group they belong to.

✏️ Practice — try these, take hints as needed

1. The set of institutions that makes laws, enforces them and provides services for the country is called the:
It makes decisions for everyone.
It works at local, state and central levels.
Government
2. A country ruled by a king or queen who is not elected by the people is an example of a:
Opposite of a democracy.
The ruler inherits power.
Non-democratic government / monarchy
3. Differences of language, religion, food, dress and custom together make up a country's:
India is famous for it.
Should be respected, not feared.
Diversity
4. A fixed negative attitude towards a person or group, formed without real knowledge, is called:
It comes before the facts.
Pre-judging.
Prejudice

📝 Topic test — 8 questions

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