Two developments strained this relationship. China annexed Tibet in 1950 and thus removed a historical buffer between the two countries. Initially, the government of India did not oppose this openly. But as more information came in about the suppression of Tibetan culture, the Indian government grew uneasy. The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, sought and obtained political asylum in India in 1959. China alleged that the government of India was allowing anti-China activities to take place from within India.

Read the above passage carefully and answer the following questions:

(i) What is meant by historical buffer?

(ii) Why didn’t the Government of India oppose the annexation of Tibet by China?

(iii) How far was it justified on the part of India to grant political asylum to the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetan refugees?

The value of the ruble declined dramatically. The rate of inflation was so high that people lost all their savings. The collective farm system disintegrated leaving people without food security, and the government started to import food. The old trading structure broke down with no alternative in its place. The old system of social welfare was systematically destroyed. The withdrawal of government subsidies pushed large sections of the people into poverty.

Read the above passage carefully and answer the following questions:

(i) What is meant by subsidy?

(ii) How did the disintegration of collective farm system lead to the loss of food security?

(iii) This passage is associated to which country? Why did the government start importing food?

Globalization does not always reduce state capacity. The primacy of the state continues to be the unchallenged basis of political community. The old jealousies and rivalries between countries have not ceased to matter in world politics. The state continues to discharge its essential functions (law and order, national security) and consciously withdraws from certain domains from which it wishes to. States continue to be important.

Indeed, in some respects state capacity has received a boost as a consequence of globalization, with enhanced technologies available at the disposal of the state to collect information about its citizens.

Read the passage given above carefully and answer the following questions:

(i) What are the two most essential functions of the state?

(ii) How do enhanced technologies enable the state to rule better?

(iii) Justify with the help of an example that globalization gives a boost to the

State capacity.

Study the above cartoon carefully and Answer the following questions.

(i) Who was head of the government formed by the National Front in 1989?

(ii) Why was the Government formed by him called a puppet Government?

(iii) Identify the puppeteers pulling the strings and the political parties they belong to.

Note: The following questions are for the visually impaired candidates only in lieu of Q No. 20:

(i) who was the Prime Minister of the government formed by the National Front in 1989?

(ii) How many seats did the Congress Party win in the Lok Sabha elections of 1984 and 1989 respectively?

(iii) what were the recommendations of the Mandal Commission?