Home · Schooling · CBSE · Class 10 · Social Science · Gender, Religion and Caste · End-of-chapter exercises
NCERT Class 10 Social Science Gender, Religion and Caste: Exercise Solutions
AI-written, checked on 28 Oct 2026
Solutions written by Shishya, checked — not the board's official answers
Point-by-point answers for every question of End-of-chapter exercises in NCERT's Class 10 Social Science book, chapter “Gender, Religion and Caste”, written by Shishya. Each question is in our own short words; open the NCERT chapter for the exact wording and figures.
How these were checked: the answers were drafted with AI from the NCERT chapter's own text and then read and corrected on 28 Oct 2026. Before an answer was kept, a check confirmed that every name, place, year and number in it appears in the NCERT chapter and that no sentence was copied from the book; multiple-choice, match and fill-in answers are pinned to a reviewed key. Long answers are a model answer, not the only right one. The NCERT textbook is the authority — if something here disagrees with it, follow the book.
Tap “why?” under a step to see the textbook rule it uses — from Shishya's fixed list of NCERT Class 9-10 rules, not written by AI for this page. A step without one has no rule from the list yet.
Stuck on a step?
Ask the AI tutor about this chapter — it gives hints before answers — or snap a photo of your own question to get worked steps. You will be talking to an AI, not a person. For ages 13 and up; the first answer of each is free.
Exercises Q1
Mention the aspects of life in which women in India are discriminated against or disadvantaged.
- Education: the literacy rate among women is only 54 per cent compared with 76 per cent among men, and fewer girls go on to higher studies.
- Work: women do most household work, which is not paid or valued, and they are paid less than men even when the work is the same, though the law requires equal wages.
- Preference for sons: many parents prefer sons, which has led to a fall in the child sex ratio in many parts of the country.
- Safety: women face harassment, exploitation and violence, at home and outside; urban areas have become especially unsafe for women.
- Public life: their share in legislatures and other decision-making bodies is very low.
Answer: Women in India are disadvantaged in education, paid work and wages, the preference for sons (falling child sex ratio), safety from violence and harassment, and representation in public life.
Exercises Q2
State the different forms of communal politics, with one example each.
- One form is everyday beliefs that include religious prejudices and stereotypes about other communities.
- Another form is political mobilisation using sacred symbols and emotional appeals to attract voters of a specific religion.
- A third form is communal violence, riots, or massacres, which occurred during the Partition of India and Pakistan.
Answer: The forms are everyday religious prejudices, political mobilisation using religious symbols, and communal violence like Partition riots.
Exercises Q3
State how caste inequalities still continue in India.
- Untouchability has not ended completely, even though the Constitution prohibits it.
- Most people still marry within their own caste or tribe.
- Caste is still closely linked to economic status: the upper castes are on average better off, while Dalits and Adivasis are on average much poorer, and the effects of centuries of advantage and disadvantage are still felt.
- Caste also shapes politics, as parties and candidates appeal to caste identities to win votes.
Answer: Caste inequality continues through surviving untouchability, marriages within caste, a strong link between caste and economic status, and the use of caste in politics.
Exercises Q4
State two reasons why caste alone cannot decide election results in India.
- No single caste holds a majority in any parliamentary constituency, so candidates must secure support from multiple castes to win.
- Voters within the same caste often have different economic interests, causing rich and poor members to vote differently.
Answer: Caste alone cannot determine election results because no constituency has a single caste majority and voters within a caste vote based on differing economic interests.
Exercises Q5
What is the status of women's representation in India's legislative bodies?
- The proportion of women in India's legislature has historically been very low.
- In 2019, the percentage of elected women members in the Lok Sabha reached 14.36 per cent for the first time.
- The share of women in state assemblies remains less than 5 per cent.
- India ranks among the lowest in women's representation in national parliaments globally.
Answer: Women's representation in India's legislative bodies is very low, with only 14.36 per cent in the Lok Sabha and less than 5 per cent in state assemblies.
Exercises Q6
Mention any two constitutional provisions that make India a secular state.
- The Constitution does not give special status to any religion, meaning there is no official religion for the Indian state.
- The Constitution provides freedom to all individuals and communities to profess, practice, and propagate any religion or choose not to follow any.
Answer: India is a secular state because the Constitution grants no special status to any religion and ensures freedom of religion for all individuals and communities.
Exercises Q7
MCQ: when we speak of gender divisions we usually mean (a) the biological difference between men and women (b) unequal roles society assigns to men and women (c) an unequal child sex ratio (d) the absence of voting rights for women in democracies
- Gender division is described as a hierarchical social division that is not based on biology.
- It is instead based on social expectations and stereotypes that assign different roles to men and women.
- Therefore, it refers to the unequal roles society assigns rather than biological differences or specific legal rights.
Answer: (b) Unequal roles assigned by the society to men and women
Exercises Q8
MCQ: in India seats are reserved for women in (a) the Lok Sabha (b) state legislative assemblies (c) cabinets (d) Panchayati Raj bodies
- The text states that one-third of seats in local government bodies are reserved for women.
- These local government bodies include panchayats and municipalities.
- This reservation is a feature of the Panchayati Raj system in India.
Answer: (d) Panchayati Raj bodies
Exercises Q9
Communal politics is based on the belief that: A one religion is superior to others; B people of different religions can live together happily as equal citizens; C followers of a religion form one community; D state power cannot be used to make one religious group dominate others. Which are correct? (a) A, B, C and D (b) A, B and D (c) A and C (d) B and D
- Communal politics rests on the belief that one religion is superior to all others. It also assumes that followers of a specific religion form a single, unified community.
- Therefore, statements A and C are correct, while B and D describe secular or democratic ideals that communalism rejects.
Answer: (c) A and C
Exercises Q10
Which statement about India's Constitution is wrong? It (a) prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion (b) gives official status to one religion (c) gives everyone freedom to profess any religion (d) ensures equality of citizens within religious communities
- The Constitution of India establishes a secular state where no single religion holds official status.
- It guarantees the right to freedom of religion and prohibits discrimination based on religious beliefs.
- It also ensures that citizens are treated equally within their respective religious communities.
Answer: (b) gives official status to one religion
Exercises Q11
Fill in the blank: social divisions based on ___ are peculiar to India.
- Social divisions based on caste are unique to the Indian context.
- These divisions involve hierarchical structures and practices like untouchability.
- Other forms of social division, such as gender or religion, are found globally.
Answer: caste
Exercises Q12
Match 1 a person who believes in equal rights and opportunities for women and men, 2 a person who says religion is the main basis of community, 3 a person who thinks caste is the main basis of community, 4 a person who does not discriminate against others on the basis of religious beliefs — with A communalist, B feminist, C secularist, D casteist. Codes for 1-2-3-4: (a) B C A D (b) B A D C (c) D C A B (d) C A B D
- A person who believes in equal rights for women and men is identified as a feminist.
- A person who claims religion is the main basis of community is a communalist.
- A person who views caste as the primary basis of community is a casteist.
- A person who does not discriminate based on religious beliefs is a secularist.
Answer: (b) B A D C
← Gender, Religion and Caste: notes, practice and all exercises
Saves these solutions in this browser on this phone. No sign-in; nothing about you is saved or sent. A saved copy is not updated until you save it again. Parts that load from the server when you use them (the AI tutor, adaptive practice, sign-in) still need a connection.