ISC Class 11 Specimen Paper for Political Science

POLITICAL SCIENCE
(Maximum Marks: 80)
(Time allowed: Three hours)
(Candidates are allowed additional 15 minutes for only reading the paper.
They must NOT start writing during this time.)
Answer Question 1 (compulsory) from Part I, and five questions from Part II,
choosing three questions from Section A and two questions from Section B.
The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].

PART I (20 Marks)
Answer all questions.
Question 1

Answer briefly each of the questions (i) to (x). [10  2]

(i) What is meant by political economy?

(ii) Differentiate between state and government

(iii) Why is sovereignty an essential element of the state?

(iv) Which theory of the origin of the state holds that the state is the product of a
slow and long process of development over time?

(v) Which social contract theorist wrote The Leviathan?

(vi) Distinguish between legal and political sovereignty.

(vii) What kinds of inequality were acceptable, to Rawls, in a just society?

(viii) Explain the meaning of cold war.

(ix) Distinguish between unilateralism and bilateralism.

(x) What was the significance of the Treaty of Maastricht (December, 1991)?

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PART II (60 Marks)
SECTION A
Answer any three questions.

Question 2

(a) Explain comparative politics as a component of contemporary political science. [6]

(b) Briefly explain three differences between state and society. [6]

Question 3

(a) Compare and contrast the reasons for the emergence of the State as stated by [6]
Hobbes and Rousseau.

(b) Explain the main elements of the theory of Divine Origin of the State. Is it possible [6]
to discard this theory as being irrelevant today?

Question 4

(a) Briefly discuss the Marxist perspective under the following heads: [6]

(i) Dialectical Materialism

(ii) Class conflict

(iii) Religion

(b) Briefly explain four tenets of Fascism. [6]

Question 5

(a) Critically examine the legal theory of sovereignty. [6]

(b) Examine three sources of law. [6]

Question 6

(a) To what extent do liberty and equality complement each other? Discuss. [6]

(b) Explain Amartya Sen’s social choice model of justice. [6]

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SECTION B
Answer any two questions.

Question 7

(a) On what grounds did the USA launch Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003? [6]

(b) What were the outcomes of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan? [6]

Question 8

(a) Explain the main achievements of the European Union to date. [6]

(b) What are the current challenges faced by the EU? [6]

Question 9

(a) State the main aims of ASEAN (established in 1967). [6]

(b) Why is the NAM perceived as being ineffective today, despite having a large [6]
membership?

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