Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Reserved constituencies are a form of power-sharing that ensures disadvantaged groups — Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, and women — get adequate representation in decision-making bodies.

In a democracy, power-sharing means distributing power among different sections of society, not just the majority. When weaker sections and women are systematically excluded from public life due to social inequalities, reservation corrects this imbalance. For example, one-third of seats in Panchayati Raj bodies are reserved for women, resulting in over 10 lakh elected women representatives. This ensures their issues receive political attention and gives them a direct voice in governance — fulfilling the democratic principle that those affected by decisions should participate in making them.

Source: Chapter 3 (Gender and Politics — Women's Political Representation); Chapter 2 (Decentralisation in India)

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• The examiner expects you to link reservation to the concept of power-sharing, not just describe it.
• Key points: social inequalities prevent fair participation → reservation as a corrective mechanism → connects to broader democratic principle of inclusive governance.
• Mention the Panchayati Raj example (one-third reservation) as it is directly from the textbook and shows the idea in practice.
• Avoid writing only about gender; you may briefly mention SC/ST/OBC reservation too, as the question says "weaker sections and women."
• Do not exceed ~90 words in the actual exam answer.