AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.
Caste transformed by politics: The textbook argues it is not politics that becomes caste-ridden; rather, caste itself gets politicised. When caste enters politics, caste groups expand by merging with sub-castes, form coalitions with other communities, and new broader categories like 'backward' and 'forward' caste groups emerge. Most importantly, universal adult franchise gave disadvantaged Dalit and OBC communities new consciousness and access to decision-making power they were historically denied.
Similar transformation through gender: When gender inequality entered politics, it was not merely "dividing society" — the political arena transformed the issue itself. Women organised feminist movements demanding legal equality, voting rights, and reservation. This led to the Women's Reservation Act (2023) giving 33% seats in legislatures and over 10 lakh elected women representatives in panchayats.
Evaluation — equally beneficial? Both transformations have largely benefited democracy by giving voice to the marginalised. However, caste politics also carries negative effects — it can divert attention from poverty and development and cause communal-type tensions. Gender politics, by contrast, is assessed as largely positive since it corrects a universal injustice without pitting communities against each other. Thus, both have been beneficial, but gender's political expression has been more consistently positive for democracy.
Source: Chapter 3 — Gender, Religion and Caste; sections "Politics in caste," "Gender and politics," "Women's political representation"
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Examiners look for three things here: (1) the specific textbook argument that caste gets politicised, not that politics gets corrupted — with evidence (coalitions, new group identities, Dalit empowerment); (2) a parallel with gender showing the same logic — raising inequality in the political arena transforms both the issue and politics; (3) an evaluative comparison — don't just describe, judge. The textbook itself signals caste politics has both positive and negative sides, while gender politics is framed as "largely positive." Use that to structure your evaluation. Avoid padding; stick to textbook evidence only.