Assertion (A): Communalism is a serious threat to Indian democracy. Reason (R): When political parties mobili…

Question

Assertion (A): Communalism is a serious threat to Indian democracy.
Reason (R): When political parties mobilise voters on religious lines using sacred symbols and emotional appeals, it undermines rational deliberation and can trigger violence between communities.
(A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(B) Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.
(C) A is true but R is false.
(D) A is false but R is true.

Accepted Answer

## Model Answer **(A) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.** Communalism threatens democracy as it uses sacred symbols and emotional appeals to mobilise voters on religious lines, undermining rational deliberation and causing communal violence. Source: *Democratic Politics II*, Chapter 3, "Religion, Communalism and Politics" ## Explanation The textbook directly states that political mobilisation on religious lines using "sacred symbols, religious leaders, emotional appeal and plain fear" is a form of communalism, and that "communalism was and continues to be one of the major challenges to democracy." The Reason correctly explains *why* communalism threatens democracy — so option (A) is the right choice. Avoid (B): R is not just a separate true fact; it directly explains A.

Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question