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ASSIGNMENT SOLUTIONS GUIDE (2014-2015)

B.S.H.F.-101
Humanities & Social Sciences
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Answer any two in about 500 words each.

Q. 2. Comment on Mahatma Gandhi's role in the national movement.

Ans. One of the greatest men in the history of India is unarguably Mahatma Gandhi. The way he gave shape and
character to Indias freedom struggle is worthy of a standing ovation. He sacrificed his own life for the sake of his
country. The respect that he earned for himself despite leading a simple lifestyle is much appreciable. Mahatma
Gandhi played a pivotal role in the freedom struggle of India. His non violent ways and peaceful methods were the
foundation for gaining independence from the British. Read about Mahatma Gandhis role in freedom struggle of
India.
Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2nd October at Porbandar located in Gujarat. He went off to South Africa after
marriage and worked as barrister there for twenty years. In South Africa, he had his first brush with apartheid. Once
while he was travelling in a train, he was thrown out of the first class compartment despite having a ticket. This made
him swear that he would do his best to erase apartheid from the face of his world. He went back to India only to find
that this own country was being ruled by the British and his fellow citizens were being treated harshly by the British.
Gandhi first employed civil disobedience while working as an expatriate lawyer in South Africa. He fought for
the resident Indian communitys struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he organised protests by
peasants, farmers, and urban labourers concerning excessive land-tax and discrimination. After assuming leadership
of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand womens rights,
build religious and ethnic amity, end untouchability, and increase economic self-reliance. Above all, he aimed to
achieve Swaraj or the independence of India from foreign domination.
At one time Jawaharlal Nehru remarked that he doubled the clarity of the Mahatma and also his own association
with him. Explaining this paradox Nehru writes thus: Personality is as indefinable tiling, a strange force that has
power over the soul man and he possesses this in a remarkable measure..... He attracted people..... They did not agree
with his philosophy of life or even with many of his ideals... and we went with him although we did not accept his
philosophy." What gave this enormous spell to the personality of Gandhiji? He epitomized the traditions of India.
His emphasis was always on action, reminding one of the Karma Yoga in the Gita which has been the most pi
scripture of the Hindus since the sixth century A.D. Although he was simple in and saintly in thinking, he permitted
himself to be involved neck-deep in the struggle of the country. And all his actions were translated in the Hindu id
Defiance of law and order was non-cooperation with evil; hartal was to protest; Satyagraha was the technique for

the realization of truth that is God." Secondly, he openly asserted that the concept of Truth (God) is one unattainable,
each one is endowed with a fraction of Truth, has almost the meaning as the cardinal principle of the Upanishads that
salvation lies in them of the individuals soul with the universal soul. Thirdly, his stress on simple living and abstemious
habits of dietary in li cast a spell on the masses of India. Indeed, he did skip over two stages of traditional ashrams
known for two millennia in India.
Q. 3. What do you understand by the term social structure? Discuss.
Ans. Social structure is sometimes defined simply as patterned social relationsthose regular and repetitive
aspects of the interactions between the members of a given social entity. Even on this descriptive level, the concept
is highly abstract: it selects only certain elements from ongoing social activities. The larger the social entity considered,
the more abstract the concept tends to be. For this reason, the social structure of a small group is generally more
closely related to the daily activities of its individual members than is the social structure of a larger society. In the
study of larger social groups, the problem of selection is acute: much depends on what is included as components of
the social structure. Various theories offer different solutions to this problem of determining the primary characteristics
of a social group.
Since the 1920s, the term has been in general use in social science, especially as a variable whose sub-components
needed to be distinguished in relationship to other sociological variables. Social structure is the organized pattern of
social relationships and social institutions that together compose society. Social structures are not immediately
visible to the untrained observer, however they are present and affect all dimensions of human experience in society.
Social class is one example of social structure. Social class shapes the access that different groups have to the
resources of society and it shapes many interactions that people have with each other. As a social structure, it guides
and shapes human behaviour at all levels, no matter how overtly visible or invisible it is at any given time.

As did Marx and Weber, more generally, Georg Simmel developed a wide-ranging approach that provided
observations and insights into domination and subordination, competition, division of labour, formation of parties,
representation, inner solidarity coupled with exclusiveness toward the outside, and many similar features in the
state, in a religious community, in an economic association, in an art school, and in family and kinship networks
(however diverse the interests that give rise to these associations, the forms in which interests are realized may yet
be identical).
The notion of social structure was extensively developed in the 20th century, with key contributions from
structuralist perspectives drawing on the theories of Claude Lvi-Strauss, Feminist or Marxist perspectives, from
functionalist perspectives such as those developed by Talcott Parsons and his followers, or from a variety of analytic
perspectives. Some follow Marx in trying to identify the basic dimensions of society that explain the other dimensions,
most emphasizing either economic production or political power. Others follow Lvi-Strauss in seeking logical
order in cultural structures. Still others, notably Peter Blau, follow Simmel in attempting to base a formal theory of
social structure on numerical patterns in relationshipsanalyzing, for example, the ways in which factors like group
size shape intergroup relations. The notion of social structure is intimately related to a variety of central topics in
social science, including the relation of structure and agency. The most influential attempts to combine the concept
of social structure with agency are Anthony Giddens theory of structuration and Pierre Bourdieus practice theory.
Giddens emphasizes the duality of structure and agency, in the sense that structures and agency cannot be conceived
apart from one another. This permits him to argue that structures are neither independent of actors nor determining
of their behaviour, but rather sets of rules and competencies on which actors draw, and which, in the aggregate, they
reproduce.
The critical difference between social structure theory and structuralism is one of approach. Analysis of social
structure uses standard empirical (observational) methods to arrive at generalizations about society, while structuralism
uses subjective, interpretive, phenomenological, and qualitative analysis. Most sociologists prefer the social structure
approach and regard structuralism as philosophical-that is, more compatible with the humanities than with the social

sciences. Still, a significant number of sociologists insist that structuralism occupies a legitimate place in their
discipline.
Answer any four questions in about 250 words each.
Q. 5. What do you understand by the term 'Renaissance'? Discuss.
Ans. The Renaissance, literally rebirth, the period in European civilization immediately following the Middle
Ages and conventionally held to have been characterized by a surge of interest in Classical learning and values. The
Renaissance also witnessed the discovery and exploration of new continents, the substitution of the Copernican for
the Ptolemaic system of astronomy, the decline of the feudal system and the growth of commerce, and the invention
or application of such potentially powerful innovations as paper, printing, the mariners compass, and gunpowder.
To the scholars and thinkers of the day, however, it was primarily a time of the revival of Classical learning and
wisdom after a long period of cultural decline and stagnation.
In politics, the Renaissance contributed the development of the conventions of diplomacy, and in science an
increased reliance on observation. Historians often argue this intellectual transformation was a bridge between the
Middle Ages and Modern history. Although the Renaissance saw revolutions in many intellectual pursuits, as well as
social and political upheaval, it is perhaps best known for its artistic developments and the contributions of such
polymaths as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, who inspired the term Renaissance man. There is a consensus
that the Renaissance began in Florence, Italy, in the 14th century. Various theories have been proposed to account for
its origins and characteristics, focusing on a variety of factors including the social and civic peculiarities of Florence
at the time; its political structure; the patronage of its dominant family, the Medici; and the migration of Greek
scholars and texts to Italy following the Fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Ottoman Turks. The Renaissance
has a long and complex historiography, and in line with general scepticism of discrete periodizations, there has been
much debate among historians reacting to the 19th century glorification of the Renaissance and individual culture
heroes as Renaissance men, questioning the usefulness of Renaissance as a term and as a historical delineation.
The art historian Erwin Panofsky observed of this resistance to the concept of Renaissance:

The Renaissance is a period in the history of Europe beginning in about 1400, and following the Medieval
period. Renaissance is a French word meaning rebirth. The period is called by this name because at that time,
people started taking an interest in the learning of ancient times, in particular the learning of Ancient Greece and
Rome. The Renaissance was seen as a rebirth of that learning.
Q. 6. What do you understand by the term Human Security. Briefly discuss.

Ans. Human Security focuses primarily on protecting people while promoting peace and assuring sustainable
continuous development. It emphasizes aiding individuals by using a people-centred approach for resolving inequalities
that affect security. One of the major failings of Human Security, according to its critics, is that it is too all encompassing
and that it fails to achieve its ambitious goals for improving the human condition. Still, the relevance of this concept
for addressing the worlds most pressing issues seems clear. Security has gone global. It is no longer simply related
to the security of nation states. The security of the individual now directly impacts the security of the state and vice
versa.
The concept emerged from a post-Cold War, multi-disciplinary understanding of security involving a number of
research fields, including development studies, international relations, strategic studies, and human rights. The United
Nations Development Programmes 1994 Human Development Report is considered a milestone publication in the
field of human security, with its argument that insuring freedom from want and freedom from fear for all
persons is the best path to tackle the problem of global insecurity. Critics of the concept argue that its vagueness
undermines its effectiveness, that it has become little more than a vehicle for activists wishing to promote certain
causes, and that it does not help the research community understand what security means or help decision-makers to
formulate good policies.

Q. 7. What does globalisation mean for the Indian economy? Comment.

Ans. India had the distinction of being the worlds largest economy in the beginning of the Christian era, as it
accounted for about 32.9% share of world GDP and about 17%. The goods produced in India had long been exported
to far off destinations across the world. Therefore, the concept of globalisation is hardly new to India.
India currently accounts for 1.2 per cent of World trade as of 2006 according to the World Trade Organisation
(WTO). Until the liberalisation of 1991, India was largely and intentionally isolated from the world markets, to
protect its fledgling economy and to achieve self-reliance. Foreign trade was subject to import tariffs, export taxes
and quantitative restrictions, while foreign direct investment was restricted by upper-limit equity participation,
restrictions on technology transfer, export obligations and government approvals; these approvals were needed for
nearly 60 per cent of new FDI in the industrial sector. The restrictions ensured that FDI averaged only around $200M
annually between 1985 and 1991; a large percentage of the capital flows consisted of foreign aid, commercial
borrowing and deposits of non-resident Indians.
The term globalization refers to the integration of economies of the world through uninhibited trade and financial
flows, as also through mutual exchange of technology and knowledge. Ideally, it also contains free inter-country
movement of labour. In context to India, this implies opening up the economy to foreign direct investment by
providing facilities to foreign companies to invest in different fields of economic activity in India, removing constraints
and obstacles to the entry of MNCs in India, allowing Indian companies to enter into foreign collaborations and also
encouraging them to set up joint ventures abroad; carrying out massive import liberalization programmes by switching
over from quantitative restrictions to tariffs and import duties, therefore globalization has been identified with the
policy reforms of 1991 in India.

Globalization has many meanings depending on the context and on the person who is talking about. Though the
precise definition of globalization is still unavailable a few definitions are worth viewing, Guy Brainbant: says that
the process of globalization not only includes opening up of world trade, development of advanced means of
communication, internationalization of financial markets, growing importance of MNCs, population migrations and
more generally increased mobility of persons, goods, capital, data and ideas but also infections, diseases and pollution.
Q. 9. What in your views are the challenges of modern education today?

Ans. Education Problems in India have been in existence for quite some time now and these continue to dog the
concerned. India has reached remarkable achievement in economic sector and this has brought a lot of changes in the
education sector. But these changes have not turned to be sufficient to solve the ever-existent and ever-changing
Education Problem in India. The problems of education system in India are of grave concern and this concern has not
been ignored. The budget for education has been increasing over the years, During March 2011, Pranab Mukherjee,
finance minister of India (2011) announced a meaty increase of 24 per cent towards the education sector. It is yet to
be seen if this is sufficient enough.
Inadequate, Improper distribution of Funds or Lack of its; Funds are the major reasons of the Education problem
in India. If funds are available, they are not being used effectively. At times, the lack of funds hampers education
many times, the funds are just inadequate to solve the issue. According to a study, 30 per cent of the total educational
funds are allocated towards higher education leaving the primary education in lurch. The situation is worse in rural
areas where funding is major problem as it fuels other problems like shortage of staff, lack of interest and motivation
amongst teachers, insensitive attitude of the education department, lack of proper infrastructure and others. Lack of
funds further create a lack of books and learning materials.
Q. 10. Was the Kyoto protocol effective? Comment.

Ans. The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty, which extends the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits State Parties to reduce greenhouse gases emissions, based on the
premise that (a) global warming exists and (b) man-made CO2 emissions have caused it. The Kyoto Protocol was

adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005. There are currently 192
Parties to the Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol implemented the objective of the UNFCCC to fight global warming by
reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate system (Art. 2). The Protocol is based on the principle of Common but Differentiated
Responsibilities: it puts the obligation to reduce current emissions on developed countries on the basis that they are
historically responsible for the current levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. As a result, it sets binding
emission reduction targets for 37 industrialized countries, mostly Member States of the European Economic Area
(EU + EFTA) in its first commitment period. These targets add up to an average five per cent emissions reduction
compared to 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008 to 2012. The Protocols first commitment period started in
2008 and ended in 2012. A second commitment period was proposed in 2012, known as the Doha Amendment,
which would commit only Europe to further CO2 reductions until 2020 but has yet to be ratified. Negotiations are
currently under way to agree on a post-Kyoto legal framework that would obligate all major polluters to pay for CO2
emissions. China, India, and the United States have all signalled that they will not ratify any treaty that will commit
them legally to reduce CO2emissions. The new framework will be negotiated at the December 2015 meeting of the
Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC in Paris, France.
In Durban, the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) was established to
develop a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention, applicable
to all Parties.
Write short notes on any two in about 100 words each:

(a) Directive Principles of State Policy

Ans. The Forty-second Amendment, which came into force in January 1977, attempted to raise the status of the
Directive Principles by stating that no law implementing any of the Directive Principles could be declared
unconstitutional on the grounds that it violated any of the Fundamental Rights. The amendment simultaneously
stated that laws prohibiting antinational activities or the formation of antinational associations could not be
invalidated because they infringed on any of the Fundamental Rights. It added a new section to the constitution on
Fundamental Duties that enjoined citizens to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood among all
the people of India, transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities. However, the amendment
reflected a new emphasis in governing circles on order and discipline to counteract what some leaders had come to
perceive as the excessively freewheeling style of Indian democracy. After the March 1977 general election ended the
control of the Congress (Congress (R) from 1969) over the executive and legislature for the first time since
independence in 1947, the new Janata-dominated Parliament passed the Forty-third Amendment (1977) and Fortyfourth Amendment (1978). These amendments revoked the Forty-second Amendments provision that Directive
Principles take precedence over Fundamental Rights and also curbed Parliaments power to legislate against
antinational activities.
(b) Juvenile Justice Act

Ans. The Government of India enacted the Juvenile Justice Act in 1986. In 1989, the General Assembly of the
United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of a Child. India ratified the UNCRC in 1992.
In this Act a child or juvenile is defined as a person who has not completed his/her 18th year of age. It outlines
two target groups: Children in need of care and protection and Juveniles in conflict with law. This Act protects not
only the rights of children, but a persons rights when he/she was a child. Meaning that if a crime or an incident took
place while the person was a child, and then during the preceding the juvenile ceased to be of age the case would
continue as if the juvenile has not turned eighteen yet. The second chapter of the Act addresses Juveniles in Conflict
with Law (JCLs). This section calls for the establishment of Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) where the State Government
sees fit. JJBs must contain a Metropolitan or Judicial magistrate and two social workers where one of the workers
must be a woman. The magistrate is required to have a background in child psychology or child welfare. JCL cases

can only be heard in the JJB and not by another court. The powers of the JJB can be exercised in a High court or
Court of Session when an appeal has been made as part of the Act, the state is required to set up a number of
institutions where the needs and protection of juveniles may be fulfilled. For the reception and rehabilitation of JCLs
the state must set up Observation Homes and Special Homes in every district or group of districts.

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