Unseen passage for Class 9 - Passage 06
Posted by Olympiad Tester on
Someone who is legally recognized to be a participating member of a political community like a state, or a country is called a citizen. There are ways to become a citizen of a country. Anyone born in a country is automatically considered a citizen of that country. The second way is to go through a legal process called naturalization. Through naturalization, a person applies for citizenship and then has to show they meet that country's legal requirements to be a citizen.
The concept of citizenship is Western in origin. Many historians believe it came from Ancient Greece, where it was based on two ideas:
• All men should be subject to the same rules:
• All men born into the same community should share in its power and have equal responsibility for it.
Citizenship in Ancient Greece was characterized by political participation. The Romans also had a concept of citizenship, though a slightly different one than the Greek. Roman citizenship was less about political participation and more about an individual's relationship with the state based on law, which broadened the limits of who could be a citizen. In Europe in the Middle Ages, the concept of citizenship evolved to be about belonging to emerging nation-states. What all of these concepts share is that shared citizenship creates a bond between people who do not otherwise have anything in common to which non-citizens are excluded.
Today, people who share citizenship in the same country disagree about what that means. The liberal/individualist perspective sees the citizen as a passive member of the country. It emphasizes the rights of citizens and their protection. The civic/republican perspective is that citizens should actively participate in political processes. It emphasizes the relationship between the individual and the state, through which the individual both receives specific privileges and undertakes specific obligations.
Q1) What is the legal process through which a person can become a citizen of a country?
A. Birthright
B. Naturalization
C. Inheritance
D. Adoption
Answer: B. Naturalization
Q2) What are the two main ways to become a citizen of a country?
A. Adoption and inheritance
B. Birthright and marriage
C. Naturalization and birth in the country
D. Education and employment
Answer: C. Naturalization and birth in the country
Q3) What is the origin of the concept of citizenship, and where did it first emerge?
A. Ancient Rome
B. Middle Ages
C. Ancient Greece
D. Renaissance
Answer: C. Ancient Greece
Q4) How was citizenship characterized in Ancient Greece?
A. Based on individual relationships with the state
B. Centered on political participation
C. Focused on economic contributions
D. Defined by religious practices
Answer: B. Centered on political participation
Q5) What evolved during the Middle Ages in Europe regarding the concept of citizenship?
A. Emphasis on political participation
B. Formation of nation-states
C. Exclusion of non-citizens
D. Focus on individual rights
Answer: B. Formation of nation-states
Q6) How do people who share citizenship in the same country often disagree about its meaning?
A. By emphasizing political participation
B. By focusing on individual rights
C. Through naturalization
D. By prioritizing civic duties
Answer: B. By emphasizing individual rights
Q7) What is the liberal/individualist perspective on citizenship?
A. Emphasizes political participation
B. Advocates for civic duties
C. Sees the citizen as a passive member
D. Focuses on the relationship with the state
Answer: C. Sees the citizen as a passive member
Q8) What does the civic/republican perspective emphasize regarding citizenship?
A. Individual rights
B. Political participation
C. Birthright
D. Naturalization
Answer: B. Political participation
Q9) According to the passage, what creates a bond between people who share citizenship?
A. Economic contributions
B. Political disagreements
C. Participation in civic duties
D. Exclusion of non-citizens
Answer: D. Exclusion of non-citizens
Q10) According to the passage, what evolves during the Middle Ages in Europe regarding the concept of citizenship?
A. Emphasis on political participation
B. Formation of nation-states
C. Exclusion of non-citizens
D. Focus on individual rights
Answer: B. Formation of nation-states