NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Political Science Chapter 6: Citizenship (NCERT 2026–27)
These Class 11 Political Science Chapter 6 solutions cover Citizenship from the NCERT textbook Political Theory, updated for the 2026–27 session. The chapter explains citizenship as the full and equal membership of a political community and examines the debates around freedom of movement, equal rights for the urban poor and tribal communities, the relationship between citizen and nation, the problem of stateless people and refugees, and the emerging idea of global citizenship. Below you get exam-ready, step-by-step answers to all six end-of-chapter Exercises, plus key concepts, extra practice questions, MCQs, Assertion–Reason questions and FAQs.
Class: 11Subject: Political ScienceBook: Political TheoryChapter: 6Chapter Name: CitizenshipSession: 2026–27
Chapter 6, Citizenship, defines citizenship as the full and equal membership of a political community. A state grants its citizens a collective political identity along with certain rights — political rights such as the right to vote, civil rights such as freedom of speech and belief, and socio-economic rights such as a minimum wage or education. The chapter shows that these rights were won after long struggles (the French Revolution, anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, the Civil Rights Movement led by Martin Luther King Jr., and the women’s and dalit movements in India). It then explores contested meanings of ‘full and equal membership’ — the right to freedom of movement and the resistance to migrants, and the rights of the urban poor, slum-dwellers and tribal/forest dwellers. It discusses the relationship between citizen and nation and how different countries fix criteria for citizenship, the problem of stateless people and refugees, and finally the idea of global citizenship in an interconnected world. The key message is that democratic citizenship is an evolving project, an ideal to keep working towards.
Key Concepts & Terms
Citizenship: full and equal membership of a political community. The state gives citizens a collective political identity and certain rights, and offers help and protection wherever they travel.
Full and equal membership: the idea that all citizens, rich or poor, should enjoy equal rights, opportunities and a minimum standard of living wherever in the country they live, study or work.
Civil, political and social rights (T. H. Marshall): civil rights protect the individual’s life, liberty and property; political rights enable participation in governance (e.g. the right to vote); social rights give access to education and employment. Together they make a life of dignity possible.
Equality: the key concept in Marshall’s idea of citizenship — improving the quality of rights and duties and increasing the number of people who enjoy them; citizenship counters the divisive effects of class hierarchy.
Freedom of movement: the right of citizens to move, live and work in any part of the country — especially important for workers who migrate in search of jobs.
Equal rights vs uniform policies: equal rights need not mean identical policies for everyone; because different groups have different needs, policies may have to vary in order to make people more equal.
Criteria of citizenship in India: citizenship can be acquired by birth, descent, registration, naturalisation, or inclusion of territory; the Constitution lists the rights and obligations of citizens and bars discrimination on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
Stateless people / refugees: people whom no state is willing to accept as members — often forced to live in camps or as illegal migrants, frequently unable to work legally, educate their children or own property; the UN appoints a High Commissioner for Refugees to help them.
Global citizenship: the idea that, in an interconnected world, people already feel linked across national boundaries; it suggests supplementing national citizenship with a sense of human rights and shared responsibility for cross-border problems.
Democratic citizenship as a project: equal citizenship is an ideal to work towards rather than an accomplished fact, since new groups keep raising new demands as societies change.
“Exercises” — Full Solutions
All questions below are reproduced verbatim from the NCERT textbook’s end-of-chapter Exercises section. Answers are original, written in exam-ready style.
1. Citizenship as full and equal membership of a political community involves both rights and obligations. Which rights could citizens expect to enjoy in most democratic state today? What kind of obligation will they have to their state and fellow citizens?
ANSWERCitizenship means full and equal membership of a political community, and it carries both rights granted by the state and obligations owed by the citizen.Rights citizens can expect in most democratic states: (i) Political rights — such as the right to vote, to contest elections and to participate in the process of governance; (ii) Civil rights — such as freedom of speech, expression and belief, and the protection of life, liberty and property; (iii) Socio-economic rights — such as the right to a minimum wage, the right to education and access to employment. Equality of rights and status is itself one of the basic rights of citizenship.Obligations of citizens: citizenship is not only about the relationship between the state and the individual but also about citizen-to-citizen relations. Apart from legal obligations imposed by the state (such as obeying the law and paying taxes), citizens have a moral obligation to participate in and contribute to the shared life of the community, to help fellow citizens, and to act as inheritors and trustees of the country’s culture and natural resources. A basic obligation of democratic citizenship is to settle disputes through negotiation and discussion rather than by force.
2. All citizens may be granted equal rights but all may not be able to equally exercise them. Explain.
ANSWERGranting equal rights in law does not automatically mean that every citizen can actually use those rights, because differences in social and economic conditions create barriers.For example, every Indian citizen has the right to vote, but a pavement dweller or squatter may find it hard to get his or her name on the voters’ list because a fixed address is required, and the poor may not be able to provide one. Similarly, slum-dwellers and the urban poor may have a legal right to education or health care, yet poverty, lack of facilities and insecure living conditions prevent them from enjoying these rights equally.Marginalised groups such as tribal people and forest dwellers face threats to their way of life and livelihood from development and commercial pressures, so the equal rights promised to them remain difficult to exercise in practice. This is why equal rights need not mean uniform policies; the different needs and claims of different groups must be taken into account so that people are made genuinely more equal, not just equal on paper.
3. Write a short note on any two struggles for full enjoyment of citizen rights which have taken place in India in recent years. Which rights were being claimed in each case?
ANSWERMany groups in India have struggled to enjoy the full rights of citizenship. Two examples are:(i) The Women’s Movement: Women have long campaigned to change public opinion and government policy so that they enjoy equal rights and opportunities with men. The movement claims equality — equal civil and political rights, protection from violence and discrimination, and equal access to education, employment and a life of dignity. Even though the Constitution grants equal rights, women had not previously enjoyed them fully, and the movement works to make these rights real.(ii) The Dalit Movement: Dalits have struggled against caste-based discrimination and untouchability to secure full and equal membership in society. The rights being claimed are equality of status and opportunity, freedom from discrimination on grounds of caste, and equal access to public spaces, education and employment — in short, the dignity and equal citizenship promised by the Constitution.(Other valid examples include the struggles of slum-dwellers and pavement dwellers for the right to livelihood and shelter, and of people displaced by development projects for rehabilitation.)
4. What are some of the problems faced by refugees? In what ways could the concept of global citizenship benefit them?
ANSWERProblems faced by refugees and stateless people: Since no state is willing to grant them membership, refugees are not guaranteed rights by any state and generally live in precarious conditions. They are often forced to live in camps or as illegal migrants. Typically they cannot legally work, cannot educate their children, and cannot acquire property. They may have lost their homes, political identity and security, and may remain stateless for years or even generations, with no alternative identity available to them. The problem is so serious that the UN has appointed a High Commissioner for Refugees to help them.How global citizenship could benefit them: The idea of global citizenship rests on the recognition that we live in an interconnected world and feel linked across national boundaries. It could make it easier to find an acceptable solution to the problem of migrants and stateless people, or at least to ensure them basic rights and protection regardless of the country in which they live. By moving towards a concept of human rights and shared responsibility, the international community could cooperate to provide refugees with a dignified identity and protection that a single state may be unwilling or unable to give.
5. Migration of people to different regions within the country is often resisted by the local inhabitants. What are some of the contributions that the migrants could make to the local economy?
ANSWERAlthough local people sometimes resent migrants and resist their entry, migrants make important contributions to the local economy:1. They supply much-needed skilled and unskilled labour — for example, I.T. workers in Bangalore, nurses from Kerala found all over the country, and construction workers in the booming building industry.2. They power infrastructure projects such as road-making and other public works that the local population may not be able to staff fully.3. Even the urban poor and slum-dwellers, though viewed as unwelcome visitors, make a significant contribution through their labour — as hawkers, petty traders, domestic workers, plumbers, mechanics and scavengers — and through small businesses like cane-weaving, textile-printing and tailoring.4. By doing necessary work, often at lower wages, migrants help keep services running, fill labour shortages, support growing industries and contribute to the overall growth and prosperity of the region.
6. “Democratic citizenship is a project rather than an accomplished fact even in countries like India which grant equal citizenship”. Discuss some of the issues regarding citizenship being raised in India today.
ANSWERThe statement means that even where a constitution grants equal citizenship, full and equal membership is an ideal to keep working towards rather than something already achieved, because societies keep changing and new groups keep raising new demands. India’s Constitution adopted a democratic and inclusive notion of citizenship, yet several issues continue to be raised:(i) Equality for marginalised groups: The women’s movement and the dalit movement show that despite equal rights in law, many still feel denied full citizenship and struggle for real equality of status and opportunity.(ii) Rights of the urban poor: Slum-dwellers, squatters, pavement dwellers and street vendors struggle for the right to shelter, livelihood and basic services, and even for basic political rights like getting their names on the voters’ list.(iii) Tribal and forest dwellers: They face threats to their way of life and livelihood from population pressure, mining and commercial interests, raising questions of how to protect them without blocking development.(iv) Migration and freedom of movement: Resistance to ‘outsiders’ (as in slogans like ‘Mumbai for Mumbaikars’) raises the question of whether all citizens can equally live and work anywhere in the country.(v) Displacement and refugees: Struggles of people displaced by development projects, and the status of refugees and stateless people who enter India, also test the promise of equal citizenship.All these show that democratic citizenship in India remains a living project that must be continually negotiated and expanded.
Extra Practice Questions
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1. Define citizenship.
ANSWERCitizenship is the full and equal membership of a political community. A state gives its citizens a collective political identity and certain rights, and offers them help and protection wherever they travel. Equality of rights and status is one of its basic features.
Q2. What are the three kinds of rights identified by T. H. Marshall?
ANSWERT. H. Marshall identified civil rights (protecting life, liberty and property), political rights (enabling participation in governance, such as the right to vote) and social rights (giving access to education and employment). Together they enable a citizen to lead a life of dignity.
Q3. By what means can citizenship be acquired in India?
ANSWERIn India, citizenship can be acquired by birth, descent, registration, naturalisation, or inclusion of territory. The Constitution also provides that the state shall not discriminate against citizens on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
Q4. Why is freedom of movement particularly important for workers?
ANSWERFreedom of movement is important for workers because labour tends to migrate in search of jobs when opportunities are not available near home. The right lets workers move to where employment exists — for example, I.T. workers to Bangalore or nurses from Kerala across the country.
Q5. Who are stateless people?
ANSWERStateless people are those whom no state is willing to accept as members, often because of war, persecution or famine. Unable to return home, they live as refugees or illegal migrants in camps, usually unable to work legally, educate their children or own property.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. Explain the relationship between citizenship, equality and rights as discussed by T. H. Marshall.
ANSWERThe British sociologist T. H. Marshall, in his book Citizenship and Social Class (1950), defined citizenship as “a status bestowed on those who are full members of a community”, with all who possess the status being equal in respect of the rights and duties it carries. The key concept in his idea is equality, which implies two things: that the quality of the rights and duties improves, and that the number of people on whom they are bestowed grows. Marshall saw citizenship as involving three kinds of rights — civil rights (protecting life, liberty and property), political rights (enabling participation in governance) and social rights (giving access to education and employment) — which together make a life of dignity possible. He regarded social class as a ‘system of inequality’, and argued that citizenship ensures equality by countering the divisive effects of class hierarchy, thereby helping to create a better-integrated and more harmonious community.
Q2. Discuss the relationship between citizen and nation, and how different countries fix the criteria of citizenship.
ANSWERThe modern nation state claims that its boundaries define not just a territory but also a unique culture and shared history, expressed through symbols like a flag, anthem and national language. A democratic state is supposed to give all citizens a shared political identity, and tries to define this identity as inclusively as possible. In practice, however, most countries define their identity in ways that make it easier for some citizens to identify with the state than others — for example, France expects all citizens to assimilate into its culture in public life, which has led to controversies such as the wearing of the turban or head-scarf in schools. The criteria for granting citizenship also vary: in countries like Israel or Germany, factors such as religion or ethnic origin may be given priority, as in the long debate over citizenship for the children of Turkish workers born in Germany. India, by contrast, defines itself as a secular, democratic nation state and, through its Constitution, adopted a democratic and inclusive notion of citizenship that accommodates great diversity of religion, region and language, granting citizenship by birth, descent, registration, naturalisation or inclusion of territory.
Q3. What is global citizenship? Explain the arguments in its favour and its relationship with national citizenship.
ANSWERGlobal citizenship is the idea that, although a single world community and global society does not yet exist, people already feel linked to each other across national boundaries and should work towards a shared sense of belonging to humanity. Supporters point to events such as the outpouring of help from all parts of the world for the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami as a sign of an emerging global society. The main attraction of global citizenship is that it might make it easier to deal with problems that cross national boundaries — such as the plight of migrants and stateless people, terrorism, or pandemics — which require cooperative action by the people and governments of many states; it could at least ensure refugees basic rights and protection wherever they live. However, the chapter is careful to stress that global citizenship does not replace national citizenship. Many problems, especially socio-economic inequalities within a country, can ultimately only be solved by the government and people of that society, so full and equal membership of a state remains important. The concept of global citizenship therefore supplements national citizenship, reminding us that we live in an interconnected world and must strengthen our links and cooperation with people across national boundaries.
MCQs & Assertion–Reason
1. Citizenship is best defined as:
(a) the right to live in any country (b) full and equal membership of a political community (c) the right to vote only (d) ownership of property
2. The right to vote is an example of a:
(a) civil right (b) political right (c) social right (d) cultural right
3. The book Citizenship and Social Class (1950) was written by:
(a) Martin Luther King Jr. (b) T. H. Marshall (c) Mahatma Gandhi (d) Olga Tellis
4. According to Marshall, social rights give the individual access to:
(a) life, liberty and property (b) governance (c) education and employment (d) freedom of religion
5. Which leader led the Civil Rights Movement against segregation laws in the USA?
(a) Nelson Mandela (b) Martin Luther King Jr. (c) Abraham Lincoln (d) Robert Mugabe
6. The slogan ‘Mumbai for Mumbaikars’ is given as an example of:
(a) global citizenship (b) resistance to migrants / restricting entry of ‘outsiders’ (c) equal rights (d) the women’s movement
7. In the Olga Tellis case (1985), the Supreme Court held that the right to life under Article 21 included the right to:
8. Which of the following is NOT a way of acquiring citizenship in India?
(a) birth (b) descent (c) naturalisation (d) winning an election
9. To help refugees, the United Nations has appointed a:
(a) Secretary-General for Migration (b) High Commissioner for Refugees (c) Special Rapporteur on Poverty (d) Global Citizen Council
10. Which event is cited as a sign of the emergence of a global society?
(a) the French Revolution (b) the Partition of India (c) the worldwide help for victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami (d) the apartheid policy in South Africa
For each Assertion–Reason question, choose: (A) Both true and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion; (B) Both true but the Reason is not the correct explanation; (C) Assertion true, Reason false; (D) Assertion false, Reason true.
A-R 1. Assertion: Granting equal rights in law does not guarantee that all citizens can equally exercise them.
Reason: Differences in social and economic conditions, such as the lack of a fixed address for pavement dwellers, create barriers to using rights.
A-R 2. Assertion: The rights enjoyed by citizens today were granted easily and without struggle.
Reason: Each of the rights now enjoyed by citizens has been won only after long struggles, such as the French Revolution and the anti-apartheid movement.
A-R 3. Assertion: Equal rights for citizens need not mean that uniform policies are applied to all people.
Reason: Different groups of people may have different needs, so policies may have to vary in order to make people genuinely more equal.
A-R 4. Assertion: Global citizenship should completely replace national citizenship.
Reason: Socio-economic inequalities within a country can ultimately only be solved by the government and people of that particular society.
A-R 5. Assertion: Democratic citizenship is a project rather than an accomplished fact.
Reason: As societies change, new groups keep raising new demands and these have to be negotiated in a democratic state.
Answer key: 1-(A), 2-(D), 3-(A), 4-(D), 5-(A).
Exam Tips & Common Mistakes
How to score full marks in this chapter
Always open with the standard definition — citizenship as the full and equal membership of a political community. Learn T. H. Marshall’s three rights (civil, political, social) with one-line meanings, as they appear often. For rights questions, separate them clearly into political, civil and socio-economic. Remember the textbook’s examples — the French Revolution, South African apartheid, Martin Luther King Jr. and the segregation laws, the Olga Tellis case, ‘Mumbai for Mumbaikars’, and the women’s and dalit movements — and use them to support your points. For the last question, stress the idea that democratic citizenship is an evolving project. End answers on global citizenship by noting that it supplements rather than replaces national citizenship.
Common mistakes to avoid
Defining citizenship only as “the right to vote” — it is full and equal membership involving many rights and obligations.
Forgetting the obligations side of citizenship when a question mentions both rights and duties.
Mixing up Marshall’s civil, political and social rights.
Writing that equal rights require identical/uniform policies for everyone — different groups may need different policies.
Claiming that global citizenship replaces national citizenship — it only supplements it.
Leaving out concrete examples; the examiner rewards textbook examples like Olga Tellis or the tsunami.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chapter 6 of Class 11 Political Science (Political Theory) about?
Chapter 6, Citizenship, defines citizenship as the full and equal membership of a political community. It discusses the rights and obligations of citizens, the debates over freedom of movement and equal rights for the poor and tribal communities, the relationship between citizen and nation, the problem of stateless people and refugees, and the idea of global citizenship.
What are the three kinds of rights according to T. H. Marshall?
According to T. H. Marshall, citizenship involves civil rights (protecting life, liberty and property), political rights (enabling participation in governance, such as voting) and social rights (giving access to education and employment). Together they allow a citizen to lead a life of dignity.
How many questions are there in the Exercises of Class 11 Political Science Chapter 6?
The end-of-chapter Exercises in Political Theory Chapter 6 (Citizenship) contain 6 questions, all answered step by step in exam-ready style on this page.
