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Social Science — CBSE Class 10 board question

Q1. [2]
How is horizontal power sharing different from vertical ? Explain.
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2024 32/2/1 Q22
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:00 · grounding rag
Model Answer

Horizontal power sharing means power is shared among different organs at the same level — legislature, executive, and judiciary. Each organ checks the others (system of checks and balances), so no single organ has unlimited power.

Vertical power sharing means power is divided among governments at different levels — Central, State, and Local governments. Higher and lower levels of government share power, as in India's federal system.

Source: Forms of Power-Sharing, Chapter 1

Explanation

The examiner expects you to clearly contrast the two types using the key terms: same level (horizontal) and different levels (vertical). Give one example for each — legislature/executive/judiciary for horizontal; Central/State/Local for vertical. Avoid writing long explanations; two crisp points with examples are enough for 2 marks.

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Previous-year CBSE Grade 10 board exam questions, organised by subject and chapter, each with a model answer — free to read and print.