Introduction To Indian Polity And Governance - Class 8 General Knowledge - Extra Questions

The Indian constitution is both rigid and flexible. Explain.

Indian Constitution is both rigid and flexible in the following manner:

(i) The procedure of amendment is neither as easy as in England nor as difficult as in United States.

(ii) The Federal Provision of the Constitution cannot be amended easily. e.g., the division of powers between the centre and the states.

(iii) In such cases, a constitutional amendment must be passed by the two-third members of the Parliament and ratified by one-half of the states before sending the bill to the Parliament.

(iv) In such cases, only two-third majorities of members' presence and voting is needed. Consent of the states is not needed.

(v) All constitutional amendments can be initiated only in the Union Parliament and not in any State Legislature.


Explain any four challenges before political parties in India.

Various challenges faced by political parties are:-
  • The parties something, indulge in the use of money and muscle power for winning elections. this hampers development and is against the spirit of democracy.
  • There have been dynastic successions in many political parties. this often deprives the parties of appropriate leadership.
  • The parties are lacking internal democracy, which keeps many prospective leaders deprived of their rights.
  • There are not many ideological differences between the various parties. So there is a lack of meaningful choice before the voters.


What is meant by remote sensing?

Remote sensing can be defined as the collection of data about an object from a distance.


Explain Stain's collectivisation programme.
                                                    Or
Highlight any five peculiar features of Nazi thinking.

(i) Party forced all peasants to cultivate in collective farms.
(ii) The bulk of land and implements were transferred to the ownership of collective farms.
(iii) Peasants worked on the land.and the Kolkhoz profit was shared.
(iv) Enraged peasants resisted the authorities and destroyed their livestock.
(v) Those who resisted collectivisation were severely punished.
(vi) Stalin's government allow some independent cultivation but treated such cultivators unsympathetically.
                                                        Or
After the defeat in the First World War, Germany had to sign a harsh and humiliating Treaty of Versailles with the Allies. The treaty multiplied the problems. As a result, Hitler rose to the power. He set up the Nazi party and succeeded in capturing the power and establishing the dictatorship of the Nazi Party in Germany. The dictatorial rule of the Nazi Party under the leadership of Hitler is termed as Nazism. Nazi ideology was synonymous with Hitler's worldview. The peculiar features of Nazi thinking were as under:
(i) The state is above all. All powers should be vested with the State. People exist for the State, not the State for the people.
(ii) It was in favour of ending all types of parliamentary institutions and glorify the rule of a great leader.
(iii) It was in favour of crushing all types of party formations and opposition.
(iv) It was in favour of rooting out liberalism, socialism and communism.
(v) It preached hatred for the Jews whom they thought were responsible for the economic misery of the Germans.
(vi) The Nazi Party considered Germany superior to all other nations and wanted to have her influence all over the world.
(vii) It wanted to mobilize the private and State efforts for her development of agriculture and industries etc.
(viii) It wanted to denounce the disgracing Treaty of Versailles.
(ix) It extolled war and glorified the use of force.
(x) It aimed at increasing the German Empire and acquiring all the colonies snatched away from her.
(xi) It dreamt of creating a Racial State of 'Pure Germans' or 'Nordic Aryans' by eliminating all others who were undesirable to them.
(xii) Nazis believed in the idea of Lebensraum on living space, i.e., new areas should be acquired so that more space is available for the German to settle.


What do you mean by secular state?

A secular state is one that does not establish any one religion as official religion.


Who led the struggle against apartheid? State any four practices followed in the system of apartheid in South Africa.

Nelson Mandela led the struggle against apartheid.
(i) Blacks were forbidden from living in white areas.
(ii) All public places were separate for the whites and blacks.
(iii) They could not visit the churches of whites.
(iv) They could not form associations or protest against the terrible treatment. 


In which field India can build the maximum employment opportunity? Give your opinion with examples.

Agriculture e is the most labour absorbing sector of the economy.
In recent years, there has been a decline in the dependence of population on agriculture partly because of disguised unemployment. Some of the surplus labour in agriculture has moved to either the secondary or the tertiary sector. In the secondary sector, small scale manufacturing is the most labour - absorbing.
In case of the tertiary sector, various new services are now appearing biotechnology, information technology and so on. In recent years, maximum employment opportunities have risen in the BPO or call centre. These have been a boon for moderately educated young people.


State and aim of Tenth Plan with regard to higher education. What strategy is being followed to attain it?

Main features of the 10th Fiver Year Plan:
(i) It endeavoured to increase the enrollment of students in the age group of 18-23 years in higher education from 6% to 9% by the end of the plan period.
(ii) It emphasized on the strategy which focuses on increasing access, quality, and adoption of states specific curriculum modification and vocationalization and networking on the use of IT.
(iii) The strategy also focuses on distant, formal, non-formal and IT education.
(iv) There has been a significant increase in the number of universities and institutions, over the last 5 years, specializing in different areas.
(v) It also focuses on vocationalization, networking and the use of information technology in distant education.


What is a Preamble? State any two points of its significance.

The Preamble is an introductory statement in a Constitution which states the reasons and the guiding values of the Constitution.
Significance of the Preamble:
  1. The terms sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic in the Preamble suggests the nature of the state.
  2. The ideals of justice, liberty, equality, fraternity reflects the objectives of the Constitution.
  3. It also contains November 26, 1949 as the date of adoption of the Indian Constitution.
  4. It contains the philosophy on which the entire Constitution has been built.
  5. It provides a standard to examine and evaluate any law and action of government.
  6. The word ‘Republic’ in the Preamble indicates that India has an elected head, though indirectly elected, the Indian President is the choice of the people of India.
  7. The Preamble secures to all citizens equality of States and opportunity in civic, political.


How values of freedom struggle were embedded in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution? Explain.

Values of freedom struggle were embedded in the Preamble of Indian Constitution as:
(i) The constitution is mainly about embodying these values into institutional arrangements.
(ii) Values that inspired and guided the freedom struggle and were in turn nurtured by it, formed the foundation of Indian democracy.
(iii) The Preamble, basically, is a short statement of its basic values.


What type of a nation did radicals want?

Radicals wanted a nation in which government was based on the majority of acountry's population.


What do you understand by Human Capital Formation? Highlight two initiatives each of Indian government to enhance health and education facilities.

When the existing human resource is further developed by becoming more educated and healthy, Human Capital Formation takes place. It adds to the productive power of the country. Just like the Physical Capital Formation.
Following are the two schemes introduced by the government to enhance health facilities in India:
(i) Integrated child development services.
(ii) Central government health schemes.
Following are the two schemes introduced by the government to enhance education facilities in India:
(i) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
(ii) Mid-day Meal Scheme.


What should be the goal of all political associatioins according to her?

According to Olympe de Gouges, the goal of all political associations should be preservation of all the natural rights (liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression) of woman and man.


Mention any five values which are associated with Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.

The five values associated with Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen are:
(i) Right to Life: Everyone has the right to live in his/her own way. There would not be any restriction from the state.
(ii) Freedom of Speech: Every citizen is entitled to speak whatever he/she thinks right.
(iii) Freedom of Opinion: Every citizen is entitled to write or express his/her own opinion freely.
(iv) Equality before law: Law is the expression of the general will. All citizens have the right to participate in its formation, personally or through their representatives. All citizens are equal before it.
(v) Liberty: Liberty consists of the power to do whatever is not injurious to others.


Why are institutions essential in democratic governments?

(i) Institutions involve rules and regulations. This can bind the hands of leaders. Institutions involve meetings, committees and routines. This often leads to delays and complications. But some of the delays and complications introduced by institutions are very useful. They provide an opportunity for a wider set of people to be consulted in any decision. 
(iii) Institutions make it difficult to have a good decision taken very quickly. But they also make it equally difficult to rush through a bad decision. That is why democratic governments insist on institutions.


What was her opinion about law?

She was of the opinion that the law should be the expression of the general will.
 All female and male citizens should have a say either personally or by their representatives in its formulation, it should be the same for all.


Match List I with List II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists

The Indian Councils Act, 1861 initiated the policy of legislative devolution by restoring the legislative powers to the Bombay and Madras Presidencies. The Minto-Morley Reforms introduced a system of communal representation for Muslims by accepting the concept of ‘separate electorate’. The Montague-Chelmsford Reforms introduced, for the first time, bicameralism and direct elections in the country. The Government of India Act, 1935 abolished dyarchy in the provinces and introduced ‘provincial autonomy’ in its place.



Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists

The Indian Councils Act of 1892 made a limited and indirect provision for the use of election in filling up some of the nonofficial seats both in the Central and provincial legislative councils. The Indian Councils Act of 1909 introduced a system of communal representation for Muslims by accepting the concept of ‘separate electorate’. Under this, the Muslim members were to be elected only by Muslim voters. The Government of India Act of 1919 divided the provincial subjects into two parts—transferred and reserved. This dual scheme of governance was known as ‘dyarchy’. The Government of India Act of 1935 abolished dyarchy in the provinces and introduced ‘provincial autonomy’ in its place. The provinces were allowed to act as autonomous units of administration in their defined spheres.


What do the abbreviations MLA, APA, and CMS refer to?

MLA - Modern Language Association.
APA - American Psychological Association.
CMS - The Chicago Manual of Style.
These are all different writing formats.


Explain any five features of federal government.

KEY FEATURES OF FEDERALISM:
1} There are two or more levels (or tiers) of government. Different tiers of government govern the same citizens, but each tier has its own jurisdiction in specific matters of legislation, taxation and administration.
2} The jurisdictions of the respective levels or tiers of government are specified in the constitution.
3} The fundamental provisions of the constitution cannot be unilaterally changed by one level of government. Such changes require the consent of both the levels of government.
4} Courts have the power to interpret the constitution and the powers of different levels of government.
5} Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.


Match List I with List II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists.

Through the Pitt’s India Act of 1784, the British Government was given the supreme control over Company’s affairs and its administration in India. The Indian Councils Act of 1861 made a beginning of representative institutions by associating Indians with the law-making process. The Indian Councils Act of 1892 made a limited and indirect provision for the use of election in filling up some of the nonofficial seats both in the Central and provincial legislative councils. The Government of India Act of 1919 divided the provincial subjects into two parts—transferred and reserved. This dual scheme of governance was known as ‘dyarchy’.



Match List I  (Act) with List (Largely based on) and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:

To consider the proposals of the Simon Commission, the British Government convened three roundtable conferences of the representatives of the British Government, British India and Indian princely states. On the basis of these discussions, a ‘White Paper on Constitutional Reforms’ was prepared and submitted for the consideration of the Joint Select Committee of the British Parliament. The recommendations of this committee were incorporated (with certain changes) in the next Government of India Act of 1935. On June 3, 1947, Lord Mountbatten, the viceroy of India, put forth the partition plan, known as the Indian Independence Act of 1947 or the Mountbatten Plan. The Government of India Act of 1919 is also known as Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms (Montagu was the Secretary of State for India and Lord Chelmsford was the Viceroy of India). The Indian Council Act of 1909 is also known as Morley-Minto Reforms (Lord Morley was the then Secretary of State for India and Lord Minto was the then Viceroy of India).


Class 8 General Knowledge Extra Questions