CBSE Class 8 NCERT Civics (Political Science) Chapter 1 ‘The Indian Constitution’ Question Answers of Textbook Exercises as well Intext questions given between the chapter texts. These solutions would help students in drafting their own answers.
Intext (Inside Chapter Text) Questions
NCERT Textbook, Page 6
Q. 1. Discuss with your teacher what you understand by the term ‘constitutive’. Provide one example of ‘constitutive rules’ from your everyday life.
Ans. The term ‘constitutive’ means fundamental. One example of constitutive rules— A footballer should not touch the ball with his hand. This is a constitutive rule of the game of football.
Q. 2. Why do the people of Nepal want a new constitution?
Ans. The people of Nepal want a new Constitution because the country by moving from a monarchy to a democratic government needs to change all its constitutive rules in order to usher in a new society.
NCERT Textbook, Page 7
Q. 3. Read the following storyboard and answer the following questions:
In what way is the class monitor misusing his power?
Ans. The class monitor misused his power by making false complain about Anil to the class teacher. Anil did not do anything, but the class monitor convinced the teacher that he was talking loudly during her absence. The teacher got annoyed and punished Anil.
Q. 4. In which of the following situations is a minister misusing his power:
(a) refuses to sanction a project of his ministry for sound technical reasons;
(b) threatens to send his security staff to rough up his neighbour;
(c) calls up the police station asking them not to register a complaint that is likely to be filed against his relative.
Ans. The minister misuses his power in the following situations:
(b) threatens to send his security staff to rough up his neighbour;
(c) calls up the police station asking them not to register a complaint that is likely to be filed against his relative.
NCERT Textbook, Page 8
Q. 5. Read the following storyboard and answer the questions that follow:
Who is in a minority in the above storyboard? In what way is this minority being dominated by the decision taken by the majority?
Ans. Girls are in minority. The majority imposes its will on the minority. Finally, girls have to do what boys want.
NCERT Textbook, Page 9
Q. 6. Read the following storyboard and answer the question that follows:
Why was Shabnam happy that she had not watched TV? What would you have done in a similar situation?
Ans. Instead of watching her favourite T.V. programme Shabnam used that time in revising two chapters for the test. As a result, she did excellent in the test because many questions were from those two chapters. Therefore, she was very happy.
If I were in place of Shabnam, I would have done the same.
NCERT Textbook, Page 13
Q. 7. Discuss the difference between State and Government with your teacher.
Ans. Government is responsible for administering and enforcing laws. It can change with elections. The state on the other hand refers to a political institution that represents a sovereign people who occupy a definite territory. For example, the Indian State.
NCERT Textbook, Page 14
Q. 8. Which Fundamental Rights will the following situations violate:
(a) If a 13-year old child is working in a factory manufacturing carpets.
(b) If a politician in one state decides to not allow labourers from other states to work in his state.
(c) If a group of people are not given permission to open a Telugu-medium school in Kerala.
(d) If the government decides not to promote an officer of the armed forces because she is a woman.
Ans. (a) Right against Exploitation
(b) Right to Freedom
(c) Cultural and Educational Right
(d) Right to Equality.
Textbook Exercise Solutions
1. Why does a democratic country need a Constitution?
Ans. In a democratic country, leaders are chosen by the people. These leaders are expected to exercise power responsibly on our behalf. But there is always the possibility that these leaders might misuse their power. Here comes the Constitution. It provides safeguards against this.
2. Look at the wordings of the two documents given below. The first column is from the 1990 Nepal Constitution. The second column is from the more recent Constitution of Nepal.
What is the difference in who exercises ‘Executive Power’ in the above two Constitutions of Nepal?
Ans. In the 1990 Constitution of Nepal, it was the king who exercises the executive power while in the 2007 Interim Constitution of Nepal it is the Prime Minister, the leader of the representatives of the people, exercises the executive power.
3. What would happen if there were no restrictions on the power of elected representatives?
Ans. If there were no restrictions on the power of elected representatives, it would lead to a scenario where those representatives could exercise unlimited authority and make decisions without checks and balances. This could result in authoritarianism, corruption, abuse of power, and potential disregard for individual rights and freedoms.
It would undermine democracy and create a system prone to tyranny, where the elected officials could act without accountability or limitations, potentially leading to widespread injustice and inequality.
4. In each of the following situations, identify the minority. Write one reason why you think it is
important to respect the views of the minority in each of these situations.
(a) In a school with 30 teachers, 20 of them are male.
(b) In a city, 5 per cent of the population are Buddhists.
(c) In a factory mess for all employees, 80 per cent are vegetarians.
(d) In a class of 50 students, 40 belong to more well-off families.
Ans. (a) Female teachers are in minority. It is important to respect their views because they also contribute to the standard of teaching of the school.
(b) Buddhists are in minority. Their views must be respected because they represent a religious sect.
(c) Non-vegetarians are in minority. Their views must be respected because they are also human beings like those who are vegetarians.
(d) The rest 10 per cent poor/middle class students are in minority. We must respect their views because they are equal to others.
5. The column on the left lists some of the key features of the Indian Constitution. In the other column write two sentences, in your own words, on why you think this feature is important:
Answer:
| Key Features | Significance |
| Federalism | Federalism helps to manage a vast country smoothly. Distribution of power makes the progress of a country fast. |
| Separation of Power | The three organs of the state, the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, exercise different powers. Thus, each organ acts as a check on the other organs of the state and this ensures the balance of power between the three. |
| Fundamental Rights | Fundamental Rights protect citizens against the absolute exercise of power by the state. These rights are essential for an individual to develop his/her personality and lead a life with decency. |
| Parliamentary form of Government | It gives a chance to the people of the country to play a role in electing their representatives. Also, every citizen of the country can contest in elections. |
6. Write down the names of the Indian States, which share borders with the following neighbouring nations:
(a) Bangladesh
(b) Bhutan
(c) Nepal
Answer:
(a) Indian states that share borders with Bangladesh:
- West Bengal
- Assam
- Meghalaya
- Tripura
- Mizoram
(b) Indian states that share borders with Bhutan:
- Arunachal Pradesh
- Assam
- Sikkim
- West Bengal
(c) Indian states that share borders with Nepal:
- Uttarakhand
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- West Bengal
- Sikkim