L-3 CONSTITUTIONAL DESIGN CLASS 9

 Q 1.Why is India called ‘a Republic’?

Answer: India is called a Republic because the head of the state i.e., the President is an elected person, and it is not a hereditary position. Q 2. What do you mean by political equality? Answer: Every citizen is entitled to all the constitutional rights and freedom without making distinction of any kind like gender, race, status, religion etc. Equal voting right to all adult citizens of country, be it rich or poor with no discrimination comes under political equality. Q 3.What is meant by the term ‘Preamble’? Answer: The Preamble is an introduction to the Constitution which contains the ideals and basic principles of the Indian Constitution. Q 4. Mention any one feature of a Foreign Constitution which inspired the constitution makers of the Indian Constitution. Answer: Practice of parliamentary democracy in Britain. Bill of rights in the United States Q 5.Who was the President of Constituent Assembly? Answer: Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Q 6. What was the main contribution of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel just after independence? Answer: He played very important role in integration of the Indian princely states. Q 7.Name any two prominent members of Constituent Assembly. Answer: Rajendra Prasad Baldev Singh. Q 8. With reference to the Constituent, Assembly, answer the following questions: (i) When were its elections held? (ii) Who was its President? (iii) Who was appointed the Chairman of the Drafting Committee? (iv) When was the Constitution passed by the Constituent Assembly? Answer: (i) July 1946. (ii) Dr. Rajendra Prasad. (iii) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. (iv) 26th November, 1949. Q 9. What is the Constituent Assembly? Answer: The drafting of the document called the Constitution was done by an assembly of elected representatives called the Constituent Assembly. Q 10. What do we call a state where head of the state is an elected and not a hereditary person? Answer: Republic, because the head of the state i.e., the President is an elected person, and it is not a hereditary position. Q11.Why should we accept the Constitution made by the Constituent Assembly more than 60 years ago? Answer: Constituent Assembly, a Galaxy of Indians: The Constituent Assembly represented the people of India. There was no universal adult franchise at that time, so it was elected mainly by the members of the existing Provincial Legislatures. This ensured a fair geographical share of members from all the regions of the country. The Assembly was dominated by the Indian National Congress but with leaders having different opinions. In social terms too, the Assembly represented members from different language groups, castes, classes, religions and occupations. Elected Members: The drafting of the document called the Constitution was done by an assembly of elected representatives called the Constituent Assembly. Working Pattern of the Assembly: The Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open and consensual manner. First some basic principles were decided, and agreed upon. Then a Drafting Committee chaired by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar prepared a Draft Constitution for discussion. Several rounds of thorough discussions took place on the Draft Constitution clause by clause. Q 12.The Constituent Assembly was the representative body of the people of India.” Explain with examples. HOTS Answer: The Assembly was dominated by the Indian National Congress. Many important political leaders were also its members. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Mrs. Sarojini Naidu and Sardar Baldev Singh were its important members, who guided the discussion in the Constituent Assembly. There were more than 30 members belonging to the Scheduled Caste. Minorities like the Anglo-Indians had Frank Anthony as their representative. The Parsee community was represented by H.P Modi. _ Some Constitutional experts like Alladi Krishna Swarny Aiyer, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and K.M. Munshi were also there. Mrs. Sarojini Naidu and Mrs. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit were the two leading women of India in the Constituent Assembly. Time: The members deliberated for 114 days spread over three years. Q13. Define the following terms mentioned in the preamble to the Constitution of India. (i) Sovereign, (ii) Socialist, (iii) Secular, (iv) Republic, (v) Liberty, (vi) Equality, (vii) Fraternity (viii), Justice. Or Describe any five values / goals of the Indian Constitution included in the Preamble. Answer: (i) Sovereign: People have supreme right to make decisions on internal as well as external matters. No external power can dictate the government of India. (ii) Socialist: Wealth is generated socially and should be shared equally by society. Government should regulate the ownership of land and industry to reduce socio-economic inequalities. (iii) Secular: Citizens have complete freedom to follow any religion. But there is no official religion. Government treats all religious beliefs and practices with equal respect. (iv) Republic: The head of the state is an elected person and not a hereditary position. (v) Liberty: There are no unreasonable restrictions on the citizens in what they think, how they wish to express their thoughts and the way they wish to follow up their thoughts in action. (vi) Equality: All are equal before the law. The traditional social inequalities have to be ended. The government should ensure equal opportunity for all. (vii) Fraternity: All of us should behave as if we are members of the same family. No one should treat a fellow citizen as inferior. (viii) Justice: Citizens cannot be discriminated on the grounds of caste, religion and gender. Social inequalities have to be reduced. Government should work for the welfare of all, especially of the disadvantaged groups Q14. What is Constitution? What is its importance? Or Why do countries need a Constitution? Explain. Or Why do we need a Constitution and what do Constitution do? Explain? Answer: The Constitution of a country is a set of written rules that are accepted by all the people living together in a country. The Constitution is the supreme law that determines the relationship among the people living in a territory (called citizens), and also the relationship between the people and the government. Importance: Specifications: It specifies how the government will be constituted, who will have the power to take which decisions. Trust and Co-ordination: It generates a degree of trust and co-ordination that is necessary for different kinds of people to live together. Rights and Duties: It lays down the limits on the powers of the government and tells us what the rights of the citizens are. Good Society: It expresses the aspirations of the people about creating a good society. Q 15. Describe any five salient features of the Constitution of India. Answer: Salient Features: Sovereign—People are masters and have supreme right to take decisions. Socialist—Wealth to be shared equally. Secular—It is based on the freedom of religion. All religions should be treated equally. Democratic—People have political equality. Republic—Head of the state is a common man elected by the people. Q16. With reference to the Indian Constitution answer the following questions: (i) When was it passed? (ii) When was it enforced?. (iii) Why was this date chosen? Answer: (i) The Constitution was passed by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November, 1949. (ii) The Constitution was enforced on 26th January, 1950. (iii) In December, 1929, the Congress in its Lahore Session had decided to fight for Poorna Swaraj or Complete Independence, and 26th January, 1930 was celebrated as the Independence Day, since then. That is why our leaders decided to celebrate 26th January, 1950 as the day to enforce the Constitution of India.