Chapter 2 Constitutional Design
Class 9thSocial Science- Chapter 2 Constitutional Design
Exercise
Question 1.Here are some false statements. Identify the mistake in each case and rewrite these correctly based on what you have read in this chapter.
(a) Leaders of the freedom movement had an open mind about whether the country should be democratic or not after independence.
(b) Members of the Constituent Assembly of India held the same views on all provisions of the Constitution.
(c) A country that has a constitution must be a democracy.
(d) Constitution cannot be amended because it is the supreme law of a country.
Answer:
(a) Leaders of the freedom movement had an open mind that the country should be democratic country after independence.
(b) Members of the constituent Assembly of India held the same views on the basic principles of the constitution; they had their disagreements on the finer details of the provisions.
(c) A country must have a constitution to be democratic.
(d) The constitution needs to be amended because it has to change with respect to time according to the changes in society.
Question 2.
Which of these was the most salient underlying conflict in the making of a democratic constitution in South Africa?
A. Between South Africa and its neighbors
B. Between man and women
C. Between the white majority and the black minority
D. Between the colored minority and it black majority
Answer:
We know that in South Africa the main cause of the conflict is discrimination against the colored and black majority. Nelson Mandela, who is also called Gandhi of South Africa fought against the conflict and to help transform South Africa into a democratic country.
Hence, option (D) is correct
Question 3.
Which of these is a provision that a democratic constitution does not have?
A. Powers of the head of the state
B. Name of the head of the state
C. Powers of the legislature
D. Name of the country
Answer:
The provision that a democratic constitution does not have from the above given four statements is option (b) as in the constitution of a democratic country there is no name that is given to the head of the state. Hence, option (B) is correct.
Question 4.
Match the following leaders with their roles in the making of the Constitution:
Answer:
Correct match of the leaders with their roles in making constitution is as follows:
Question 5.
Read again the extracts from Nehru's speech Tryst with Destiny' and answer the following:
(a) Why did Nehru use the expression "not wholly or in full measure” in the first sentence?
(b) What pledge did he want the makers of the Indian Constitution to take?
(c) "The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye.”. Who was he referring to?
Answer:
(a) In Nehru’s speech he mentioned that "no wholly or in full measure" because according to him building of a nation is not an easy task and he wanted the full supports and very substantially for the people of India. By using the phrase, he makes sure that everyone knows the possibilities of failure in making India great if they fail to work to their full ability.
(b) The pledge that Nehru wanted from the makers of our constitution is the pledge of dedication to the service of India, to the people of India and also to the humanity.
(c) From the line, "The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye” he refers to the father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi.
Question 6.
Here are some of the guiding values of the Constitution and their meaning. Rewrite them by matching them correctly:
Answer:
Correct match is as follows:
Question 7.
A friend from Nepal has written you a letter describing the political situation there. Many political parties are opposing the rule of the king. Some of them say that the existing constitution given by the monarch can be amended to allow more powers to elected representatives. Others are demanding a new Constituent Assembly to write a republican constitution. Reply to your friend giving your opinions on the subject.
Answer:
Writing a new draft for constitution is a very hectic and time-consuming task and therefore it usually leaves a time void. Obviously, the best way of handling this situation is to make some small workable amendments to the existing constitution while starting the writing of the new draft simultaneously. This will allow the administrators some legroom in understanding the needs and the best way to handle those requirements. If a draft is written in haste, then it is most likely to leave out some or other crucial points, which would create trouble in the long run.
Question 8.
Here are different opinions about what made India a democracy. How much importance would you give to each of these factors?
(a) Democracy in India is a gift of the British rulers. We received training to work with representative legislative institutions under the British rule.
(b) Freedom struggle challenged the colonial exploitation and denial of different freedoms to Indians. Free India could not be anything but democratic.
(c) We were lucky to have leaders who had democratic convictions. The denial of democracy in several other newly independent countries shows the important role of these leaders.
Answer:
(a) Before the arrival of Britishers, India predominantly had a monarchial way of administration. The arrival of the Britishers and centuries of oppression in their hands led to the generation of solidarity and increased the Indian understanding of the concept of Democracy. Therefore no, democracy is not a gift to India from the British rulers; it is a hard-earned laurel earned by the sweat and blood of numerous nationalist Indians. At the same time, it also needs to be acknowledged that it was the British rule that gave Indians the first taste of how legislative should work, so yes there is a contribution technically.
(b) The freedom struggle and the choice of democracy are two nearly exclusive topics. There are several examples in the world history like Pakistan, where the country even after earning freedom with difficulty eventually turned into non-democratic. It was the efforts and insight of the leaders of the time of independence that Democracy was chosen as the best legislative model.
(c) The leaders at the time of the Indian Independence were surely insightful and virtuous to ensure that Democracy is adopted. This insight was because they had the firsthand experience of the oppression under the British rule. They made sure that their descendant nationals do not face the same fate as them, thus they protected India from slipping into a frame that was undemocratic. So yes, we were lucky in that matter.
Question 9.
Read the following extract from a conduct book for ’married women’, published in 1912.
‘God has need the female species delicate and fragile with physically and emotionally, pitiably in capable of self-defense. They are destined thus by god to remain in male protection-of father, husband and son-all their lives. Women should, therefore, not despair, but feel obliged that they can dedicate themselves to the service of men’.
Do you think the value expressed in this para reflected the value underlying our constitution? Or does this go against the constitutional values?
Answer:
The Indian Constitution goes at lengths to ensure that the virtue of equality is upheld to all the citizens irrespective of their caste, creed, gender, social or economic standing. The above phrase clearly establishes women as the weaker sex, which is in direct conflict of the constitutional provisions.
Question 10.
Read the following statements about a constitution. Give reason why each of these is true or not true.
(a) The authority of the rule of the constitution is the same as that of any other law.
(b) Constitution lay down how different organs of the government will be formed.
(c) Rights of citizens and limits on the power of the governments are laid down in the constitution.
(d) A constitution is about institutions, not about values.
Answer:
(a) The constitution is the supreme law of the land. Any other law needs to be viewed in the light of the provisions stated in the constitution. Therefore, it is safe to say that the authority of the rule of the constitution is greater than any other law.
(b) The above-given statement is correct as the constitution of our country clearly defines the role of three main organs that are the executive, legislative and judiciary. It also defines the way or path that how they should be formed and even has guidelines for their functioning.
(c) Constitution enlists all the rights that a citizen of India can claim. It had made sure to include provisions for ensuring that these rights are not violated by the government. The independence of the judiciary is the biggest and most important provision in this regard.
(d) A constitution is expected to lay down the guidelines for the formation and the most unbiased functioning of all the institutions including executive, legislature and judiciary. It sets some values in the society on which institutions work.