NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science (Civics) Chapter 1 The Indian Constitution

NCERT
SOLUTIONS
CLASS - 8TH

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Book : Social and Political Life Ncert Solutions | Chapter-1 Civics

Class : 8th
Subject : Civics
Chapter : 1
Chapter Name : The Indian Constitution

Q1 Why did the people of Nepal want a new Constitution?

Answer. Missing

Page : 6 , Block Name : The Indian Constitution

Q1 In what way is the class monitor misusing his power?

Answer. Missing

Page : 7 , Block Name : The Indian Constitution

Q2 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 led
against his relative.

Answer. Missing

Page : 7 , Block Name : The Indian Constitution

Q3 Why was Shabnam happy that she had not watched TV? What would you have done in a similar
situation?

Answer. Missing

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Q1 Who is in a minority in the above storyboard? In what way is this minority being dominated by
the decision taken by the majority?

Answer. Missing

Page : 8 , Block Name : The Indian Constitution

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Book : Social and Political Life Ncert Solutions | Chapter-1 Civics

Q1 Discuss the difference between State and Government with your teacher.

Answer. Missing

Page : 13 , Block Name : The Indian Constitution

Q1 Which Fundamental Rights will the following situations violate:
- If a 13-year old child is working in a factory manufacturing carpets.
- If a politician in one state decides to not allow labourers from other states to work in his state.
- If a group of people are not given permission to open a Telugu-medium school in Kerala.
- If the government decides not to promote an of cer of the armed forces for being a woman.

Answer. Missing

Page : 14 , Block Name : The Indian Constitution

Q1 Why does a democratic country need a Constitution?

Answer. The basic principle that a democratic country abides by is freedom. However, granting it
in absolute terms may lead to unjust misuse of this fundamental right. Hence, a set of rules for the
same is necessary. The Constitution of a country is this very set of rules and principles meant to
avoid arbitration of rights.
The Constitution of a democratic country follows four basic guidelines: rstly, it upholds the
ideals of its representative country; de ning the type of society we live in. Secondly, it de nes the
nature of the country’s political system which runs the nation; for example, Nepal was a monarchy
until 2006 when the people’s movement nally bore fruit and a new Constitution established
Nepal as a democracy. Thirdly, the Constitution works as a safeguard against tyrannical use of
power by dominant groups against minorities. Hence, in India, which is a melting pot of several
cultures and religions, the Constitution ensures that the majority i.e., the Hindus do not use their
status to overwhelm the minorities predominantly comprising Muslims and Christians. Lastly, the
Constitution protects us from ourselves in ascertaining that our whims cannot change its basic
structure i.e., provisions that guarantee citizens’ rights cannot be easily overthrown.
Thus, a democratic nation needs a Constitution to uphold its rights of freedom and equality.

Q2 Look at the wordings of the two documents given below. The rst column is from the 1990
Nepal Constitution. The second column is from the more recent interim Constitution of Nepal.

1990 Constitution of Nepal 2007 Interim Constitution
Part 5: Executive Part 7: Executive

Article 35: Executive Power: The executive power
of the Kingdom of Nepal shall be vested in His
Majesty and the Council of Ministers.

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Book : Social and Political Life Ncert Solutions | Chapter-1 Civics

Article 37: Executive Power: the executive power of
Nepal shall be vested in the council of Ministers.
What is the difference in who exercises ‘Executive Power’ in the above two Constitutions of Nepal?
Keeping this in mind, why do you think Nepal needs a new Constitution today?

Answer. The difference in who exercises “Executive Power” in the given two Constitutions of Nepal
is that in the 1990 Constitution, this power was vested in the King and his Council of Ministers,
while in the 2007 Interim Constitution of Nepal, “Executive Power” changed hands to being vested
only in the Council of Ministers, thereby making Nepal a democracy from being a monarchy.
Nepal needs a new Constitution today because it is no longer a monarchy. The older Constitution
vested power in the King, but when the country is now a democracy, a new Constitution is needed
to re ect the “democratic” ideals of Nepal that the peoples movement desired and fought for. In
order to achieve this, all its constitutive rules must be changed.

Q3 What would happen if there were no restrictions on the power of elected representatives?

Answer. If there were no restrictions on the power of elected representatives, then the chances of
power being used unfairly would be higher. It is commonly said that “Power corrupts and absolute
power corrupts absolutely”. In keeping with this saying, it is justi able that elected representatives
of the people of a country must not be granted absolute power because they will have the option of
misusing it. To keep a check, the Indian Constitution has segregated power under “Separation of
Powers” into three segments: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. Each of these organs
serves as a check on the other, maintaining a healthy balance of power between the three.

Q4 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 percent of the population are Buddhists.
(c) In a factory mess for all employees, 80 percent are vegetarians.
(d) In a class of 50 students, 40 belong to more well-off families.

Answer. (a) Minority: 10 female teachers. Our society is pre-dominantly patriarchal, meaning
male-dominated. The 10 female teachers must be allowed space to voice their opinion so that their
efforts at teaching are not hindered by their minority status.
(b) Minority: Buddhist population. Every culture has its own unique traditions and principles. The
Buddhist population in a city must not be forced to follow the dominant religion of that city but
must be respected for its exclusiveness.
(c) Minority: 20% non-vegetarians. The factory mess must make provisions for meat for non-
vegetarian workers since it is an integral part of their diet and must not be avoided just because
they are a minority.

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Book : Social and Political Life Ncert Solutions | Chapter-1 Civics

(d) Minority: 10 students not belonging to well-off families. This is one reason why most schools
make it compulsory for students to wear uniforms, because of which the class distinctions
amongst children are avoided. The well-off students should be warned against harassing their
poorer counterparts.

Q5 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:

Key Feature Signi cance
Federalism
Separation of Powers
Fundamental Right
Parliamentary Form of Government

Answer. Key features
1. Federalism: It ensures national unity and at the same time allows individual progress. A federal
government allows the Centre to hold supreme power but its Constituent States have some power
as well.
2. Separation of Powers: This serves two purposes: rstly, tyrannical use of power is avoided since
it does not vest power in any single authority. Secondly, the 3 organs of power also work as a check
on each other, thereby maintaining a good balance.
3. Fundamental Rights: These are important because they conform to a humane society. They also
protect citizens against arbitrary and absolute use of power by the State.
4. Parliamentary Form of Government: It upholds universal adult franchise. This entails the fact
that the people of a country play a direct role in electing their representatives to run the state as
well as the nation.

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