Important Questions for CBSE Class 8 Social Science - Social and Political Life Chapter 1 - The Indian Constitution

Very Short Answer Questions: (1 Marks)

1. Fill in the Blanks:

1. India is a _____ form of government.

Ans: Democratic

2. Right to equality is granted by the _____ to its people.

Ans: Constitution of India

3. In 1934, INC made the demand for a _____.

Ans: Constituent Assembly

4. Children under _____ years of age are prohibited from any kind of labour.

Ans: 14

2. State True and False: 

1. Right to equality is the first fundamental right.

Ans: True

2. The constitution of India was incorporated on 26 January 1948.

Ans: False

3. B.R.Ambedkar was the chairman of the drafting committee.

Ans: True

4. Gandhi ji is called the father of the nation.

Ans: True

3. Match the Following: 

Ans:

4. Choose the Correct Option:

1. The Constitution of India was incorporated on _____. 

1. 26 January 1950

2. 26 January 1948

3. 26 January 1947

4. None of the above

Ans: (1) 26 January 1950

2. The fundamental rights are provided to citizens by the _____.

1. Constitution of India 

2. Government of India

3. Police

4. Supreme Court

Ans: (1) Constitution of India

5. Define the Following

1. Secular State

Ans: A secular state is a state which does not officially promote one religion as a state religion. Example: India.

2. Secularism

Ans: The ideology of being a secular state is called secularism.

Short Answer Questions: (2 Marks)

6. Define Democracy.                                      

Ans: Democracy is a form of government in which the people of a state possess the power to choose a government. The right to elect the government is conferred in the hands of the people, this exercise of power is done through elections.

7. Define arbitrary.

Ans: Arbitrary means a situation where nothing is fixed, and the judgement is left to someone's choice. Basically, in a monarchy form of government, the rules are arbitrary in nature and are exercised in an autocratic manner by the monarch or the ruler. 

8. What is right against exploitation?

Ans: Article 23 and 24 of the Indian Constitution, confers upon its citizens the fundamental right against exploitation and guarantees dignity to them. It prohibits human trafficking and forced labour. It also states that no child under the age of fourteen years must be engaged to work in any factory or mine or in any other hazardous employment. 

9. What is a “State”?

Ans: The term 'State' here refers to the political institution or the authority that represents a group of people living in a territory of a country. 

10. Write any three key features of the Constitution of India.

Ans: Three key features of Constitution of India is given below: 

1. Federalism.

2. Parliamentary form of Government.

3. Fundamental Rights.

Short Answer Questions: (3 Marks)

11. Define parliamentary form of government.

Ans: A parliamentary form of government is a government where the people can directly elect their representatives by the means of Universal Adult Suffrage. This system of government consists of three parts: the President, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

12. Name the sharing states of the following country’s borders-

Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal

Ans: The names of the Indian States that share borders with the following nations are as follows:

1. Bangladesh: West Bengal, Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura.

2. Bhutan: Assam, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

3. Nepal: Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and Bihar.

13. Give a brief of the making of Indian constitution.

Ans: The Constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949 and was brought into effect from 26th January, 1950. It took almost a period of three years ( December 1946 to November 1949) to draft the Constitution of India. It is the longest written Constitution. The Constituent Assembly that took the charge of drafting the Constitution had Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was its chairman who is also known as the 'Father of Indian Constitution". 

14. How can leaders misuse the powers of the democratic country?

Ans: Leaders can misuse their powers for getting things done in their own favor. For example: A political leader or minister may use his influence for getting things done in a corrupt manner without being accountable to anybody. Many of us must have come across or seen a situation in which if a relative of a politician is caught breaking traffic rules he or she misuses the name and power of the person to get released and evade the fine.

15. List out the main Fundamental Rights given by the Constitution of India.

Ans: The main Fundamental Rights given by the Constitution of India is listed below-

1. Right to equality 

2. Right to freedom

3. Right to freedom of religion 

4. Right against exploitation

5. Cultural and educational rights 

6. Right to constitutional remedies

Long Answer Questions (5 Marks)

16. What is the meaning of Fundamental Rights?

Ans: Fundamental Rights are the rights guaranteed under Part III of the Indian Constitution. These rights have been given to the individuals in order to protect their interests. These are the basic rights that every citizen of the country is entitled to. The six Fundamental Rights are given below-

1. Right to equality: This Fundamental Right states that all persons in Indian territory are equal before law.

2. Right to freedom: This Fundamental Right includes the right to freedom of speech and expression. It also includes the Right to life and personal liberty. 

3. Right against exploitation: This right protects against traffic in human beings and forced labour. It also prohibits employment of children under the age of fourteen in hazardous jobs.

4. Right to freedom of religion: The Constitution confers upon its citizens the Right to practice and propagate any religion. 

5. Cultural and Educational Rights: The Constitution provides provisions to protect the cultural rights of the people and also protect the minorities from any form of discrimination.

6. Right to Constitutional Remedies: Under this the Constitution provides for various remedies, directions and writs for enforcement of various rights.

17. Why does the Constitution become important for a democratic country?

Ans: The Constitution of a country is the set of laws or the "law of the land" which governs the country or the territory. It enables the smooth governance of the affairs. 

1. The Constitution lays down a set of certain principles that form the basis of the kind of governance that the citizens would want or aspire to live in.

2. The Constitution tells us about the fundamentals upon which the society is based.

3. The Constitution also defines the ideals and principles that its citizens believe their country should endorse.

18. Who exercises the executive power in Nepal?

Ans: In the 1990 Constitution of Nepal, the Executive powers of the Kingdom were entirely in the hands of the King and the Council of Ministers. However, the Constitution of Nepal came into effect in  2015, the executive powers of Nepal shifted to the hands of the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister.

The 2015 Constitution followed the democratic form of Government compared to the 1990's Constitution which was a monarchy form of Government. This helped the people come out of the old constitution to a better form of Government that reflected the ideals of the people and was successful in keeping up the spirits and unity of the people.

19. Why constitution has given limited powers to elected representatives?

Ans: If there were no restrictions on the power of elected representatives, there could be a chance for the leaders to misuse the powers given to them. They might turn out to be corrupt or could be overindulgent in the affairs of the people using their power, which could cause unrest and dissatisfaction among the people. Therefore, the Indian Constitution provides safeguards against this misuse of power. The Constitution lays down rules and principles that guard the citizens against any such misuse.

20. Define Federalism and separation of powers.

Ans: Federalism:

1. Federalism implies the multiple levels of governance in the country. India has a 3 tier government in order to address the diverse religious and cultural composition of its citizens. 

2. These diversities require the existence of a central government and constituent units at the regional, state and local levels.

3. We have a Central Government operating at the central level, State Governments operating at State level and the Panchayati Raj at the local level. 

Separation of Powers:

1. The Constitution provides for the separation of powers in order to prevent the misuse of power by the elected representatives. Separate powers are provided to each branch of the government. This ensures that power is balanced between the three divisions of the government namely, Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary.

2. Each organ is entitled to keep a check on the other organ of government to ensure transparency and balance of power between all the three.

Class 8 Civics Chapter 1 Important Questions - Free PDF

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Indian Constitution Class 8 Extra Questions

1. What use does a constitution serve us?

Ans: A constitution is a set of laws that the citizens of a country have agreed upon. Most of the democratic countries have constitutions although not all of them are written. Some non-democratic countries also have constitutions that the citizens of that country abide by. Some basic uses of constitutions all over the world are:

• It serves as a guide to the governing bodies in running the nation. It lays out the boundaries and gives them the power to function in their jurisdiction.

• It gives the citizens their rights and also mentions the various ways in which these rights could be exercised by them. It also gives them a list of duties that they have as citizens to their nation and what falls under it.

• A constitution also lays down various laws that empower various sections of society and uplift them. Any conflict in the nation is resolved on the guidelines of the constitution.

2. Mention the important aspects of the Indian constitution.

Ans: The important aspects of the Indian constitution are as follows:

Federalism - This refers to the existence of more than one level of government in the country. Indian federalism has 3 levels of government with their unique authority at each level. At the top, we have the Union government, followed by the State government at the provincial level and the Local government of Panchayati Raj at the local level.

Parliamentary Form of Government - India follows the parliamentary form of government which means that representatives are elected to the parliament. These representatives then run the country from the parliament by making required laws and policies.

Separation of Powers - The powers of various government organs are separated to ensure different jurisdictions. Although the powers are separated, they have a system of accountability that ensures that every department is accountable through interconnected links.

Fundamental Rights - Indian constitution provides the provisions for every Indian citizen to enjoy certain rights. These rights are essential and are core values of human rights also. These rights also fall under the basic structure of the constitution.

Secularism - India follows religious secularism where the state stays out of religious issues except for certain conditions. This ensures not only religious freedom to the citizens but also ensures misuse of the same does not take place.

3. Mention the reason why Indian secularism can be considered unique.

Ans: Secularism can be broadly defined as the separation of the State from religious institutions. This means that the government shall not interfere with the running of religious institutions or manage their activities in general.

Indian secularism on the other hand is such where the state does interfere but only when certain situations arise. The state will interfere in case of provocation or communal riots take place. They will interfere if the human rights of someone are violated on religious grounds. They might also interfere when an issue of law and order might arise. Therefore, Indian secularism is not absolute secularism and that makes it unique.

4. How does the Constitution act as a protector in Indian politics?

Ans: The constitution protects the citizens of a country in general by various laws. They also protect the foreigners or institutions up to a certain degree to avoid any unfair act towards them. These acts protect these individuals and give them the power to approach a court if necessary.

On the other hand, the various leaders of the country who have lots of power are also bound by some boundaries which protect us and them. These boundaries prevent these leaders from misusing their power which might, in turn, harm us or them.

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Conclusion

To summarise, Chapter 1 of Civics for Class 8 exposes students to the Indian Constitution, which governs how our entire country operates, and this chapter is critical in the start of understanding this section. Crucial questions play an important part in students' preparation and learning experience, which is available for free on the Vedantu platform, created by professionals, and will be beneficial to students.