NCERT Solutions for class 8 Civics The Indian constitution

Exercise

Q1: Why does a democratic country need a constitution?

Ans: A democratic country needs a constitution because:

1. A constitution protects the citizen of a country against any exploitation.
2. It tells about the form of the political system in a country.
3. It lay down the set of rules and laws to run the country smoothly.
4. It limits the power of elected representatives and government so that they don’t misuse their powers.
5. It provides certain fundamental rights to all citizens and protects it.

Q2: 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.

1990 Constitution of Nepal Part 7: Executive	2015 Constitution of Nepal Part 7: Federal Executive
Article 35: Executive power: The executive power of the Kingdom of Nepal shall be vested in His Majesty and the council of ministers.	Article 75: Executive power: The executive power of Nepal shall, pursuant to this Constitution and law, be vested in the Council of ministers.

What is the difference in who exercises ‘Executive power’ in the above two Constitutions of Nepal?

Ans: The 1990 Constitution of Nepal states that all the power must reside in the hands of the King and his council of ministers whereas the 2015 Constitution of Nepal states that every government in the country must have to follow and respect the laws laid down in the constitution.

Q3: 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 they may misuse their authority and power to tease the people of the country who have elected them. Also, they may introduce some controversial law that may violate the fundamental rights of all citizens.

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 the situations.

a. In a school with 30 teachers, 20 of them are male.

Ans: In this case, 10 female teachers are in minority. Their viewpoint must also be respected so that the school may function properly and rule should not go against them.

b. In a city, 5 per cent of the population are Buddhists.

Ans: In this case, 5 per cent Buddhists people are minor. Their viewpoint must also be respected so that they can follow their religious practices and nobody can forcefully impose any other custom on them.

c. In a factory mess for all employees, 80 percent are vegetarians.

Ans: In this case, 20 percent non-vegetarians are minor. People have the freedom to eat the kind of food they want and it’s the responsibility of the mess to make proper arrangement for non-vegetarian food as well.

d. In a class of 50 student, 40 belong to well-off families.

Ans: In this case, 10 students who doesn’t belong to well-off family are minor. Every child has the right to education and no student should be judged on the basis on their family background. Every student is equal and should be provided equal education by the teacher. Also, it must be ensured that there is harmony and discipline among all the students.

Q5: The column of 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.

Ans:

Key features	Significance
Federalism	It means that a democratic country must have multi-level of government. The three level of government in India are Central government, State government, Village government (Panchayati raj)
Separation of powers	The power should not be concentrated in a handful of people rather it must be distributed among various organs.
Fundamental rights	It protects the citizen of the country and makes sure that they live peacefully.
Parliamentary form of government	It allows the citizen of a country to freely choose their representative.

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