Chapter 1 Constitution: Why and How?

Question 1.
Which of these is not a function of the constitution?
(a) It gives a guarantee of the rights of the citizen.
(b) It marks out different spheres of power for different branches of government.
(c) It ensures that good people come to power. id) It gives expression to some shared values.
Answer:
(c) It ensures that good people come to power.

Question 2.
Which of the following is a good reason to conclude that the authority of the constitution is higher than that of the parliament?
(а) The constitution was framed before the parliament came into being.
(b) The constitution makers were more eminent leaders than the members of the parliament.
(c) The constitution specifies how parliament is to be formed and what are its powers.
(d) The constitution cannot be amended by the parliament.
Answer:
(c) The constitution specifies how parliament is to be formed and what are its powers.

Question 3.
State whether the following statements about a constitution are True or False:
(a) Constitutions are written documents about formation and power of the government.
(b) Constitutions exist and are required only in democratic countries.
(c) Constitution is a legal document that does not deal with ideals and values.
(d) A constitution gives its citizens a new identity.
Answer:
(a) False
(b) False
(c) False
(d) True

Question 4.
State whether the following inferences about the making of the Indian Constitution are Correct or Incorrect. Give reasons to support your answer.
(a) The Constituent Assembly did not represent the Indian people since it was not elected by all citizens.
(b) Constitution making did not involve any major decision since there was a general consensus among the leaders at that time about its basic framework.
(c) There was little originality in the Constitution, for much of it was borrowed from other countries.
Answer:
(a) It is incorrect to say that Constituent Assembly did not represent Indian people
because:

(b) It is correct to say because:

(c) It is incorrect to say because:

Question 5.
Give two examples each to support the following conclusions about the Indian Constitution:
(a) The Constitution was made by credible leaders who commanded people’s respect.
(b) The Constitution has distributed power in such a way as to make it difficult to
subvert it.
(c) The Constitution is the locus of people’s hopes and aspirations.
Answer:
(a) The following two factors are responsible:

(b) The following two factors can be summed up for the same:

(c) The following factors are responsible for the same because:

Question 6.
Why is it necessary for a country to have a clear demarcation of powers and responsibilities in the constitution? What would happen in the absence of such a demarcation?
Answer:
It is necessary for a country to have a clear demarcation of powers and responsibilities
in the constitution because:

In the absence of such a demarcation:

Question 7.
Why is it necessary for a constitution to place limitations on the rulers? Can there be a constitution that gives no power at all to the citizens?
Answer:
It is necessary for a constitution to place limitations on the rulers:

No, there can be no constitution that gives no power to its people:

Question 8.
The Japanese Constitution was made when the US occupation army was still in control of Japan after its defeat in the Second World War. The Japanese constitution could not have had any provision that the US government did not like. Do you see any problem in this way of making the constitution? In which way was the Indian experience different from this?
Answer:
The Japanese Constitution could not have had any provision that the US government did not like, after the defeat of Japan in Second World War (1939-1945), due to fact that Constitution seeks to perform the functions and look after the interest of the rulers or authorities in the country who has occupied it. But, in a democratic country, a constitution expresses the fundamental identity of people as in India.
Indian experience was different from the experience of Japan in the following manner:

Question 9.
Raj at asked his teacher this question: “The constitution is a fifty year old and therefore outdated book. No one took my consent for implementing it. It is written in such tough language that I cannot understand it. Tell me why should I obey this document?” If you were the teacher, how would you answer Rajat?
Answer:
Had I been the teacher I would answer Rajat:

Question 10.
In a discussion on the experience of the working of our Constitution, three speakers took three different positions:
(a) Harbans: The Indian Constitution has succeeded in giving us a framework of democratic government.
(b) Neha: The Constitution made solemn promises of ensuring liberty, equality and fraternity. Since this has not happened, the Constitution has failed.
(c) Nazima: The Constitution has not failed us. We have failed the Constitution.
Do you agree with any of these positions? If yes, why? If not, what is your own position?
Answer:
In the above mentioned conversation of three people focused whether the working of our Constitution is fruitful or not:
(a)

(b)

Hence, we agree with the position of Neha that the goals which were supposed to be achieved through Constitution, has not still been achieved due to above mentioned facts, so we can say that the Constitution has failed to fulfill the needs of the individuals.

(c)

Extra Questions Solved

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What is the Constitution?
Answer:
The Constitution of a country is a written document which prescribes it to be a supreme law of the country to decide the structure of the government along with the rights and duties of citizens. The Constitution speaks of who would play a vital role in decision-making powers.

Question 2.
What are the features of the Constitution?
Answer:

Question 3.
What is the nature of India as per the Preamble of the Indian Constitution?
Answer:
India is a Sovereign, Secular, Socialist, Democratic and Republic state.

Question 4.
Mention the function of Constitution which set some limits on our government but on the other hand it favors the citizens.
Answer:
The Constitution sets some limits on what a government can impose on its citizens. These limits are fundamental in the sense that government may never trespass them.

Question 5.
What is the need and importance of a Constitution?
Answer:

Question 6.
What do you mean by ‘Democratic’ with special reference to India?
Answer:

Question 7.
What do the political and economic justice stand for?
Answer:

Question 8.
What is Preamble to the Constitution?
Answer:
Preamble to the Constitution is an introductory part of Constitution which enables the people to assess and evaluate the performance of government in the light of objectives laid down into the Preamble.

Question 9.
Mention the four main features of Indian Constitution.
Answer:

Question 10.
“India is a secular state”. Justify the statement.
Answer:

Question 11.
What do you understand by the terms liberty, equality and fraternity in the Preamble to Constitution?
Answer:
Liberty: It is stated in the Preamble as a goal that the people should have liberty of thought, expression, belief and faith, jfeftthe state should remove the obstacles for the individuals to enjoy freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.
Equality: The Preamble to the Constitution always emphasizes to remove any sort of discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, colour, caste, etc. by making the provisions:

Fraternity: Fraternity refers to brotherhood means equality of all citizens and their integrity. Everybody in society should be provided with the basic right to food, housing and clothing without any discrimination. Every citizen of the state is to be regarded as the part of the decision-making process.

Question 12.
What is the main difference between the position of the head of state in India and that of the USA?
Or
How can you justify that India is a Republic?
Answer:
India is a Republic because the head of the state is the President who is elected by the Electoral College of the Parliament and the State Legislative Assembly for a fixed period of five years.

The difference between the position of the President of India and the USA is that in the USA, the President is the head of the presidential form of democratic government (real head of executive) whereas in India, President is the head of the parliamentary government, i.e. Prime Minister and his Cabinet is real executive and the President is the nominal head of the state.

Question 13.
What is the Constitution? How can we say that the Constitution is a living document?
Answer:
A Constitution is a written set of rules and regulations to run the government of a country. It also defines the positions of three organs of the Government, i.e. the executive, the legislature and the judiciary along with maintaining relations between the Government and the citizens.
A Constitution is a living document because:

Question 14.
Why should we respect our Constitution?
Answer:
We should respect our Constitution because:

Question 15.
“India is a Sovereign, Democratic, Republic”. Justify the statement.
Answer:
India as a Sovereign State:

India as a Democratic State:

India as a Republic:

Question 16.
Indian Constitution contains some provisions for social justice. Examine.
Answer:
In India, social justice is lacking due to the fact that persons who enjoy greater wealth and property, have power and others are deprived.
Provisions made in Indian Constitution to end social injustice in India:

Question 17.
Write a note on Constituent Assembly.
Answer:

Question 18.
What is the philosophy of the Indian Constitution? Discuss.
Answer:

Passage Based Questions

Passage 1.
Read the passage (NCERT Textbook, page 18) given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

“… I have realised as nobody else could have, with what zeal and devotion the members of the Drafting Committee and especially its Chairman, Dr. Ambedkar in spite of his indifferent health, have worked. We could never make a decision which was or could be ever so right as when we put him on the Drafting Committee and made him its Chairman. He has^not only justified his selection but has added lustre to the work which he has done. In. this ‘ connection, it would be invidious to make any distinction as among the other members of the Committee. I know they have all worked with the same zeal and devotion as its Chairman, and they deserve the thanks of the country.”

Questions:
1. Who was the Chairman of Drafting Committee?
2. What made the Constituent Assembly of India unique?
3. How long the Constitution of India took in framing?
4. Who was the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly?
Answers:
1. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee.

2. Constituent Assembly of India included the members from all shades of opinion who did not simply advance their interest but gave principled reasons to other members.

3. 2 years 11 months and 18 days.

4. Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly

Passage 2.
Read the passage (NCERT Textbook, page 21) given below carefully and answer the questions that follow:

“One likes to ask whether there can be anything new in a Constitution framed at this hour in the history of the world… The only new things, if there can be any, in a Constitution framed so late in the day are the variations made to remove the faults and to accommodate it to the needs of the country.”

Questions:
1. Whose words have been referred to here?
2. What was the main new thing according to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar during the process of framing the Indian Constitution?
Answers:
1. Here, the words of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar have been referred to.

2. According to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar the only new thing in the new Constitution framed so late in the day are the variations made to remove the failures and accommodate it to the needs of India.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
Write the Preamble to the Indian Constitution.
Answer:
The Preamble: We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST, SECULAR, DEMOCRATIC, REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens: justice, social, economic and political, liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.

Equality of status and of opportunity, and to promote among them all:
Fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation. In our Constituent Assembly, this twenty-sixth day of November 1949, do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this Constitution.

Question 2.
What was ‘Objectives Resolution’? Explain.
Answer:
The best summary of the principles that the nationalist movement brought to the Constituent Assembly is the Objectives Resolution that defines the aims of the Assembly, moved by Nehru in 1946. It encapsulated the aspirations and values behind the Constitution:

Question 3.
What are the unique features of Indian Constitution?
Answer:
The unique features of Indian Constitution are as follows:

Question 4.
Mention the sources of the Indian Constitution along with the feature taken from these sources.
Answer:
The Government of India Act, 1935:
About two-thirds of the Indian Constitution is derived from the Government of India Act, 1935

British Constitution:

United States Constitution:

Irish Constitution:

French Constitution:

Canadian Constitution:

German Constitution:

Picture-Based Questions

1. Read the cartoon (NCERT Textbook, page 5) given below and answer the questions that follow:

NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Political Science Chapter 1 Constitution Why and How Picture Based Questions Q1
Question:
Does this always happen in any constitution-making?
Answer:
No, this does not happen in all Constitution-making if the representatives in Constituent Assembly are elected either directly or indirectly from all sections of society, the attempt of framing the Constitution would be successful.

2. Read the cartoon (NCERT Textbook, page 7) given below and answer the questions that follow:
NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Political Science Chapter 1 Constitution Why and How Picture Based Questions Q2
Questions:
(i) Can you identify what these different groups stand for?
(ii) Who do you think prevailed in this balancing act?
Answers:
(i) The cartoon refers to different religions, cultures, castes and regions having different preferences, i.e. liberal nationalists and radical nationalists.

(ii) Both the songs ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ were accepted as national heritage. The first is our national anthem and the second is our national song. All the Indians show respect and sing both the songs. Despite so many diversities of languages customs, cultures, festivals the whole country has the same respect for national song and the tricolour. They balance the diversity of India.

3. Read the cartoon (NCERT Textbook, page 9) given below and answer the questions that follow:
NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Political Science Chapter 1 Constitution Why and How Picture Based Questions Q3
Questions:
(i)What do these different people stand for?
(ii) Compare the conflict depicted here with that depicted in earlier cartoons for the European Union and India.
Answers:
(i) The cartoon refers to three different ethnic groups in Iraq, i.e. Shiites, Sunnis, Kurdis. The above groups stand for their own philosophies, ideologies and interests.

(ii) The Iraqi people expect to frame a new Constitution and to be accepted by all ethnic groups of Iraq. In the European Union, the attempt of the people failed but in India, the same attempt got success.

4. Read the cartoon (NCERT Textbook, page 14) given below and answer the questions that follow:
NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Political Science Chapter 1 Constitution Why and How Picture Based Questions Q4
Questions:
(i) Why does the cartoonist describe the new Iraqi Constitution as the castle of cards?
(ii) Would this description apply to the Indian Constitution?
Answers:
(i) Because it is being prepared by pro-US. The people as well as the Constituent
Assembly of Iraq is not representing all ethnic groups of the country. Hence, the Constitution is imposed and will be scattered as a castle of cards.

(ii) This description does not apply to the Indian Constitution because:

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