UNACCO SCHOOL

EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

Study material

Class: VIII

Subject: Social Science (SPL)

Chapter: 3 (Why do we need a Parliament?)

Important points:

• Under colonial rule, the people of India had lived in fear of the British government and
did not agree with many of the decisions taken by the British government but the
people of India faced grave danger if they tried to criticise the decisions.
• The Government of India Act 1909, allowed for some elected representation.
• The take-off point for a democracy is the idea of consent, i.e. the desire, approval, and
participation of people.
• The Parliament in democratic system has immense powers because it is the
representation of the people.
• The MPs in the Lok Sabha are usually elected directly by people once every five years
through election.
• The MPs of the Rajya Sabha are elected by the members of the Legislative Assemblies
(MLAs) of various states.
• The question hour in the Parliament session is an important mechanism through which
MPs can elicit information about the working of the government.
• Law-making is a significant function of Parliament.
• Some seats are reserved in Parliament for SCs and STs and the the issue of reservation
of seats for women is still debated.
Textual questions and answers:

Q1. Why do you think our national movement supported the idea that all adults have a right to
vote?

Ans. Our national movement supported the idea that all adults have a right to vote because
the government had to be sensitive to people’s needs and demands and the only way that
adults could express or make their decisions was through election.

Home assignment: Q2 and Q3 (page no. 41)

Extra questions and answers:

Q1. State one way in which the people of India give approval to the government.

Ans. One way in which the people of India give approval to the government is through
elections.

Q2. What is universal adult franchise?

Ans. It means that all adult citizens of the country have the right to vote.

Q3. Who is the leader of the ruling party?

Ans. The Prime Minister of India is the leader of the ruling party.

Q4. Write an important function of Lok Sabha.

Ans. An important function of Lok Sabha is to select the executive.
Q5. Who plays a critical role in the healthy functioning of a democracy?

Ans. The Opposition party plays a crucial role in the healthy functioning of democracy.

Q6. How many elected members are there in Lok Sabha?

Ans. There are 543 elected members in Lok Sabha.

Q7. Who can nominate some members of the Rajya Sabha?

Ans. The President of India can nominate some members of the Rajya Sabha.

Q8. Name the two houses of the Parliament.

Ans The two houses of the Parliament are the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.

Q9. How are the marginalised given adequate representation in the Parliament?
Ans. In order to ensure that the marginalised are given adequate representation in the
Parliament, some seats are reserved for SCs and STs.

Q10. What does the Parliament consist of?

Ans. The Parliament consists of

i. The President
ii. The Rajya Sabha and
iii. The Lok Sabha.

Q11. How can a political party form the government?

Ans. For a political party to form the government, they must have a majority of elected MPs.
That is, the party should win at least half the number of the total seats or more.

Q12. What is a coalition government?

Ans. When no political party has been able to get adequate seats to form a clear majority, then
two or more parties will form an alliance to get the majority and they will form the
government. This type of government formed by two or more political parties is known as
coalition government.
Q13. Write any two important functions of Rajya Sabha?
Ans. Two functions of Rajya Sabha are:
i. The Rajya Sabha can initiate legislation.
ii. The Rajya Sabha has an important role of reviewing and altering the laws initiated by
the Lok Sabha.

Q14. What are the main functions of the parliament?

Ans. The main functions of the Parliament are:
i. To select the national government.
ii. To control, guide and inform the government.
iii. Law-making.