CLASS: 8

POLITICAL SCIENCE
CHAPTER 1 THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION
NEW WORDS:
i. Polity
ii. Tyranny
iii. Representative
iv. Sovereignty
v. Federalism
vi. Secularism
vii. Fundamental Rights
viii. Consensus
ix. Majority
x. Minority

POINTS TO REMEMBER:
i. The Constitution of India : It is the supreme law of India. The document
lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code,
structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and
sets out fundamental rights, directive principles and the duties of citizens.
It is the longest written national constitution in the world.

ii. Democracy: A form of government in which people at large hold the

ultimate power of governance. The representatives of people constitute
the government and undertake the Constitutional responsibilities in order
to achieve the ideals of the Constitution.

iii. Federalism: The existence of more than one levels of government in the
country.

iv. Secularism: A system under which a state does not officially promote any
one religion as a state religion.

v. Preamble: The introduction to our constitution is known as the Preamble.

vi. Sovereign: Sovereign means possessing supreme or ultimate power.

 POLITICAL SCIENCE
CHAPTER 1 THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION

 VERY SHORT Q/A

1. In politics, what is a constitution?

Answer:
In Politics a Constitution can be described as a document outlining
the basic laws or principles by which a country is to be governed.

2. Define Preamble.
Answer: The introduction to our constitution is known as the
Preamble.

3. Who is known as the Father of the Indian Constitution?

Answer. Dr B.R. Ambedkar is known as the Father of the Indian

Constitution.

4. Define Sovereign.
Answer:
Sovereign means possessing supreme or ultimate power.

5. During which time period did the Constituent Assembly draft a

Constitution for independent India?

Answer: Between December 1946 and November 1949.

 SHORT QUES/ANS
6. What are the three organs of government?

Answer. According to the Constitution, there are three organs of government.

These are the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
i. The legislature refers to our elected representatives.
ii. The executive is a smaller group of people who are
responsible for implementing laws and running the government.
iii. The judiciary refers to the system of courts in this
country.
 7. What would happen if there were no restrictions on the power of
elected representatives?
Solution:
If there were no restrictions on the power of elected
representatives then:

 These leaders (representatives) might misuse their authority.

 This misuse of authority can result in gross injustice and
mismanagement.

8. Why does a democratic country need a Constitution?

Solution:
A democratic country needs a constitution because

 In a democracy people choose their representatives and the leaders

might misuse their powers. Constitution provides safeguards against
this.
 In a democracy, the constitution ensures that the dominant group does
not use power against less powerful groups.
 The constitution guarantees fundamental rights to the citizens for their
social, economic, and political welfare.

9. Name the Fundamental Rights mentioned in the Indian

Constitution.
Answer:
The Fundamental right in the Indian Constitution includes:

1. Right of Equality
2. Right to Freedom
3. Right against Exploitation
4. Right to Freedom of Religion
5. Cultural and Educational Rights
6. Right to Constitutional Remedies

 LONG QUES AND ANS

10. Write a brief note on the making of the Indian Constitution.

 Solution:
The Indian Constitutional Assembly was convened in December
1946. The members of this Assembly were only Indians. This
Assembly started drafting the Constitution for Independent India. Dr.
Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Constitution drafting committee.
The 308 members of the Assembly signed two hand-written copies of
the document (one each in Hindi and English) on the January 24,
1950. Two days later, on January 26, 1950, the Constitution of India
became the law of all the Indian lands.

11. 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 Article 75: Executive Power: The Executive
power of the Kingdom of Nepal shall be vested Power of Nepal shall, pursuant to this
in his Majesty and the Council of Ministers 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?
Answer: In Article 35 of the 1990 Constitution of Nepal, the powers to rule the country,
to set rules and to manage the country are all vested in the King of the country and the
Ministers appointed under him.
However, Article 75 of the 2015 Constitution of Nepal states that the rules, governance
and management of the country will be based on the laws mentioned in the Constitution
of the country under the supervision of the Ministers.

12. Listed below are the key features of the Indian Constitution. Describe the
following:
Federalism
Separation of Powers
Fundamental Rights
Parliamentary Form of Government

Ans. Federalism

This refers to the existence of more than one level of government in the
country. In India, we have governments at the state level and at the centre.
Panchayati Raj is the third tier of government.
Separation of Powers

According to the Constitution, there are three organs of government. These

are the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.

In order to prevent the misuse of power by any one branch of government,

the Constitution says that each of these organs should exercise different
powers.

Fundamental Rights

Fundamental Rights guarantees the rights of individuals against the State

as well as against other individual. It also guarantees the rights of minorities
against the majority.

Parliamentary Form of Government

The Constitution of India guarantees universal adult suffrage for all

citizens. This would help encourage a democratic mindset and break the
clutches of traditional caste, class. This means that the people of India have
a direct role in electing their representatives.