58

FEDERALISM
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. As per language policy of Indian Government, which one of the following
statements is true regarding the status of Hindi language?
(a) Only Hindi is our National language. (b) Hindi is the official language.
(c) Hindi has been accepted as the mother tongue of all the Indians.
(d) None of the above.
2. In local self government institutions at least one third of all positions are reserved
for :
(a) men (b) women (c) children (d) scheduled tribes
3. Which of the following government has two or more levels?
(a) Community Government (b) Coalition Government
(c) Federal Government (d) Unitary Government
4. Which of the following subjects falls under the concurrent list?
(a) Defence (b) Agriculture (c) Marriage (d) Currency
5. Which of the following countries is an example of “coming together federation‟?
(a) U.S.A (b) India (c) Spain (d) Belgium
6. The number of seats reserved for women in Panchayati raj bodies is what part of
total seats?
(a) One fourth (b) One sixth (c) One third (d) Half
7. Rural local government is popularly known as:
(a) Panchayati Raj (b) Zila Parished (c) State government (d) Gram Panchayat
8. Which one of the following subjects is included in concurrent list ?
(a) Education (b) Defence (c) Trade (d) Agriculture
9. Choose the correct statement regarding language policy of the Indian Government:
(a) English is our national language.
(b) Citizens are free to choose any language as national language.
(c) Hindi is our national language.
(d) Constitution of India did not declare any language as national language.
10. Both the Union and the State government can make laws on the subjects
mentioned in the:
(a) Union list (b) State list (c) Concurrent list (d) None of the above
11. Which of the following is Not a subject of the Union List ?
(a) Foreign affairs (b) Currency (c) Banking (d) Law and order
13. Which among the following states in India has a special status?
(a) Assam (b) Jharkhand (c) Jammu and Kashmir (d) Himachal Pradesh
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14. Which one of the following countries has the federal form of government?
(a) Egypt (b) Sri Lanka (c) Australia (d) England
15. In India seats are reserved for women in which of the following bodies?
(a) Lok Sabha (b) State Legislative Assemblies (c) Panchayati Raj bodies (d)
Cabinet
16. The subject of Computer Software comes under which of the following lists?
(a) Union List (b) State List (c) Concurrent List (d) Residuary List
17. Which one of the following is NOT a feature of federalism?
(a) Division of power (b) Written constitution
(c) Flexible constitution (d) Bicameral legislature
18. When some powers are given to local governments by the central and state
governments, then it is known as:
(a) Distribution of power (b) Centralisation of power
(c) Reorganisation (d) Decentralisation of power
19. Which one of the following is not a feature of federalism?
(a) Two or more levels of Government
(b) Different tiers of government govern the same citizens.
(c) Courts have the power to interpret the constitution.
(d) The central government can order the state govt.
20. In case of any dispute about the division of powers:
(a) the High Courts and District Courts make a decision
(b) the High Courts make a decision (c) the Supreme Court makes a decision
(d) the High Court and the Supreme Court make a decision
21. Under the federal system in India which one of the following subjects come under
the state list?
(a) Foreign Affairs (b) Banking (c) Police (d) Communications
22. Who among the following is the head of a Municipal Corporation?
(a) Home Minister (b) Sarpanch (c) Governor (d) Mayor
23. How many other languages are recognised as Scheduled Languages by the
constitution, besides Hindi?
(A) 20 (B) 21 (C) 18 (D) 19
24. Name the country among the following which follows “coming together‟ style of
federalism.
(a) UK (b) India (c) Switzerland (d) Spain
25. Which one of the following features is against the spirit of Indian Secularism?
(a) There is no official religion for the state.
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(b) All religions have the freedom to preach, practice and propagate their own
religion. (c) The constitution prohibits discrimination on religious ground.
(d) The religious community in majority is given a prominent place in the
government.
26. Which of the following is a feature of federalism?
(a) There is only one level of government.
(b) Each level of government has its own jurisdiction
(c) All powers and revenue are under the control of central government.
(d) The fundamental provision of constitution can be unilaterally changed by the top
level of government.
27. Identify the subject on which the state and centre both make laws:
(a) Defence (b) Marriage (c) Police (d) Currency
28. Which of the following government has one level of governance and the sub - units
are subordinate to the Central government.
(a) Federal Government (b) Community Government
(c) Coalition Government (d) Unitary Government
29. Which one of these statements is true for representation of women in elected
bodies ?
(a) Women have 1/3 seats reserved in Lok Sabha.
(b) Women have 1/6 seats reserved in Rajya Sabha.
(c) Women have 1/3 seats reserved in local self bodies.
(d) Women have 1/6 seats reserved in Legislative Assembies.
30. Which one of the following makes India a federation ?
(a) Its constitution demarcates powers between different levels of government.
(b) It has no court to solve federal disputes.
(c) It has no demarcation of revenue.
(d) There is lack of mutual agreement between the different levels of government.
31. Much of the official work done in the states is in which one of the following
languages?
(a) Hindi (b) English
(c) Official language of the concerned state (d) Hindi and English both
32. Which one of the following subjects can be classified as a residuary subject ?
(a) Defence (b) Information Technology (c) Police (d) Banking
33. Which one of the following countries does not have a federal form of government?
(a) Australia (b) Germany (c) Spain (d) Nepal
34. Which of the following countries is not federal in form ?
(a) Nigeria (b) Ethiopia (c) Argentina (d) Nepal
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35. Which one of the following subjects is not included in the State List ?
(a) Police (b) Trade (c) Foreign affairs (d) Agriculture
36. Which of the following falls under residuary subject ?
(a) Police (b) Trade (c) Computer software (d) Banking
37. Which of the following subjects is included in the State list ?
(a) Agriculture (b) Foreign Affairs (c) Banking (d) Education
38. Which one of the following states was created to recognize diversity of culture,
ethnicity and geography ?
(a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Uttarakhand (d) Maharashtra
39. Which one of the following countries is an example of Holding together
Federation?
(a) India (b) USA (c) Australia (d) Switzerland
40. The system of Panchayati Raj involves:
(a) The village block and district level (b) The village and state level
(c) The village, district and state level (d) The village, district and union level.
41. Which one of the following lists include subjects of common interest to both
central and state governments?
(a) Union List (b) State List (c) Concurrent List (d) None of these.
42. Which of the following countries is not an example of holding together federation?
(a) U S A (b) India (c) Spain (d) Belgium
43. Who among the following is called head of the state at the state level?
(a) Chief Minister (b) Speaker (c) Governor (d) President
45. Which one is not the part of three tier Panchayati Raj System?
(a) Municipality (b) Village Panchayat (c) Block Samiti (d) Zilla Parishad.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. What do you mean by federalism (federal system)?

Federalism is a system of government in which the political power is

shared between two sets of government- one at the central and the other at the state
level. Each government has its own independent powers.

2. Enumerate the main features of federalism?

OR
State the main features of a federal system of government?

(i) There are two sets of government-one at the center and the other at the state
level.
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(ii) Each government has its own independent powers in matters of legislation,
taxation and administration.

(iii) The constitution divides power among the two sets of government.

(iv) To change the basic features of the constitution consent of both the levels of
government is needed.

(v) The court interprets the constitution and settles the disputes that may arise
between the two levels of government.

(vi) The sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly mentioned in
the constitution.

(vii) A federal system promotes unity and at the same time accommodates
regional diversity.

3. What are the main objectives of federalism?

i. It strengthens the unity of the country by removing social conflicts.
ii. It accommodates regional diversities in the system.
iii. It makes administration easy and effective.
4. What are the two kinds of routes through which federations have been
formed in the world? Explain with the help of examples.
Coming together federation: A number of independent states come together on their
own to form a federation. The aim is to make their country powerful and provide
security to the people. In such federations, States enjoy equal powers and they are
more powerful than the central government.
Example: USA, Australia and Switzerland.
Holding together federation: A large country decides to divide power between two
levels of government- one at the center and another at the state. In this type of
federation central government is more powerful than the state. Some states may
enjoy special powers.
Example: India, Belgium and Spain.

5. What is the main difference between a federal country and a unitary one?
Explain with an example.
In a federal system there are two sets of government-one at the centre and another one
at the state. Each government has its own independent powers. State governments
are not subordinate to the central government.
Ex: In USA, they have a national government and at the same time each state has its
own government.
A unitary system works in two different ways.
(i) There is only one government for the entire country. All the powers are in the hands
of the national government.
(ii) There are two levels of the government, but the state governments are
subordinate to the central government. Ex: Britain and Sri Lanka.
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6. Give a short an account of the unitary system of government.

A unitary system works in two different ways:
(i) There is only one government for the entire country. All the powers are in the hands
of the national government.

(ii) There are two levels of the government, but the state governments are
subordinate to the central government. Ex: Britain and Sri Lanka.

7. Why is the balance of the power between the central government and the state
government varies from one federation to another?
In coming together federations, the state government enjoys more powers
than the central government.
In holding together federation the central government enjoys more powers than the
state government.
8. Why did India decided to follow federalism?
India decided to follow federalism because:
(i) India is a large country with a huge population. So for easy and efficient
administration, federalism is adopted.

(ii) India is a country with a lot of regional diversities. So to avoid social

conflicts and to provide autonomous power to the regions, federalism is adopted.

9. How is political power divided or shared between the central government and
the state governments in India?
OR
How does the constitution make India a federal country?
OR
What are the power sharing arrangements in India?
The constitution of India divides political power between the central government and
the state government. The constitution contains three lists of subjects.

(i) Union list: Union list contains subjects which are of national importance.
Examples: defense, banking, railways and foreign affairs. Central government
can make laws on these subjects.
(ii) State list: State list contains subjects which are of state or regional
importance. Police, trade, agriculture and irrigation are some of them. Only
the state government can make laws on these subjects.
(iii) Concurrent list: Subjects, which are of common interest for the central
government and the state governments, are included in this list. Education,
forests, marriage and trade unions are some of them. Both the central
government and the state governments can make laws on these subjects.

10. What are called residuary subjects?

Subjects which are not mentioned in any of the three lists of the constitution are called
residuary subjects. Central government has the power to make laws on these
subjects.
Ex: Information technology.
11. If there is a conflict between a central law and a state law passed on a subject
in the concurrent list which law will prevail?
The central law will prevail.
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12. Why do you call India a federal country?

OR
What are the federal features of the Indian constitution?
OR
Name the factors which make India a federal country?
(i) In India, political power is shared between the central government and the
state government. State governments are not subordinate to the central
government.

(ii) The constitution divides power between the central government and the state
government. So, state government has constitutional guarantee.

(iii) Central government alone cannot change the basic features of the Indian
constitution. The consent of at least 50% of state governments is also needed.

(iv) India has good judicial system to settle the disputes between the central
government and state government.

(v) The central government has its own sources of revenue and the state
governments have their own sources of revenue.

13. Mention any two special powers enjoyed by the state of Jammu and Kashmir?
(i) Jammu and Kashmir has its own constitution. Many provisions of the Indian
constitution are not applicable to this state without the approval of the state
assembly.

(ii) The Indians from other states cannot buy land or house in Jammu and
Kashmir.

14. Why do you call India a holding together federation?

(i) India was divided into linguistic states after independence and some powers
were given to the state governments.

(ii) In India, states do not have equal powers. Some states like Jammu and
Kashmir enjoy special status.

(iii) Central government enjoys more powers than the state government.

15. Give a short account of union territories.

There are some territories which are very small in size. So, they cannot be
given state status. Due to some reasons, these territories could not be merged
with the other states. So they are given the status of union territories. The central
government has special powers over union territories. They have very less
autonomous powers.
Ex: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Delhi.
16. When did we reorganize our states on the basis of language?
The Indian state was reorganized on the basis of language on 1st November 1956.
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17. Name some states that were created on the basis of cultural, ethnic and
geographical differences.
Nagaland, Uttarkhand and Jharkhand.
18. Why did some national leaders oppose the formation of linguistic states?
Some national leaders like Nehru, Patel and Rajaji feared that the linguistic states
would strengthen identities based on language and destroy the unity among the
people. They feared that the country would break up into a number of
independent countries. So they opposed the formation of linguistic states.
19. How does the formation of the linguistic states benefit India?
(i) Formation of linguistic states helped each language group to protect and
promote its language and culture.

(ii) It strengthened India’s unity in diversity and succeeded in keeping the

country united.

20. Examine the language policy of the government of India?

The constitution does not give the status of national language to any
one language. Hindi and English are given the status of official languages. 21
other languages are included in the 8th schedule of the constitution. They are
called scheduled languages. States have their own official languages. Promotion
of Hindi is one of the policies of central government. But the government wants
to promote Hindi not by imposition but by persuasion.
21. How is the language policy of India different from that of Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka considers Sinhala as its national language. The government of
Sri Lanka imposes Sinhala language on the non-Sinhala speakers.
Hindi is the official language of the government of India. The government
of India does not impose Hind on the non-Hindi speakers. The government
promotes Hindi by persuasion.
22. What were the draw backs of Indian federalism up to 1990?
OR
How did the central government deny autonomy to state governments until 1990?
OR
Examine the centre - state relation until 1990?
(i) For many years after independence the same party ruled both at the centre and
in most of the states. So, state governments could not enjoy autonomous power.
The state leaders had to follow the directions of the central leadership.

(ii) Whenever non-congress governments came to power in the states, the central
government tried to establish domination over them. Constitutional provisions
were misused to dismiss them.

23. Examine the changes which occurred in centre-state relations since 1990?
By 1990, a large number of regional parties emerged in different states
of India. So, a period of coalition government at the centre started. National
parties entered into alliances with regional parties to form governments at the
center. So, a new culture of power sharing and respect for the autonomy of the
states emerged. Moreover, a judgment of the Supreme Court made it difficult for
the central government to dismiss the state government.
24. What do you mean by decentralisation of power? Why is it very important for
a country like India?
OR
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Why do we need local government?

OR
What are the advantages of local government?
The process of taking away power from the central and the state governments and
giving them to local governments is called decentralisation of power. It is
important in India because:
(i) Indian states are very large with a lot of internal diversities. So, it is not easy
to rule them from their capital cities alone.

(ii) Local people can understand their problems and issues better. So, they are the
people who can solve the problems easily and efficiently.

(iii) Participation of local people directly in decision making process makes

democracy more meaningful.

25. What is the major drawback of the local government before 1992?
Before 1992, the local governments were directly under the control of
state governments. The state governments did not conduct elections to the local
governments regularly. The local governments did not have any powers and
resources of their own.
26. Enumerate the main changes in local government brought about by the
constitutional amendment of 1992?
OR
Mention the important changes made in our constitution in 1992 to make the
decentralisation of power more effective in India?
(i) It is mandatory to hold regular elections to the local governments.

(ii) Seats are reserved for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward
classes in local government.

(iii) One-third of all the position in local governments are reserved for women.

(iv) State Election Commission is set up to conduct elections to local

government.

(v) State governments are asked to share some powers and revenue with the local
governments.

27. Give a short account of panchayati raj system in India.

The system of local government in rural areas is called Panchayati Raj system. It has
three tiers.
(i) Gram sabha and gram panchayat: All the adult people of the village form its
gram sabha. All the major decisions are taken by the gram sabha.
The gram sabha elects a council called gram panchayat. Gram Sabha approves the
annual budget of the Panchayat. It supervises the functioning of the Gram
Panchayat. The head of the gram panchayat is called sarpanch or president.
(ii) Panchayat samiti [block or mandal panchayat]: A number of gram
panchayats together form a block panchayat. The members of the block panchayat
are elected by the members of gram panchayats.
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(iii) Zila parishad (district panchayat): A number of block panchayats together

form a zila parishad. The members of zila parishad are elected by members of
block panchayat.

28. Give a short account of local governments in towns and cities.

OR
Explain the panchayati raj system in urban area.
Local governments in small towns are called municipalities. Members are elected by
the people of the town. The head of the municipality is called municipal
Commissioner. The head of the municipal corporation is called mayor.
29. How did the local government benefit India?
(i) Local government helps to deepen democracy in India. Power could be
transferred to the ordinary people.

(ii) Local government helps to increase women’s participation.

(iii) It makes administration easy and efficient.

30. What are the major difficulties faced by the system of local government
[decentralisation or panchayatiraj] in India?
(i) Gram sabha meetings are not regularly conducted in many states of India.

(ii) Most of the state governments did not transfer enough powers to local
governments.

(iii) Local governments are not given adequate financial resources.

31. State any two differences between the local government before and after the
Constitutional Amendment of 1992.
(i) Before 1992, the local governments were under the direct control of the
State Government. The amendment gave independent powers to them.
(ii) Elections to local Governments were not held regularly before 1992. The
amendment made it compulsory to conduct elections regularly.
(iii) The local governments did not have their own sources of revenue. The
amendment asked the States to share resources with the local
Governments.
32. What are the achievements of the local self governments in India?
(i) Local Governments in India is the largest democratic experiment in the World.

(ii) There are about 36 lakhs elected representatives in our local governments.

(iii) They have helped in ensuring people’s participation in democratic process and
deepened democracy.

(iv) They also helped in ensuring women’s participation in politics.

33. What are the dual objectives of Federalism?

(i) To safe guard and promote the unity of the country.
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(ii) To accommodate regional diversity.

34. “Federalism works only in big countries”. Discuss the statement.

In big countries Federal System helps in better and efficient

administration. However, it is wrong to say that Federalism works only in big
counties. Even small countries with diverse population require Federal System. It
would help in accommodating diversities. It would also help in sharing power
among different groups. Belgium is a small country. It adopted Federalism to avoid
ethnic conflict.

35. Why was State Reorganisation Commission formed?

State Reorganisation Commission was formed in 1954 to recommend
creation of States on linguistic basis.

36. How do the Central and State Governments enjoy power in federal system?
The Constitution divides power among the Central and State
Governments. Each level of Government is autonomous. State are not subordinate to
Central Government. Financial resources are also share between them.
37. Name some subjects that fall under concurrent list.
Marriage, Education, Forest, Trade Unions, Adoption and Succession.
38. Name some subjects that fall under Union List.
Defence, Foreign Affairs, Banking, Currency ad Communication.
39. In case of any dispute about the division of power who can make a decision?
The High Court and the Supreme Court can make a decision.
40. Which subjects are included in the State List?
Agriculture, Police, Public Health and Land.
41. “India has a large cultural, regional and religious diversity but there is unity
among the people”. What factors are responsible for this?
(i) Indian constitution provides a federal system of Government and ensures equal
treatment and respect for different religious and linguistic groups.
(ii) Indians share a common history. The memory of a united struggle keeps them
united.
(iii) Formation of linguistic states cemented unity among the people of India.
(iv) The people have the feeling of oneness, a feeling that all are Indians.
(v) Different regions and social groups of India are interdependent. This also
strengthens unity.