GYAN DEEP SR. SEC.

SCHOOL
CHAPTER-2
CONSTITUTIONAL DESIGN

Q.1. What is constitution? Why do we need constitution?

Ans. Constitution is a set of written rules and regulation according to which a country is governed. It is the law
of the country .We need constitution as
 It generates a degree of trust and co-ordination among different kind of people.
 It specifies how government will be formed and who will have power to take decision.
 It expresses people’s aspirations of creating a good society.
 It tells us about the rights of the citizen and safeguards them.

Q.2. What do you mean by Preamble? Mention the 4 features emphasised in it.
Ans. Preamble is a introduction to the constitution .It contains the philosophy on which the entire constitution
has been built.The four features emphasised are-
 Justice- social ,economic & political
 Liberty- of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.
 Equality- of status and opportunity among all.
 Fraternity- assuming unity and integrity of the nation.

Q.3.India is a secular state. Explain.

Ans. Secular state is where all religion are treated equally and no discrimination is done on the basis of
religion. India is a secular state as people are free to adopt and practice any religion. There is no official religion
in India and all religion are treated equally.

Q.4. Why was the Indian Constitution enforced on 26th January, 1950?
Ans. 1) Indian Constitution was ready by 26th November, 1949.But introduced in 1950.
2) The date 26th January,1930 in Lahore session, the Indian National congress declared ‘Purna swaraj’-
complete Independence .
3) To honour that day our constitution was enforced on 26th January, 1950.
4) The date 26th January has a special place in our Indian history.

Q.5. Write a short note on the Constituent assembly?

 There are 299 members in the assembly. Dr. Rajender Prasad was elected as the chairman.
 The first session was held in December, 1946.
 They were elected by the Provincial Assemblies and nominated by the rulers of the native states in July
1946.
 It represents all castes and creeds and women members like-Sarojini Naidu, Vijay Laxmi Pandit.

Q.6. What factors have contributed to the making of our Constitution?

Ans. 1) Values of the leaders, Nehru Report and Resolution of Fundamental Rights.
2) Election Results of 1937.
3) Government of India Act 1935.
4) French Revolution -1789, Russian Revolution 1917, Bill of Rights of USA.

Q.7. Write any three characteristics of Indian Constitution.

Ans. 1) The lengthiest Constitution in the world.
 2) Federal in Nature but Unitary bias.
3) Universal Adult Franchise.
4) Amendment Procedure.

Q.8.How the black majority and white minority agreed to draw a common Constitution for
South Africa ?
Ans. It was not going to be easy for both white and black to trust each other. After a long negotiations both
parties agreed to a compromise.
1) The whites agreed to the principle of majority rule & that one person one vote.
2) They also agreed to some basic rights for the poor and the workers.
3) The Blacks agreed that majority rule would not be absolute.
4) They also agreed that majority would not take away the property and basic rights from the white
minority.

Q.9. Why is the Indian Constitution acceptable to the Indian people even today?
Or
“The manner in which the Constituent Assembly worked gives sanctity to the Constitution of
India.” Justify the statement with three arguments.
Ans. The Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open and consensual manner.
 It was based on a broad consensus. Its legitimacy has never been questioned.
 The Constitution Assembly consisted of people of all regions and communities.
 First some basic principles were decided and agreed upon, then the draft was prepared.
 Thorough discussion took place and the debates were printed.
 More than two thousand amendments were considered.

Q.10. How was Indian Constitution framed or drafted?

Ans. The framing of Indian Constitution started far back in 1928 when Motilal Nehru father of Pt. Jawaharlal
Nehru, started drafting a constitution. After long discussion and debates, the constitution was framed by an
assembly elected by the people-
 Election of Constituent assembly was held in July 1946 and Dr. Rajender Prasad was appointed as its
President.
 Drafting committee was formed on 29 August 1947, under the chairmanship of Dr.B.R. Ambedkar.
 First meeting of constituent assembly was held on 9 th December 1946 and nearly all the political
parties were represented.
 By February 1948, a draft constitution was prepared and people were given time to study and to give
suggestions.
 It took 2 years 11 months and 18 days to complete the constitution and the members of the assembly
met only for 166 days.
 On 26th November 1949 the constitution was signed and adopted but came into effect on 26 th January,
1950.

Q.11. Give reasons for accepting the Constitution made by the Constituent Assembly more than 50 years
ago.
Ans: Reasons for accepting the same Constitution till today are:
 The constitution does not reflect the views of its members alone. It expresses a broad consensus of its
time.
  The constituent assembly represented the people of India.
 There was no Universal Adult Franchise at that time.
 So, the Constituent Assembly could not have been chosen by all the people of India but it was elected
mainly by the members of provincial legislatures, which ensured a fair share of all the regions of the
country.
 The Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open and consensual manner.

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1. Who amongst the following was not a member of the Constituent Assembly of India?
a) Dr Rajendra Prasad
b) Dr B. R. Ambedkar
c) H. C. Mukherjee
d) Mahatma Gandhi

2. Who was the chairman of the Drafting Committee for making the Constitution of India?
a) Rajendra Prasad
b) Baldev Singh
c) H. C. Mukherjee
d) Dr B. R. Ambedkar

3. Who was the President of the Indian Constituent Assembly?

a) Motilal Nehru
b) Dr Rajendra Prasad
c) Sarojini Naidu
d) B. R. Ambedkar

4. Which of the following days is celebrated to mark the enforcement of the Indian Constitution?
a) Republic Day
b) Independence Day
c) Gandhi Jayanti
d) Constitution Enforcement Day

5. When did the Indian Constitution come into force?

a) 26th November, 1949
b) 15th August, 1947
c) 26th January, 1950
d) 26th January, 1930

6. Who prepared the Constitution for India in 1928?

a) Motilal Nehru
b) B. R. Ambedkar
c) Dr Rajendra Prasad
d) Jawaharlal Nehru

7. How many members did the Constituent Assembly of India have?

a) 199
b) 299
c) 399
d) 279

8. When did the Constituent Assembly adopt the Constitution of India?

a) 26th November, 1949
b) 15th August, 1947
c) 26th January, 1950
d) 26th January, 1930

9. The first captain of the National Hockey Team who was also the member of the Constituent Assembly
was?
a) Baldev Singh
b) Somnath Lahiri
c) Jaipal Singh
d) K. M. Munshi

10. Mahatma Gandhi’s vision about the Indian Constitution was published in which magazine?
a) Discovery of India
b) Young India
c) New India
d) Indian Gazette

11. The Preamble to the Constitution of India declares India to be a

(а) Sovereign, Democratic Republic
(b) Sovereign, Socialist, Democratic, Republic
(c) Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic
(d) None of the above

12. Match the following leaders with their roles in the making of the Constitution of India:
1. (a) Motilal Nehru - (a) President of the Constituent Assembly

. (b) B.R. Ambedkar - (b) Member of the Constituent Assembly

3. (c) Rajendra Prasad - (c) Chairman of the Drafting Committee
4. (d) Sarojini Naidu - (d) Prepared a Constitution for India in 1928

13. The Constitution of India is

(a) flexible
(b) rigid
(c) partly flexible and partly rigid
(d) none of these

14. India is a secular state because

(а) there is no state religion
(b) every citizen has the right to adopt and practice any religion
(c) no discrimination can be made among citizens on the basis of religion
d) all of the above
15. Which among the following is not a feature of the Indian Constitution?
(a) Parliamentary form of government
(b) Federal form of government
(c) Double citizenship
(d) A written constitution

16. Which of these was the most salient underlying conflict in the making of a democratic constitution in
South Africa?
(a) Between South Africa and its neighbors.
(b) Between men and women.
(c) Between the white minority and the black majority.
(d) Between the colored minority and the black majority.

17. Which of these is a provision that a democratic constitution does not have ?
(a) Powers of the head of the state.
(b) Name of the head of the state.
(c) Powers of the legislature.
(d) Name of the country.

18. 4. Here are some of the guiding values of the Constitution and their meaning. Rewrite them by
matching them correctly.
(a) Sovereign (i) Government will not favor any religion
(b) Republic (ii) People have the supreme right to make decisions
(c) Fraternity (iii) Head of the state is an elected person
(d) Secular (iv) People should live like brothers and sisters.

CHECK YOUR ANSWER

1) : d) Mahatma Gandhi
2) : d) Dr B. R. Ambedkar
3) : b) Dr Rajendra Prasad
4) : a) Republic Day
5) : c) 26th January, 1950
6) : a) Motilal Nehru
7) : b) 299
8) : a) 26th November, 1949
9) : c) Jaipal Singh
10) : b) Young India
11) : (c) Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic
12) : (1) a + d, (2) b + c, (3) c + a, (4) d + b.
13 : (c) partly flexible and partly rigid
14 : d) all of the above
15. : (c) Double citizenship
16. :(c) Between the white minority and the black majority.
17. :(b) Name of the head of the state.
18. :(a) + (ii), (b) + (iii), (c) + (iv), (d) + (i).