Answer key for the exercises in the lesson
Exercises for Summative Assessment
I. Fill in the blanks.
1. The introductory part of the constitution is
known as preamble.
2. India has a parliamentary form of democracy.
3. The President is the nominal head of state in
India.
4. The real power lies with the prime minister
of India.
II. True or False?
1. The Indian constitution begins with the
words ‘We, the people of India’. (T)
2. Right to property is a fundamental right. (F)
3. The constitution lists fundamental duties of
the citizens also. (T)
4. There is a clear separation of the three
branches of the government in India. (T)
5. The directive principles are not enforceable
by court. (T)
III. Answer in brief.
1. How does the preamble of the constitution
define the republic of India?
The preamble describes India as sovereign,
socialist, secular, democratic republic, and
will secure to its citizens justice, liberty,
equality and fraternity.
2. What is meant by the terms
i) Sovereign?
Sovereign means India is independent and is
not governed by any external authority.
ii) Secular?
The term secular means that there is no
discrimination on the basis of religion and
that all religions are treated equally.
3. What is meant by the terms
i) Socialist?
This means that everyone is given equal
opportunity to make use of the resources of
the country.
ii) Democratic?
Elections are held regularly and people can
change the government, if they so desire,
in the elections. For instance we saw the
15th Lok Sabha elections held recently in the
country.
4. What is meant by fundamental right? Name
any two fundamental rights of Indians.
Fundamental rights are basic rights
guaranteed by the constitution and have
legal sanction, i.e., they can be enforced in
a court of law. Right to equality and right to
freedom are two important fundamental
rights.
5. What is the major difference between the
fundamental rights and duties?
Fundamental rights are enforceable by law,
but fundamental duties are not enforceable
by law.
6. What is meant by the right to constitutional
remedies?
This means that if anyone finds his or her
rights being compromised, he or she has
every right to appeal in a court of law.
7. Write a short note on the right to freedom
of speech.
The right to freedom of speech allows us to
freely criticise the government or comment
through the press. But we cannot do so
without sufficient proof. This right has to be
exercised with prudence.
8. What are the three branches of a
government?
The legislature, the executive and the
judiciary are the three branches of
government.
IV. Answer in detail.
1. Explain briefly on the various fundamental
rights granted to every citizen by the Indian
constitution.
The right to equality, right to freedom, right
to freedom of religion, right to cultural and
educational rights, right against exploitation,
and the right to constitutional remedies are
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the fundamental rights granted to every
citizen by the Indian constitution.
2. What is meant by the directive principles of
the state policy?
The set of ideals, which form the guiding
principles of the government are called the
directive principles of state policy. But these
cannot be enforced in any court of law.
3. Describe the significance of the fundamental
rights.
The fundamental rights constitute the
foundation stone of the democratic fabric
of the country. They provide the necessary
conditions for the moral and material
protection of human beings. They protect
interests of minorities and weaker sections
of society. They strengthen the secular status
of the nation. The fundamental rights form
the foundation of an equitable society based
on social justice and equality and also check
the absolute authority of the government.
4. What is meant by the term parliamentary
democracy?
The nominal head of India is the president,
and though decisions are taken in his or
her name the real power lies in the hands
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of the Prime Minister and his or her council
of ministers. This is known as parliamentary
democracy. India and the UK are examples of
parliamentary democracies.
5. Describe the federal structure of Indian
democracy.
India is governed at three levels – one is the
government at the centre, another at the
regional or state level and another at the
local level (panchayati raj). This separation
of powers at the national and regional levels
is known as federal division of power. Each
level has been assigned separate areas of
operation or subjects.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. c
8. a
2. c 3. a
9. a
4. b
5. c
6. a
7. d
Value-based question
•
•
•
•
•
freedom
equality
justice
tolerance
respect for the beliefs and cultures of others
Question bank
I. Define.
1. Preamble:___________________________
2. Democratic:__________________________
3. Parliamentary
democracies:
__________________________
4. Writ: _____________________________
II. Answer in brief.
1. Explain the terms a. socialist b. sovereign
2. Briefly explain the federal structure of the
Indian government.
3. What do we mean by the term ‘rule of law’?
4. What power does the president have in a
parliamentary democracy?
III. Answer in detail.
1. You have read about fundamental rights and
duties in this chapter. In your own words
write about two fundamental rights and two
fundamental duties.
Answer key for the worksheet
I. 1. republic
2. Directive Principles
3. exploitation 4. concurrent 5. law
II. 1. b
2. d 3. a
4. c
5. c
III. 1. The right to speech and expression comes
under the fundamental right to freedom.
2. The word secular, which is used in the
constitution, means that the citizens of India
can practise any religion.
3. India is governed at three levels—the
government at the centre, the state level
and the local level.
IV. 1. In the example the fundamental right against
exploitation is being violated. In India,
employing children under the age of 14 is
illegal. It also protects adults from being
forced into labour in unhealthy conditions
for long hours.
2. All the subjects on which laws can be made
have been divided into the union list, state
list and the concurrent list.
There are 97 subjects on the union list, on
which only the central government can make
laws. There are 66 subjects on the state list on
which the state governments can make laws.
There are 47 subjects on the concurrent list
on which both the central government and
the state governments have the power to
make laws.
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