Very Short, Short and Long Answers - Understanding Laws | Civics for Class 8 PDF Download

VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
 

Q.1. Who introduced the rule of law in India – the British or the Indians?  
 Ans. The Indians introduced the rule of law in their country.
 

Q.2. How can you say that the Sedition Act of 1870 was arbitrary? [V.Imp.] 
 Ans. The Sedition Act of 1870 was arbitrary because under this Act any person protesting or criticising the British government could be arrested without trial.
 

Q.3. How was the Rowlatt Act an arbitrary law?
 Ans. This Act allowed the British government to imprison people without trial.
 

Q.4. Is the Protection of women from Domestic Violence Act a civil law or a criminal law?
 Ans. The Protection of women from Domestic Violence Act is a civil law.
 

Q.5. Why do people not accept some laws passed by the Parliament? [Imp.]
 Ans. It is because they feel that the intention behind such laws is unfair and harmful.
 

Q.6. What do people do to criticise unfair laws of the Parliament?
 Ans. They hold public meeting, write about it in newspapers, report to TV news channels, etc.
 

Q.7. What is controversial law? [V. Imp.]
 Ans. The law that favours one group and disregards the other is known as controversial law.
 

Q.8. What does the court do if it finds that laws don’t adhere to the Constitution? [V. Imp.]
 Ans. The court has the power to modify or cancel such laws.
 

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
 

Q.1. ‘In ancient India, there was no rule of law’. Explain. [V. Imp.]
 Ans. In ancient India there were several and often overlapping local laws. Different communities enjoyed different degrees of autonomy in administering these laws among their own people. In some cases, the punishment that the two persons received for the same crime varied judgement depending on their caste backgrounds. The lower castes in such circusmtances were more  harshly penalised than the upper castes.
 

Q.2. How was the Rowlatt Act protested by the Indian nationalists? What was its consequence?
 Ans. The Rowlatt Act came into effect on 10 March, 1919. This Act allowed the British government to imprison people without due trial. Indian nationalists began to protest this arbitrary Act. In Punjab, the protest was more intensely carried out. On April 10, two leaders of the movement, Dr. Satyapal and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew were arrested. To protest these arrests, a public meeting was held on 13 April at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. General Dyer entered the park with his troops and after closing the only exit ordered them to fire on the gathering. As a result several hundreds of people were killed and many more were wounded.
 

Q.3. How did the Indian legal profession develop by the end of the 19th century? [Imp.]
 Ans. By the end of the 19th century, the Indian legal profession developed enough to demand respect in colonial courts. They began to use law to defend the legal rights of Indians. Indian judges also began to play a greater role in making decisions. In due course, the rule of law evolved during the colonial period.
 

Q.4. What role do citizens play in the evolution of a new law? [V.Imp.]
 Ans. The Parliament plays an important role in making laws. There are many ways through which this takes place and it is often deifferent groups in society that raise issue begins to take root, it is brought to the attention of the Parliament which in due course makes a law to crush it. Thus, the role of citizens is important in helping Parliament frame different concerns that people might have into laws. From establishing the need for a new law to its being passed, at every stage of the process the voice of the citizen is an important element.
 

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
 Q.1. How are unpopular and controversial laws opposed by the people? [V. Imp.]
 Ans. Sometimes the Parliament passes laws that turn out to be very unpopular even though they are constitutionally valid. People do not accept unpopular laws because they feel that the intention behind these laws is unfair and harmful. Hence, they criticise such laws, hold public meetings, write about  them in newspapers, report to TV news channels etc.
In a democratic country like India, citizens can express their unwillingness to accept laws which, they think, are repressive. When a large number of people begin to feel that a wrong law has been passed, then the Parliament has to change it.
We can cite here an example. Various municipal laws on the use of space within municipal jurisdiction often declare hawking and street vending illegal. No one will dispute the necessity for some rules to keep the public space open. At the same time, one also cannot deny that hawkers and vendors provide essential services to the people. This is their means of livelihood. Hence, if the law favours one group and disregards the other it will be controversial leading to conflict. People who think that the law is unfair can approach the court to decide on the issue.