Class 9 Civics Chapter 1 HOTS Questions - Democratic Politics - I

66) What is the role of the Cabinet Ministers in a democracy?

Answer: (i) Parliamentary democracy in most countries is often known as the Cabinet form of government.
(ii) The Cabinet works as a team.
(iii) The ministers may have different views and opinions, but everyone has to own up to every decision of the Cabinet.
(iv) No minister can openly criticise any decision of the government even if it is about another ministry or department.
(v) Every ministry has secretaries who are civil servants. The secretaries provide the necessary background information to the ministers to take decisions.
(vi) The Cabinet as a team is assisted by the Cabinet Secretariat. This includes many senior civil servants who try to coordinate the working of different ministries.  

67) 'The Prime Minister is the real executive head of our country.' Elucidate.

Answer:(i) As political parties have come to play a major role in politics, the Prime Minister controls the Cabinet and the Parliament through the party.
(ii) In India, we have a tendency towards the concentration of powers in the hands of the Prime Minister.
(iii) The President, who is the executive head of India, also takes decision as per the advice of the Prime Minister.
(iv) The extent of power wielded by a PM also depends on the personality of the person holding that position. For example, Indira Gandhi was a very powerful leader compared to her colleagues in the Cabinet.  

68) State the powers of the President.

Answer:  (i) All government activities take place in the name of the President.
(ii) All laws and major policy decisions of the government are issued in her name.
(iii) All major appointments are made in the name of the President. These include the appointment of the Chief Justice of India, the judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts of the states, the governors of the states, the Election Commissioners, and ambassadors to other countries, etc.
(iv) All international treaties and agreements are made in the name of the President.
(v) The President is the supreme commander of the defence forces of India.  

69) How are the judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts appointed and how can a judge be removed?

Answer:  Appointment: 
(i) The judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister and in consultation with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
(ii) The senior most judge of the Supreme Court is usually appointed by the Chief Justice. Removal: 
(i) Once a person is appointed as judge' of the Supreme Court or the High Court, it is nearly impossible to remove him or her from that position. It  is as difficult as removing the President of India.
(ii) A judge can be removed only by an impeachment motion passed separately by two-third members of the two Houses of the Parliament.  

70) Explain any five powers of the Supreme Court of India. 

Answer: (i) The Supreme Court can take up disputes between governments, citizens and government, governments at the union and state level.
(ii) Highest Court of justice and hears appeals against High Court decisions, civil and criminal cases.
(iii) Guardian of our constitution and fundamental rights.
(iv) It can declare any law of the legislature or executive invalid.
(v) People can approach Supreme Court if their rights are violated.  

71) Suppose you are MLA of your area. What values would you follow to become popular in your area?

Answer: (i) Take up community service
(ii) Ensure hygiene
(iii) Solve water and electricity problems
(iv) Interact with people on a regular basis
(v) Try to solve grievances of people.  

72) You are elected a civil servant who is a permanent executive. What values would you idolise to serve as a public servant?

Answer:  (i) Follow integrity (ii) Be neutral (iii) Make policies oriented in public interest (iv) Serve people impartially (v) Not to be iron-hearted. Implement policies with full zeal and endeavor.  

73) A teacher has to organise a mock parliament. She can either hold a mock parliament of Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha. Which one should the teacher choose and why?

Answer:  The teacher should choose to hold a session of Lok Sabha as it is the House of People. It represents people's interests directly. The government enjoys majority in Lok Sabha and is responsible to it. The government can be removed by passing a no-confidence motion or rejecting a budget. These are rational grounds for conducting a mock session of Lok Sabha instead of Rajya Sabha.  

74) Imagine you witnessed the movie Nayak. In it, the chief minister portrayed by Anil Kapoor introduced changes in his one-day stint as a chief minister. Do you think this is possible? Comment. 

Answer: Yes, it is possible to have great change even in a short time. It is obviously not possible to change course of action in one day but things can be changed if politicians are willing to change them. For this what is required is a change in their attitude. This may not be an easy task but the role played by Anil Kapoor in Nayak reflects Nitish Kumar of Bihar, Shivraj Singh Chauhan of Madhya Pradesh and Bhupinder Singh Hooda of Haryana. These chief ministers have tried to implement pro-people decisions which have helped them to be re-elected.  

75) The full form of SEBC is (a) Socially and Economically Backward Classes (b) Society of Economically Backward Classes (c) Socially and Enlisted Block Classes (d) Socially and Economically Benefitted Classes

Answer: A  

76) Who is the real head of the government? (a) Defence Minister (b) President (c) Chief Justice (d) Prime Minister

Answer: D  

77) In which year did the Mandal Commission give its Report? (a) 1979 (b) 1980 (c)1981 (d) 1982

Answer:B  

78) Which institution resolved the dispute regarding the Mandal Commission? (a) High Court (b) Prime Minister, V.P. Singh (c) President of India (d) Supreme Court

Answer:D  

79) The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are institutions that take care of (a) disputes between citizens and government (b) all important policy decisions (c) the functions assigned to them (d) the people of this country

Answer:B 

80) The Supreme Commander of the defence forces of India is the (a) Army Chief (b) Air Force Chief (c) President (d) Naval Chief 

Answer:C   

81) Amnesty International is an international organisation for (a) human rights (b) world peace (c) restoring democracy (d) justice

Answer:A  

82) Kosova was a province of which of the following countries? (a) Czechoslovakia (b) Yugoslavia (c) Serbia (d) Russia

Answer:B 

83)  Which one of the following is not a Fundamental Right? (a) Right to Equality (b) Right to Constitutional Remedies (c) Right to sacrifice animals under the Right to Freedom of Religion (d) Right against Exploitation

Answer:C  

84)   A secular state is one (a) that does not establish any one religion as the official religion (b) that does not confer any privilege or favour on any particular religion (c) that which has to be neutral and impartial in dealing with all religions (d) all of the above

Answer:D  

85)   In which year was the National Human Rights Commission set up in India? (a) 1991 (b) 1992 (c) 1993 (d) 1994 

Answer:C    

86) Amnesty International is an international organisation for (a) human rights (b) world peace (c) restoring democracy (d) justice

Answer:A  

87) Kosova was a province of which of the following countries? (a) Czechoslovakia (b) Yugoslavia (c) Serbia (d) Russia

Answer:B  

88) Which one of the following is not a Fundamental Right? (a) Right to Equality (b) Right to Constitutional Remedies (c) Right to sacrifice animals under the Right to Freedom of Religion (d) Right against Exploitation

Answer:C  

89) A secular state is one (a) that does not establish any one religion as the official religion (b) that does not confer any privilege or favour on any particular religion (c) that which has to be neutral and impartial in dealing with all religions (d) all of the above

Answer:D  

90) In which year was the National Human Rights Commission set up in India? (a) 1991 (b) 1992 (c) 1993 (d) 1994 

Answer:C 

91) Amnesty International is an international organisation for (a) human rights (b) world peace (c) restoring democracy (d) justice

Answer:A 

92) Kosova was a province of which of the following countries? (a) Czechoslovakia (b) Yugoslavia (c) Serbia (d) Russia

Answer:B  

93) Which one of the following is not a Fundamental Right? (a) Right to Equality (b) Right to Constitutional Remedies (c) Right to sacrifice animals under the Right to Freedom of Religion (d) Right against Exploitation

Answer:C  

94) A secular state is one (a) that does not establish any one religion as the official religion (b) that does not confer any privilege or favour on any particular religion (c) that which has to be neutral and impartial in dealing with all religions (d) all of the above

Answer:D  

95) In which year was the National Human Rights Commission set up in India? (a) 1991 (b) 1992 (c) 1993 (d) 1994 

Answer:C    

96) Which institution can make changes to an existing law of the country?

Answer:  The Parliament is the final authority for changing laws in our country.  

97) What is Lok Sabha?

Answer: Lok Sabha is the Lower House of the Indian Parliament, which is directly elected by the people and exercises the real power on behalf of the people.  

98) Who presides over the joint session of Parliament?

Answer:  Speaker of Lok Sabha presides over the joint session of Parliament.  

99) Who appoints the Judges of Supreme Court?

Answer:The Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister and in consultation with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  

100) Which is known as the Apex Court of India?

Answer:The Supreme Court is known as the Apex Court of India.  

101) How many members can be nominated by President in Rajya Sabha?

Answer:President can nominate 12 members of Rajya Sabha.  

102) Who is the Presiding Officer of the Lok Sabha?

Answer:  Speaker is the Presiding Officer of the Lok Sabha.  

103) What does SEBCs stand for?

Answer: SEBCs stands for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes.  

104) What is called 'Upper Chamber'?

Answer:Rajya Sabha is called 'Upper Chamber'. 

105) How are the members of the Rajya Sabha elected?

Answer: The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly by the Legislative Assemblies of the various States and Territorial Legislatures in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.  

106) How many members are presently in Rajya Sabha?

Answer: There are 245 members in Rajya Sabha presently.  

107) Who was the first Chairman of Rajya Sabha?

Answer:  Dr S Radhakrishanan was the first Chairman of Rajya Sabha.  

108) When was the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) first constituted?

Answer: On 3rd April, 1952, the Council of States was first constituted.  

109) Who acts as the Chairman of Rajya Sabha?

Answer: The Vice President is the ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha.  

110) How many members nominated in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively?

Answer:Two members are nominated in Lok Sabha and twelve members are nominated in Rajya Sabha, 

111) How the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha elected?

Answer:The Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha is elected by the members of the Rajya Sabha.  

112) A person who is not a Member of Parliament is appointed as minister. Within what time he has to get elected to one of the Houses of the Parliament?

Answer: Within six month, he has to get elected to one of the Houses of the Parliament.  

113) In which House of the Parliament a Money Bill can be introduced?

Answer:A Money Bill can be introduced only in Lok Sabha.  

114) Which House is better placed with regard to control over the Executive?

Answer: Lok Sabha is better placed with regard to control over the Executive.  

115) What is the age of retirement for the Judges of the Supreme Court?

Answer:The Judges of Supreme Court hold the office till the age of 65 years.  

116) Who is the Real Executive of the Indian Union?

Answer:The Prime Minister is the Real Executive of the Indian Union.  

117) In what ways Lok Sabha exercises supreme power over Rajya Sabha?

Answer:Lok Sabha exercises more powers on money matter and during the joint session final decision is taken by Lok Sabha because of its large number of members.  

118) Can the Houses of the Parliament be dissolved?

Answer:Rajya Sabha is a permanent House, so it cannot be dissolved whereas, Lok Sabha can be dissolved.  

119) Which types of Ministers are included in the Union Council of Ministers?

Answer:  Union Council of Ministers include Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Ministers of State with independent charges. 

120) Why does the Political Executive have more powers than the Permanent Executive?

Answer: The Political Executive have more powers than the Permanent Executive because Political Executive consists of the direct representatives of the people.  

121) Why is the Prime Minister the most powerful man in the government? Explain.

Answer:Prime Minister is the most important political figure of the country. He is the head of the government. All the important decisions regarding the country are taken by him. He is the real executive head.  

122) How is the Prime Minister of India appointed? Explain the composition of the Union Council of Ministers?   

Answer:  The President appoints the leader of the majority party or coalition of parties that commands a majority in the Lok Sabha as the Prime Minister. The party or coalition which has the highest number of members in the Lok Sabha elects one of its member as the leader.