Class 9 Civics Chapter 1 Assertion and Reason Questions - Democratic Politics - I

Direction: In the questions given below, there are two Statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the Statements and Choose the correct option:
Q1: Assertion: Common people in India give less importance to elections.
Reason: They feel that their vote matters in the way things are run in the country.
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(d) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Ans: (d)
Explanation:
(i) Assertion: The assertion is incorrect. In India, elections are generally considered important by common people because elections give citizens a way to choose their leaders and influence public affairs.
(ii) Reason: The reason is correct. Many people do feel that their vote matters and that, together with other votes, it can influence who forms the government and how public policies are shaped.
(iii) Justification: Since people believe that voting can change who represents them and how the country is run, the reason explains a belief that makes elections important. Therefore A is false but R is true, and the correct choice is (d).

Direction: In the questions given below, there are two Statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the Statements and Choose the correct option:
Q2: Assertion :In India, people elect their own representatives.
Reason: India is a democracy.
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(d) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Ans: (a)
Explanation:
(i) Assertion: True. In India, citizens elect members of Parliament and members of Legislative Assemblies; these elected representatives make laws and decisions on behalf of the people.
(ii) Reason: True. India is a democratic country in which political power ultimately rests with the people who exercise it through regular, free and fair elections.
(iii) Justification: Because India is a democracy, people have the right and the means to choose their representatives through voting. Thus the reason correctly explains the assertion, so the correct choice is (a).

Direction: In the questions given below, there are two Statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the Statements and Choose the correct option:
Q3: Assertion: An open electoral competition might be unfair to weaker sections.
Reason: The weaker sections of the society lack what their influential counterparts have in terms of resources, education, and political connections.
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(d) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Ans: (a)
Explanation:
(i) Assertion: True. Open electoral competition can be unfair to weaker sections because equality of opportunity in contesting elections is not automatic; many factors influence real competitiveness.
(ii) Reason: True. Weaker sections often lack money, education, access to information and influential networks that help in campaigning and reaching voters.
(iii) Justification: These disadvantages mean weaker groups may be unable to contest effectively, select strong candidates, or make their issues heard, so the reason explains why open competition may still be unfair. Therefore the correct choice is (a).

Direction: In the questions given below, there are two Statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the Statements and Choose the correct option:
Q4: Assertion (A) : In India political parties which formed the government represent the majority of seats secured in the elections to the House of the People at the Centre and the Legislative Assemblies in the States but not the Majority of votes.
Reason (R ) : The elections based on the majority vote system decided the result on the basis of relative majority of votes secured.
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(d) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Ans: (a)
Explanation:
(i) Assertion: True. In India's first-past-the-post system, a party can win a majority of seats while not having a majority of the total votes cast across the country or state.
(ii) Reason: True. The system awards each seat to the candidate with the largest number of votes in that constituency (relative or simple majority), rather than requiring an absolute majority of all votes nationwide.
(iii) Justification: Because seats are decided constituency by constituency, a party can get more seats even when its overall vote share is less than 50 per cent. The reason therefore explains the assertion, so the correct choice is (a).

Direction: In the questions given below, there are two Statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the Statements and Choose the correct option:
Q5: Assertion (A) : The Constitution of India has made the President the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces.
Reason (R ) : Democracy maintains civilian supremacy over the military force.
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(d) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Ans: (a)
Explanation:
(i) Assertion: True. The Constitution designates the President of India as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
(ii) Reason: True. One key principle of democratic states is civilian control over the military, so that armed forces remain under the authority of elected or civilian institutions.
(iii) Justification: Making the President-who occupies a civilian office-the Supreme Commander ensures that the military is constitutionally under civilian authority. In practice, the President acts on the advice of the Council of Ministers, which keeps military power subordinate to elected government. Thus R explains A, and the correct choice is (a).

Direction: In the questions given below, there are two Statements marked as Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the Statements and Choose the correct option:
Q5: Assertion: Elections are all about political competition which takes various forms.
Reason: Electoral competition has many demerits.
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is correct but (R) is wrong.
(d) (A) is wrong but (R) is correct.
Ans: (b)
Explanation:

(i) Assertion: True. Elections involve political competition in many forms, such as contests between parties, inter-party rivalry, competition among candidates and coalition-building.
(ii) Reason: True. Electoral competition can have demerits such as vote-buying, communal polarisation, excessive focus on short-term gains, or misuse of money and influence.
(iii) Justification: Although both statements are true, the reason lists some drawbacks of electoral competition but does not explain why elections are about various forms of political competition. Therefore the reason is not the correct explanation of the assertion, so the correct choice is (b).