NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Civics Chapter 2 Constitutional Design

Question:- 1 Here are some false statements. Identify the mistake in each case and rewrite these correctly based on what you have read in this chapter.

• a ) Leaders of the freedom movement had an open mind about whether the country should be democratic or not after independence.
• b ) Members of the Constituent Assembly of India held the same views on all provisions of the Constitution.
• c ) A country that has a constitution must be a democracy.
• d ) Constitution cannot be amended because it is the supreme law of a country.

Answer:-

1. Leaders of the freedom movement had had been clear that after independence, India will be a democratic nation.
2. Members of the Constituent Assembly of India had different viewpoints on all of the Constitution’s provisions. They only came to a solution after long discussions and debates, and they were able to reach an agreement.
3. A country that is a democratic country must have a Constitution.
4. A Constitution can be amended with time and the needs of the citizens.

Question:- 2 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 neighbours
• b ) Between men and women
• c ) Between the white majority and the black minority
• d ) Between the coloured minority and the black majority

Answer:- c ) Between the white majority and the black minority

Question:- 3 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

Answer:- b ) Name of the head of the state

Question:- 4 Match the following leaders with their roles in the making of the Constitution:

Answer:-

Question:- 5 Read again the extracts from Nehru’s speech ‘Tryst with Destiny’ and answer the following:

a ) Why did Nehru use the expression “not wholly or in full measure” in the first sentence?

b ) What pledge did he want the makers of the Indian Constitution to take?

c ) “The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye”. Who was he referring to?

Answer:- a )  In his speech ‘Tryst with Destiny,’ Jawahar Lal Nehru used the phrase ‘not fully or in full measure,’ as he saw nation-building as a difficult undertaking that could not be completed overnight. As a result, he desired a progressive approach to nation-building.

b ) Nehru wanted the Indian constitution’s makers to pledge their commitment to the service of India and her people, as well as the wider cause of humanity.

c ) Nehru referred Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation.

Question:- 6 Here are some of the guiding values of the Constitution and their meaning. Rewrite them by matching them correctly.

Answer:-

Question:- 7 How did your school celebrate the Constitution Day on November 26th? Prepare a brief report.

Answer:-  DO IT YOURSELF.

Question:- 8 Here are different opinions about what made India a democracy. How much importance would you give to each of these factors?

a ) Democracy in India is a gift of the British rulers. We received training to work with representative legislative institutions under the British rule.

b ) Freedom Struggle challenged the colonial exploitation and denial of different freedoms to Indians. Free India could not be anything but democratic.

c ) We were lucky to have leaders who had democratic convictions. The denial of democracy in several other newly independent countries shows the important role of these leaders.

Answer:-

1. During our fight for independence from the British, democracy was chosen as our nation’s most important value. Yes, Indians began to participate in councils when the Indian Councils Act was passed, and their experiences laid the path for legislative institutions in independent India.
2. While the freedom struggle opposed colonial exploitation, it also promoted democracy by enacting laws through consensus rather than imposing laws on anybody.
3. With instruments like ‘Satyagraha’ and ‘Ahimsa,’ our freedom struggle was fought without bloodshed. These battles were fought in order to free India from British rule and give Indians the freedom they deserved.

Question:- 9 Read the following extract from a conduct book for ‘married women’, published in 1912. ‘God has made the female species delicate and fragile both physically and emotionally, pitiably incapable of self-defence. They are destined thus by God to remain in male protection – of father, husband and son

– all their lives. Women should, therefore, not despair, but feel obliged that they can dedicate themselves to the service of men’. Do you think the values expressed in this para reflected the values underlying our constitution? Or does this go against the constitutional values?

Answer:- The ideals indicated in the preceding paragraph do not correspond to the values that underpin our Constitution. Our constitution guarantees basic rights to all citizens, regardless of gender, caste, sex, birthplace, or religion. Various Acts in our constitution grant women the same rights as males.

Question:- 10 Read the following statements about a constitution. Give reasons why each of these is true or not true.

a ) The authority of the rules of the constitution is the same as that of any other law.

b ) Constitution lays down how different organs of the government will be formed.

c ) Rights of citizens and limits on the power of the government are laid down in the constitution.

d ) A constitution is about institutions, not about values.

Answer:-  

1. Not true as the Constitution is the supreme law.
2. True, because the constitution established the roles and powers of the legislative, executive, and judiciary.
3. True, because the Indian Constitution guarantees Fundamental Rights to each and every individual.
4. Not true as the Constitution establishes values on which all institutions work. Our preamble states about values like justice, liberty, fraternity, and equality.