NCERT Solutions for Class 9

Social Science (Political Science)

Chapter 2 – Constitutional Design

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.
Ans: Leaders of the freedom movement had a legal agreement that the country
should be a democratic nation after independence.

b) Members of the Constituent Assembly of India held the same views on all
provisions of the Constitution.
Ans: Members of the Constituent Assembly of India held the same views on the
basic principles of the constitution.

c) A country that has a constitution must be a democracy.

Ans: A country that is a democracy must have a constitution.

d) Constitution cannot be amended because it is the supreme law of a country.

Ans: The Constitution can be amended as per the requirements of the society.

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
Ans: (d) Between the coloured minority and the black majority

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

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Ans: (b) Name of the head of the state

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

(a) Motilal Nehru i) President of the Constituent

Assembly

(b) B.R. Ambedkar ii) Member of the Constituent

Assembly

(c) Rajendra Prasad iii) Chairman of the Drafting

Committee

(d) Sarojini Naidu iv) Prepared a Constitution for India

in 1928

Ans:
a) Motilal Nehru iv) Prepared a Constitution for India in 1928
b) B.R Ambedkar iii) Chairman of the Drafting Committee
c) Rajendra Prasad i) President of the Constituent Assembly
d) Sarojini Naidu ii) Member of the Constituent Assembly

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?
Ans: Nehru used the expression “not wholly or in full measure” since building a
nation is a huge task according to him, which is difficult to fulfill in one’s lifetime.

b) What pledge did he want the makers of the Indian Constitution to take?
Ans: The pledge that he wanted the makers of the Indian Constitution to take, was
to serve India, the Indian people and humanity, by giving their lives.

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

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Ans: He was referring to Mahatma Gandhi.

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

(a) Sovereign i) Government will not favour any

religion

(b) Republic ii) People have the supreme right to

make decisions.

(c) Fraternity iii) Head of the state is an elected

person.

(d) Secular iv) People should live like brothers

and sisters.

Ans:
(a) Sovereign ii) People have the supreme right to make decisions
(b) Republic iii) Head of the state is an elected person
(c) Fraternity iv) People should live like brothers and sisters
(d) Secular i) Government will not favour any religion.

7. A friend from Nepal has written you a letter describing the political situation
there. Many political parties are opposing the rule of the king. Some of them
say that the existing constitution given by the monarch can be amended to allow
more powers to elected representatives. Others are demanding a new
Constituent Assembly to write a republican constitution. Reply to your friend
giving your opinions on the subject.
Ans: In my opinion, making small amendments does not shift whole power in the
hands of representatives. This does not give total responsibility to the elected
representatives what will happen in next upcoming years. Hence, a new and well
drafted constitution is the correct choice.

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

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a) Democracy in India is a gift of the British rulers. We received training to
work with representative legislative institutions under the British rule.
Ans: Democracy in India is not a gift of the British rulers. People of India had to
struggle and sacrifice their life to get freedom. Yes, experience working under the
legislative constituency helped a lot while setting up of democratic institution.

b) Freedom Struggle challenged the colonial exploitation and denial of different

freedoms to Indians. Free India could not be anything but democratic.
Ans: Freedom struggle was important in spreading the idea of nationalism
throughout the country, and inculcating the practice of making decisions by legal
agreement.

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.
Ans: India’s freedom struggle is the only example of a bloodless freedom struggle
in contemporary history. The leaders had the intention to give freedoms to the
citizens of the country. Our leaders had the maturity to listen to the views of others.

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?
Ans: The values expressed in this para are totally contradictory to the values
underlying our constitution. Women here are treated as weak, but in our constitution
men and women both are treated equally. The policies made by the government also
favour women to bring them into the mainstream.

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.

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Ans: Not True
The Constitution describes in detail how the government is elected, their powers,
rights of citizens and their protection. This law is very much different from any other
law.

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

formed.
Ans: True
The Constitution clearly defines the role of legislature, the executive and the
judiciary and also it states how they should be formed and by whom.

c) Rights of citizens and limits on the power of the government are laid down in
the constitution.
Ans: True
Constitutional setup limits the power of government through different institutions
and also talks about the rights of citizens.

d) A constitution is about institutions, not about values

Ans: Not True
The Constitution contains values which the institutions have to promote. Very good
example is the Preamble to the Constitution which states that justice, liberty, equality
and fraternity needs to be promoted. Secularism needs to be followed, socialism and
democracy has to be the basis of the government in the country.

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