Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
1. How many members did the Constituent Assembly have that wrote the Indian Constitution?
Answer: The Constituent Assembly that wrote the Indian Constitution had 299 members.
Answer: Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, an eminent lawyer and politician, was the Chairman of the
Constitution Drafting Committee of India.
5. Earlier to 1992, South Africa practiced a form of racial discrimination. What is it termed as?
Answer: The racial discrimination practiced in South Africa prior to 1992 was called apartheid.
7. Nelson Mandela remained in prison for treason for how many years?
8. On which day did South Africa gain independence from the rule of the White minority?
Answer: South Africa gained independence from the rule of the White minority on 26th April, 1994.
nswer: The title of the autobiography of Nelson Mandela is, “Long Walk to Freedom”.
10. Which national leader tried to draft a Constitution for India as far back as in 1928?
Answer: Pandit Moti Lal Nehru tried to draft a Constitution for India in 1928.
11. When were the elections to the Constituent Assembly held in India?
Answer: The elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in July, 1946
12. The Constituent Assembly originally had how many members and was left with how many after
the partition of the country?
Answer: Originally the Constituent Assembly had 389 members, but was reduced to 299 members
after the partition of the country.
13. In which country did a large number of ‘Whites’ settle and become the local rulers?
14. Who said, “…. I shall work for an India in which the poorest shall feel that it is their country in
whose making they have an effective voice. ……”?
15. Did the ideals of the Quit India Movement contribute to the making of the Indian Constitution?
Answer: No, they did not. However, the Socialist Revolution in Russia, the Bill of the Rights of the US
and the ideals of the French Revolution were the contributing factors.
Answer: The African National Congress (ANC) was the umbrella organisation that led the struggle
against the policies of segregation.
17. From which country’s Constitution have most countries of the world chosen to begin their
Constitution with a Preamble?
Answer: Most countries of the world have chosen to begin their Constitution with a Preamble from
the Constitution of the USA.
18. Did all members of the Constituent Assembly of India hold the same views on all provisions of
the Constitution?
Answer: No, they did not. But the Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open and
consensual manner to decide all matters.
Answer: India is a sovereign country because people have supreme right to make decisions.
20. How do you define a country where citizens have complete freedom to follow any religion?
Answer: A country where citizens have complete freedom to follow any religion in known as secular
state.
22. Name the leader who used to write in the magazine ‘Young India’ in 1931.
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi used to write in the magazine ‘Young India’ in 1931.
23. Who is known as the Father of Indian Constitution?
Answer: Each and every document presented and every word spoken in the Constituent Assembly
have been recorded and preserved as ‘Constituent Assembly Debates’.
25. In which session of the Congress did Indian National Congress Plan on how independent India’s
Constitution should look like?
Answer: In Karachi Session(1931), Indian National Congress planned on how independent India’s
Constitution should look like
Answer: On 26th January, 1950, the Indian Constitution came into force.
27. In the Constituent Assembly, the first captain of the Indian hockey team also has a role. Who was
he?
28. Which country has the largest written Constitution of the world?
29. Who often bitterly criticised Mahatma Gandhi and his vision regarding how to remove
inequalities from our society?
Answer: Dr BR Ambedkar had a different understanding of how inequalities could be removed from
our society, thus he often bitterly criticised Mahatma Gandhi and his vision.
30. On the basis of what did the system of apartheid divide people?
Answer: On the basis of skin colour the system of apartheid divided people.
31. “I have fought against the white domination and I have fought against the Black domination”.
Who said this sentence?
32. If the head of the state is an elected person and not a hereditary position. What is it called?
Answer: Nelson Mandela was the leader of African National Congress (ANC). He remained in for jail
for 28 years in South Africa’s most dreaded prison, Robben Island opposing the apartheid regime.
Answer: The official policy of racial discrimination and ill treatment of blacks followed by the
government of South Africa between 1948 and 1989.
Answer: The native people of South Africa are black in colour, they made up about three-fourth of
the population and were called ‘blacks’.
Answer: The white rulers treated all non-whites as inferiors. The non-whites did not have voting
rights.
Answer: It was African National Congress, an umbrella organisation that led the struggle against the
policies of segregation. This included many workers’ unions and the Communist Party.
nswer: The party that ruled through oppression and brutal killings and the party that led the
freedom struggle sat together to draw up a common constitution.
Answer: After two years of discussion and debate these constitution makers came out with one of
the finest constitutions the world has ever had.
41. How a state denounced by the entire world was being seen as a model of democracy?
Answer: What made this change possible was the determination of the people of South Africa to
work together, to transform bitter experiences into the binding glue of a rainbow nation.
Answer: The whites agreed to the principle of majority rule and that of one person one vote. They
also agreed to accept some basic rights for the poor and the workers.
Answer: The blacks agreed that majority rule would not be absolute. They agreed that the majority
would not take away the property of the white minority.
44. With which rules trust was built between blacks and whites in South Africa?
Answer: These rules determine what the elected governments are empowered to do and what they
cannot do. They also decided the right of the citizens.
Answer: The Constitution of a country is a set of written rules that are accepted by all the people
living together in a country.
Answer: The Constitution is the supreme law that determines the relationship among people living a
territory (called citizens) and also the relationship between the people and the government.
48. What advantage did Indian Constitution makers have unlike South Africa?
Answer: There was one big advantage for the makers of the Indian Constitution. Unlike South Africa,
they did not have to create a consensus about what a democratic India should look like.
49. Who was the first one to draft a constitution for India?
Answer: In 1928, Motilal Nehru and eight other Congress leaders drafted a constitution for India.
51. Which basic values were incorporated in our constitution from these pre- independence
decisions?
Answer: The drafting of the document called the constitution was done by an assembly of elected
representatives called the Constituent Assembly.
55. When was the Constitution work completed and when did it come into effect?
Answer: The Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26th November 1949 but it came into effect on
January 26, 1950. To mark this day we celebrate 26th January as Republic Day every year.
56. Why did the Constitution come into effect on 26th January 1950?
Answer: Since the Constitution makers wanted to give importance to the date 26th January as
Jawaharlal Nehru declared Independence Day of India on 26th January 1931.
Answer: No large social group or political party has ever questioned the legitimacy of the
Constitution itself.
Answer: The Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open and consensual manner.
59. Why was a drafting committee formulated? Who was its Chairman?
Answer: The drafting Committee was formed to prepare a draft of the constitution for discussion. Its
Chairman was Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
Answer: Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly.
Answer: More than two thousand amendments were considered by the drafting Committee.
Answer: The drafting of the document called the constitution was done by an assembly of elected
representatives called the Constituent Assembly.
Answer: The Constituent Assembly that wrote the Indian Constitution had 299 members.
64. When was the Constitution work completed and when did it come into effect?
Answer: The Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26th November 1949 but it came into effect on
January 26, 1950. To mark this day we celebrate 26th January as Republic Day every year.
65. Why did the Constitution come into effect on 26th January 1950?
Answer: Since the Constitution makers wanted to give importance to the date 26th January as
Jawaharlal Nehru declared Independence Day of India on 26th January 1931.
Answer: No large social group or political party has ever questioned the legitimacy of the
Constitution itself.
Answer: The Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open and consensual manner.
68. Why was a drafting committee formulated? Who was its Chairman?
Answer: The drafting Committee was formed to prepare a draft of the constitution for discussion. Its
Chairman was Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
Answer: Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly.
Answer: More than two thousand amendments were considered by the drafting Committee.
Answer: It took about 114 days spread over three years for documenting the Indian Constitution.
Answer: Every document presented and every word spoken in the Constituent Assembly has been
recorded and preserved. These are called Constituent Assembly Debates.
Answer: These debates provide the rationale behind every provision of the Constitution. These are
used to interpret the meaning of the Constitution.
Answer: The Values that inspired and guided the freedom struggle and were then nurtured by it,
formed the foundation for India’s democracy.
Answer: The Preamble is like preface of a book, it is the soul of the Indian Constitution. It gives in
brief all the laws and action of the government.
Answer: Wealth is generated socially and should be shared equally by society. Government should
try to reduce socio-economic inequalities.
Answer: Citizens have complete freedom to follow any religion. But there is no official religion.
Government treats all religions, beliefs and practices with equal respect.
Answer: It is a form of government where people enjoy equal political rights, elect their rulers and
hold them accountable.
Answer: In a republic, the head of the state is an elected person and not on a hereditary position.
Answer: Citizens cannot be discriminated on the grounds of caste, religion and gender. Social
inequalities have to be reduced. The government should work for the welfare of all and provide
justice.
Answer: There are no unreasonable restrictions on the citizens in what they think, how they wish to
express their thoughts and the way they wish to follow up their thoughts in action.
Answer: All are equal before the law. The traditional social inequalities have to be ended. The
government should ensure equal opportunities for all.
Answer: All of us should behave as if we are members of the same family. No one should treat a
follow citizen as inferior.
Answer: Provisions are made to incorporate changes from time to time in our constitution. These
changes are called ‘Constitutional Amendments’.
Answer: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played a decisive role in the integration of the Indian princely
state.
Answer: Abul Kalam Azad was the Education Minister in the first Union Cabinet.
Answer: Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was the founder President of Bharatiya Jansangh.
90. When did the Constituent Assembly adopt the Constitution of India? When did it come into
force?
Answer: The Constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November,
1949. It came into force on the 26th January, 1950.
Answer: The Constitution of India was flamed by the Constituent Assembly which was established in
1946
Answer: Some important members of the Constituent Assembly were Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr BR
Ambedkar, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr S Radhakrishnan, KM Munshi etc.
Answer: Dr BR Ambedkar, who played a key role in the making of the Constitution, had a different
understanding from Mahatma Gandhi of how inequalities could be removed. He often bitterly
criticised Mahatma Gandhi and his vision.
2. Which of the guiding values of the Constitution of India means that people have the supreme right
to make decisions?
Answer: The guiding value called ‘Sovereign’ means that people have the supreme right to make
decisions on internal as well as external matters. No external power can dictate to the Government
of India.
Answer: Trains, buses, taxis, hotels, hospitals, schools and colleges, libraries, cinema halls, theaters,
beaches, swimming pools, public toilets, were all separate for the whites and blacks in South Africa.
This was called ‘Segregation’.
4. How white racist continued their apartheid besides protests?
Answer: Many sensitive whites also joined the African National Congress to oppose apartheid.
Several countries denounced apartheid as unjust and racist. But the white racist government
continued to rule by torturing and killing black and coloured people.
Answer: As protests and strugglers against apartheid had increased, the government realised that
they could no longer keep the blacks under their rule through repression. Finally at midnight of 26th
April 1994, the Republic of South Africa got freedom from apartheid.
Answer: Discriminatory laws were repealed. Ban on political parties and restrictions on media was
lifted. After 28 years of imprisonment Nelson Mandela came released from Jail. The apartheid
government came to an end.
Answer: It teaches us that the oppressor and the oppressed in this new democracy were planning to
live together as equals. It was not easy for them to trust each other but still they set a good example
in front of the other democratic countries of the world.
8. How difficult it was for India to frame a constitution for united India after independence?
Answer: At that time the people of India were emerging from the status of subjects to that of
citizens. The country was born through a partition on the religious basis This was a traumatic
experience for the people of India and Pakistan.
9. What institutional details and procedures Indians derive from colonial laws?
Answer: The experience gained by Indians in the working of the legislative institutions proved to be
very useful for the country in setting up its own institutions and working in them. Many institutional
details and procedures from colonial laws like the Government of India Act of 1935 have been
referred while drafting the constitution.
Answer: Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in July 1946. Its first meeting was held in
December 1946. When the country was partitioned into India and Pakistan, the Constituent
Assembly was also divided into the Constituent Assembly of India and that of Pakistan.
Answer: Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in July 1946. Its first meeting was held in
December 1946. When the country was partitioned into India and Pakistan, the Constituent
Assembly was also divided into the Constituent Assembly of India and that of Pakistan.
Answer: Apartheid refers to the official policy of racial separation and ill-treatment of blacks
followed by the white government of South Africa between 1948 and 1989. This practice of racial
discrimination remained for the longest period in South Africa.
Answer: The basic rules are: (i) The rules should lay down how the rulers are to be chosen in future.
(ii) These rules should also determine what the elected governments are empowered to do and what
they cannot do. (iii) These rules should decide the rights of the citizens.
15. What documents were taken by the Constituent Assembly to form the Indian Constitution?
Answer: The documents taken to form the Indian Constitution were: (i) The Indian Constitution was
drafted by Motilal Nehru and eight other leaders in 1928. (ii) The resolution at the Karachi Session of
the INC on how independent India’s Constitution should look like, in 1931. (iii) Both these
documents were committed to the inclusion of universal adult franchise right to freedom and quality
and protecting the right of minorities in the constitution of independent India.
16. Indian leaders were inspired by which countries to frame the Indian Constitution?
Answer: The countries which inspired the Indian Constitution were: (i) France: Many Indian leaders
were inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution and their resolution on liberty, equality and
fraternity. (ii) Britain: Indian leaders were inspired by the practice of Parliamentary democracy in
Britain. (iii) US: Their Bill of Rights was a great inspiration. (iv) Russia: The socialist revolution and the
socialist economy of Russia also inspired the leaders of India.
Answer: The drafting of the Constitution was done by an assembly of elected representatives called
the Constituent Assembly. (i) Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in July 1946. (ii) Its
first meeting was held in December 1946. (iii) The Constituent Assembly was also divided into the
Constituent Assembly of India and Pakistan after the partition. (iv) The Constituent Assembly that
wrote the Indian Constitution constituted as many as 299 members. It adopted the Constitution on
26 November 1949, but it came into effect on 26 January 1950.
18. When was the Constitution completed and why was it imposed on 26 January 1950?
Answer: (i) The Constituent Assembly completed the Constitution on 26 November 1949. (ii) But it
was imposed on 26 January 1950 to give due importance to the date, 26th January. (iii) To mark this
day we celebrate it as the Republic Day every year.
19. Give reasons for accepting the Constitution made by the Constituent Assembly more than 50
years ago.
Answer: Some reasons for accepting the same Constitution till today are: (i) The Constitution does
not reflect the views of its members alone. It expresses a broad consensus of its time. (ii) The
Constituent Assembly represented the people of India. There was no Universal Adult Franchise at
that time. So, the Constituent Assembly could not have been chosen directly by all the people of
India but it was elected mainly by the members of Provincial Legislatures, which ensured a fair share
of all the regions of the country. (iii) The Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open and
consensual manner.
Answer: The ‘Drafting Committee’ prepared a draft of the Constitution for discussion: (i) It was
chaired by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. (ii) Several rounds of thorough discussion took place on the Draft of
the Constitution, clause by clause. (iii) The members worked for 114 days spread over three years.
Later on, it was thrown to the public to get their opinion.
Answer: Every document presented and every word spoken in the Constituent Assembly has been
recorded and preserved. These are called ‘Constituent Assembly Debates’. (i) These debates provide
the rationale behind every provision of the Constitution. (ii) These are used to interpret the meaning
of the Constitution. (iii) When printed, these debates constitute 12 bulky volumes.
22. In which two ways can the philosophy of the Indian Constitution be understood?
Answer: The two ways in which the philosophy of the Indian Constitution can be understood are: (i)
It can be understood by reading the views of some of the major leaders on the Indian Constitution.
(ii) We can understand by reading what the Constitution says about its own philosophy.
23. What is the role of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in making the Constitution?
Answer: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee. He played a key role in
making the Constitution but had a different view on how inequalities could be removed from the
society. He thought that in politics, there should be equality but in social and economic life
inequalities should be removed.
24. How did the blacks of South Africa fight against the practice of apartheid?
Answer: Since 1950, the blacks, coloured and Indians fought against the apartheid system. They
launched protest marches and strikes. The African National Congress (ANC) was the umbrella
organisation which led the struggle against the policies of segregation. This included many workers’
union and the Communist Party. Many sensitive whites also joined the ANC to oppose apartheid and
played a leading role in this struggle. Several countries also denounced apartheid as unjust and
racist.
Answer: The South African constitution inspires democrats all over the world. A state denounced by
the entire world till recently as the most undemocratic one is now seen as a model of democracy.
What made this change possible was the determination of the people of South Africa to work
together to transform bitter experiences into the binding glue of a rainbow nation.
26. What were Nelson Mandela’s views on the South African constitution?
Answer: He felt that the Constitution of South Africa speaks of both past and its future. On one hand,
it is a solemn pact in which they, as South Africans, declare to one another that they shall never
permit a repetition of their racist, brutal and repressive past. it is also a charter for the
transformation of their country into one which is truly shared by all its people’s country which in the
fullest sense belongs to all of them, black and white, women and men.
27. What compromises were made by both ethnic groups of South Africa for their constitution?
Answer: The whites agreed to the principle of majority rule and that of one-person- one-vote. They
also agreed to accept some basic rights for the poor and the workers. The blacks agreed that
majority rule would not be absolute. They agreed that the majority would not take away the
property of the white minority.
Answer: These rules lay down how the rulers are to be chosen in future. They also determine what
the elected governments are empowered to do and what they cannot do. These rules also decide
the rights of the citizens. This set of basic rules is called a constitution.
29. Which basic values were accepted by all leaders before the Constituent Assembly met to form
the constitution?
Answer: (i) Inclusion of Universal Adult Franchise by giving all the citizens of India the right to vote
and contest elections.
(ii) Right to freedom and equality to be granted. Since India remained under British control for a long
time and being a country of diversities, it needed equality.
(iii) It also proposed for protecting the rights of minorities in the constitution of independent India.
30. Who was Dr. B.R. Ambedkar? How did he play a key role in the making of Indian constitution?
Answer: Dr. Ambedkar was the chairman of the Drafting Committee. He was a social revolutionary,
thinker and agitator against caste divisions and caste-based inequalities. Dr. Ambedkar played a key
role in the making of the constitution but had a different understanding of how inequalities could be
removed. He often bitterly criticised Mahatma Gandhi and his vision.
31. How values of freedom struggle were embedded in the Preamble of the Indian constitution?
Answer: Values that inspired and guided the freedom struggle and were in turn nurtured by it,
formed the foundation for India’s democracy. These values are embedded in the Preamble of the
Indian Constitution. They guide all the articles of the Indian Constitution. The Constitution begins
with a short statement of its basic values. This is called the Preamble of the Indian