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:
(a) Leaders of the freedom movement had an open mind about the country being
democratic after independence.
(b) Members of the Constituent
Assembly worked in a systematic, open, and consensual manner to resolve
differences among them.
(c) It is not necessary that a
country having a constitution must be a democracy. The constitution of a
country can even make provisions for dictatorship or monarchy. Examples: the
Soviet Union and Pakistan.
(d) A Constitution can be amended to
keep up with the changes in aspirations of the society. It can also be changed
keeping in mind the social, political, and economic conditions of the country.
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
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
4.
Match the following leaders with their roles in the making of the Constitution:
|
(a) Motilal Nehru |
Prepared a Constitution for India in 1928 |
|
(b) B.R. Ambedkar |
Chairman
of the Drafting Committee |
|
(c) Rajendra Prasad |
President of the
Constituent Assembly |
|
(d) Sarojini Naidu |
Member of the Constituent Assembly |
(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) The expression ‘not wholly or in full measure’ in the first sentence was
used by Nehru because he thought that the task they had undertaken was
incomplete and it wasn’t possible to fulfill the pledges all at once but would
be gradually fulfilled.
(b) The pledge that he
wanted the makers of the Indian Constitution to take was to dedicate their
lives to the service of India, Indians, and humanity at large.
(c) He was referring
to Mahatma Gandhi.
6. 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 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:
(a) Though I would acknowledge many good things were learned from the British
rulers and democracy being one of them,I wouldn’t say that democracy was a gift
given by them. Indians had to struggle a lot and make many sacrifices to attain
freedom from British rule. These circumstances helped people to gain experience
and training in the working of the legislative institutions.
(b) Yes, Free India
could not be anything but democratic because the people had already suffered a
lot under British rule. This made them realise that for people to have a say in
ruling the country, it was necessary to make India a democratic country.
(c) It is indeed true that we were lucky to have leaders who
had deep democratic values. It is because of these ideals that India’s freedom
struggle can be considered as the only example of a bloodless freedom struggle
in contemporary history. Therefore, absence of such ideals has made many
countries undemocratic.
