SUNRISE ENGLISH PRIVATE SCHOOL- ABUDHABI

WorkSheet 2023-24
Grade : 9 Subject: Social
Science Lesson No. 5
Name : Constitutional design (Civ)
Ref : SEPS/WS/G-10/Geo/
MCQs:-

1.The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India on

(a) 26 January 1950

(b) 26 November 1949

(c) 26 January 1949

(d) 15 August 1947

2.Which of the following sentences is wrong about Dr B.R. Ambedkar?

(а) He was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee.

(b) He was born in Maharashtra.

(c) He was law minister in post-independence India.

(d) He was the founder of the Republican Party of India.

3.Who among the following was not the member of the Constituent Assembly?

(a) Mahatma Gandhi

(b) Rajendra Prasad

(c) T.T. Krishnamachari

(d) Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru

4.Nelson Mandela remained in the jail for

(a) 28 years

(b) 29 years

(c) 30 years

(d) 31 years

5.Apartheid in South Africa was discrimination on the basis of

(a) gender

(b) religion

(c) race

(d) economic status

6.How many members had the Constituent Assembly that wrote the Indian
Constitution?

(a) 200

(b) 199

(c) 198

(d) 190

7. Which of the following terms is not included in the Preamble to the Indian
Constitution?

(a) Liberty

(b) Equality

(c) Secular

(d) Religion

8.The Indian Constitution came into effect on

(a) 26 January 1949

(b) 26 January 1950

(c) 26 January 1952

(d) 26 November 1950

9. On what charges was Nelson Mandela sentenced to life imprisonment?

(a) For treason

(b) For breaking the laws

(c) For corruption charges

(d) for possessing illegal property

10.In which way did the system of apartheid discriminate among the South
Africans?

(a) Restricted social contacts between the races

(b) Segregation of public facilities

(c) Created race-specific job categories

(d) All the above

11.why did the white regime decide to change its policies?

(a) Increase in protests and struggles

(b) Government realised that repression was becoming difficult

(c) Rise of sympathetic attitude in government for the blacks

(d) Both (a) and (b)

12.When did South Africa become a democratic country?

(a) 26 April, 1995

(b) 26 April, 1994

(c) 24 March, 1994

(d) 27 April, 1996

13.Name the autobiography of Nelson Mandela.

(a) The Long Walk to Freedom

(b) South Africa Wins Freedom

(c) Walk to Freedom

(d) Our Freedom

14.What did the white minority want from the new Constitution?

(a) Protect its privileges and property

(b) A separate country for themselves

(c) Reservation in legislature

(d) some special rights

15.Which of the following sentences is correct?

(a) All countries that have constitutions are necessarily democratic

(b) All countries that are democratic necessarily have constitutions

(c) Both (a) and (b)

(d) None of the above)

16. Where was the 1931 session of Indian National Congress held?

(a) Nagpur

(b) Karachi
(c) Calcutta

(d) Delhi

17.According to which Act were the elections held to provincial legislatures in

India in 1937?

(a) Government of India Act, 1935

(b) Government of India Act, 1919

(c) Government of India Act, 1909

(d) None of the above

18.Which revolution in the world inspired the Indians to set up a socialist

economy?

(a) French Revolution

(b) Turkish Revolution

(c) Russian Revolution

(d) American War of Independence

19.How many amendments were considered before adopting the Constitution?

(a) Around 500

(b) Around 2000

(c) Around 1550

(d) Around 1000

20.The Constitution begins with a short statement of its basic values. What is it
called?

(a) Preface

(b) Preamble

(c) Introduction
(d) Article

21.Which of these countries is/are examples of a Republic?

(a) USA

(b) India

(c) South Africa

(d) All the above

22.which of these positions is correct in relation to the ‘Sovereign’ status of

India?

(a) USA can decide India’s foreign policy

(b) USSR can support the CPI (M) in setting up its government here

(c) The Indian government only can decide its internal and external policies

(d) Pakistan can control India’s Armed Forces

23.Which of the following days is celebrated to mark the enforcement of the

constitution?

(a) Republic Day

(b) Independence Day

(c) Gandhi Jayanti

(d) Constitution Enforcement Day

24.The Constituent Assembly met for how many days?

(a) 114

(b) 280

(c) 365

(d) 150
25.After the emergence of the new democratic South Africa, black leaders
appealed to fellow blacks to…..?

A. Forgive the whites for the atrocities they had committed

B. To take revenge on the whites

C. That the whites must leave the country

D. None

25. How many years did it take South Africa to make its constitution?

A. 3 years

B. 2 years

C. Six months

D. 1 year

26. Which country was the most denounced state by the entire world until
1994?

A. Bangladesh

B. Mexico

C. South Africa

D. Zimbabwe

27.What were the negotiations between the blacks and the whites?

A. One person one vote.

B. The blacks agreed that majority rule would not be absolute

C. They agreed that the majority would not take away the property of the white
minority.

D. All

Match the Following:

Column A Column B

1. Kanhaiyalal Maniklal Munshi a. Captain of the first national hockey team

2. Jawaharlal Nehru b. Leader of the Communist Party of India

3. Somnath Lahiri c. Three times the president of Congress

4. Baldev singh d. Founder of the Swatantra Party

5. Jaipal Singh e. Education Minister in the first union

cabinet

6. Rajendra Prasad f. Defence Minister in the union cabinet

7. Abul Kalam Azad g. Advocate of socialism, democracy and

anti-

imperialism
28.What are constitutional amendments?

A constitution is not merely a statement of values and philosophy. A constitution is mainly

about embodying these values into institutional arrangements. Indian Constitution is a very
long and detailed document. Therefore, it needs to be amended quite regularly to keep it
updated. Those who crafted the Indian Constitution felt that it must be in accordance with
people’s aspirations and changes in society. They did not see it as a sacred, static and
unalterable law. So, they made provisions to incorporate changes from time to time. These
changes are called constitutional amendments.

29.On what terms did the blacks agreed upon while making a Constitution for South Africa?

After two years of discussion and debate, they came out with one of the finest constitutions
the world has ever had. This constitution gave to its citizens the most extensive rights
available in any country. Together, they decided that in the search for a solution to the
problems, nobody should be excluded, no one should be treated as a demon. They agreed
that everybody should become part of the solution, whatever they might have done or
represented in the past.

30..What was the reaction of the government towards the protest movement against the
apartheid in South Africa?

In South Africa, the white racist government continued to rule by detaining, torturing and
killing thousands of black and coloured people. As protests and struggles against apartheid
had increased, the government realised that they could no longer keep the blacks under their
rule through repression. The white regime changed its policies. Discriminatory laws were
repealed. Ban on political parties and restrictions on the media were lifted. After 28 years of
imprisonment, Nelson Mandela walked out of the jail as a free man.

31.Why did the South African people need a Constitution?

The people of South Africa, need a constitution because :

 The oppressor and the oppressed in this new democracy were planning to live together
as equals. It was not going to be easy for them to trust each other. They had their fears.
 They wanted to safeguard their interests. The black majority was keen to ensure that
the democratic principle of majority rule was not compromised.
 They wanted substantial social and economic rights.

32.What was the philosophy behind the Constitution?

 The 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 to the constitution.
 Taking inspiration from American model, most countries in the contemporary world
have chosen to begin their constitutions with a preamble.

33.What was the composition of the Constituent Assembly?

The Constituent Assembly was elected mainly by the members of the existing Provincial
Legislatures. This ensured a fair geographical share of members from all the regions of the
country. The Assembly was dominated by the Indian National Congress, the party that led
India’s freedom struggle. But, the Congress itself included a variety of political groups and
opinions. The Assembly had many members who did not agree with the Congress. In social
terms too, the Assembly represented members from different language groups, castes,
classes, religions and occupations.

34..What are the various functions of a Constitution?

A Constitution performs several functions such as :

  It generates a degree of trust and coordination that is necessary for different kind of
people to live together.
 It specifies how the government will be constituted, and who will have power of taking
which decisions.
 It lays down limits on the powers of the government and tells us what the rights of the
citizens are.
 It expresses the aspirations of the people about creating a good society. (Any three)

1.Why was the making of the Indian Constitution not an easy affair?
Like South Africa, India’s Constitution was also drawn up under very difficult
circumstances.

 The making of the constitution for a huge and diverse country like India was not an
easy affair. 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 basis of religious
differences.
 This was a traumatic experience for the people of India and Pakistan. Atleast ten lakh
people were killed on both sides of the border in partition related violence.
 The British had left it to the rulers of the princely states to decide whether they wanted
to merge with India or with Pakistan or remain independent.
 The merger of these princely states was a difficult and uncertain task. When the
Constitution was being written, the future of the country did not look as secure as it
does today.
 The makers of the Constitution had anxieties about the present and the future of the
country.

2.Why should we accept the Constitution made by the Assembly more than fifty years ago?
The Constitution does not reflect the views of its members alone. It expresses a broad
consensus of its time. Many countries of the world have had to rewrite their Constitution
afresh because the basic rules were not accepted to all major social groups or political
parties.

Over the last half a century, several groups have questioned some provisions of the
Constitution. But no large social group or political party has ever questioned the legitimacy of
the Constitution itself. This is an unusual achievement for any constitution. The second
reason for accepting the Constitution is that 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.
The way in which the Constituent Assembly worked gives sanctity to the Constitution. The
Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open and consensual manner. First some
basic principles were decided and agreed upon. Then a Drafting Committee chaired by Dr.
B.R. Ambedkar prepared a draft constitution for discussion. Several rounds of thorough
discussion took place on the Draft Constitution, clause by clause. More than two thousand
amendments were considered.

Every document presented, and every word spoken in the Constituent Assembly has been
recorded and preserved. These are called ‘Constituent Assembly Debates’. These debates
provide the rationale behind every provision of the Constitution. These are used to interpret
the meaning of the Constitution.
Explain the different key words used in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
Answer:
Several key words have been used in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution :

(i) WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA: The constitution has been drawn up and enacted by the
people through their representatives, and not handed down to them by a king or any outside
powers.

(ii) SOVEREIGN: People have supreme right to make decisions on internal as well as
external matters. No external power can dictate the government of India.

(iii) SOCIALIST: Wealth is generated socially and should be shared equally by society.
Government should regulate the ownership of land and industry to reduce socio-economic
inequalities.

(iv) SECULAR: Citizens have complete freedom to follow any religion. But there is no official
religion. Government treats all religious beliefs and practices with equal respect.

(v) DEMOCRATIC: A form of government where people enjoy equal political rights, elect their
rulers and hold them accountable. The government is run according to some basic rules.

(vi) REPUBLIC: The head of the stats is an elected person and not a hereditary . position.

(vii) JUSTICE: Citizens cannot be discriminated on the grounds of caste, religion and gender.
Social inequalities must be reduced. Government should work for the welfare of all,
especially of the disadvantaged groups.

(viii) LIBERTY: 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.
(ix) EQUALITY: All are equal before the law. The traditional social inequalities must be
ended. The government should ensure equal opportunity for all.

(x) FRATERNITY: All of us should behave as if we are members of the same family. No one
should treat a fellow citizen as inferior.

“The South African Constitution inspires democrats all over the world” Comment.

The South African constitution inspires democrats all over the world in the following ways.

 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 South African people to
work together, to transform bitter experience into the binding glue of a rainbow nation.
 The people of South Africa have of agreed that everybody should become a part of the
solution, whatever they might have done or represented in the past.
 It is also a charter for the transformation of our country into one which is truly shared by
all its people. It is a country in which the fullest sense belongs to all blacks and whites,
women and men.”
 The Preamble to the South African Constitution sums up the spirit.

.
Why is South Africa called a ‘rainbow nation’ today?
There is no social or any discrimination based on skin colour in free south Africa, today.
Blacks, whites and coloured people, men and women, live as free citizens, in total harmony.
This is why they call South Africa a ‘rainbow nation’.

What was the situation at the time India achieved independence?

At that time of independence, the people of India were emerging from the status of subjects
to that of citizens. India and Pakistan were born through a partition on the basis of religious
differences. This was a traumatic experience for the people of India and Pakistan. Lakhs of
people were killed on both sides of the border in partition related violence. The British had left
it to the rulers of the princely states to decide whether they wanted to merge with India or
with Pakistan or remain independent. This created a lot of turmoil..

How is the South African Constitution looked upon today?

The South African constitution inspires democrats all over the world. South Africa was a
State which was looked down upon by many during the Apartheid regime. Today the
determination of the people of South Africa to work together, without bearing any grudges
against the white regime in looked upon with great respect.
The South African Constitution sees people of all skin colours as equal. Men and women are
treated equally.

Who constituted the Constituent assembly?

The Assembly was dominated by the Indian National Congress, which led India’s freedom
struggle. The Indian National Congress included a variety of political groups . these different
groups had different opinions.

The Assembly also had many members who did not agree with the Congress. On the social
platform, the Assembly was represented by members from different language groups, castes,
classes, religions and occupations.

What is secularism?

When a Government treats all religious beliefs and practices with equal respect it called a
secular government. There is no official religion. Citizens have complete freedom to follow
any religion.

Define ‘ Democratic Republic’.

‘ Democratic Republic’ is a form of government where people enjoy equal political rights,
elect their rulers and hold them accountable. The government is run according to some basic
rules. The head of the state is an elected person and not a hereditary ruler.

Write a brief note on the following personalities.

(a) Jawaharlal Nehru
(b) Sarojini Naidu
(c) Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
Solution:
(a) Jawaharlal Nehru was born in the year 1889 and died in the year 1964. He was born in
the state of Uttar Pradesh. He was a lawyer by profession. He was the Prime Minister of the
interim government. As a Congress leader he advocated socialism, democracy and anti
imperialism. Later he was appointed the First Prime Minister of India.

(b) Sarojini Naidu was born in the year 1879 and died in the year 1949. She was born in
Andhra Pradesh. She was a poet, writer and political activist. She was among the foremost
women leaders in the Congress. Later she was appointed the Governor of Uttar Pradesh.

(c) Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born in the year 1891 and died in the year 1956. He was
born in Maharashtra. He was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution. He
was a Social revolutionary thinker and agitated against caste divisions and caste based
inequalities. He was made the Law minister in the first cabinet of post independence India.

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