DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL BANGALORE - EAST

SOCIAL SCIENCE (POLITICAL SCIENCE)

WORKING INSTITUTIONS(NOTES)
NAME:_________________________ CLASS:IX SEC:__________ DATE:
_____________

I. Terms to remember:

Bureaucracy : Large number of government officials who help the ministers to run the machinery
of administration.

Council of Ministers : A body of minister collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.

Electoral College : A specially constituted elected body to elect the President and vice preside nt
of India.

Impeachment. : A special parliamentary procedure to prosecute or to remove the President and

Judges etc. for violation of the constitution.

Lok Sabha : The Indian Parliament is bicameral in nature. The Lok Sabha also known as the
lower House is composed of the elected representatives of the people.

Rajya Sabha : The Rajya Sabja or Upper House represents the interests of the states and Union
Territories.

II. Very short answers:

1. What do you mean by Office Memorandum?

Ans: An Office Memorandum explains the policy or decision of the government issued by an appropriate

authority.

2. What is judicial review?

Ans: The Supreme Court can declare invalid any law of the legislature. It can determine the constitutional

validity of any law or action of the executive in the country, when it is challenged.
3. Who headed the Second Backward Classes Commission in 1979?
Ans: B.P Mandal headed the Second Backward Classes Commission in 1979.

4.What is called Parliament?

Ans: A national assembly of elected representatives is called Parliament.

5. Who are Cabinet Ministers?

Ans: Cabinet Ministers are usually top-level leaders of the ruling party or parties who are in charge of

the major ministries.

6. Who elect the President of India?

Ans: The President of India is indirectly elected by the elected Members of Parliament (MPs) and the

elected Members of the Legislative Assemblies (MLAs).

7. What is called the judiciary?

Ans: All the courts at different levels in a country put together are called the judiciary.

SHORT ANSWERS:

8.Why do we need the political institutions?

Ans: The government is responsible for ensuring security to the citizens and providing education and
health facilities to all.

It collects taxes and spends money on administration, defence and developmental programmes.

It formulates and implements several welfare schemes.

Political institutions are needed to attend to all these tasks.

9.What was the Mandal Commission? Mention its recommendations.

Ans. The Government of India had appointed the Second Backward Classes Commission in 1979. It was
headed by B.P. Mandal. Hence it was popularly known as Mandal Commission.

 It was asked to determine the criteria to identify the socially and educationally backward classes
in India and recommend steps to be taken for their advancement.
  The Commission gave its report in 1980 and made many recommendations.

 One of these was that 27% of government jobs be reserved for the socially and educationally
backward Classes.

10.How is the President elected in our country?

Ans: In our country the President is not elected directly by the people.

 The elected Members of Parliament (MPs) and the elected Members of the Legislative
Assemblies (MLAs) elected him. A candidate standing for President’s post has to get a majority
of votes to win the election.

 This ensures that the President can be seen to represent the entire nation. He remains the nominal
executive and can never claim the kind of direct popular mandate that the Prime Minister can.

11.What are the discretionary powers of the president?

Ans: The President can withhold assent to a Non-Money Bill or send it back for reconsideration.

 There is no time limit within which the President is required to declare his assent or refusal or
return the Bill for reconsideration. He can take as much time as he thinks appropriate.

 If no political party or leader has majority support in the Lok Sabha, the President has the
freedom to decide who should be appointed as Prime Minister.

 In case the Prime Minister has lost the support of the Lok Sabha, he may, instead of tendering his
resignation, ask for the dissolution of the House. The President is bound to act on the advice of
the Prime Minister. He can also explore the possibility of forming an alternative government at
the centre .

12.Why does the political executive have more powers than the permanent executive?
Ans: Political executive is more powerful than the permanent executive because:
 Ministers are directly elected by the people.
 They are answerable and accountable to the people.
 Democracy is based on the will of the people, therefore it is the elected ministers who represents
that will and takes the final decision.
13.‘Judicial Review is one of the major roles played by the Judiciary.’ Explain.
 The Supreme Court and the High Court have the power to interpret the Constitution of the
country.
 They can declare invalid any law of the legislature or the actions of the executive, whether at the
union level or at the state level if they find such a law or action is against the Constitution.
 They can determine the constitutional validity of any legislation or action of the executive of the
country when it is challenged before them.
 The Supreme Court of India has also ruled that the core or basic principles of the Constitution
cannot be changed by the Parliament.

LONG ANSWERS:

14.Why do we need parliament?

Ans: In all democracies, an assembly of elected representatives exercise supreme political authority on
behalf of the people. Such an assembly is called Parliament. At the state level this is called Legislature or
Legislative Assembly.

 Parliament exercises political authority on behalf of the people in many ways:

It is the final authority for making laws in any country. Parliaments all over the world can make
new laws, change existing laws, or abolish existing laws and make new ones in their place.
 Parliaments all over the world exercise some control over those who run the government. In some
countries like India this control is direct and full.
 Parliaments controls all the money that governments have. In most countries any of the public
money can be spent only when the Parliament sanctions it.
 Parliament is the highest forum of discussion and debate on public issues and national policy in
any country. Parliament can seek information about any matter.
 15.Distinguish between the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Ans:

The Lok Sabha The Rajya Sabha

(i) The Members of Lok Sabha are elected directly by (i) The Members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by the

adult citizens. elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies.

(ii) The Rajya Sabha is a permanent house. It can not be

(ii) Lok Sabha’s term is only for 5 years. After 5 years,
dissolved but one-third of its members retire after every
the term of all elected representatives comes to an end.
two years.

(iii) The maximum strength of the house is 543. (iii) It cannot have more than 250 members.

(iv) Money bill can only be passed in Lok Sabha. It is

(iv) Rajya Sabha does not exercise much power over the
Lok Sabha which provides money for the administration
money bill.
of the country.

(v) The Lok Sabha is more powerful than the

(v) The Rajya Sabha has comparatively less powers.
Rajya Sabha.
 16.What is the difference between Political Executive and Permanent executive?

Ans:

Political Executives Permanent Executives

(i) These executives are elected by the people for a (i) These are the civil servants appointed for a longer

specific period of time. period of time.

(ii) These include Prime Minister, Cabinet (ii) Persons working in civil services such as

Ministers and Council of Ministers. IAS, IPS, IFS etc.

(iii) They remain in office even when the ruling

(iii) They remain in office only for a fixed tenure.
party changes. Their tenure in office is fixed.

(iv) They are answerable to the people for

(iv) They are not answerable to the people.
their actions.

(v) They are less powerful. They do not

(v) They take all the final decisions and are
take decisions. They assist the political executives
more powerful.
in day-to-day administration.
17.What are the powers and functions of the Prime Minister of India?
Ans: The Prime Minister of India is the head of the government and exercises wide ranging powers:

 He/she chairs cabinet meetings. He/she coordinates the work of different departments. His/her
decisions are final in case disagreements arise between departments.
 He/she exercises general supervision of different ministries. All ministers work under his/her
leadership.
 The Prime Minister distributes and redistributes work to the ministers. He/she also has the power
to dismiss ministers. When the Prime Minister quits, the entire ministry quits.
 He is a link between the President and the people. He/she is the person who is actually
responsible for the effective functioning of the government.
 The Prime Minister is the head of the Council of Ministers. The whole body works together
under him/her as a team. Thus, if the cabinet is the most powerful institution in India, within the
Cabinet it is the Prime Minister who is the most powerful.

18.What are the powers of the President of India?

Ans: The President is the elected head of the state. He/she heads the executive body of the Indian Union.

 He/she issues orders to enforce laws made by the Parliament. He/she exercise the
following powers:
 The Council of Ministers themselves is appointed by the President on the advice of the
Prime Minister.
 All laws and major policy decisions of the government are issued in his/her name.
 All top-level officials of the Union government sire appointed by the President and can
be removed by him/her.
 He/she has the power to appoint the ambassadors to other countries. He/she also receives
the ambassadors and other envoys from foreign countries.
 All international treaties and agreements are made in the name of the President.
 A bill passed by the Parliament becomes a law only after the President gives assent to it.
If the president wants, he/she can delay this for some time and send the bill back to the
parliament for reconsideration.
 The President can grant pardon to anyone sentenced by the courts.
 The President exercises direct control on the administration of Union Territories.

20.What are the powers and functions of supreme court of India?

 It takes up appeals against the verdicts of the High Courts, other courts and tribunals.
 It settles disputes between various government authorities, between state governments, and
between the centre and any state government.
 It also hears matters which the President refers to it, in its advisory role.
 The SC can also take up cases suo moto (on its own).
 The law that SC declares is binding on all the courts in India and on the Union as well as the state
governments.
21.Indian judiciary is independent and powerful. Justify.

Ans:

 The judiciary in India is independent. It means it is not under the control of the legislature or the
executive. The Supreme Court and the High Courts have the power to interpret the Constitution of
the country.

They can declare invalid any law of the legislature or the actions of the executive, whether at the
Union level or at the state level, if they find such a law or action is against the Constitution.

Thus, they can determine the constitutional validity of any legislation or action of the executive in
the country, when it is challenged before them. This is known as the judicial review.

The Supreme Court of India has also ruled that the core or basic principles of the Constitution
cannot be changed by the Parliament.

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