WORKING OF INSTITUTIONS (MCQ,S SHORT & LONG QUESTIONS)

                                  

        Working of Institutions

 CBSE BOARD Class 9th 

MCQs, Short & Long Questions With Answers

Choose the correct option:

Question 1.
Who exercises all governmental powers?
(a) President
(b) Prime Minister
(c) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
(d) Chief Election Commission

Answer (b) Prime Minister

 

Question 2.
The Second Backward Classes Commission was appointed by the government of India in
(a) 1979
(b) 1981
(c) 1985
(d) 1999

Answer (a) 1979

 

Question 3.
Which one of the following statement about the President is wrong?
(a) He is head of the state.
(b) He is the highest formal authority in the country.
(c) He exercises only nominal powers.
(d) He is elected directly by the people.

Answer (d) He is elected directly by the people.

 

Question 4.
The strength of the Council of Ministers ranges from
(a) 60 to 80
(b) 60 to 100
(c) 70 to 85
(d) 80 to 100

Answer (a) 60 to 80

 

Question 5.
Once the Lok Sabha passes the budget of the government or any other money related law, the Rajya Sabha cannot rejected it. The Rajya Sabha can only delay it by
(a) 14 days
(b) 15 days
(c) 16 days
(d) 17 days

Answer (a) 14 days

 

Question 6.
When was the Second Backward Class Commission appointed?
(a) 1989
(b) 1979
(c) 1999
(d) 2001

Answer

Answer: (b) 1979

 

Question 7.
What do the Civil Servants do?
(a) They take important policy decisions
(b) They implement the ministers’ decisions
(c) They settle the disputes
(d) none of the above

Answer (b) They implement the ministers’ decisions

 

Question 8.
What is ‘Parliament’?
(a) Assembly of elected representatives at the national level
(b) A body consisting of appointed ministers
(c) Body comprising judges
(d) Assembly of only appointed members

Answer (a) Assembly of elected representatives at the national level

 

 

Question 9.
Apart from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, who else constitutes the Parliament?
(a) Prime Minister
(b) Chief Minister
(c) Governor
(d) President

Answer (d) President

 

Question 10.
For how long can the Rajya Sabha delay a Money Bill?
(a) 15 days
(b) 1 month
(c) 3 months
(d) 14 days

Answer (d) 14 days

Answer: (d) 14 days

 

Question 11.
Who appoints the judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts?
(a) President, according to his own wishes
(b) President, on the advice of the PM
(c) President on the advice of the PM in consultation with the Chief Justice of India
(d) None of the above

Answer (c) President on the advice of the PM in consultation with the Chief Justice of India

 

Question 12.
Two features of Indian judicial system are:
(a) Independent Judiciary
(b) Integrated Judiciary
(c) Dependent Judiciary
(d) Both (a) and (b)

Answer (d) Both (a) and (b)

 

Question 13.
Which of the following institutions can make changes to the existing law of the country?
(a) The Supreme Court
(b) The President
(c) The Prime Minister
(d) The Parliament

Answer (d) The Parliament

 

Question 14.
Which body acts as the guardian of Fundamental Rights?
(a) District Courts
(b) Supreme Court
(c) Election Commission
(d) Legislature

Answer (b) Supreme Court

 

Question 15.
Why does the political executive have more powers than the permanent executive?
(a) Because hardly any expertise is required in taking policy decisions
(b) Because political executive consists of the direct representatives of the people
(c) Political leaders are more educated
(d) None of the above

Answer

Answer: (b) Because political executive consists of the direct representatives of the people

 

Question 16.
Whom does the President appoint as the Prime Minister?
(a) Anyone he likes
(b) Leader of the majority party
(c) MP who has secured the largest number of votes
(d) None of the above

Answer (b) Leader of the majority party

 

Question 17.
What is the government formed by an alliance of two or more political parties called?
(a) Cooperation government
(b) Coalition government
(c) Consensus government
(d) Cooperative government

Answer (b) Coalition government

 

 

Question 18.
Which of these options is/are correct regarding the powers of the Prime Minister?
(a) He chairs the Cabinet meetings
(b) He distributes work to the different departments
(c) He can dismiss ministers
(d) All the above

Answer (d) All the above

 

 

Question 19.
Which of the following statements is not true?
(a) The Judiciary safeguards the laws
(b) The Legislature implements the laws
(c) The political executives are more powerful than the permanent executives
(d) The permanent executives comprises the civil servants

Answer (b) The Legislature implements the laws

 

Question 20.
The president of India is elected by
(a) Direct Election by citizens … 18 years of age
(b) Indirect Election by the Electoral College
(c) The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers
(d) None of the above

Answer (b) Indirect Election by the Electoral College

 

Question 21.
The judges of Supreme Court are appointed by
(a) President
(b) Prime Minister
(c) Chief Justice
(d) Law Minister

Answer (a) President

 

                                                     Important Questions

Question 1.
Why is there a need for political institutions?

Answer:

• To take decisions : Countries need political institutions to take decisions regarding the welfare of the people. Institutions formulate various policies and programmes.
• Implementation : The decisions which have been taken are to be implemented. So countries need institutions to implement the decisions.
• To solve the disputes : Institutions are also needed to solve the disputes between various institutions.
•  To take right decisions : Institutions help the governments to take the right decisions.

Question 2.
Distinguish between political executive and permanent executive.
Answer:

Question 3Why do the political executives have more power than the permanent executives?

Answer:

In a democracy, the will of the people is supreme, and the political executive is elected by the people.

All the political executives are answerable to the people. The people can change them if they don’t work according to the wishes of the people.

The non-political executives are the experts in their field but political executives have to see the welfare of all.

The experts can tell the route, but the political executives have a larger view so they decide the destination.

Question 4.
Explain the major powers and functions of the Prime Minister.
Answer:

• Link : The Prime Minister is the link between the Cabinet and the President. The decisions of the Cabinet are conveyed to the President through the Prime Minister. It is he who keeps him informed on all matters of government.
• Formation of the Cabinet: The Prime Minister prepares the list of his Council of Ministers and sends it to the President. He can reshuffle hi? Council of Ministers whenever he likes. He can also ask any minister to resign if he is not satisfied with his working.
• Leader of the Lok Sabha : The Prime Minister presides over the meetings of the Cabinet. He maintains co-ordination between different departments of the government.
• Foreign Affairs : The Prime Minister plays an important role in the management of foreign affairs. He formulates the internal and external policies of the country.
• Leader of the Party: The Prime Minister has the main say in framing the policy of his party.
• Leader of the Nation: The Prime Minister is the most important leader of the nation. People always eagerly hear his views. His views related to any internal or external policy are heard more carefully.

Question 5.
Explain briefly the powers and functions of the Supreme Court.
Answer:

• Original Jurisdiction : The original jurisdiction extends to those cases which the Supreme Court has the authority to hear and decide in the first instance.
• Between citizens of the country;
• Between citizens and government;
• Between two or more state governments; and
• Between governments at the union and state level.
• Appellate Jurisdiction: It is the highest court of appeal in civil and criminal cases. It can hear appeals against the decisions of the High Courts.
• Advisory Jurisdiction : As the highest court in the country, the Supreme Court gives legal advice to the President of India on any legal or constitutional matter referred to it. However, the advice is not binding on the Supreme Court.
• Guardian of the Constitution: The Supreme Court acts as the guardian and final interpreter of the Constitution. If the government passes any law or issues any order which is in violation of the Constitution, the Supreme Court has the power to declare the law or order unconstitutional.
• Guardian of Fundamental Rights: The Supreme Court also acts as a guardian of the fundamental rights of the citizens. When a fundamental right of any citizen is violated by the government or any individual he can seek the protection of the Supreme Court.

Question 6
Explain the composition of the Council of Ministers.
                                                                         Or
What is meant by council of Ministers? Explain the different categories of ministers.

Answer:
The Council of Ministers is a large body, it consists all the three ranks of ministers. The Council of Ministers comprises of the three categories of ministers. These are:

• Cabinet Ministers : Constitute the inner ring of the council of ministers. These are the top-level leaders of the ruling party / parties who are incharge of the important ministries. They usually meet to take decisions in the name of the council of ministers.
• Ministers of State with Independent Charge : They are usually in charge of smaller ministries. They participate in the cabinet meetings only when they are invited.
• Ministers of State : They are attached to and are required to assist the Cabinet ministers.

Question 7.
Give any three functions (or responsibilities) of the government.

Answer:

• Government collects taxes and uses it for administration, defence and development programmes.
• Government ensures security to the citizens and provides facilities for education and health.
• It formulates and implements several welfare schemes.

Question 8.
What is public interest litigation? What is its importance?]
Answer:
Any one can approach the courts if public interest is hurt by the actions of government. This is called the public interest litigation. The courts intervene to prevent the misuse of the government’s power to make decisions. They check the malpractices on the part of public officials.

Question 9.
What is job reservation? What is its importance?
Answer:
Under job reservation policy some percentage of total government job vacancies are reserved for people and communities who are economically or socially backward. Job reservation policy give a fair opportunity to those communities who so far had not adequately been represented in government employment.

 

Question 10
Under what circumstances does the President exercise his discretion in the appointment of the Prime Minister.
Or
Explain the discretionary powers of the President.
Answer:
With no single party getting a clear majority, a coalition of parties stake their claim to form the government. The President has to use his individual judgement and invite such a leader to head the government as Prime Minister, who can provide a stable government to the country.

Question 11.
What was the objective of the Mandal Commission? Mention one of the recommendations that it make in its report.
Answer:

• The Government of India appointed the second Backward Classes Commission in 1979 under the supervision of B.P Mandal. Since its head was B.P Mandal it came to be known the as Mandal Commission.
• The main objective of this commission was 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 per cent of government jobs be reserved for the socially and educationally backward classes.

Question 12.
How did people react to the decision to implement the recommendations of the Mandal Commission?
Answer:
(i) The decision to implement the Mandal Commission’s recommendations led to widespread protests and counter protests, some of which were violent. People reacted strongly because this decision affected thousands of job opportunities.

(ii) Some felt that existence of inequalities among people of different castes in India needed job reservations. The felt, this would give a fair opportunity to those communities who so far had not adequately been represented in government employment.

(iii) Others felt that this was unfair as it would deny equality of opportunity to those who did not belong to backward communities. They would be denied jobs even though they could be more qualified. Some felt that this would generate caste feelings among people and hamper national unity.

Question 13.
Name the three institutions that play a key role in major decisions in a democratic country. How do these institutions work?
Answer:
The three institutions are: Legislature, executive and judiciary.

• Legislature: It is an assembly of people’s representatives with the power to enact laws for a country. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures have authority to raise taxes and adopt the budget and other money bills.
• Executive: It is a body of persons having authority to initiate major policies, make decisions and implement them on the basis of the Constitution and laws of the country.
• Judiciary: It is an institution empowered to administer justice and provide a mechanism for the resolution of legal disputes.

Question 14.
How is the Prime Minister appointed in our country?
Answer:
(i) Prime Minister is the most important political institution in the country. But there is no direct election to the post of the Prime Minister. The President appoints the Prime Minister.

(ii) But the President cannot appoint anyone he/she likes. The president appoints the leader of the majority party or the coalition of parties that commands a majority in the Lok Sabha, as Prime Minister.

(iii) In case no single party or alliance gets a majority, the President appoints the person most likely to secure a majority support. The Prime Minister does not have a fixed tenure. He continues in power so long as he remains the leader of the majority party or coalition.

Question 15.
“The rise of coalition politics in recent years has imposed certain constraints on the power of the Prime Minister”. Explain.
Or
What are the limitations of the Prime Minister in coalition government?
Answer:
The emergence of coalition government has put some barriers on the power of the Prime Minister:
(i) The Prime Minister of a coalition government cannot take decisions as he/she likes. He has to accommodate different groups and factions in his party as well as among alliance partners.

(ii) He also cannot ignore the views and positions of the coalition partners and other parties, on whose support the survival of the government depends.

Question 16.
How is the President elected in our country?
Answer:
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.

Question 17.
How can you say that in India courts are independent of the legislature and the executive?
Answer:
In India, we have courts independent of the legislature and the executive.
(i) The judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister and in consultation with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

(ii) In practice it now means that the senior judges of the Supreme Court select the new judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts. There is very little scope for interference by the political executive.

(iii) The senior most judge of the Supreme Court is usually appointed the Chief Justice. Once a person is appointed as judge of the Supreme Court or the High Court it is nearly impossible to remove him or her from that position.

 

Question 18.
What is Parliament? Why do we need it?
Or
In what different ways does Parliament exercise political authority on behalf of the people?
Answer:
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:
(i) 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.

(ii) 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.

(iii) 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.

(iv) 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.

Question 19.
Give a detailed description of the powers of the President of India.
Answer:
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.

Question 20.
Which House of the Parliament is more powerful in India and why? Give reasons.
Answer:
The Lower House also called the Lok Sabha is more powerful. The reasons are given below:
(i) Any ordinary law needs to be passed by both the Houses. But if there is a difference between the two Houses, the final decision is taken in a joint session in which members of both the Houses sit together. Since the Lok Sabha has larger number of members, its view is likely to prevail in such a meeting.

(ii) Lok Sabha had more powers in money matters. Once the Lok Sabha passes the budget of the government or any other money related law, the Rajya Sabha cannot reject it. The Rajya Sabha can only delay it by 14 days or suggest changes in it. The Lok Sabha may or may not accept these changes.

(iii) The Lok Sabha controls the Council of Ministers. Only a person who enjoys the support of the majority of the members in the Lok Sabha is appointed the Prime Minister. If the majority of the Lok Sabha members say they have ‘no confidence’ in the Council of Ministers, all ministers including the Prime Minister, have to quit. The Rajya Sabha does not have this power.

Question 21.
How can you say that the judiciary in India is one of the most powerful in the world?
Answer:
It is a fact that the judiciary in India is one of the most powerful in the world. 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 the 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 basic principles of the Constitution cannot be changed by the Parliament. The power and the independence of the Indian judiciary allow it to act as the guardian of the Fundamental Rights.

In recent years the courts have given several judgements and directives to protect public interest and human rights. Anyone can approach the courts if public interest is hurt by the actions of government. The courts intervene to prevent the misuse of the government’s power to make decisions. They check malpractices on the part of public officials.

Question 22.
What does the President do when no party or coalition gets a majority in the Lok Sabha?
Or
Explain the discretionary power of the President.
Answer:
When a party or coalition of parties secures a clear majority in the elections, the President, has to appoint the leader of the majority party or the coalition that enjoys majority support in the Lok Sabha. But sometimes there occurs a situation when no party or coalition gets a majority in the Lok Sabha.

In such a situation the President exercises her/his discretion. The President appoints a leader who in his/ her opinion can muster majority support in the Lok Sabha. In such a case, the President can ask the newly appointed Prime Minister to prove majority support in the Lok Sabha within a specified time.