Constitutional Design (Question Answer, class-IX CBSE BOARD)

What is meant by apartheid? How was it oppressive for the blacks?
Answer:
Apartheid was the name of a system of racial discrimination unique to South Africa. The white Europeans imposed this system on South Africa. The system of apartheid divided the people and labelled them according to their skin colour.

Many ‘whites’ had settled in South Africa and became the local rulers. The system of public toilets, were all separate for the whites and blacks. This, was called segregation. They could not even visit the churches where the whites worshipped. Blacks could not form associations or protest the terrible treatment.

Q3. What were the steps involved in the framing of the Indian Constitution?
Answer:
The drafting of the document called the constitution was done by an assembly of elected representatives called the Constituent Assembly. Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in July 1946. Its first meeting was held in December 1946. Soon after, the country was divided into India and Pakistan. The Constituent Assembly was also divided into the Constituent Assembly of India and that of Pakistan. The Constituent Assembly that wrote the Indian Constitution had 299 members. The Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26 November, 1949 and it came into force on 26 January, 1950.

Q3. Give reasons why should we accept the constitution made by Constituent Assembly more than 60 years ago?

Answer:

1. The Constitution does not reflect the views of its members alone. It expresses a broad consensus of its time.
2. The Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open and consensual manner. 

3. 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. 

4. Several rounds of thorough discussion took place, clause by clause. More than 2000 amendments were considered. The members deliberated for 114 days spread over 3 years. Every document presented and every word spoken in the Constituent Assembly was recorded and preserved. These are called ‘Constituent Assembly Debates’.

Q 4. Why did the South African people need a Constitution?
Answer:
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.

Q5. Why was the making of the Indian Constitution not an easy affair?
Answer:

• 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.

Q6. What do you understand by the term ‘the Preamble to the Constitution’?
Answer:
The Constitution begins with a short statement of its basic values. This is called the Preamble to the Constitution.

Q7.What do you mean by ‘Constitution’? Why do we need it?
Answer:
The constitution of a country is a set of written rules that are accepted by all people living together in a country. Constitution is the supreme law that determines the relationship among people living in a territory (called citizens) and also the relationship between the people and government.

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)

Question 8.
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.

Q9. How did South Africa get independence from white minority rule?

(i) As protests and struggles against apartheid had increased, the government realised that they could no longer keep the blacks under their rule through repression.

(ii) The White regime changed its policies.

(iii) Discriminatory laws were repealed. (iv) Ban on political parties and restrictions on the media were lifted. (v) After 28 years of imprisonment, Nelson Mandela walked out of jail as a free man.

(vi) Finally at the midnight of 26th April, 1994, the new national flag of Republic of South Africa was unfurled marking the newly born democracy in the world.

(vii) The apartheid government came to an end, paving the way for the formation of a multiracial government.