Democracy and the Constitution
Class 9 Social Science · Political Science · 21 questions with answers
Political Science in Class 9 asks for arguments rather than definitions, and it asks them from both sides. A question on democracy wants the case for it and the honest objections, and an answer that only praises it scores less than one that qualifies it. That is unusual in school subjects and it is worth practising deliberately.
- States the features that make a government democratic
- Argues for democracy and states the honest objections
- Explains why a country needs a written constitution
- Applies a Fundamental Right to a specific situation
Exercise 1 of 3 · 9 questions
Is this democratic? Say which feature is missing or present.
Write the answer · Warm-up
Here’s one done for you
The third item is the one worth dwelling on. Elections can be perfectly free and the country still not democratic, if the elected government does not actually decide. Democracy is not only about how leaders are chosen; it is also about whether the chosen leaders hold real power. That distinction is asked in several forms in the paper.
- 1)Elections are held, but only one party is allowed to contest.
- 2)Elections are held every five years, with several parties and a free press.
- 3)The elected government must follow orders from an unelected body on major matters.
- 4)Only citizens who own property may vote.
- 5)The court can strike down a law passed by the legislature if it violates the constitution.
- 6)The ruler was elected but has postponed the next election indefinitely.
- 7)Citizens may vote, but the press is not allowed to criticise the government.
- 8)An elected parliament passes laws, but a foreign power decides defence policy.
- 9)Every adult may vote and the losing party accepts the result.
Answers
- 1) Not democratic. Elections must offer a real choice; a single permitted party makes the outcome predetermined.
- 2) Democratic on these facts - regular elections, genuine choice and freedom of expression are all present.
- 3) Not democratic. The final decision on major matters must rest with those the people elected.
- 4) Not democratic. Democracy requires one person, one vote, one value, regardless of property or status.
- 5) Democratic, and an important feature - it means the government itself operates within limits set by the constitution.
- 6) Not democratic. Regular, scheduled elections are essential - a leader who cannot be voted out is not accountable, whatever their original mandate.
- 7) Not democratic. Free expression is what lets voters know what the government has done, so without it a vote cannot be an informed choice.
- 8) Not fully democratic. A democratic government must be able to take the country's own major decisions; if another power decides them, the voters' choice does not control the outcome.
- 9) Democratic. Universal adult franchise and the peaceful acceptance of a result are two of the core features.
Exercise 2 of 3 · 4 questions
Give an argument on each side. Both are required.
Write the answer · Guided
Here’s one done for you
Notice that the third answer concedes something. The evidence on democracy and economic growth does not favour democracy, and the textbook says so - so an answer claiming it does is not only unbalanced but factually wrong. Political Science rewards a child who can hold a position and state its weaknesses, and this is one of very few school subjects where that is true.
- 1)Democracy and the quality of decisions
- 2)Democracy and speed of decision-making
- 3)Democracy and economic growth
- 4)Democracy and social inequality
Answers
- 1) For: decisions are taken after discussion and consultation, which reduces the chance of a rash or badly informed choice. Against: discussion takes time, and it does not guarantee a good outcome - a majority can be wrong.
- 2) For: the delay comes from consultation, which is the point rather than a defect. Against: democracies are genuinely slower to decide than governments not answerable to anyone, and in an emergency that can matter.
- 3) For: democracies are accountable, so persistent economic failure has political consequences. Against: the evidence does not show democracies growing faster than non-democracies on average, and honest textbooks say so.
- 4) For: democracy gives every person one vote regardless of wealth, which is a real form of equality. Against: political equality has not by itself removed economic inequality, and in many democracies inequality has grown.
Exercise 3 of 3 · 8 questions
Which Fundamental Right applies, and how?
Write the answer · Practice
Here’s one done for you
These questions run from the situation to the right rather than the other way round, and that is deliberate - it is the harder direction and the one the paper asks. A child who can only recite the six rights has a list; a child who can start from a situation has understood what the rights are for, which is what the question is actually testing.
- 1)A person is denied a government job on grounds of religion.
- 2)A group is prevented from holding a peaceful public meeting.
- 3)A child of ten is made to work in a hazardous factory.
- 4)A community is prevented from running a school in its own language.
- 5)A person's right is violated and they wish to approach the Supreme Court directly.
- 6)A newspaper is shut down for criticising a minister.
- 7)A person is arrested and held for a week without being produced before a magistrate.
- 8)A private school refuses admission on the grounds of caste.
Answers
- 1) The Right to Equality, which forbids discrimination in public employment on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
- 2) The Right to Freedom, which includes the freedom to assemble peacefully and without arms.
- 3) The Right against Exploitation, which prohibits the employment of children in hazardous work.
- 4) Cultural and Educational Rights, which allow minorities to conserve their language and to establish and administer educational institutions.
- 5) The Right to Constitutional Remedies, which allows a person to move the courts directly when a Fundamental Right is violated.
- 6) The Right to Freedom, which includes freedom of speech and expression. It applies because criticism of the government is exactly what that freedom protects.
- 7) The Right to Freedom, which requires that a person arrested be told the grounds and produced before a magistrate within 24 hours.
- 8) The Right to Equality, which prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth in access to education.
While your child works
- Ask for the other side. Political Science rewards an argued position with its weaknesses stated.
- The textbook concedes that democracies do not grow faster economically. An answer claiming otherwise is wrong, not just unbalanced.
- Work from situations to rights rather than reciting the six. That is the direction the paper asks.