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    Constitutional Design Notes

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    tindutt life time
    The document contains answers to questions about key concepts in the Indian constitution including the preamble, sovereignty, secularism, and the ideals enshrined in the preamble. It also answers questions about the functions of a constitution in general.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Constitutional Design Notes

    Uploaded by

    tindutt life time
    518 views6 pages
    The document contains answers to questions about key concepts in the Indian constitution including the preamble, sovereignty, secularism, and the ideals enshrined in the preamble. It also answers questions about the functions of a constitution in general.

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    The document contains answers to questions about key concepts in the Indian constitution including the preamble, sovereignty, secularism, and the ideals enshrined in the preamble. It also answers questions about the functions of a constitution in general.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    518 views6 pages

    Constitutional Design Notes

    Uploaded by

    tindutt life time
    The document contains answers to questions about key concepts in the Indian constitution including the preamble, sovereignty, secularism, and the ideals enshrined in the preamble. It also answers questions about the functions of a constitution in general.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 6

    Space Central School

    Constitutional Design
    .

    Question 1
    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.

    Question 2
    What do you mean by the term ‘sovereign’?
    Answer:
    It means people have supreme right to make decisions on internal as well as external
    matters. No external power can dictate the government of India.

    Question 3
    What do you mean by the term ‘secular’?
    Answer:
    It means citizens have complete freedom to follow any religion, but there is no official
    religion. Government treats all religious beliefs and practices with equal respect.

    QuQuestion 4
    Why is the Preamble called the soul of the Indian Constitution?
    Answer:
    Because it contains the philosophy on which the entire constitution has been built. It
    provides a standard to examine and evaluate any law and action of government, to find
    out whether it is good or bad. It is the soul of the Indian Constitution

    Question 5
    What are the four main ideals enshrined in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution?
    Answer:
    The ideals written in the Preamble of the Constitution are as under :

    1. Justice: Every citizen of India will have social, economic and political justice.
    2. Liberty: Every citizen will have the liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and
    worship.
    3. Equality: Every citizen will be provided with the equality of status and opportunity.
    4. fraternity: All the citizens of India have been assured about the dignity of individual
    and the unity and integrity of the nation.
    Question 6
    What are the various functions of a Constitution?
    Answer:
    A Constitution performs several functions such as :

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

    NCERT SOLUTIONS

    Question 1:

    Here are some false statements. Identify the mistake in each case and rewrite these
    correctly based on what you have read in this chapter.

    (a) Leaders of the freedom movement had an open mind about whether the country should
    be democratic or not after independence.

    (b) Members of the Constituent Assembly of India held the same views on all provisions of
    the Constitution.

    (c) A country that has a constitution must be a democracy.

    (d) Constitution cannot be amended because it is the supreme law of a country.


    ANSWER:

    (a) Leaders of the freedom movement had a consensus that the country should be a
    democratic nation after independence.

    (b) Members of the Constituent Assembly of India held the same views on the basic
    principles of the constitution.

    (c) A country that is a democracy must have a constitution.


    (d) A constitution can be amended.

    Question 2:

    Which of these was the most salient underlying conflict in the making of a democratic
    constitution in South Africa?

    (a) Between South Africa and its neighbours

    (b) Between men and women

    (c) Between the white majority and the black minority

    (d) Between the coloured minority and the black majority


    ANSWER:

    The most salient underlying conflict in the making of a democratic constitution in South
    Africa was between the white minority and the black majority.

    Question 3:

    Which of these is a provision that a democratic constitution does not have?

    (a) Powers of the head of the state

    (b) Name of the head of the state

    (c) Powers of the legislature

    (d) Name of the country


    ANSWER:

    (b) Name of the head of the state

    Question 4:

    Match the following leaders with their roles in the making of the Constitution:

    (a) Motilal Nehru (i) President of the Constituent Assembly


    (b) Β.R. Ambedkar (ii) Member of the Constituent Assembly

    (c) Rajendra Prasad (iii) Chairman of the Drafting Committee

    (d) Sarojini Naidu (iv) Prepared a Constitution for India in 1928


    ANSWER:

    (a) Motilal Nehru (iv) Prepared a Constitution for India in 1928

    (b) B.R. Ambedkar (iii) Chairman of the Drafting Committee

    (c) Rajendra Prasad (i) President of the Constituent Assembly

    (d) Sarojini Naidu (ii) Member of the Constituent Assembly

    Question 5:

    Read again the extracts from Nehru's speech “Tryst with Destiny” and answer the following:

    (a) Why did Nehru use the expression “not wholly or in full measure” in the first sentence?

    (b) What pledge did he want the makers of the Indian Constitution to take?

    (c) “The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from
    every eye”. Who was he referring to?
    ANSWER:

    (a) Nehru used the term ‘not wholly or in full measure’ because according to him the task
    they had undertaken was not complete.

    (b) The pledge that he wanted the makers of the Indian Constitution to take was to dedicate
    their lives to the service of India, the Indian people and the humanity at large.

    (c) Mahatma Gandhi

    Question 6:

    Here are some of the guiding values of the Constitution and their meaning. Rewrite them by
    matching them correctly.

    (a) Sovereign (i) Government will not favour any religion.


    (b) Republic (ii) People have the supreme right to make decisions.

    (c) Fraternity (iii) Head of the state is an elected person.

    (d) Secular (iv) People should live like brothers and sisters.
    ANSWER:

    (a) Sovereign (ii) People have the supreme right to make decisions.

    (b) Republic (iii) Head of the state is an elected person.

    (c) Fraternity (iv) People should live like brothers and sisters.

    (d) Secular (i) Government will not favour any religion.

    Question 10:

    Read the following statements about a constitution. Give reasons why each of these is true
    or not true.

    (a) The authority of the rules of the constitution is the same as that of any other law.

    (b) Constitution lays down how different organs of the government will be formed.

    (c) Rights of citizens and limits on the power of the government are laid down in the
    constitution.

    (d) A constitution is about institutions, not about values.


    ANSWER:

    (a) True

    The constitution is the supreme law of a country. It is the foundation of a democratic entity.
    The rules laid down in the constitution are the bases on which all the other laws are framed.
    Hence, it follows that the constitutional rules have the same authority, perhaps even
    greater, as any other law of the country.

    (b) True

    The constitution lays down the framework for government formation. It defines in detail the
    composition and functions of the different organs of government, namely the executive, the
    judiciary and the legislature.
    (c) True

    The constitution lays down the fundamental rights of every citizen of the country. These
    rights are enforceable in a court of law. By defining the structure and functions of the
    different organs of government and by making them independent in their own spheres, yet
    keeping each organ under check by the other organs, the constitution ensures that there
    are proper limits to the powers exercised by the government.

    (d) Not true

    A constitution lays down the composition and functions of the different institutions of
    government, thereby providing the framework and laws for the working of these institutions.
    However, in providing such laws and frameworks, it is strongly guided by democratic
    principles and values. Hence, a constitution is as much about values as it is about the
    institutions based on these values.

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