G.

D GOENKA PUBLIC SCHOOL

CONSTITUTION DESIGN

Q.1. What is constitution?

Ans:In a democracy the rulers are not free to do what they like. There are certain basic rules that
the citizens and the government have to follow. All such rules together are called constitution.
Q.3. Why was Nelson Mandela sentenced to life imprisonment?
Ans:Nelson Mandela was tried for treason by the white South African government. He and seven
other leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 for daring to oppose the apartheid
regime in his country.
Q.4. What is meant by apartheid?
OR

What do you mean by ‘Policy of apartheid?

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 on the basis of their skin colour. The native people of South Africa are black in
colour. They made up about three-fourth of the population and were called ‘blacks’. Besides these
two groups, there were people of mixed races who were called ‘coloured’ and people who migrated
from India. The white rulers treated all nonwhites as inferiors. The non-whites did not have voting
rights.
Q.5 Why was apartheid system particularly oppressive for the blacks?
Ans:The apartheid system was particularly oppressive for the blacks. They were forbidden from
living in white areas. They could work in white areas only if they had a permit. Trains, buses, taxis,
hotels, hospitals, schools and colleges, libraries, cinema halls, theatres, beaches, swimming pools,
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 against the terrible treatment.
Q.6. Name the umbrella organisation that led the struggle against the policies of segregation in
South Africa.
Ans:The African National Congress (ANC) was the umbrella organisation that led the struggle against
the policies of segregation.
Q.7. How was apartheid opposed?
OR

Describe any three efforts made by people of South Africa to struggle against apartheid
system.
Ans The organizations that opposed apartheid included many workers’ unions and the Communist
Party. Many sensitive whites also joined the ANC to oppose apartheid and played a leading role in
this struggle. Several countries denounced apartheid as unjust and racist.
Q.8. What was the reaction of the government towards the protest movement?
Ans:In South Africa the white racist government continued to rule by detaining, torturing and killing
thousands of black and coloured people. As protests and struggles against apartheid had increased,
the government realised that they could no longer keep the blacks under their rule through
repression. The white regime changed its policies. Discriminatory laws were repealed. Ban on
political parties and restrictions on the media were lifted. After 28 years of imprisonment, Nelson
Mandela walked out of the jail as a free man.
 Q.9. When did South Africa become a democratic country?
Ans:At the midnight of 26 April 1994, the new national flag of the Republic of South Africa was
unfurled marking the newly born democracy in the world. The apartheid government came to an
end, paving way for the formation of a multi-racial government.
Q.10. What appeal was made by black leaders after the emergence of the new democratic South
Africa?
Ans:After the emergence of the new democratic South Africa, black leaders appealed to fellow
blacks to forgive the whites for the atrocities they had committed while in power. They said let us
build a new South Africa based on equality of all races and men and women, on democratic values,
social justice and human rights.
Q.11. Write a note on constitution of South Africa.
Ans:After two years of discussion and debate one of the finest constitutions of the world was
prepared in South Africa. This constitution gave to its citizens the most extensive rights available in
any country. Together, they decided that in the search for a solution to the problems, nobody
should be excluded; no one should be treated as a demon. They agreed that everybody should
become part of the solution, whatever they might have done or represented in the past.
Q.12. What was the need for constitution in South Africa?
Ans:The oppressor and the oppressed in South Africa 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. The white
minority was keen to protect its privileges and property.
Q.13. Why do countries need constitution?
Ans: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.
Q.14. What are main features of the constitution?
Ans:The main features of constitutions are:

• First, it generates a degree of trust and coordination that is necessary for different kind of
people to live together
• Second, it specifies how the government will be constituted, who will have power to take which
decisions
• Third, it lays down limits on the powers of the government and tells us what the rights of the
citizens are.
• Fourth, it expresses the aspirations of the people about creating a good society.

Q.15. Why was constitution making not an easy affair in India?

OR
‘Formation of Indian constitution was no less a struggle than that of South Africa’ Do you agree ?
Explain with five arguments
Ans:Like South Africa, India’s Constitution was also drawn up under very difficult circumstances.
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. 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.
Q.16. What was the biggest advantage for the makers of Indian constitution?
Ans:There was one big advantage for the makers of the Indian Constitution. Unlike South Africa,
they did not have to create a consensus about what a democratic India should look like. Much of
this consensus had evolved during the freedom struggle.
Q.17. How did familiarity with political institutions of colonial rule help Indians develop an
agreement over the institutional design?
Ans:The familiarity with political institutions of colonial rule also helped develop an agreement
over the institutional design. The British rule had given voting rights only to a few. On that basis
the British had introduced very weak legislatures. Elections were held in 1937 for Provincial
Legislatures and Ministries all over British India. These were not fully democratic governments. But
the experience gained by Indians in the working of the legislative institutions proved to be very
useful for the country in setting up its own institutions.
Q.18. How were Indian leaders inspired by other countries of world?
Ans:Years of thinking and deliberation on the framework of the constitution had another benefit.
Our leaders gained confidence to learn from other countries, but on our own terms. Many of our
leaders were inspired by the ideals of French Revolution, the practice of parliamentary democracy
in Britain and the Bill of Rights in the US. The socialist revolution in Russia had inspired many
Indians to think of shaping a system based on social and economic equality.
.
Q.19. When was the Indian constitution adopted?
Ans:The Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949 but it came into effect on
January 26, 1950. To mark this day January 26 is celebrated as Republic Day every year.
Q.20. Why should we accept the Constitution made by the Assembly more than fifty years ago?
Ans:The Constitution does not reflect the views of its members alone. It expresses a broad
consensus of its time. Many countries of the world have had to rewrite their Constitution afresh
because the basic rules were not accepted to all major social groups or political parties. The
experience of our Constitution is different. Over the last half a century, several groups have
questioned some provisions of the Constitution, but no large social group or political party has ever
questioned the legitimacy of the Constitution itself. This is an unusual achievement for any
constitution. The second reason for accepting the Constitution is that the Constituent Assembly
represented the people of India.
Q.21. How members of the constituent assembly were elected?
Ans:The Constituent Assembly represented the people of India. There was no universal adult
franchise at that time. So the Constituent Assembly could not have been chosen directly by all the
people of India. It was elected mainly by the members of the existing Provincial Legislatures.
Q.22. Who was the chairman of the drafting committee?
Ans:
Dr.B.R. Ambedkar was the chairman of the drafting committee.
Q.2. Why is the preamble regarded as the soul of Indian constitution?
Or
‘The preamble to the Indian Constitution provide philosophy and values to the constitution’.
Explain three value that you derive from it
Ans:The Preamble of the Constitution reads like a poem on democracy. 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.
INDIA is sovereign
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.
INDIA is 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.
INDIA is secular
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.
Q.24. What are constitutional amendments?
Ans:A constitution is not merely a statement of values and philosophy. A constitution is mainly
about embodying these values into institutional arrangements. Indian constitution is a very long and
detailed document. Therefore it needs to be amended quite regularly to keep it updated. Those
who crafted the Indian Constitution felt that it has to be in accordance with people’s aspirations
and changes in society. They did not see it as a sacred, static and unalterable law. So, they made
provisions to incorporate changes from time to time. These changes are called constitutional
amendments.
Q.26. How does the Indian Constitution describes the institutional arrangements?
Ans:The Constitution describes the institutional arrangements in a very legal language. Like any
Constitution, the Indian Constitution lays down a procedure for choosing persons to govern the
country. It defines who will have how much power to take which decisions, and it puts limits to
what the government can do by providing some rights to the citizen that cannot be violated.
Q.27. Define preamble.
Ans:It is an introductory statement in a constitution which states the reasons and guiding values of
the constitution.