MCQ Questions for Class 10 Social Science Federalism
Question : How many scheduled languages are recognized by the constitution?
(a) Besides Hindus, there are 18 scheduled, languages.
(b) Besides Hindi, there are 21 scheduled languages.
(c) Besides Hindi there are 22 scheduled languages.
(d) Besides Hindi there are 19 scheduled languages
Answer : B
Question : What is the government at Block level called?
(a) Gram Sabha (b) Gram Panchyat (c) Panchayat Samiti (d) Nayay Panchyat
Answer : C
Question : Which local govt works at district level?
(a) Panchayat samiti (b) Village panchayat (c) Zila Parishad (d) None of the mention above
Answer : C
Question : By what name local govt at urban area called?
A) Municipality B) Municipal corporation C) Panchayat samiti
(a) Only A is true (b) Only B is true (c) Both B and C are true (d) Both A and B are true
Answer : D
Question : Besides Hindi, there are other languages recognised as Scheduled Languages by the Indian Constitution.
(a) 26
(b) 29
(c) 22
(d) 21
Answer : D
Explanation: Hindi was identified as the official language. But Hindi is the mother tongue of only about 40 per cent of Indians. Therefore, there were many safeguards to protect other languages. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages recognised as Scheduled Languages by the Constitution.
Question : The regional governments were given constitutional powers that were no longer dependent on the central government, these change that took place in _______.
(a) 1969
(b) 1954
(c) 1993
(d) 1985
Answer : C
Explanation: The change that took place in 1993 was that the regional governments were given constitutional powers that were no longer dependent on the central government.
Question : _______ became the 29th State of India.
(a) Telangana
(b) Haryana
(c) Uttarakhand
(d) Punjab
Answer : A
Explanation: Telangana became the 29th State of India on the 2nd June, 2014.
It was seperated from Andhra
Very Short Questions for Class 10 Social Science Federalism
Question. Define Federalism?
Answer : Federalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the country
Question. Identify three states in India which have been carved out of bigger states.
Answer : Jharkhand,Uttarkhandu,Chathisghad
Question. Indian Constitution does not use the term Federation, even though we work on the same principles. Which term has been used to indicate our system?
Answer : India, a Union of States
Question. Give examples of Coming together Federations
Answer : The USA,Switzerland and Australia.
Question : Why was States Reorganization Commission formed?
Answer : States Reorganization Commission was formed in 1954 to recommend creation of States on the linguistic basis.
Question : In which list of the Indian Constitution does education come? Why?
Answer : Education comes under concurrent list so that both the centre and the states can legislate on any aspect of education.
Question : What status has been given to Hindi by the Constitution of India?
Answer : Official language of the country.
Question : Name the country which follows ‘coming together’ style of federalism.
Answer : USA, Switzerland and Australia.
Question : Which local body has a ‘Mayor’ as its head?
Answer : Municipal Corporation
Question : Which subjects are included in the Union List?
Answer : Subjects included in the union list include defense of the country, foreign affairs, banking, etc.
Question : List under which both the Union and State Government can make laws under the federal system in India.
Answer : Concurrent List
Question : What status has been given to Hindi by the Constitution of India?
Answer : Official language of India.
Question : How do the central and state governments enjoy their power in federal system?
Answer : The central and state governments enjoy powers because their 'Powers' are clearly divided in Union list and State list. They exercise authority equally on items listed is the concurrent list. The two governments operate according to their jurisdiction.
Question : Which Indian state has its own Constitution?
Answer : Jammu and Kashmir state has its own Constitution. Many provisions of Indian Constitution are not applicable to this state.
Question : In which list do education, forest and marriages fall?
Answer : Education, forest and marriages fall under Concurrent List. It includes subjects of common interest to both the Union government as well as the state governments.
Short Questions for Class 10 Social Science Federalism
Question : In what ways has the local government deepened our democracy?
Answer : Local self-governance helped in deepening of democracy in the following ways:
a. The Constitution was amended to make the third-tier of democracy more powerful and effective. Hence, constitutional status for local government has helped to deepen democracy in our country.
b. It has increased women’s representation and voice in our democracy. At least onethird of all positions are reserved for women.
c. The new system of local government has widened the scope of political participation.
d. Seats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. This has increased their participation in decision making.
All these features strengthen the very aspect of our democracy.
Question : Distinguish between Coming Together and Holding Together type of federations.
Answer : The difference between Coming Together and Holding Together type of federations are as follows:
Question : What is the real reason for the successes of federalism in India?
Answer : The constitutional provisions are laid out very clearly
2) The nature of democratic politics has ensure its success
3) There is respect for diversity
Question : What are the objectives of the federal system?
Answer : Federal system has dual objectives to safeguard and promote unity of the country and accommodate regional diversity. It is based on mutual trust and agreement to live together.
Question : What happened to the centre state relations when different parties ruled at the centre and state levels till 1990?
Answer : When different parties ruled at the centre and state levels the parties at the centre tried to undermine the power of states. The central government misused the constitution often to dismiss the state governments that were controlled by other parties. This is against the spirit of federalism.
Question : Describe any three provisions of amendment made in Indian constitution in 1992 for making. ‘Three-Tier’ government more effective and powerful.
Answer : a. Now it is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.
b. Seats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
c. At least one-third of all positions are reserved for women.
d. An independent institution called the State Election Commission has been created in each state to conduct panchayat and municipal elections.
e. The state governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies.
Question : Explain the factors that make federal government in India so attractive.
Answer : a. Mobilization
b. Administrative knowledge of the people at all the levels.
c. Efficacy to solve all kinds of issues at respective levels.
Question : Highlight any three steps taken by India towards making it a federation.
Answer : a. Reorganisation of states on linguistic basis.
b. Centre-state relations
c. Decentralisation or any other relevant point.
Question : Differentiate between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat.
Answer : Gram Panchayat is a council consisting of several ward members often called panch and a head or Sarpanch.
It is the decision making body for the village. The Panchayat works under the overall supervision of the gram sabha. All the voters in the village are its members.
Question : What are the three lists given in the Constitution?
or
Describe the three-fold distribution of legislative power between the Union Government and State Governments of India.
Answer : The three-fold distribution of legislative powers:
a. Union list: Union lists consist of 97 subjects. It includes subjects of national importance such as defence of the country, foreign affairs, banking, communication and currency.
b. State list: State list consists of 66 subjects. It contains subjects of state and local importance such as police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation.
c. Concurrent list: Concurrent list consist of 47 subjects It includes subjects of common interest to both such as education, forest, trade unions, marriage, adoption and succession.
Question : Do you take decentralisation as means to minimise the conflicts?
or
Describe the significance of decentralisation.
Answer : Importance of Decentralisation
a. It helps in the settlement of a large number of problems and issues at the local level
b. It provides a platform for the direct participation of people in decision-making
c. In another way, decentralization in the form of ‘local self government’ is the best way to realise principles of Democracy.
Long Questions for Class 10 Social Science Federalism
Question : Why does the exact balance of power between the Central and State Governments vary from one federation to other federations? Explain with example.
Answer : The balance of power between the Central and the State government varies from one federation to another due to the nature of route adopted by the country like: 'Coming Together' Federations and 'Holding Together' Federation.
i. Coming together Federation: In this type of federation independent units come together on their own to form a union or federation. Their main aim is to form a bigger unit, so that by pooling sovereignty and retaining their identity they can increase their security. Federations of USA, Switzerland and Australia are its examples.
ii. Holding Together Federations: Under this type of federation, the federal government decides to divide its power between the constituent states and the national government. In this, type of government the Central government tends to be more powerful vis-a-vis states. Holding together sometimes gives unequal power to constitute states. Some states are granted special powers. India, Spain and Belgium federations are the examples of Holding Together Federations.
Question : Explain any five features of Panchayati Raj system in India.
Answer : Rural local government is known as Panch ay ati Raj.
a. PRI is rural-based.
b. Each village has Gram Panchayat.
c. It has Panchs and a Sarpanch.
d. He/She is directly elected by the adult population living in the village.
e. Panchayat works under the Gram Sabha.
f. All the voters meet at least twice or thrice in a year.
g. Few gram panchayats form Panchayat Samiti or Block or Mandal.
Question : Differentiate between ‘Coming together Federation’ and ‘Holding Together Federation’, with examples.
Answer : Difference between ‘Coming Together Federation’ and ‘Holding Together Federation’:
a. ‘Coming Together Federations’ are formed when independent states come together to form a bigger state and ‘Holding Together Federations’ are formed when a large country decides to divide itself into sub¬units.
b. In ‘Coming Together Federations’ the state governments are strong, whereas in ‘Holding Together Federations’, the central government is strong.
c. In ‘Coming Together Federations’, all states governments have equal powers but in ‘Holding Together Federations’, this may not be the case.
d. Examples of ‘Coming Together Federations’— U.S.A., Switzerland and Australia. Examples of‘Holding Together Federations’—India, Spain and Belgium.
Question : Why has federalism succeeded in India? Which were the policies adopted by India that ensured this success? Explain.
Answer : Federalism has succeeded in India due to the nature of democratic policies in our country. The policies adopted by India for smooth functioning of a federal structure: Linguistic States: After independence, the boundaries of several old states were changed in order to create new states. The creation of linguistic states was the first and a major test for democratic politics in our country.
Language Policy:
The second test for the Indian federation is the language policy, The Indian constitution did not give the status of national language to any one of the language.
Centre-State Relations: Restructuring the centre-state relations is one more way in which federalism has been strengthened in practice.
Decentralisation of Power:
Power in India has been decentralised to the local government. The local government includes Panchayats in villages and municipalities in urban areas.
Question : How are the powers divided between the states and centre? Explain with examples.
or
Describe the three-fold distribution of legislative powers between the Union Government and State Governments of India.
or
Describe the three-fold distribution of legislative powers between the Union Government and the State Governments. Who can make laws on the subjects which are not covered under these lists and what name has been given to such subjects?
or
Describe the division of powers between the Central and the State Governments in India.
Answer : The three-fold distribution of legislative powers:
a. Union list: Union lists consist of 97 subjects. It includes subjects of national importance such as defence of the country, foreign affairs, banking, communication and currency.
b. State list: State list consists of 66 subjects. It contains subjects of state and local importance such as police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation.
c. Concurrent list: Concurrent fist consists of 47 subjects. It includes subjects of common interest to both such as education, forest, trade unions, marriage, adoption and succession.
Union Government can make laws on the subjects which are not covered under these lists. The name has been given to such subjects is residuary subjects.
Question : What challenges did centre-state relations in India face before the 1990’s? Why is power sharing between centre and state more effective today?
or
Describe the centre-state relations in Indian Federalism.
or
How have the centre-state relations been restructured to strengthen federalism?
Answer : Challenges before 1990:
a. Political scene was dominated by one party both at the Centre and in the States.
b. As and when the ruling party at the state level was different, the parties that ruled at the Centre tried to undermine the power of the States.
c. The Central Government would often misuse the constitution to dismiss the State Government that were controlled by rival parties.
After 1990:
a. Now the Centre and majority of State Governments belong to different political parties in coalition.
b. A number of regional parties have become powerful and play a crucial role at the Centre and States.
c. The era of “coalition” government at the Centre has inculcated respect for federal autonomy,
Question : Explain five changes towards decentralisation brought in the Constitution after the Amendments made in 1992.
or
What is the meaning of decentralisation? Explain any four provisions that have been made towards decentralisation in India after the Constitutional Amendment in 1992.
or
Which five provisions of the Constitutional Amendment of 1992 strengthen the third tier of democracy in India? Explain.
or
Explain any four provisions that have been made towards decentralisation in India after the Constitutional Amendment in 1992?
or
What is meant by “decentralisation of powers”?
Explain the importance of local self government in the light of decentralization.
or
How has the third tier of government in our country been made more effective and powerful by the constitutional amendment of 1992?
or
Describe any four Constitutional steps taken in 1992 towards decentralisation in India.
Answer : Decentralisation: When power is taken from ‘Central and State Governments and is given to the local government, it is called decentralisation. The Constitution was amended in 1992 to make the third tier of democracy more powerful and effective.
Provisions of the Constitutional Amendment of 1992 are:
a. Now it is mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.
b. Seats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for SCs, STs nd OBCs.
c. At least one-third of all positions are reserved for women.
d. An independent institution called State Election Commission has been created in each state to conduct panchayat and municipal elections.
e. The state governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies.
Question : What is a Gram Sabha? Describe any four functions of a Gram Sabha.
Answer : Gram Sabha: A body comprising of all adult members of a village or a group of villages Functions of Gram Sabha are:
a. It elects the members of the Gram Panchayat.
b. The Gram Sabha supervises the work of the village panchayat.
c. It approves the annual budget of the panchayat.
d. It reviews the performance of the Gram Panchayat.
Question : Assess the need for local government.
Answer : Need for local government: There are a number of problems and issues that are best settled at the local level, because people have a better knowledge of the problems in their localities.
a. The local people are aware of their needs and can prioritize.
b. It helps to initiate the process of direct decision making.
c. It helps to inculcate the habit of democratic participation.
Local government is the best way to realize one important principle of democracy, namely local self government.
Question : Give the key features of federalism
Answer : 1. There is two or more level of govt
2. Each tier has its own jurisdiction
3. Any change in the fundamental provisions of the constitution requires consent of both levels of the govt
4. Sources of revenue for each level are specified
Question : What major steps taken in 1992 towards decentralization?
Answer : A three tier democracies were introduced in 1992.
A step was taken towards creating rural local self govt.
1) Regular elections to be held for panchayat
2) Seats reserved for SC’s and STs OBCs
3) One third seats reserved for women
4) State govt to share power and revenue with local bodies.
Question : What are the three lists given in the Constitution?
Answer : The three-fold distribution of legislative powers are :
(i) Union list : Union lists consist of 97 subjects. It includes subjects of national importance such as defence of the country, foreign affairs, banking, communication and currency.
(ii) State list : State list consists of 66 subjects. It contains subjects of state and local importance such as police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation.
(iii) Concurrent list : Concurrent list consists of 47 subjects It includes subjects of common interest to both such as education, forest, trade unions, marriage, adoption and succession.
Question : "Local governments have made a significant impact on Indian democracy. At the same time there are many difficulties". Explain.
Answer : Impact of local self government on Indian democracy :
(i) Constitutional status for local government has helped to deepen democracy.
(ii) It has increased women's representation and voice in our democracy.
Difficulties :
(i) Gram sabhas are not held regularly.
(ii) Most state governments have not transferred significant powers to local government.
(iii) State government do not provide adequate resources to the gram sabhas.
Question : "India has a large cultural, regional and religious diversity but there is unity among people". What factors are responsible for this? Elaborate.
Answer : Despite the diversity the people of India are united because they have :
(i) Right to equality.
(ii) No discrimination on the basis of caste, creed region or religion.
(iii) SCs and STs have some seats reserved and do get representation.
(iv) They have right to freedom of religion and cultural and educational rights.
Extra Questions-
Question : 1 Why do some states enjoy special powers in India? Which are they?
Question : 2 What type of federation does India have? How it is different from that of USA?
Question : 3 How legislative powers being distributed among three tiers of the govt by the constitution?
Question : 4 Distinguish between unitary and federal government.
