CBSE Class 10 Social Science Federalism Important Questions Set 03

Question 1. Mention the dual objective of the federal system of government.
Answer:
The federal system has dual objectives: to safeguard and promote the unity of the country, while at the same time accommodating regional diversity.

Teacher's Note:
a) Federalism balances national unity with regional diversity.
b) This dual objective is the defining purpose of a federal system.

Question 2. Enumerate the features of federalism.
Answer:
There are two or more levels (or tiers) of government; India has three levels.
Different tiers of government govern the same citizens, but each tier has its own jurisdiction in specific matters of legislation, taxation and administration.
The jurisdictions of each level are specified in the constitution, so the existence and authority of each tier is constitutionally guaranteed.
The fundamental provisions of the constitution cannot be unilaterally changed by one level of government; such changes require the consent of both levels.
The High Court and the Supreme Court act as umpires if disputes arise between different levels of government over their respective powers.
Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified, to ensure financial autonomy.
The federal system thus has dual objectives: safeguarding national unity while accommodating regional diversity.

Teacher's Note:
a) Federalism means multiple government tiers with constitutionally guaranteed, specific jurisdictions.
b) Courts and clear revenue sources help keep this balance of power stable.

Question 3. Highlight three major distinctions between 'coming together' and 'holding together' federations.
Answer:
Holding together federation: large countries decide to divide power between states and the centre; the central government tends to be more powerful; federating units have unequal power; examples include India, Spain and Belgium.
Coming together federation: independent states come together on their own to form a bigger unit; all states have equal power and are strong; by pooling sovereignty and retaining identity, they increase their security; examples include the USA, Switzerland and Australia.

Teacher's Note:
a) Holding-together federations (India, Spain, Belgium) start from one unit and devolve power, with a stronger centre.
b) Coming-together federations (USA, Switzerland, Australia) start from separate equal states uniting voluntarily.

Question 4. How is a federal government different from a unitary form of government? Why are federations preferred these days?
Answer:
A unitary government has only one level of government, whereas a federal government has two or more levels.
In a unitary government, sub-units are subordinate to the centre, whereas in a federation, the central government cannot encroach on the rights of state governments.
In a unitary system, the centre can order the sub-units, which cannot happen in a federation.
A federation is preferred because it helps make administration effective and efficient, and helps accommodate diverse groups.

Teacher's Note:
a) Unitary systems have one dominant centre; federations constitutionally protect state-level autonomy.
b) Federations are popular today because they balance efficient administration with accommodating diversity.

Question 5. What is the system of Panchayati Raj?
Answer:
In India, Panchayati Raj functions as a system of governance in which gram panchayats are the basic units of local administration.
The system has three levels: Gram Panchayat (village level), Block Samiti or Panchayat Samiti (block level), and Zilla Parishad (district level).

Teacher's Note:
a) Panchayati Raj has three levels: village, block and district.
b) Gram Panchayats form the foundational, village-level unit.

Question 6. List the subjects under which both the Union and State Governments can make laws under the federal system in India.
Answer:
Such subjects fall under the Concurrent List.

Teacher's Note:
a) The Concurrent List allows both Centre and states to legislate.
b) This differs from the Union List (Centre only) and State List (states only).

Question 7. Why was the States Reorganisation Commission formed?
Answer:
The States Reorganisation Commission was formed in 1954, to recommend the creation of states in India on a linguistic basis.

Teacher's Note:
a) The 1954 Commission recommended reorganising states along linguistic lines.
b) This shaped much of India's current state boundaries.

Question 8. Which type of powers does the Community Government of Belgium enjoy?
Answer:
In Belgium, there is a form of community government elected by people belonging to any one language community — German, French or Dutch.
This gives every group proper representation and lets them voice issues related to language, culture and the education system.

Teacher's Note:
a) Belgium's Community Governments are organised by language group (German/French/Dutch).
b) This gives each linguistic community a direct say over culture, language and education.

Question 9. What status has been given to Hindi by the Constitution of India?
Answer:
Hindi has been given the status of the official language of India.

Teacher's Note:
a) Hindi is India's official language per the Constitution.
b) India also recognises many other languages at state and schedule level.

Question 10. Describe any three steps taken to strengthen local self-governments by the Constitutional Amendment of 1992.
Answer:
A major step towards decentralisation and strengthening local self-government was taken in 1992, when the Constitution was amended to make the third tier of democracy more powerful and effective.
It is now constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.
Seats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
At least one-third of all positions are reserved for women.
An independent institution, the State Election Commission, has been created in each state to conduct panchayat and municipal elections.

Teacher's Note:
a) The 1992 amendment made local-body elections mandatory and reserved seats for SC/ST/OBC and women.
b) It also created independent State Election Commissions to run these elections.