Class Notes NCERT Solutions for CBSE Students
Question: In China, elections are held after every five years. In-spite of this, China does not have a democratic government. Why?
Answer: In China, elections are regularly held after every five years for electing the country’s Parliament. The Parliament has the power to appoint the President of the country. It has nearly 3,000 members elected from all over China. Some members are elected by the Army. Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party. The government is always formed by the Communist Party.
Question: In which way is the right to vote denied in Saudi Arabia and Fiji?
Answer: In Saudi Arabia women do not have the right to vote. In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than that of an Indian Fijian. In both the countries, the right to vote is denied as there is no political equality. In a democracy, each adult citizen must have one vote and each vote must have one value.
Question: Why has India never had a famine of the level which occurred in China in 1958-61?
Answer: In China’s famine of 1958-61, nearly three crore people died. In those days India’s economic condition was not much better than China. Yet India did not have a famine of the kind China had. The reason was the difference in the economic policies of the two countries. Democratic government in India responded to the food shortage in a way that Chinese government did not. If China too had had multi-party elections, an opposition party and a press free to criticize the government, so many people would not have died in the famine.
Question: “Democracy is based on consultation and discussion”. Explain.
Answer: Consultation and discussion help democracy prosper. A democratic decision always involves many persons, discussions and meetings. When a number of people put their heads together, they are able to point out possible mistakes in any decision. This reduces the chances of rash or irresponsible decisions. Thus democracy improves the quality of decision-making.
Question: Why is it not possible for the people to rule directly but through elected representatives?
Answer: The people cannot rule directly but only through their elected representatives because, firstly, modern democracies involve such a large number of people that it is physically impossible for them to sit together and take a collective decision. Secondly, even if they could, the citizens do not have the time, the desire or the skill to take part in all the decisions.
Question: Is it possible for any country to become a perfect democracy? Give reasons.
Answer: No country is a perfect democracy as every democracy has to realize the ideals of democratic decision-making. This cannot be achieved once and for all. This requires a constant effort to save and strengthen democratic forms of decision-making. What we do as citizens can make a difference to making our country more or less democratic.
Question: Why is Democracy considered the best form of government? Give three reasons.
Answer: Democracy is a more accountable form of government.
- It improves the quality of decision-making.
- It enhances the dignity of citizens.
- It allows us to correct its own mistakes.
Question: What is the role of citizen in promoting democracy?
Answer: Every citizen should be able to play equal role in decision-making. For this a citizen not only needs an equal right to vote but also needs to have equal information, basic education, equal resources.
