RBSE Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 2 Federalism

Rajasthan Board RBSE Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 2 Federalism Important Questions and Answers. 

RBSE Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Civics Chapter 2 Federalism

Objective Type Questions 

Question 1. 
What form of government is present in Belgium? 
(a) Federal
(b) Unitary 
(c) Dictatorship 
(d) Monarchy 
Answer:
(a) Federal

Question 2. 
Which of the following country has a unitary form of government?
(a) India
(b) U.S.A. 
(c) Sri Lanka
(d) Belgium 
Answer:
(c) Sri Lanka

Question 3. 
Which of the following is not the feature of Federalism-
(a) Two level of government 
(b) Constitutional power given to both government 
(c) Powers given to state governments by central government 
(d) Both governments have different powers 
Answer:
(c) Powers given to state governments by central government

Question 4. 
The example of 'coming together' federation is-
(a) India
(b) U.S.A. 
(c) Belgium
(d) Spain 
Answer:
(b) U.S.A. 

Question 5.
Who is more powerful in ‘holding together federation'? 
(a) Central government 
(b) State government 
(c) Equal powers
(d) Local governments 
Answer:
(a) Central government 

Question 6. 
Which is not the example of 'holding together federation'? 
(a) India
(b) Belgium 
(c) Spain
(d) Switzerland 
Answer:
(d) Switzerland

Question 7.
Communication comes under which list ? 
(a) Union list 
(b) State list 
(c) Concurrent list
(d) None of the above 
Answer:
(a) Union list

Question 8. 
Which of the following state does not avail special powers under Article 371 ? 
(a) Assam
(b) Nagaland 
(c) Uttarakhand 
(d) Mizoram 
Answer:
(c) Uttarakhand

Question 9. 
Which of the following is Union Territory ?
(a) Chandigarh 
(b) Delhi 
(c) Lakshadweep 
(d) All of the above 
Answer:
(d) All of the above

Question 10. 
What is the president of a gram panchayat called ? 
(a) Sarpanch 
(b) Panch 
(c) District head 
(d) Mayor
Answer:
(a) Sarpanch

Fill in the blanks 

1. Under the ..........., either there is only one level of government or the sub-units are subordinate to the central government.
2. If Union as well as the state governments lanes conflict with each other, the law made
by the .............. will pavail. 
3. The ............. plays an important role in overseeing the implementation of constitutional provisions and procedures. 
4. In India, a major step towards decentralisation was taken in .............. 
5. A few gram panchayats are grouped together to form a .................
Answer:
1. Unitary system 
2. Union Government 
3. Judiciary 
4. 1992 
5. Panchayat samiti. 

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
What type of government is there in Sri Lanka for all practical purposes ?
Answer:
Sri Lanka has unitary type of government for all practical purposes.

Question 2. 
Give the name of any big country which does not have federal type of government?
Answer:
Communist China.

Question 3. 
What percent of population of the world lives in federal countries?
Answer:
40%.

Question 4. 
How many languages have been included in eighth scheduled list of Indian Constitution?
Answer:
22 languages.

Question 5. 
When was the report of States Reorganisation Commission implemented in India?
Answer:
On 1 November, 1956.

Question 6. 
How many lists have been made for the division of subjects in India.
Answer:
Three lists-

1. Union list
2. State list
3. Concurrent list.

Question 7. 
What is ‘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 8. 
What do you mean by 'Unitary Government'?
Answer:
Unitary form of government has the single level of government and the rest units are subordinate to it.

Question 9. 
Write the name of any five federal countries?
Answer:

1. Canada
2. U.S.A.
3. Brazil
4. Arzentina 
5. India.

Question 10. 
Write the two main objectives of federalism.
Answer:
There are two main objectives of federalism

1. Defend the national unity and promote
2. Respect the regional diversities

Question 11. 
What are the two routes of Federalism ?
Answer:
There are two routes of federation-

1. Coming together federation
2. Holding together federation.

Question 12. 
Write the name of four countries where there is unitary government.
Answer:
These countries are- Britain, Italy, Japan and Sri Lanka

Question 13. 
Write the name of any three countries of coming together as federation.
Answer:
(1) U.S.A., (2) Australia, (3) Switzerland.

Question 14. 
What are the arrangements of power sharing in India between central and state governments ?
Answer:
The arrangements of power sharing between central and state government in Indian federal have been done through three lists.

Question 15. 
What is Union List ?
Answer:
97 subjects of national importance have been included in Union fist on which central government can make laws.

Question 16.
What is State list ?
Answer:
Those subjects have been included in state list, on which state government has the right to make laws.

Question 17. 
What do you mean by Concurrent list?...
Answer:
It includes the subjects of common interest to both the Union government and State government. Both governments can make laws on these subjects.

Question 18. 
What is 'decentralization of powers'?
Answer:
When powers are taken away from central and state governments and given to the governments at local levels, it is called decentralization of powers.

Question 19. 
What are the three levels of Panchayati Raj?
Answer:
The three levels of Panchayati Raj are

1. Gram Panchayat at village level. 
2. Panchayat Samiti at block level. 
3. Zila Parishad at district level.

Question 20. 
Who is Mayor?
Answer:
The political head of a municipal corporation is called Mayor.

Question 21. 
How many levels of government are there in Indian Union?
Answer:
Mainly there are two levels of government in Indian Union-Central and State governments. Later a third level of government was added in the constitution in the form of Panchayats and Municipalities.

Question 22. 
Write the names of any five subjects of State list.
Answer:

1. Police
2. Trade
3. Commerce
4. Agriculture
5. Irrigation.

Question 23. 
Write the names of any five subjects which have been included in Union list.
Answer:

1. Defence
2. Foreign affairs
3. Banking
4. Communication and 
5. Currency.

Question 24. 
Give any two examples of Union territory in India.
Answer:

1. Lakshadweep 
2. Chandigarh.

Question 25. 
Write the names of any five subjects of Concurrent list?
Answer:

1. Education
2. Forest
3. Marriage
4. Trade Union
5. Succession.

Question 26. 
How does government collect revenue to run the administration?
Answer:
Central and State governments impose taxes and collect revenue to run the administration.

Question 27. 
What is coalition government?
Answer:
A government formed by the coming together of at least two political parties is called coalition government. It adopts a common programme.

Question 28. 
By which name is local government known at village level in India?
Answer:
Panchayati Raj.

Short Answer Type Questions (Type-I)

Question 1. 
How did Belgium government shift from Unitary government to Federal government?
Answer:
Belgium government gave some constitutional rights to state governments in 1993 by the constitutional amendments. For these rights state governments were not dependent on central government. Thus Belgium adopted federal system instead of unitary government.

Question 2. 
What do you mean by Federalism?
Answer:
Federalism-In federal form of government the supreme power is divided between two levels-central government and its various constituent units. These two levels of governments are independent in their fields.

Question 3. 
Describe the special status states in the Indian Union.
Answer:
All States in the Indian Union do not have identical powers. Some States enjoy a special status such as Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram enjoy special powers under certain provisions of the Constitution of India (Artical 371) due to their peculiar social and historical circumstances. These special Powers are especially enjoyed in relation to the protection of land righst of indigenous people, their culture and also preferential employment in government services.

Question 4. 
How can the power sharing in Indian Constitution be changed?
Answer:
Power sharing between central and state govemments is the basic provision of Indian constitution. There must be some constitutional amendments for the changes in distribution of rights. First of all the amendment must be approved with the two third majority in both the houses of parliament, after that it must get approved at least from the half state assemblies of the country.

Question 5. 
Describe the language diversity in India.
Answer:
In India 121 languages have been found in 2011 census. From which 22 languages have been included in 8th scheduled list of Indian constitution so these are known as scheduled languages. India is the most diversify country according to language.

Question 6. 
Write two main features of 73rd constitutional amendment, 1992?
Answer:
The chief characteristics of 73rd constitutional amendment 1992 are

1. Now it is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.
2. Now seats are reserved in the elected bodies for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, backward classes and women.

Question 7. 
Why were linguistic states created? What have been the advantages of these?
Answer:
In India linguistic states were created to ensure so that the same language speaking regions might come into the same state.
Advantages of Linguistic States:

1. Country has been strengthened with the formation of linguistic states. 
2. Administration has been more easy.

Short Answer Type Questions (Type-II)

Question 1. 
Describe two different kinds of routes through which federations have been formed?
Answer:
There are two kinds of routes through which federations have been formed :
(1) Coming together federation- It involves independent states coming together on their own to form a bigger unit, so that by pooling sovereignty and retaining identity they can increase their security. In this category, all the constituent states usually have equal power and are strong vis-a-vis the federal government. For example the U.S.A., Switzerland and Australia.

(2) Holding together Federation- Where a large country decides to divide its power between the constituent states and the national government. In this category the central government tends to be more powerful vis-a-vis the states India, Spain and Belgium are the example of this category.

Question 2. 
Describe any four features of the third tier of government?
Answer:

1. Seats are reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institution for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes.
2. One-third of all positions are reserved for women.
3. An independent institution called the state election commission has been created in each state to conduct Panchayat and Municipal elections.
4. The state governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies.

Question 3. 
What is federalism? How is the form of Federalism in India? Explain.
Answer:
Federalism is a system of government in which powers are divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the nation.
Form of Federalism in India-

• Indian federalism is the union of states.
• There are two levels of government in Indian federal system. In that one is for the entire country and the other for the states.
• In Indian federation power is shared among three lists-Union list, State list and Concurrent list.
• In Indian federalism jurisdiction is independent and supreme.
• States have not been given the equal rights in Indian federalism. Special rights have been given to some states.

Question 4. 
Describe in brief the language policy of India?
Answer:
Our constitution did not give the status of national language to any one language. Hindi was identified as the official language. Besides Hindi, there are 21 other languages recognised as scheduled languages by the constitution. A candidate in an examination conducted for the Central Government positions may opt to take the examination in any of these languages. States too have their own official languages. Much of the government work takes place in the official language of the concerned state.

The central government responded by agreeing to continue the use of English along with Hindi for official purposes. 

Question 5. 
What is the basic idea behind decentralization of powers?
Answer:
The basic idea behind decentralisation is that there are large number of problems and issues which are best settled at the local level. People have better knowledge of problems in their localities. They also have better ideas on where to spend money and how to manage things more efficiently. Besides, at the local level it is possible for the people to participate directly in decision making. Thus local government is the best way to realise one important principle of democracy.

Question 6. 
Describe the three lists which have been divided between Union government and state government by constitution of India?
Answer:
The following lists have been divided between state and central government by the constitution of India-
(1) Union list- The subjects on which central government can make laws are included in union list. Union list includes subject of national importance such as defence, finance, foreign department etc.

(2) State list- It contains subjects of state and local importance such as agriculture, police, commerce etc. Only state government can make laws on these subjects.

(3) Concurrent list- It includes subjects of common interests to both the Union government as well as the state government such as education, forest, trade unions, marriage, adoption and succession etc. If their laws conflict with each other, the law made by the union government will prevail.

(4) Residuary subject- Union government has the power to legislate on these residuary subjects. 

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1. 
Describe the important features of Federalism.
Answer:
The important features of federalism are

• There are two or more levels of government.
• Different tiers of government but each has its own jurisdiction.
• The jurisdictions of the respective levels or tiers of government are specified in the constitution.
• Courts have the power to interpret the constitution and the powers of different levels of government.
• Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.
• The main objective of federalism is to safeguard and promote unity of the country.

Question 2. 
What are the different kinds of routes through which federations have been formed?
Answer:
There are two kinds of routes through which federations are formed-
(1) Coming together federation--It involves independent states coming together on their own to form a bigger unit. The U.S.A., Switzerland and Australia are the main examples of this category.

Following are the features of this federation:

• In this category all independent nations continue their sovereignty and retain identity.
• They can increase their security.
• All the constituent states usually have equal power and are strong vis-a-vis the federal government.

(2) Holding together federation- Where a large country decides to divide its power between the constituent states and the national government. Belgium, India and Spain are the example of this kind of federation.

The chief features of this federation are-

• The central government tends to be more powerful vis-a-vis the state.
• Very often different constituent units of the federation have unequal powers. Some units are granted special powers.

Question 3. 
Describe the main features of Indian Federalism?
Answer:
The following are the main features of Indian Federalism
1. Three Tier of Government- The constitution originally provided for a two tier system of government- (i) Union or Central government, (ii) State government. Later, a third tier of federalism was added in the form of Panchayats and Municipalities.

2. Division of Powers- The constitution clearly provided a three fold distribution of legislative powers between the Union government and the State governments. It comprises three lists-(i) Union list (ii) State list (iii) Concurrent list.

• Union List-Only central government can make laws on the subjects of this list.
• State list-The state governments alone can make laws relating to the subjects in the state list.
• Concurrent list-It includes the subjects of common interest to both the union as well as the state government. If their laws conflict with each other, the law made by the union government will prevail.

3. Supremacy of constitution- Indian constitution is the supreme. No government whether state or central government can make laws which violates the Indian constitution.

4. Supremacy of judiciary- In Indian federalism judiciary is the supreme and free. It settles the disputes between the centre and the states.

Question 4. 
How does Indian federalism practise?
Answer:
Practise of Indian Federalism:
1. Linguistic States- The creation of linguistic states was the first and a major test for democratic politics in our country: Some states were created not on the basis of language but to recognise differences based on culture, ethnicity or geography. These include states like Nagaland, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand.

2. Language Policy- India is a multi language country. There are 22 languages recognised by the constitution. States too have their own official languages. Hindi has been identified as the official language. The central government responded by agreeing to continue the use of English along with Hindi for official purposes.

3. Centre-state Relations- It is essential for the federalism that centre-state relations must be good. After 1990, we saw the rise of regional political parties in many states of the country. This led to a new culture of power sharing and respect for the autonomy of state governments.

Question 5. 
What steps were taken to make the third tier of Indian democratic system more powerful & effective by amending Constitution of India?
Or 
How has the third tier of Indian democratic system-local government been strengthened and effective by the constitutional amendment of 1992?
Answer:
Local government has been strengthened and effective by the constitutional amendment of 1992 in following ways

• Now it is constitutionally mandatory to hold regular election to local government bodies.
• Now 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 called the state election commission has been created in each state to conduct Panchayat and Municipal elections.
• The state governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies.

Question 6. 
Explain the levels of Panchayati Raj system in India.
Answer:
A system of government is based on village level known as Panchayati Raj. 
Panchayati Raj has three levels-
(1) Gram Panchayat at Village Level- Each village or a group of villages in some states, has a gram panchayat. This is a council consisting of several ward members, often called Panch and a president or Sarpanch. They are directly elected by all the adult population living in that ward or village. It is the decision-making body for the entire village. The Panchayat works under the overall supervision of the gram sabha. All the voters in the village are its members.

(2) Panchayat Samiti at Block Level- A few gram panchayats are grouped together to form what is usually called a panchayat samiti or block or mandal. The members of this representative body are elected by all the panchayat members in that area.

(3) Zila Parishad- All the panchayat samitis or mandals in a district together constitute the Zila (district) parishad. Most members of the Zila Parishad are elected. Zila Parishad chairperson is the political head of the Zila Parishad.

Question 7. 
What do you know about 'the formation of inguistic States' in India ?
Answer:
The Formation of linguistic states in India India is a big country. Many languages and dialects are spoken here. In the constitution, 22 languages have been given the states of scheduled languages.

Many states in India have been formed on the basis of language. After Independence the creation of linguistic states was the first and a major test for democratic politics in our country.

Since Independence till row, many old states have vanished and many-new states have been created. Areas, boundaries and names of the states have been changed.

In 1947, the boundaries of several old states of India were changed in order to crcate new states by language. This was done to ensure that people who spoke the same language lived in the same state.

Some states were crcated not on the basis of language but to recognise differences based on culture, ethnicity or geography. These include states like. Nagaland, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand.

The formation of states on the basis of language was raised, some national leaders fcared that it would lead to the disintegration of the country. The Central Government resisted linguistic states for some time. But later on it become clear that the formation of linguistic states has actually made the country, more united. It has also made administration casier.

Question 8. 
In the wake of the changes in Centre-State relations in India, the sharing of power in the federal system in more effective today. Explain.
Answer:
Ceter-State relations in India-In India, fedralism has been strengthened in practic due to frequnct changes in Centre-State relations and today the power sharing between them is more effective.

How the constitutional arrangements for sharing power work in recality depends to a large extent on how the ruling parties and laeaders follow these arrangements. For a long time, the same party ruled both at the centre and in most of the states. Its practical effect was that the state governments did not exercise their rights as autonomous fedral units. After this 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. In those days, the Central Government would often misuse the Constitution to dismiss the State governments that were controlled by rival partics. This undermined the spirit of federalism.

There was some improverent in this situation after 1990. This period saw the risc of regional political parties in many States of the country. This was also the beginning of the era of COALITION GOVERNMENT at the Centre. Since no single party got a clear majority in the Lok Sabha, the major national parties had to enter into an alliance with many parties including several regional parties to form a government at the Centre. This led to a new culture of power sharing and respect for the autonomy of State Governments. This trend was supported by a major judgement of the Supreme Court that made it difficult for the Central Government to dismiss state governments in an arbitrary manner.

Thus, federal power sharting is more effective today than it was in the carly years after the Constitution came into force.