SST EXTRA QUESTIONS

1. What are the features of Indian constitution?

1.Federalism:
In India we have government at two levels: State Government and
Central Government. Panchayati Raj is the third tier of the government.
List
1 Union/Central List
2. State List
3. Concurrent List
In a federal set up matters of national importance follow orders of
Central Government, state enjoy independence on the matters given in
the state list. Some matters are of concern for both Central and the state
governments; they are included in the concurrent list.
2.Parliamentary Government:-
The constitution of India guarantees universal adult franchise for all the
citizens. This means that people in India have direct role in electing their
representatives. These representatives are accountable to people.
3. SEPARATION OF POWERS-
There are three organs of the state
a) Legislature - Legislature makes laws on behalf of the people
b) Executive - Executive is responsible for implementation of rules and
regulations
c) Judiciary - Judiciary protects the interest of the people
4. FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS-
The Indian Constitution guarantees certain rights which are essential for
our well being and it promotes the ideals of equality, liberty and justice.
5. SECULARISM-
A secular state is one that does not support any particular religion and
treats all religion alike.
6.FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES-
a) Fundamental duties are the ones that are recognized as moral
obligations the citizens are expected to perform.
 b) Article 51A under Part IV A of the Constitution of India speaks of the
fundamental duties. c) It was through the 42nd Amendment that these
duties were introduced in the Constitution.
7 Directive Principles of State Policy
These are guidelines that help the government in transforming the ideals
as highlighted in the constitution into laws, that promote social
economic justice, strengthen the democratic system, safeguard our
heritage, and help in in maintaining peaceful relations with the
neighbouring countries.
2. What things have we borrowed from other constitutions?
Our constitution has features taken from the Government of India Act, 1935. Those
features are:

 Federal Scheme
 Office of governor
 Judiciary
 Public Service Commissions
 Emergency provisions
 Administrative details
S.No Countries Borrowed Features of Indian
Constitution

1. Australia  Concurrent list

 Freedom of trade, commerce and
intercourse
 Joint-sitting of the two Houses of
Parliament

2. Canada  Federation with a strong Centre

 Appointment of state governors
by the Centre
 Advisory jurisdiction of the
Supreme Court

3. Ireland  Directive Principles of State

Policy
 Nomination of members to Rajya
Sabha
 Method of election of the
president
4. Japan  Procedure Established by law

5. Soviet Union  Fundamental duties

(USSR) (now,  Ideals of justice (social, economic
Russia) and political) in the Preamble

6. UK  Parliamentary government
 Rule of Law
 Legislative procedure
 Single Citizenship
 Cabinet system
 Parliamentary privileges

7. US  Fundamental rights
 Independence of judiciary
 Judicial review
 Impeachment of the president
 Removal of Supreme Court and
High Court judges
 Post of vice-president

8. Germany  Suspension of Fundamental

(Weimar) Rights during emergency

9. South Africa  Procedure for amendment in the

Indian Constitution
 Election of members of Rajya
Sabha

10. France  Republic

 Ideals of liberty, equality and
fraternity in the Preamble

3. What is updated no. of parts, articles, schedules of the constitution?

It has 470 articles in 25 parts and 12 schedules with five appendices . 
4. How did sensitive whites help ANC?
The role of sensitive whites was to oppose the schemes that were built to bring
down the colored people. They took the side of the black people and helped them
in the struggle against unfair agendas of the whites.
5. What is an umbrella organization?
An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific)
institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. I
6. What fears did the blacks and whites have?
 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.
7. Almost how many people were killed at time of partition? 10 lakh
8. What experience did the Indians have in institutional design? How was it
useful?
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 to 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 and working in
them. That is why the Indian constitution adopted many institutional
details and procedures from colonial laws like the Government of India
Act, 1935.
9. What was added through amendment of 1976?
*The terms 'Socialist' and 'Secular' were added in Preamble through
the 42nd Constitutional Amendment in 1976.
10.Define:- constituent assembly, treason, citizen.
Constituent Assembly: An assembly of people's representatives that
writes a constitution for a country.
Treason: The offence of attempting to overthrow the government of the
state to which the offender owes allegiance.
A citizen is a person who, by place of birth, nationality of one or both parents, or
naturalization is granted full rights and responsibilities as a member of a nation or
political community.
11.When is constitution day celebrated? 26th November
12.Describe composition of constituent assembly.
 There were to be 389 total members in the Constituent Assembly.
 Out of these, 93 members were from the Princely States and
these were nominated by the Princes.
 Election to the remaining 296 seats of the Constituent Assembly
were completed by the end of July, 1946. Out of the 210 general
seats, the Congress won 201, while the Muslim League won 73
seats out of the 78 allotted to the Muslims.
  After the Partition of India on August 15, 1947, the strength of the
Constituent Assembly got reduced to 308 members.

 The Constituent Assembly had members belonging to different

communities and regions of India.
 It also had members representing different political parties
Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Patel, Maulana Abul
Kalam Azad, Shyama Prasad Mookerji, Sardar Baldev Singh, etc.
were some of the important leaders who guided the discussions in
the Assembly.
 There were more than 30 members from Scheduled castes well.
Anglo-Indian community was represented Frank Anthony while
Parsis were represented H.P. Modi.
 Constitutional experts like Alladi by Krishnaswamy Aiyar, B.R.
Ambedkar, R.M. Munshi by were also members of the Assembly.
 Sarojini Naidu and Vijaylakshmi Pandit were important women
members.
13.How was president of constituent assembly elected?
Election of its President: The Constituent Assembly started its work on
9th December, 1946 with Dr. Sachhidanand as its Interim President. Two
days later, on 11th December, 1946, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as
the President of the Constituent Assembly.
14.What was the Nehru’s objective resolution?
Nehru's Objectives Resolution: The underlying philosophy of the
Constitution was set by Jawahar Lal Nehru in his Objectives Resolution
on December 13, 1946.
15.Describe composition of drafting committee.
The Drafting Committee

 The Constituent Assembly appointed fourteen committees and

four sub-committees to examine different aspects. Of these
committees, the most important was the Drafting Committee,
appointed on 29th August,1947.
 This Committee was headed by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who was its
Chairman.
  The other members of the Drafting Committee were N. Gopala
Swami Iyengar, Alladi Krishanaswamy Aiyar, K.M. Munshi and
Saiyed Mohammed Sadaulla.
 Mr. B.N. Rao was the secretary of the Constituent Assembly.
 On 21st February, 1948 it presented its first report of the Draft
Constitution to the Constituent Assembly.
16.How much money was spent by constituent assembly? Rs. 6.4 crores
17.How can amendments be carried out?
Article 368 of the Constitution provides for the procedure of
amendment in our Constitution. Some Articles can be amended by a
simple majority vote in the Parliament. But some other Articles can be
amended by 2/3 majority in both Houses of the Parliament. This is a
slightly difficult method. But the most difficult method is used in
amending some other Articles related to the election of the President,
executive powers of the Union Government and the State Governments,
powers of the Supreme Court or the High Courts.
18.What are state list, union list and concurrent list?
The key features of Union List, State List & Concurrent List are mentioned in the
tables below:

7th Schedule of Indian Constitution – Union List

Centre has exclusive powers to makes laws on the subjects mentioned

under the Union List of Indian Constitution

The Union List signifies the strong centre as it has more subjects than
state list

It contains more important subjects than included in any of the other

two lists

All the issues/matters that are important for the nation and those
requiring uniformity of legislation nationwide are included in the
Union List

The dominance of Union List over State List is secured by the

Constitution of India as in any conflict between the two or
overlapping, the Union List prevails

Supreme Court’s jurisdiction and powers with respect to matters in the

Union list can be enlarged by the Parliament

7th Schedule of Indian Constitution – State List

 The laws can be made on the subjects enumerated under
the State List of the Indian Constitution exclusively by
the State legislatures. However, all these can be done
only under ‘Normal Circumstances.’

Article 249 gives Parliament the power to legislate

concerning a subject enumerated in the State List in the
national interest

1. On states’ resolution, the law made is only

applicable to such states that passed a resolution.
However, other states can too adopt it by,
passing the same resolution.
2. The law made by the Parliament on States’
resolution can be amended or repealed by the
Parliament only and not the states:

 For the implementation of International

Agreements
 During President’s Rule

The matters of regional and local importance and the

matters which permits diversity of interest are specified
in the State List

7th Schedule of Indian Constitution – Concurrent List

42nd amendment Act 1976 shifted below mentioned five subjects from
State list to Concurrent List:

 Education
 Forests
 Protection of wild animals and birds
 Weights and measures and
 Administration of justice, constitution and organisation of all
courts except the Supreme Court and the High Courts

The concept of ‘Concurrent List’ in the Indian Constitution has been

borrowed from the Constitution of Australia

Central Government and State Government both can make laws on the
subjects mentioned under the Concurrent List

While both Central and State Government can legislate on subjects

mentioned under Concurrent List, however, in case of any conflict, the
law made by the Central Government prevails

The matters on which uniformity of legislation throughout the country

is desirable but not essential are enumerated in the concurrent list
.
Subjects under Union List, State List and Concurrent List
The subjects that are enumerated under the Union List are mentioned below.
Aspirants should know the Union List subjects, State List subjects and Concurrent
Lists for the prelims and mains exam.
Union List Subjects:
Some of the important subjects are:

1. Defence
2. Army
3. International Relations
4. Ports
5. Railways
6. Highways
7. Communication

State List Subjects:

Some of the important subjects are:

1. Public order
2. Police
3. Public health and sanitation
4. Hospitals and dispensaries
5. Betting and gambling

Concurrent List Subjects:

Some of the important subjects are:

1. Education
2. Forest
3. Trade unions
4. Marriage
5. Adoption
6. Succession

19.How the working of the constituent assembly has has given sanctity to
the constitution?
the manner in which the Constituent Assembly worked gives sanctity to the
Constitution. This statement can be justified by following points (i) It worked
in a systematic, open and
consensual manner.
(ii) First some basic principles were decided and agreed upon and a draft of
Constitution was prepared.
20.Why the Indian Constitution is termed as living document?
 Ans The constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950. Since its
adoption, the country has undergone major changes in political social
and economic arena. Changes were made from time to time in the
Constitution by making amendments to the existing laws.
21.What would happen if there were no restrictions on the power of
elected representatives?

Ans 1. If there were no restrictions on the power of elected leaders, this

may lead to misuse of power and authority of elected leaders

2. It can result in gross injustice to citizens and constitution safeguards against

this

22.Why do you think it is important to respect the views of minority?

Ans- It is very important to respect the views of minority in order to
ensure that the majority group does not dominate the minority. It is very
important in democracy that all communities must be respected and
represented.
23.What are the no. of union territories on west and east coast?
Union Territories on the western coast of India are four in number — Diu and
Daman Dadra and Nagar Haveli Mahe Pondicherry and Lakshadweep. Union
Territories on the eastern coast of India are two Pondicherry and Andaman
and Nicobar Islands.

24.Explain what orographic rainfall is.

Orographic rainfall
Rainfall that occurs when an air is forced to rise over a mountain As the
air rises, it cools. The amount of moisture that air can hold decreases
with decreasing temperature. So the water vapour in the rising
airstreams condenses, and rain falls on the windward side of the
mountain. The air descending on the leeward side contains less
moisture, resulting in a rain shadow where there is little or no rain.
25.What is an estuary? A funnel shaped river mouth broadening into sea.
26.How many islands is nicobar made of? 19
27.Full form of ANM, LHV, RN&RM,NVD.
ANM: Auxiliary Nurse Hydrides, RN&RM: Registered Nurses & Registered
Midwives, LHV: lady Health Visitors.NVD: national voters day
28.Explain the term structural employment, technical employment.
 Structural Unemployment: It is that situation in which unemployment
occurs due to
 Lack of capital
 Lack of resources
 (ii) Underutilisation of natural resources
 (iv) Surplus workers as compared to demand Indian economy is facing
structural unemployment as work force is more than the demand.

Technical Unemployment: If unemployment occurs owing to changes in

technology, it is referred to as technical unemployment. Suppose, when
computer reduces the need for labourers drastically in an economy,
which leads to unemployment, one can say that the economy is reeling
under technical unemployment. However, this type of unemployment is
considered harmless and prevail for short durations only.
29.Percentage of women in lok sabha? 12 percent
30.Define level playing field. Condition in which all parties and candidates
contesting in an election have equal opportunities to appeal for votes
and to carry out election campaign.
31.When is national voters day? 25 January
32.What are mid term elections?
If the Lok Sabha or any of the State Assemblies (Vidhan Sabhas) is
dissolved before the expiry of its full term and elections are held to
constitute a new house, it is called Mid-term Elections.
33.How is there a wide gap between seats won and votes polled in India?
 It is often seen that in India there is a gap between the seats won
by the different political parties and the votes polled.
 It means that political parties do not secure as many per cent of
seats as many percentage of votes they secure.
 For example, in the election to the Lok Sabha held in December
1984, Congress secured 49.3% Votes and got more than three-
fourth seats whereas the remaining political parties secured more
than 50% votes and captured only one-fourth of the total seats.
 In May, 1996 in the elections of 11th Lok Sabha Congress got 142
seats by getting 28.1% of votes whereas Bhartiya Janta Party got
161 seats by getting 23.5% votes.
  These figures reveal the fact that in the Indian electoral system a
party which secures less number of votes can also come into
power.
 In the elections of 13th Lok Sabha Congress polled 28.42% votes
and won 114 seats whereas B.J.P. polled around 23.07% votes and
won 182 seats.
34.Q. While the National Assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a
constitution, the rest of France seethed with turmoil.' Elucidate.

While the National assembly was busy at Versailles drafting a constitution, the rest of
France seethed with turmoil". This statement is depicting the two incidents that
happened while the drafting of the Constitution was happening. The two incidents
were:

• The situation of Subsistence crisis occurred in France, where the basic means of
livelihood are endangered. Increase in Population from about 23 million to 28 million
which led to the sudden increase in the demand of the food grains. As the demand
for the food grains increased which didn’t meet with the production of grains. So the
prices of the bread increased. People stood in long queues to buy bread from the
bakery; even the angry crowd stormed into the shop. Low wages and drought and
hail contributed to this situation and worsened the condition.

• The second incident was the Bastille attack. The Bastille attack was the incident
which took place in the morning of 14th July 1789 in the city of Paris, France.
Rumours that king might open fire upon the citizens, because of which 7,000 men
and women gathered around the town hall and searched for ammunition. They
stormed into the fortress prison, the Bastille, to acquire the arms and ammunition.
Prisoners were released from the prison and also the commander of the prison was
killed. They destroyed the fortress completely as it was the symbol of the
Undemocratic power of the King.

35.Do you think social disparities are still prevailing? Give any 2 examples.
Yes,Still we can see the social disparities:-
1-In industries/workplace:-There are often obvious salary differences
among across genders and race groups.
2-Speech Discrimination:-Some lower class and lower racial class is
prohibit to speak.
36.How was church responsible for French revolution? How did it impact
the church?
The citizens of France were already burdened with the high taxes of the government
as they were forced to pay these taxes. But in the same way, the church also
 demanded taxes from the people. Especially, the Peasants were forced to pay taxes
to the church called Tithes. It included direct tax called Taille and other indirect tax
which were imposed on the product of consumption like salt and tobacco. This
resulted in worsening the condition of the people and became the reason for the
French revolution.
All the church's powers were taken away after the revolution. Church authority lost
their supreme right among the common people in the society. All the property of the
Church nationalized
37.Why was the 3rd estate dependent on the educated middle class?
In the past, peasants and workers had participated in revolts against
increasing taxes and food scarcity. But they lacked the means and
programmes to carry out full-scale measures that would bring about
a change in the social and economic order. This was left to those groups
within the third estate who had become prosperous and had access to
education and new ideas.
38.Why Rousseau is called architect of French revolution?
He influenced third estate to demand for one member, one vote policy
in estates general. When it was denied, it led to tennis court oath
leading to French revolution.
39. Who are brigands? A brigand is a bad guy, especially one who belongs to a
band of armed robbers. 
40.draw a flow chart to depict the political system that prevailed in pre-
revolutionary France.
41.What is silk route? How did silk route influence Indian trade and culture?
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking
trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East,
South, and West Asia with the Mediterranean and European regions of
the world, as well as parts of North and East Africa. The land routes were
supplemented by sea routes, which extended from the Red Sea to
coastal India, China and South-East Asia.

Extending 4000 miles (6500 km), the Silk Road gets its name from the
lucrative Chinese silk trade along it, which began during the Han dynasty
(206 BCE-220 CE). The central Asian sections of the trade routes were
expanded around 114 BCE by the Han dynasty, largely through the
missions and explorations of Zhang Qian, but earlier trade routes across
the continents already existed. In the late middle ages, Trans Continental
Trade (TCT) over the land routes of the Silk Road declined as sea trade
increased.

In recent years, both the maritime and overland Silk Routes are again
being used, often closely following the ancient routes.

42.What was the significance of the 'Tennis Court Oath' in the French
Revolution?
The Oath signified for the first time that French citizens formally stood in
opposition to Louis XVI.

The National Assembly's refusal to back down forced the king to make
concessions.

The representatives of the third estate viewed themselves as spokesmen for the
whole French nation.

They assembled in the hall of an indoor tennis court in the grounds of Versailles
on 20th June, 1789.

They declared themselves as a National Assembly. They decided not to disperse

until they had drafted a Constitution for France which would curtail the power of
the monarch.

Thus, it heralded the awakening of the French people to revolt against the
oppression by the privileged classes, which led to the revolution.