Chapter 3 Constitutional Design

1.What is meant by apartheid? How was it oppressive for the blacks?

Answer:
Apartheid was the name of a system of racial discrimination unique to South Africa. The
white Europeans imposed this system on South Africa. The system of apartheid divided
the people and labelled them according to their skin colour.
What do you mean by ‘Constitution’?
2.The constitution of a country is a set of written rules that are accepted by all people
living together in a country. The Constitution is the supreme law that determines the
relationship among people living in a territory (called citizens) and also the relationship
between the people and government.

3.What were the steps involved in the framing of the Indian Constitution?The drafting of
the document called the constitution was done by an assembly of elected
representatives called the Constituent Assembly. Elections to the Constituent Assembly
were held in July 1946. Its first meeting was held in December 1946. Soon after, the
country was divided into India and Pakistan. The Constituent Assembly was also
divided into the Constituent Assembly of India and that of Pakistan. The Constituent
Assembly that wrote the Indian Constitution had 299 members. The Assembly adopted
the Constitution on 26 November, 1949 and it came into force on 26 January, 1950.

4.What are the four main ideals enshrined in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution?

The ideals written in the Preamble of the Constitution are as under :Justice: Every
citizen of India will have social, economic and political justice.Liberty: Every citizen will
have the liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.Equality: Every citizen
will be provided with the equality of status and opportunity.fraternity: All the citizens of
India have been assured about the dignity of individuals and the unity and integrity of
the nation
5,How did the Constituent Assembly work to prepare the Constitution for India?

.The Constituent Assembly worked in a systematic, open and consensual manner. First,
some basic principles were decided and agreed upon. Then, a Drafting Committee
chaired by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar prepared a draft constitution for discussion. Several
rounds of thorough discussion took place, clause by clause. More than 2000
amendments were considered. The members deliberated for 114 days spread over 3
years. Every document presented and every word spoken in the Constituent Assembly
was recorded and preserved. These are called ‘Constituent Assembly Debates’.

6.What are constitutional amendments?

A constitution is not merely a statement of values and philosophy. A constitution

is mainly about embodying these values into institutional arrangements. Indian
Constitution is a very long and detailed document. Therefore, it needs to be
amended quite regularly to keep it updated. Those who crafted the Indian
Constitution felt that it must be in accordance with people’s aspirations and
changes in society. They did not see it as a sacred, static and unalterable law. So,
they made provisions to incorporate changes from time to time. These changes
are called constitutional amendments.

7.What was the composition of the Constituent Assembly?

The Constituent Assembly was elected mainly by the members of the existing
Provincial Legislatures. This ensured a fair geographical share of members from
all the regions of the country. The Assembly was dominated by the Indian
National Congress, the party that led India’s freedom struggle. But, the Congress
itself included a variety of political groups and opinions. The Assembly had many
members who did not agree with the Congress. In social terms too, the Assembly
 represented members from different language groups, castes, classes, religions
and occupations.

8.What did Ambedkar mean by ‘contradictions’ in his concluding speech to the

Constituent Assembly? 4]Q8I

Dr. Ambedkar, who played a key role in the making of the Constitution, but he had
a different understanding of how inequalities could be removed. In his concluding
speech to the Constituent Assembly, Dr. Ambedkar said that India was entering a
life of ‘contradictions’ on 26th January, 1950. According to him in politics, Indians
would have equality but in social and economic life, there would be inequality.
Politics should be based on the principle of one man one vote and one vote one
value. In social and economic life, by reason of social and economic structure
one must continue to deny the principle of one man one value.

9. Explain the different keywords used in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.

Several keywords have been used in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution :

(i) WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA: The constitution has been drawn up and enacted by the
people through their representatives, and not handed down to them by a king or any
outside powers.

(ii) SOVEREIGN: People have the supreme right to make decisions on internal as well as
external matters. No external power can dictate the government of India.

(iii) SOCIALIST: Wealth is generated socially and should be shared equally by society.
Government should regulate the ownership of land and industry to reduce
socio-economic inequalities.

(iv) SECULAR: Citizens have complete freedom to follow any religion. But there is no
official religion. Government treats all religious beliefs and practices with equal respect.
(v) DEMOCRATIC: A form of government where people enjoy equal political rights, elect
their rulers and hold them accountable. The government is run according to some basic
rules.

(vi) REPUBLIC: The head of the stats is an elected person and not a hereditary . position.

(vii) JUSTICE: Citizens cannot be discriminated against on the grounds of caste, religion
and gender. Social inequalities must be reduced. Government should work for the
welfare of all, especially of the disadvantaged groups.

(viii) LIBERTY: There are no unreasonable restrictions on the citizens in what they think,
how they wish to express their thoughts and the way they wish to follow up their
thoughts in action.

(ix) EQUALITY: All are equal before the law. The traditional social inequalities must be
ended. The government should ensure equal opportunity for all.

(x) FRATERNITY: All of us should behave as if we are members of the same family. No
one should treat a fellow citizen as inferior.

10.Why do we need a constitution?

It is important to have a Constitution for the following reasons:

● It is a significant rule of the nation. The relationship of people with governments is decided
by this.
● It sets down standards and procedures that are necessary to live in peace for individuals
belonging to various religious groups.
● It sets out how the government will be chosen and who will have the authority and duty to
decide things.
● It defines the parameters of the government’s control and informs us about people’s rights.
● It reflects the desires of individuals to create a good society.

11.what are the key features of Indian constitution?

) Federalism
This refers to the existence of more than one level of government in the
country. In India, we have governments at the state level, at the centre and
Panchayati Raj at the village level. The Constitution contains lists that detail
 the issues that each tier of government can make laws on. In addition, the
Constitution also specifies where each tier of government can get the money
from, for the work that it does. All persons in India are governed by laws and
policies made by each of these levels of government.

2) Parliamentary Form of Government

The people of India have a direct role in electing their representatives. Also,
every citizen of the country, irrespective of his/her social background, can
contest in elections.

3) Separation of Powers
There are 3 organs of government:
1. The legislature: refers to elected representatives by the people.
2. The executive: is a smaller group of people who are responsible for
implementing laws and running the government.
3. The judiciary: refers to the system of courts in India.
Each organ mentioned above acts as a check on the other organs of
government. This ensures the balance of power between all three.

4) Fundamental Rights
The Fundamental Rights in the Indian Constitution include:
Right to Equality
Right to Freedom
Right against Exploitation
Right to Freedom of Religion
Cultural and Educational Rights
Right to Constitutional Remedies

5) Secularism
A secular state is one in which the state does not officially promote any
one religion as the state religion.
We hope CBSE Notes for Class 8 Civics helped you in your studies.
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