NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 23 What is Government?

NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 23 What is Government? Solutions to each chapter is provided in the list so that you can easily browse through different chapters NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 23 What is Government? and select need one. NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 23 What is Government? Question Answers Download PDF. NCERT SST Class 6 Solutions.

NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 23 What is Government?

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Also, you can read the NCERT book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Book guidelines. CBSE Class 6 Social Science Solutions are part of All Subject Solutions. Here we have given NCERT Class 6 Social Science Chapter 23 What is Government?, NCERT Class 6 Social Science Textbook of Our Pasts – I: History, The Earth – Our Habitat: Geography, Social and political Life: Civics. for All Chapters, You can practice these here.

What is Government?

Chapter: 23

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE [CIVICS]

INTEXT QUESTIONS

Q. 1. What do you understand by the word ‘Government’? List five ways in which you think the government affects your daily life.

Ans. The government means an organization which make, decide and implement the laws passed through them.

The five ways in which the government affects our daily life are:

(a) It builds roads and schools.

(b) It increases the supply of electricity. 

(c) It helps the poor through several programmes.

(d) It plays an important role in running postal and railway services. 

(e) It protects the boundaries of the country by maintaining peaceful relations with its neighbors.

Q. 2. Why do you think the government needs to make rules for everyone in the form of laws?

Ans. The government needs to make rules for every one in the form of laws because of some reasons like:

(a) It is the way government can function. 

(b) It has the power to make and enforce the decisions.

(c) It was made so that the wrong doer can be punished. 

(d) Without laws government’s power to make decisions is not of much use.

Q. 3. Name two essential features of a Democratic Government.

Ans. The two essential features of a Democratic Government are as follows: 

(a) People have the power to elect their representatives.

(b) People actively participate in rule making. 

Q. 4. What was the suffrage movement? What did it accomplish? 

Ans. Suffrage movement is the movement of the women i.e., right to vote.

It accomplish certain things like:

(a) Women were equally capable of making decisions. 

(b) They were called upon to do the work that was called as men’s work.

(c) They started organizing and managing other works as well. 

(d) Changed the unfair stereotypes about them.

Q. 5. Gandhiji strongly believed that every adult in India should be given the right to vote. However, a lot of people don’t share his views. They feel that illiterate people, who are mainly poor, should not be given the right to vote. What do you think? Do you think this would be a form of constitution? Give five points to support your view and share these with the class.

Ans. According to me all the people or the citizens irrespective of being richer, poor, literate or illiterate should be allowed to give vote through Universal Adult Franchise. 

This should not be the form of Constitution. According to the Constitution, illiterate should also be given right. Under Universal Adult Franchise all the persons who had attained certain age ie., 18 years should be given this right to make decisions.

The five points to support the view are as such: 

(a) We should have all the women, poor, property-less and uneducated too in this voting nights. 

(b) Illiteracy should be given upper hand in decision making.

(c) We should fix the age limit.

(d) The Constitution has given rights to all the citizens under Universal Adult Franchise. 

(e) We should give respect to all categories communities of the people equally.

SOME OTHER IMPORTANT QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION

VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q. 1. Define monarchy.

Ans. Monarchy is a type of government where a single person, the king or the queen rules over the country.

Q. 2. Name two works which is done at the national level. 

Ans. Two works done at the national level are:

(a) The decision of the Indian Government to maintain peaceful relations with other countries.

(b) Introduction of new currency.

Q. 3. In earlier times, name the groups who were not allowed to vote. 

Ans. In earlier times, women, poor, propertyless and uneducated were not allowed to cast their vote.

Q. 4. Define Universal Adult Franchise.

Ans. Universal Adult Franchise means all adults who attained the age of 18 or above has the right to vote.

Q. 5. What are the various levels of Government? 

Ans. The various levels of Government are:

(a) National level.

(b) State level.

(c) Local level.

Q. 6. Give the two forms of Government.

Ans. The two forms of Government are:

(a) Monarchy.

(b) Democracy.

Q. 7. Define suffrage movement.

Ans. Suffrage movement is the movement according to which voting rights were given to Women.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q. 1. What is the power of the Government? 

Ans. The government makes laws and every one who lives in the country has to follow these. The government has the power to make decisions. Similarly, it has the power to enforce ita decisions. Without the laws the government’s power to make decisions is not of much use. 

Q. 2. What action governments can take, if they feel that a particular law is not being followed? Explain by giving examples.

Ans. Action taken by the governments if they feel that a particular law is not being followed is that for example, if a person feels, that they were not hired for a job because of their religion or caste, he or she may approach the court and claim that the law is not being followed. The courts can give orders about what should be done. 

Q. 3. Differentiate between a democratic government and monarchial government. Give two reasons. 

Ans. In a democracy it is the people who give the government the power to rule. They do this through elections in which they vote for particular persons and elect them.

In a monarchy the king or queen has the power to make decisions and run the government. The monarchy may have a small group of people to discuss matters with but the final decision-making power remains with the monarchy. 

Q. 4. Why is government needed?

Ans. Government is needed because of the following reasons: 

(a) To make decisions. These can be decisions about where to build roads and schools or how to reduce the price of onions when they get too expensive or ways to increase the supply of electricity. 

(b) To government takes action on many social issues for example, it has several programmes to help the poor.

(c) The government also has the job of protecting the boundaries of the country and maintaining peaceful relations with other countries.

Q. 5. Give two reasons for making laws by the government. 

Ans. Two reasons for making laws by the government are:

(a) It is the only way a country can function. 

(b) Without these laws the government’s power to make decision is not of much use. 

Q. 6. Why India is considered as democratic form of government?

Ans. India is considered as democratic form of government because:

(a) People have the power to elect their leaders.

(b) People rule themselves by participating in the making of these rules. 

Q. 7. Why government did not allow women and the poor to participate in elections?

Ans. Government did not allow women and the poor to participate in elections because: 

(a) In the past, governments allowed only men who owned property and were educated, to vote.

(b) The women, the poor, the property less and the uneducated were not allowed to vote. 

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

Q. 1. What type of government preferred in India? Explain in detail.

Ans. Democratic type of government is preferred in India. The main feature of a democracy is that:

(a) The people have the power to elect their leaders. 

(b) A democracy is ruled by the people.

(c) The main idea of this is that people rule themselves by participating in the making of these rules.

Democratic governments are usually referred to as representative democracies. In representative democracies people do not participate directly but they choose their representatives through an election process. These representatives meet and make decisions for the entire population. Thus, a government cannot call itself democratic unless it allows what is known as Universal Adult Franchise. That means all adults in the country are allowed to cast their vote. 

Q. 2. What was the demand of the suffragettes? Explain the different stages.

Ans. Stage I: All over Europe and USA, women and the poor have, had to fight for participation in government. Women’s struggle to vote got strengthened during the First World War. This movement is called the women’s suffrage movement i.e., right to vote. 

Stage II: During the war, many men were engaged in fighting, due to this women were called to do work which was earlier considered men’s work. Women began organising and managing different kinds of work. When people saw the quality of women they began to see as being equally capable of making decisions.

Stage III: The suffragettes demanded the right to vote for all women and to get their demands heard. They chained themselves to railings in public places. Many were imprisoned and even went on hunger strikes and they had to be fed by force.

Thus, American women got the right to vote in 1920, while women in the UK got right to vote on the same terms as men some years later in 1928.

Q. 3. What was the status of women and poor in the early times? 

Ans. In the earliest times governments allowed only men who owned property and educated to vote. 

The reasons are as such: 

(a) The women, the poor, the property less and the uneducated were not allowed to vote. 

(b) The country was governed by the rules and regulations that these men made. 

Q. 4. Give the levels of state and central work.

Ans. The Level of State:

(a) The decision of the West Bengal Government on whether to have Board Exam. in class 8 for all Government schools.

(b) Decision to construct a big children’s park in Patna.

(c) The decision of the Haryana Government to provide free electricity for all farmers.

The Central Level

(a) The decision of the Indian Government to maintain peaceful relations with Russia.

(b) Introduction of two new train connections between Jammu and Bhubaneswar.

(c) Introduction of a new 1000 rupee note.

Q. 5. Who gives the government the power to make decisions and enforce laws? 

Ans. The answer to this question depends on the type of government there is in country. In a democracy it is the people who give the government this power. They do this through elections in which they vote for particular persons and elect them. 

In a monarchy, the monarch or the king has the power to make decisions and run the government.

Q. 6. What do you understand by a representative democracy?

Ans. Representative democracy is a type of democracy where people elect their representatives through elections. It is important because it gives people the power to elect their own representative who take decisions on their behalf and if they are unhappy with them they can throw them out of power. Most importantly, this form of government gives importance to the views and needs of the people.

HIGH ORDER THINKING SKILLS

Q. 1. Why Government is important for the functioning of the country?

Ans. Government is important for the functioning of the country because: 

(a) The government has the job of protecting the boundaries of the country.

(b) It maintains peaceful relations with other countries. 

(c) It is responsible for ensuring that all its citizens have enough to eat and have good health facilities. 

(d) During natural disasters the government organise aid and assistance for the affected people. 

(e) If there is a dispute or fight people can seek to the court. Courts are also part of the government.

Q. 2. Explain the functions of government. 

Ans. Functions of government are:

(a) The job of protecting the boundaries of the country. 

(b) To maintain peaceful relations with other countries.

(c) It ensures that all its citizens have enough to eat and have good health facilities.

(d) In natural disasters, it is the government that mainly organise aid and assistance for affected people.

Q. 3. Which form of Government is followed by India?

Ans. In India, people follow democratic form of government. This achievement is the result of a long and eventful struggle of the Indian people. Other places in the world, people have struggled to have democracy. The main features of a democracy is that the people have the power to elect their leaders. 

Thus, democracy was ruled by the people. The basic idea is that people rule themselves by participating in the making of these rules.

Q. 4. How were women given equal importance to men? 

Ans. Women were given equal importance as men because:

During war, many men were away fighting and because of this women were called upon to do work that was earlier men’s work. Many women began organizing and managing different kinds of the work. When people saw this they began to wonder and felt guilty of their stereotype mentality. 

So, women began to be seen as being equally capable of making decisions.

VALUE BASED QUESTIONS

Q. 1. Why women and poor were not allowed to vote?

Ans. In the earliest forms of governments, only men who owned property and were educated are allowed to vote. Women and poor, propertyless and uneducated were not allowed to vote. 

Thus, country was governed by the rules and regulations that these few men made.

Q. 2. Why did Mahatma Gandhi get shocked?

Ans. In India, only a small minority was allowed to vote and that they therefore came together to determine the fate of the majority. Gandhiji was shocked at the unfair practice and demanded that all adults have the right to vote. This is known as Universal Adult Franchise.

Gandhiji wrote in the journal Young India in 1931 that, he cannot bear the idea that a man who has got wealth should get the vote but a man who has got character but no wealth or literacy should have no vote. A man who honestly works by the sweat of his brow day in and day out should not have the right to cast vote for the crime of being a poor man. 

Q. 3. Why monarchical form of the government is not practiced in India? 

Ans. Monarchical form of the government is not practiced in India because:

(a) In monarchial form king or queen has the power to make decisions and run the government.

(b) The monarchial system might have a small group of people to discuss matters with, but the final decision-making power remains with the monarch. 

(c) In a democracy, kings and queens do not have to explain their actions or defend the decisions they take.

PICTURE BASED QUESTIONS

Look at the picture below and answer the questions that follows: 

(a) What is depicting in the picture? 

Ans. Voting in a rural area is depicting in the picture.

(b) Why a mark is put on the finger? 

Ans. A mark is put on the finger to make sure that a person casts only one vote. 

(c) Define Universal Adult Franchise. 

Ans. All the adults of the age of 18 are given the right to vote. This is known as Universal Adult Franchise.

MAP BASED QUESTIONS

Q. 1. On a physical map of India, find the following states/cities:

(a) West Bengal.

(b) Jammu.

(c) Bhubaneswar.

(d) Delhi.

(e) Haryana.

Ans.

OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS

l. MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS:

Tick (✓) the correct option:

(a) A movement started by common people to receive the right to vote is:

(i) Universal Adult Franchise. 

(ii) Suffragette. 

(iii) Suffrage. 

Ans. (i) Suffragette.

(b) Democracy in which people choose their leaders is: 

(i) Representative democracy. 

(ii) Direct democracy.

(iii) None of these.

Ans. (i) Representative democracy. 

(c) Under monarchy political power is vested: 

(i) In the people.

(ii) In the single individual.

(iii) A group of people.

Ans. (ii) In the single individual.

(d) How many levels of Government are therein India?

(i) Six.

(ii) two.

(iii) three.

Ans. (i) Three.

(e) The word apartheid literally means ___________.

(i) struggle.

(ii) racial segregation.

(iii) discrimination.

Ans. (ii) racial segregation.

II. FILL IN THE BLANKS:

(a) Untouchability is a _________.

Ans. social practice.

(b) We have different types of _________all over the world which govern a country.

Ans. government.

(c) In _________women were given right to vote. 

Ans. suffrage.

(d) The government organizes ________and __________for the affected people.

Ans. aid, assistance.

(e) The __________demanded the right to vote for all women.

Ans. suffragettes.