link for geography chap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Se2bPQKpk

why do we need a parliament

Q1. Why do you think the nationalist movement supported the idea that all adults have a right to vote?

Early legislatures under the British government did not allow for all adults to vote nor could people participate in decision making.

The nationalists were thought that all persons in independent India would be able to participate in making decisions.

So the Constitution of independent India that laid down the principle of universal adult franchise, i.e. that all adult citizens of the country have the right to vote.

Q2: Why do you think there are so few women in Parliament? Give two reasons.

Ans: Absence of any system for proper representation of women in the parliament such as, reservation of seats for women.

2 Discrimination against women in a male dominated society.

Q3: You have read that most elected members whether the Panchayat, or the Vidhan Sabha or the Parliament are elected for a fixed period of 5 years. Why do we have a system where the representatives are elected for a fixed period not for a life?

Ans: Members are elected for a fixed period so that people can use their preferences again after 5 years to elect their member. This is required for efficient working in a democratic system. Moreover, in democracy people have right to express their choices and elect their leaders which will not be possible unless they are elected for a fixed period.

Glossary

Approval: To give one’s consent to and be favorable towards something.

Coalition: A temporary alliance of groups or parties. It refers to the alliance formed by political parties after elections when no party has been able to get adequate seats to form a clear majority.

Unresolved: Situations in which there are no easy solutions to problems.

Additional Questions

Q1 Write a brief note on the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.

Solution:

Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha functions primarily as the representative of the states of India, in the Parliament. There are 233 elected members plus 12 members nominated by the President. The members of the Rajya Sabha are elected by the elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of various states.  

Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha, known as the House of the People, with a total membership of 543, is presided over by the Speaker. The country is divided into 543 Lok Sabha constituencies. During a Lok Sabha election, people from different political parties stand for elections. Once elected, these candidates become Members of Parliament or MPs. These MPs together make up the Parliament.

 Q2 what are the three major duties of the Parliament?

Ans; The three major duties of the Parliament are...

To Select the National Government

To Control, Guide and Inform the Government

Law-Making

Q3 Who designed parliament house?

The parliament house was designed by British Architecture Herbert Baker.

Q4 What is EVM machine?

Evm is a Electronic Voting Machine. EVMs were used throughout the country for the first time in the 2004 general elections.

Q5 What is a constituency?

The country is divided into many areas for election purposes. Each area is called a constituency. Representatives are elected from each constituency to serve in the legislative body.

Q6 What is Question Hour in the Parliament?

The question hour is an important mechanism through which MPs can  obtain information about the working of the government. This is a very important way through which the Parliament controls the executive.

Resources Question answers

Question – 1- Answer the following questions.

(a) Why are resources distributed unequally over the earth?

Answer: Earth has different topography, climate and altitude at different places. Difference in these factors has resulted in unequal distribution of resources over the earth.

(b) What is resource conservation?

Answer: Saving resources for the future generations is called resource conservation.

(c) Why are human resources important?

Answer:  Human can make the best use of nature to create more resources when they have the knowledge, skill and the technology to do so. That is why human beings are a special resource.

(d) What is sustainable development?

Answer:  Sustainable Development is Carefully utilising resources so that besides meeting the requirements of the present, also takes care of future generations.

Question – 2 - Differentiate between the followings.

(a) Potential and actual resources

Answer: Resources who quantity is known and which are being used at present are called actual resources.     The dark soils of the Deccan plateau in Maharashtra are all actual resources.On the other hand, resources who quantity is not known and which are not being used at present are called potential resources.The uranium found in Ladakh is an example of potential resource that could be used in the future.

(b) Ubiquitous and localised resources

Answer: Ubiquitous resources are available everywhere,the air we breathe, are ubiquitous. while localized resources are available at select locations.like copper and iron ore.

                                                                                               

There are are many ways of conserving resources. Each person can contribute by reducing consumption, recycling and reusing thing.

Glossary 

Patent: It means the exclusive right over any idea or invention.

Technology: It is the application of latest knowledge and skill in doing or making things.

Stock of Resource It is the amount of resources available for use.

resources chapter

Resources

Resource: Anything which has some utility for us is called a resource. 

Some resources have economic value, while some do not. For example; milk has economic value, but a beautiful landscape has no economic value. But both are important because both satisfy some human needs.

Time and technology are two important factors which can change a substance into resources. For example; petroleum was not a resource before people learnt to use it.

Types of Resources:

Resources are usually classified into three types, viz. natural, human made and human resources.

Natural Resources: Resources which are obtained from nature are called natural resources. Some of the natural resources can be used directly, while for using some others we need the help of some technologies.

Types of Natural Resources:

Natural resources can be classified on the basis of their level of development and use, origin, stock and distribution.

Classification of natural resources on the basis of development and use:

1. Actual Resources: Resources whose quantity is known and which are being used at present are called actual resources, e.g. coal and petroleum.
2. Potential Resources: Resources whose entire quantity may not be known and which are not being used at present are called potential resources. Potential resources can be used in future once technology for that is properly developed. For example; uranium reserves in Ladakh.

Classification of natural resources on the basis of origin:

1. Abiotic Resources: Resources which come from non-living sources are called abiotic resources, e.g. soil, rocks and minerals.
2. Biotic Resources: Resources which come from living beings are called biotic resource, e.g. milk, leather, timber, etc.

Classification of natural resources on the basis of their exhaustibility:

1. Renewable Resources: Resources which can be quickly replenished are called renewable resources, e.g. wind energy, hydel energy, solar energy, etc.
2. Non-renewable Resources: Resources which cannot be replenished in the near future are called non-renewable resources, e.g. coal and petroleum. It takes millions of years for the formation of coal and petroleum and hence they cannot be replenished in our lifetime.

Classification of natural resources on the basis of distribution:

1. Ubiquitous Resources: Resources which are available everywhere on the earth are called ubiquitous resources, e.g. air and water.
2. Localised Resources: Resources which are available at select locations on the earth are called localized resources, e.g. coal mines in Jharkhand. Topography, climate and altitude are the major factors which affect the distribution of natural resources.

Human Made Resources

When a natural resource undergoes drastic change by human intervention, it becomes human-made resource. For example; iron ore is processed to make steel and hence steel is a man-made resource. Buildings, bridges, railways, machines, etc. are examples of human-made resources. Technology is also a human-made resource.

Human Resources

People are the human resources. Education and health improve the quality of human resources. Improving the quality of people’s skills to enable them to create more resources is called human resource development.

CONSERVING RESOURCES

Most of the natural resources are limited in stock. Even some of the renewable resources can become scarce if they are not used judiciously. We are already facing shortage of water at many places because of excessive exploitation of water. Scientists predict that coal and petroleum are going to be exhausted in the near future. Hence, it is important to conserve the natural resources. Conservation not only secures our life but also the life of future generations. Making a balance between our need and conservation of resources is called sustainable development. We should follow the three Rs of conservation for sustainable development.

Reduce: We should reduce consumption.

Reuse: We should reuse as many items as possible.

Recycle: We should recycle discarded items wherever possible.

Some Principles of Sustainable Development

• Respect and care for all forms of life.
• Improve the quality of human life.
• Conserve the earth’s vitality and diversity.
• Minimize the depletion of natural resources.
• Change personal attitude and practices toward the environment.
• Enable communities to care for their own environment.

Question answers how when and where chapter

Question – 1 - State whether true or false:
James Mill divided Indian history into three periods – Hindu, Muslim, Christian.
Official documents help us understand what the people of the country think.
The British thought surveys were important for effective administration.
Answer: (a) True, (b) False, (c) True
Question – 2 - What is the problem with the periodisation of Indian history that James Mill offers?
Answer: Although Hinduism is the religion of most of the Indians; the Muslim period did not begin one fine day. Muslims had been living in India from much earlier than beginning of the Islamic rule in India. Even during the peak of the Mughal Empire, there were many territories which were ruled by Hindu kings. Moreover, the British projected the so called Hindu and Muslim periods as the dark ages. They thought that the British rule would take India towards enlightenment. This was also a wrong notion.
Question – 3 - Why did the British preserve official documents?
Answer: Official records of the British administration serve as important source of history of this period. The British rulers believed that every instruction, plan, policy, decision, agreement, investigation should be clearly written up. This was necessary for proper study and debate about an issue. Hence, they carefully preserved all official records and created several archives for the purpose.
Question – 4 - How will the information historians get from old newspapers be different from that found in police reports?
Answer: A police report may give a version which was suited to the rulers of that time. A newspaper may project a different story. Projection in newspaper depends on the leaning of the newspaper towards a particular powerful group in the contemporary period.

  Additional Questions

Q1. Why did the British preserve official documents?

Answer:  They preserved the documents to maintain a permanent record of the official documents. They carefully preserved them.

Q2. How will the information historians get from old newspapers be different from that found in police reports?

Answer: The Police reports were not very trustworthy and are different from the information published in newspapers because the police was merely a puppet of the colonial government. They wrote the things in government’s favour only and hid the true facts.

Q3: Who was the first Governor-General of India?
Answer: Warren Hastings became the first Governor-General of India in 1773.

Q4: Why do we try and divide history into different periods?

Answer: 

1.                  It is an attempt to capture the characteristics of a time, its central features as they appear to us.

2.                  To demarcate the difference between periods which become important.

3.                  To reflect our ideas about the past. They show how we see the significance of the change from one period to the next.

Q5: What do you mean by the term 'colonisation'?

Answer: The subjugation of one country by another leads to these kinds of political, economic, social and cultural changes is called colonisation. 

Q6: When was The National Archives of India set up?

Answer: 1920 at the time when New Delhi was built by the British.

Q7: Why did Surveys become a common practice under the colonial administration in India?
Answer: The practice of surveying became common practice under the colonial administration because The British believed that a country had to be properly known before it could be effectively administered.

Q8: What types of surveys were conducted by colonial administration in India?

Answer: 
By the early nineteenth century detailed surveys were being carried out to map the entire country.

1.                  In the villages, revenue surveys were conducted. The effort was to know the topography, the soil quality, the flora, the fauna, the local histories, and the cropping pattern.

2.                  The objective was to record all the facts seen as necessary to know about to administer the region.

3.                  By the end of the nineteenth century, Census operations were held every ten years. These prepared detailed records of the number of people in all the provinces of India, noting information on castes, religions and occupation. 

4.                  There were many other surveys – botanical surveys, zoological surveys, archaeological surveys, anthropological surveys, forest surveys. 

Q9: Who produce the first map of India under British colonial period? Who asked for it?

Answer: James Rennel in 1782. Rennel was asked by Robert Clive to produce maps of Hindustan.

Q10. Where The British preserved all important documents and letters?

Answer; They set up record rooms attached to all administrative institutions. The village tahsildar’s office, the collectorate, the commissioner’s office, the provincial secretariats, the lawcourts.

the indian constitution

            The Indian Constitution Summary

Why Does a Country Need a Constitution?

The Constitution serves several purposes. First,
It lays out certain ideals which form the basis of kind of country we aspire to live in.

It helps serve basic set of rules to govern the nation.

It defines the nature of political system. It provides guidelines how government should be elected and its machinery should work.

It ensures that a dominant group does not use its power against other, less powerful people or groups

 A Constitution guarantees certain fundamental   rights to all its citizens.

 The members of the Constituent Assembly had a huge task before them. Justify statement with appropriate reasons.

The country was made up of several different communities who spoke different languages, belonged to different religions, and had distinct cultures.

The partition of the country into India and Pakistan was imminent, some of the Princely States remained undecided about their future,

 The socio-economic condition of the vast mass of people appeared pity.

The Indian Constitution: Key Features

1. 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 and at the centre. Panchayati Raj is the third tier of government

The Constitution contains lists that detail the issues that each tier of government can make laws on.

2. Parliamentary Form of Government

Constitution of India guarantees universal adult suffrage for all citizens.

This means that the people of India have a direct role in electing their representatives.  

Every citizen of the country, irrespective of his/her social background, can also contest in elections.

These representatives are accountable to the people.

3. Separation of Powers

: There are three organs of the State. These are the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The legislature refers to our elected representatives. The executive is a smaller group of people who are responsible for implementing laws and running the government. The judiciary, of which  prevent the misuse of power by any one branch of the State

4. Fundamental Rights

: The Constitution, thus, guarantees the rights of individuals against the State as well as against other individuals.

5.Secularism:

A secular state is one in which the state does not officially promote any one religion as the state religion.
Exercise and additional questions

Q1. Why does a democratic country need a Constitution?

 Answer: The constitution serves several purposes such as:

It lays out certain ideals which form the basis of kind of country we aspire to live in.

It helps serve basic set of rules to govern the nation.

It defines the nature of political system. It provides guidelines how government should be elected and its machinery should work.

It ensures that a dominant group does not use its power against other, less powerful people or groups

Q2. What would happen if there were no restrictions on the power of elected representatives?

If there are no restrictions on the power of the elected representatives the leaders might misuse the powers given to them. The Indian Constitution provides safeguards against this misuse of power by our political leaders. The Constitution lays down rules that guard the citizens against misuse of power.

Q3. Discuss the difference between State and Government.

State refers to a political institution that represents a sovereign people who occupy a definite territory.

‘Government’ is responsible for administering and enforcing laws. The government can change with elections. The government (or the executive) is one part of the State.

Q4. When constituent assembly drafted constitution for India?

Between December 1946 and November 1949, the Constituent Assembly drafted a constitution for independent India.

Q5. Who is known as Father of the Indian Constitution?

Answer: Dr Baba saheb Ambedkar

Q6.  Which Fundamental Rights will the following situations violate?

If a 13-year old child is working in a factory manufacturing carpets.

If a politician in one state decides to not allow labourers from other states to work in his state.

If a group of people are not given permission to open a Telugu-medium school in Kerala.

If the government decides not to promote an officer of the armed forces because she is a woman.

Answer: (a) Right against exploitation. The Constitution prohibits trafficking, forced labour, and children working under 14 years of age.

Right to Equality: All persons are equal before the law. The State cannot discriminate against anyone in matters of employment.

Cultural and Educational Rights: The Constitution states that all minorities, religious or linguistic, can set up their own educational institutions in order to preserve and develop their own culture.

Right to equality: No citizen can be discriminated against on the basis of their religion, caste or gender.

Q7.  What do you mean by parliamentary form of government laid down by the Indian constitution?

Answer: The Constitution of India provides a Parliamentary form of government. It is also called cabinet government. In this system the executive is collectively responsible to the legislature. The executive are directly elected by people of India as our constitution guarantees universal adult suffrage to all the citizens.

Q8.  What are Fundamental Rights? List these rights.

Answer: Fundamental rights are the natural rights which are protected and guaranteed by the constitution. The six fundamental rights laid out by the Indian constitution are:

Right to equality

Right Freedom

Right against exploitation

Right to freedom of Religion

Cultural and Educational rights

VI Right to Constitutional remedies

 Q9. "The people of Nepal drafted a new constitution after the success of people’s movement for democracy’’. What Constitutive Rule they would like to follow?

Answer: The new constitution will lay down ideals that define the kind of the country that we want to live in. Nepal's earlier constitution was in favour of monarchy and did not lay fundamental rules of democracy.

Q10. What were the challenges faced by the Constituent Assembly while drafting theIndia constitution?                                                                                      Answer:

a) The country was made up of several different communities who spoke different languages, belonged to different religions, and had distinct cultures.

b)Due to partition of India, there was considerable turmoil. There was law and order problem and future of Princely States was undecided.

c)The socio-economic condition of the vast mass of people appeared pity.

Q11. What is a constitution?

Answer: A constitution is document consisting of basic rules or principles according to which the people of a country are governed.

Q12. What purposes are served by Indian Constitution?

Answer: The constitution serves several purposes such as:

It lays out certain ideals which form the basis of kind of country we aspire to live in.

It helps serve basic set of rules to govern the nation.

It defines the nature of political system. It provides guidelines how government should be elected and its machinery should work.

It ensures that a dominant group does not use its power against other, less powerful people or groups.

Q13. Name the national goals laid out by our constitution.

Answer: Democracy, Secularism and Socialism.

Q14. What are the salient features of Indian Constitution?

Answer:

Largest Written Constitution

Fundamental Rights and Duties

Directive Principles of State Policy

Integrated Judicial System

Single citizenship

Universal Adult Franchise

Federal System and Parliamentary Form of Government

Q15. The constitution also mentions fundamental duties. Find out with the help of your teacher what these include?  

To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem;
 To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom;
To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;
To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so;
To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;
To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;
To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures;
To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform;
To safeguard public property and to abjure violence;
To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement.