NCERT Class 9th: CIVICS Ch -2 What is Democracy? Why Democracy?

              TEXT BOOK QUESTION ANSWERS

1. Here is some information about four countries. Based on this information, how would you classif each of these countries. Write ‘democratic’, ‘undemocratic’ or ‘not sure’ against each of these.
 (a) Country A: People who do not accept the country’s official religion do not have a right to vote. (b) Country B: The same party has been winning elections for the last twenty years.
(c) Country C: Ruling party has lost in the last three elections.
(d) Country D: There is no independent election commission.

Answer (a) Undemocratic (b) Not sure (c) Democratic (d) Undemocratic


 2. Here is some information about four countries. Based on this information, how would you classi each of these countries. Write ‘democratic’, ‘undemocratic’ or ‘not sure’ against each of these.
 (a) Country P: The parliament cannot pass a law about the army without the consent of the army
(b) Country  Q:the parliament cannot pass a law reducing the power of judiciary.
(c) Country R: The country’s leaders cannot sign any treaty with another country without taking permission from its neighbouring country.
 (d) Country S: All the major economic decisions about the country are taken by officials of the central bank which the ministers cannot change.
Answer
 (a) Undemocratic
 (b) Democratic
(c) Undemocratic
(d) Undemocratic
3. Which of these is not a good argument in favour of democracy? Why?
 (a) People feel free and equal in a democracy.
(b) Democracies resolve conflict in a better way than others.
 (c) Democratic government is more accountable to the people.
(d) Democracies are more prosperous than other

Answer 
Option 'D' Democracies are more prosperous than others is not a good argument in favour of democracy as the prosperity of the country cannot be determined through its economic condition eg. a democratic country  India is still a developing country while country following monarchy rule is economically strong.

4. Each of these statements contains a democratic and an undemocratic element. Write out the two separately for each statement.
 (a) A minister said that some laws have to be passed by the parliament in order to conform to the regulations decided by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
(b) The Election Commission ordered re-polling in a constituency where large-scale rigging was reported.
(c) Women’s representation in the parliament has barely reached 10 per cent. This led women’s organisations to demand one-third seats for women.
 

Answer-
a) Democratic : Passing of laws by the parliament
     Non democratic: Confirming to the regulation decided by the WTO.
b)Democratic : the order to re-poll by Election Omission
  Non democratic: Large scale rigging was reported .
c) Democratic:  Demanded by women organisation to reserve  1/3 seats.
 Non democratic:women representation in the parliament is less than 10%

5. Which of these is not a valid reason for arguing that there is a lesser possibility of famine in a democratic country?
 (a) Opposition parties can draw attention to hunger and starvation.
 (b) Free press can report suffering from famine in different parts of the country.
 (c) Government fears its defeat in the next elections.
(d) People are free to believe in and practise any religion.

Answer Option ‘d’ is not a valid reason for arguing that there is a lesser possibility of famine in a democratic  country. because practicing of religion is not at all related to famine.
6. There are 40 villages in a district where the government has made no provision for drinking water These villagers met and considered many methods of forcing the government to respond to their need. Which of these is not a democratic method?
 (a) Filing a case in the courts claiming that water is part of right to life.
 (b) Boycotting the next elections to give a message to all parties.
(c)  Organizing public meetings against government’s policies.
 (d) Paying money to government officials to get water.
Answer :  d)  Paying money to government officials to get water is undemocratic.

7. write a response to the following argument against democracy.
(a) Army is the most disciplined and corruption-free organisation in the country. Therefore army should rule the country.
(b) Rule of the majority means the rule of ignorant people. What we need is the rule of the wise, ev if they are in small numbers.
 (c) If we want religious leaders to guide us in spiritual matters, why not invite them to guide us in politics as well. The country should be ruled by religious leaders.


A democracy is government elected by the people, from among the people themselves. The Army is integral in protecting the country, but it is not elected by the people; hence, it cannot form a democratic government.
The second statement is not true as all people are intelligent to some extent.
The third statement is dangerous because bringing religion into politics can cause serious conflict.

8. Are the following statements in keeping with democracy as a value? Why?
 (a) Father to daughter: I don’t want to hear your opinion about your marriage. In our family childre marry where the parents tell them to.
(b) Teacher to student: Don’t disturb my concentration by asking me questions in the classroom.
 (c) Employee to the officer: Our working hours must be reduced according to the law.

Answer (a) This statement of father is undemocratic as every adult has right to choose their life partner. T father does not have right to impose their choice on daughter.
 (b) This statement also is not under democratic setup. The student have right to ask question. This is  undemocratic if his right is denied.
 (c) The third statement is democratic as it calls for a rule of law which is beneficial for the employee
9. Consider the following facts about a country and decide if you would call it a democracy. Give reasons to support your decision.
 (a) All the citizens of the country have right to vote Elections are held regularly.
(b) The country took loan from international agencies. One of the conditions for given loan was  the government would reduce its expenses on education and health.
c) people speak more than 7 languages but education is available only in 1 language .the
 language spoken by 52% people of that country.
d) several organisation have given a call for peaceful demonstration and nationwide strikes in
the country to oppose these policies. Government has arrested these leaders.
(e) The government owns the radio and television in the country. All the newspapers have to get permission from the government to publish any news about government’s policies and protests.

   Answer:
a) Two important features of democracy are regular elections and universal adult franchise.
 b) A democratic government works for the welfare of the country and enhances dignity of the citizens. Therefore, it cannot perform any functions which go against the welfare of the country and its people.  it does not allow international agencies to interfere in its personal matter.
c) A national language can be a single language because such a concept will bring about national integrity but other languages also should be encouraged to cultivate in their respective regions.
d) Democracy provides people the right to strike or the right to free speech and demonstrations.
 e) A very important part of democracy is the freedom of the press. Therefore, the total control of media shows that there is no freedom of speech and expression and right to speak against the government.


                           EXTRA QUESTION ANSWERS  [ V.IMP]

Q 1.after how many years Mexico hold election for president election

Ans: 6 years

Q2. what is referendum?

Ans: it is a direct vote in which the entire electorate are asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal.

Q3. what do you mean by legal framework order?

Ans . it was order issued by General. Mussharraf empowering him to dismiss national or provincial assemblies .

Q4. which type of party system is there in China ?

ans. single part system.
Q5. what was PRI?
Ans .Institutional Revolutionary Party of mexico.they won every election till 2000
Q6. name the country where minorities find it difficult to get the right to vote.
Ans : Estonia -where the Russian minorities find it difficult to get right to vote.
Q7. Which party of Zimbabwe led freedom struggle and who was the president since independence?
Ans :ZANU-PF. Since independence Robert Mugabe was the president.
Q8. what is representative government?
Ans a form of government where majority of people rule through their representatives

Q9. Define democracy and elaborate any two common features of it.

Answer Democracy is a form of government that allows people to choose their rulers. in the phrase of Abraham Lincon ;democracy is a government " of the people ,by the people, and for the people"

 Features :

 • Only leaders elected by people rule the country.

• People have the freedom to express their views.

• Certain political freedom is enjoyed by the people. 

Q10. Why is Democracy considered the best form of government? Give three reasons.
Ans. Democracy is a more accountable form of government.
(i) It improves the quality of decision-making
(ii) It enhances the dignity of citizens.
(iii)It allows us to correct its own mistakes
Q11. Explain any three differences between democratic country and non-democratic country? 
Ans. In a Democratic country–
(i) Each adult citizen has a vote
(ii) Each vote has one valueand
(iii) Free and fair elections are held.
In a non-democratic country —
(i) Election do not offer a choice and fair opportunity;
(ii) Rulers are not elected by the people; and
(ii) The rulers have unlimited power.
Q12. Is China a democratic country or not? Give two arguments in favour of your answer
Ans. China is not a democratic country. (i) Only those who are members of the Chinese Communist Party or eight smaller parties allied to it are allowed to contest elections; (ii) Before contesting elections a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party.
Q13. Explain any three features of democracy. 
Ans. According to a Democracy—
(i) Rulers elected by the people take all the major decisions.
(ii) Elections offer a choice and fair opportunity to the people to change the corrent rulers; and
(ii) This choice and opportunity is available to all the people on an equal basis.
Q14. Why is Zimbabwe not considered a democratic country? 
Ans. It is ruled by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom struggle. Its leader, Robert Mugabe has been ruling the country since independence. Elections are held regularly but always won by the ZANU-PF. President Mugabe uses unfair means in the elections. He has changed the constitution several times to increase the power of the president. Radio and TV are controlled by the government.
Q15. Write any four diadvantages of democracy.

Ans.(1) Leaders keep changing in a democracy. This leads to instability.
(2) Democracy is all about political competition and power play. There is no scope for morality.
(3) So many people have to be consulted in a Democracy that it leads to delays.
(4) Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people. It leads to bad decisions.
Q16. ‘‘Democracy allows people to correct their own mistakes’’. Support the given statement with three points.
Ans. The advantage in a democarcy is that mistakes made by a government cannot be hidden for long. There is a space for public discussion on these mistakes and there is room for correction.Either the rulers have to change their decisions or they can be changed.

OTHER

Q.1. What were the steps taken by Musharraf in Pakistan to empower himself?
Ans. In Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf led a military coup in October 1999. He overthrew a democratically elected government and declared himself the ‘Chief Executive’ of the country. Later he changed his designation to President and in 2002 held a referendum in the country that granted him a five year extension. This referendum was based on fraud and malpractices. In 2002, he issued a ‘Legal Framework Order’ that amended the Constitution of Pakistan. According to this order, the President could dismiss the national or provincial assemblies.

Q. With reference to Zimbabwe, describe how the popular approval of rulers is necessary in a democracy but not sufficient.

Ans. In Zimbabwe, since Independence in 1980, elections have been held regularly and always won by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom struggle. Its leader, President Robert Mugabe, is popular but also uses unfair practices in elections. His government has changed the Constitution several times to increase the powers of the President and make him less accountable. Opposition party workers are harassed. Public protests and demonstrations against the government are declared illegal. There is a law that limits the right to criticise the President.

Q. On the basis of the various examples given in the chapter, state what should be the four features of a democracy.

Ans. Four features of a democracy are –

(i) Representatives elected by the people take all the major decisions.

(ii) Elections offer a choice and fair opportunity to the people to change the current rulers.

(iii) This choice and opportunity is available to all the people on an equal basis.

(iv) The exercise of this choice leads to a government limited by basic rules of the constitution and citizens’ rights.
Q. Enumerate the arguments given against democracy.
Ans. Some of the arguments against democracy are as follows :

(i) Leaders keep changing in a democracy. This leads to instability.
(ii) Democracy is all about political competition and power play, with no scope for morality.
(iii) Since so many people are to be consulted in a democracy, it leads to delays.
(iv) Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people; so it leads to bad decisions.
(v) Democracy leads to corruption as it is based on electoral competition.

Q. How does democracy provide a method to deal with differences and conflicts?
Ans. In any society people are bound to have differences of opinions and interests. These differences are particularly sharp in a country like India which has lot of social diversity. The preference of one group may class with those of the other groups. Democracy provides the only peaceful solution to this problem. In democracy, no one is a permanent winner or a permanent loser.

Different groups can live with one another peacefully. In a diverse country like ours, democracy keeps our country together.

Q. How does a democratic government rule within limits set by Constitutional Law? Give three reasons.

Ans. A democratic government cannot do whatever it likes simply because it has won an election.Every major decision has to go through a series of consultations. Every office bearer has certain rights and responsibilities assigned by the constitution and the law. A democratic government rules within limits set by constitutional law and citizens rights.
Q. Why does a democratic country always need a constitution? 

Ans. All countries that are democratic will have constitutions. After the war of independence against Great Britain the Americans gave themselves a constitution. After the revolution the French people approved a democratic constitution. Since then it has became a practice in all democracies to have a written constitution.

Q. ‘‘Democracy enhances the dignity of citizen.’’ Justify this statement.
Ans. Democracy is based on the principle of political equality on recognising that the poorest and the least educated has the same status as the rich and the educated. People are not subjects of a ruler. They are the rulers themselves. Even when they make mistakes they are responsible for their conduct
Q. Give any four reasons why democracies resolve conflict in a better way than other forms of governments. 
Ans. Democracies resolve conflict in a better way. Reasons —
(i) It improves the quality of decision making. It has scope for consultation and discussion.
(ii) In a Democracy conflicts are not solved by brutal force but by peaceful solutions. (iii) Even even when people/associations/ government make mistakes for a democracy allows them to correct their mistakes; and
(iv) Democracy provides a forum for consultations and discussions to resolve conflicts.
Q. Despite its demerits why is democracy the most preferred form of government? Explain.

Ans. Despite its demerits democracy is still the most preferred form of government as it is—
(i) a more accountable form of government. It responds to the needs of the people because the constitution requires it; and
(ii) Better decision came for when many heads together strive to do so, this reduces the chance of rash decisions or irresponsible decisions plus a democracy enhances the dignity of citizens. It is clearly better than any other form of government.

Q. Why is democracy government a better government? Mention four reasons.
 Ans. A democratic government is a better government as—
(i) it offers better changes of a good decision;
(ii) it is always likely to respect people wishes and allows;
(iii) different kinds of people to live together; and
(iv) even when it fails to do something for the people it allows a way of correcting its mistakes and offers more dignity to all citizens. That is why a democracy is considered the best form of government.

Q. ‘Democracy is based on consultation and discussion.’ Explain.

Ans. Consultation and discussion help democracy prosper. A democratic decision always involves many persons, discussions and meetings. When a number of people put their heads together, they are able to point out possible mistakes in any decision. This reduces the chances of rash or irresponsible decisions. Thus democracy improves the quality of decision-making.

Q. ‘‘Elections in China do not represent people verdict.’’ Explain. 

Ans. In China the elections do not offer the people any serious choice. They have to choose the ruling party and the candidates approved by it. Can it be called a choice? There is only are political party and people have to vote for its candidates.