MyClass24 logo
myclass24
YOUR CLASS. YOUR PACE.
Q&A Bank

Questions & Answers

154 answers across all subjects

Subject:MathematicsScienceEnglishSocial StudiesHindiPhysicsChemistryBiologyComputer Science
Class:123456789101112
Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

Re-read excerpts from the judgment on the Olga Tellis vs Bombay Municipal Corporation case. Now, write in your own words what the judges meant when they said that the Right to Livelihood was part of the Right to Life.

Answer In the Olga Tellis vs Bombay Municipal Corporation case, the judges stated that the Right to Livelihood was part of the Right to Life. They stated that life does not merely mean an animal’s existence; it cannot be lived without a means of livelihood. In the above-mentioned case, people were poor and lived in slums; they had small jobs and no other place to live. For them, eviction from their slum means deprivation of their livelihood, which consequently means deprivation of life. This is how judges connected the right to life to the basic requirements of any livelihood, i.e. Food, Clothes and shelter.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

Why do you think the introduction of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the 1980s is a significant step in ensuring access to justice for all?

Answer The Supreme Court in the early 1980s devised a mechanism of Public Interest Litigation or PIL to increase access to justice. It allowed any individual or organisation to file a PIL in the High Court or the Supreme Court on behalf of those whose rights were violated. The legal process was greatly simplified, and even a letter or telegram addressed to the Supreme Court, or the High Court could be treated as a PIL. In the early years, PIL was used to secure justice on a large number of issues, such as rescuing bonded labourers from inhuman work conditions; one such example is securing the release of prisoners in Bihar who had been kept in jail even after their punishment term was complete. Thus, the introduction of Public Interest Litigation is a significant step in ensuring access to justice for all.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

Keeping the Sudha Goel case in mind, tick the sentences that are true and correct the ones that are false. (a) The accused took the case to the High Court because they were unhappy with the decision of the Trial Court. (b) They went to the High Court after the Supreme Court had given its decision. (c) If they do not like the Supreme Court verdict, the accused can go back again to the Trial Court.

Answer (a) True (b) False. They went to the High Court after the Trial Court had given its decision. (c) False. If they do not like the Supreme Court verdict, the accused cannot go back again to the Trial Court because the Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary pyramid.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

Re-read the list of Fundamental Rights provided in Chapter 1. How do you think the Right to Constitutional Remedies connects to the idea of judicial review?

Answer The Right to Constitutional Remedies connects to the idea of judicial review in its capacity of protecting the rights of an individual against the working of the State legislature or executive. It allows citizens to move the court if they think that their fundamental rights are being violated by the State administration. The judicial review implies the invalidation of legislative or executive action if it is seen to violate fundamental rights. Hence, judicial review and the Right to Constitutional Remedies are interconnected because judicial review is practised when any fundamental Right is violated by the State. In this case, a higher court can repeal the judgments of a lower court based on its own investigation.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

You read that one of the main functions of the judiciary is ‘upholding the law and enforcing Fundamental Rights’. Why do you think an independent judiciary is necessary to carry out this important function?

Answer An independent judiciary is necessary to carry out the function of ‘upholding the law and enforcing Fundamental Rights’. It intends to shield the judicial process from external influences and provide full legal protection to all individuals going to court for whatever reason. Anyone can approach the courts if they believe that their rights have been violated. If any law passed by the Parliament violates anyone’s Fundamental Rights, the judiciary has the power to declare such law null and void.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

Why do you think our national movement supported the idea that all adults have a right to vote?

Answer: The freedom struggle was fought by people belonging to different backgrounds, and they were inspired by the ideas of freedom, equality and participation in decision-making. The reason to fight for the freedom of the nation was to live in a country governed by leaders who were sensitive to people’s needs and demands and who could completely abolish the inequalities that existed under British rule. The dreams and aspirations of people to live a free and respectful life were based on the principle of Universal Adult Franchise, i.e., the right to vote.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

In a town called Peace Land, the supporters of the Fiesta football team learn that the supporters of the Jubilee football team in the nearby city, about 40 km away, have damaged the ground on which the final match between both teams is to be held on the following day. A crowd of Fiesta fans armed with deadly weapons attacked the homes of the supporters of the Jubilee football team in the town. In the attack, 10 men were killed, 5 women were gravely hurt, many homes were destroyed, and over 50 people were injured. Imagine that you and your classmates are now part of the criminal justice system. First, divide the class into the following four groups of persons: 1. Police 2. Public Prosecutor 3. Defence Lawyer 4. Judge The column on the right provides a list of functions. Match these with the roles that are listed on the left. Have each group pick the functions that it needs to perform to bring justice to those who were affected by the violence of the Fiesta fans. In what order will these functions be performed? Roles Functions Police Hear the witnesses Record the statements of witnesses Cross-examine the witnesses Take photographs of burnt homes Record the evidence Arrest the Fiesta fans Writes the judgment Argue the case for the victims Decide the number of years for which the accused will be put in jail Examine the witnesses in court Pass the judgment Get the assaulted women medically examined Conduct a fair trial Meet the accused persons Public Prosecutor Defence Lawyer Judge Now, take the same situation but ask one student who supports the Fiesta Club to perform all the functions listed above. Do you think the victims would get justice if only one person performed all of the functions of the criminal justice system? Why not? State two reasons why you believe that different persons need to play different roles as part of the criminal justice system.

Answer: Role Functions Police Records the statements of witnesses Takes photographs of burnt homes Arrests the Fiesta fans Gets the assaulted women medically examined Public Prosecutor Cross examines the witnesses Argues the case for the victims Defence Lawyer Meets the accused persons Examines the witnesses in court Judge Hears the witnesses Records the evidence Writes the judgement Decides for how many years the accused will be put in jail Passes the judgement Conducts a fair trial The victim will not get justice if only one person performs all the functions of the criminal justice system because he could get influenced by various prejudices. Separation of power is necessary within a judicial system, too, since absolute power can lead to unfairness. Two reasons why different people need to play different roles as part of the criminal justice system are as follows: All the aspects of trial and investigation cannot be conducted by a single person, as it entails a diverse range of work, including arresting, recording the statements of witnesses, defending the victim and accused parties, passing a fair trial and judicially correct judgement. If all the powers are vested in one person alone, they might be misused and thereby violate the laws based on justice and equal decision. A single ideology may not be the right one, as it can affect the trial and the result of the case.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

Would you agree with the statement that economic marginalisation and social marginalisation are interlinked? Why?

Answer: Social marginalisation and economic marginalisation are interlinked. Social marginalisation forces a social group out of the mainstream, resulting in a lack of opportunities for skill development and education. This means that the people from marginalised sections will not have proper access to quality healthcare, which in turn means that a child from the marginalised section does not develop into a financially stable adult who otherwise is capable enough to ensure a better income. Thus, the individual who is left behind in socio-economic development also becomes economically marginalised

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

In the storyboard, you read about how Helen hopes to make a movie on the Adivasi story. Can you help her by developing a short story on Adivasis?

Answer: Students have to do this by themselves.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

Imagine that you are watching the Republic Day parade on TV with a friend, and she remarks, “Look at these tribal people. They look so exotic. And they seem to be dancing all the time.” List three things that you would tell her about the lives of Adivasis in India.

Answer: Adivasis have a deep knowledge of forests. They were hunters and gatherers and lived like nomads. They practised shifting agriculture and also cultivated in a single place. Their deep knowledge of forests made them indispensable to the rulers of various empires during the pre-colonial period in India. They have their own language and have influenced the formation of various Indian languages, Bengali being one of them.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

You are participating in a debate where you have to provide reasons to support the following statement: ‘Muslims are a marginalised community.’ Using the data provided in this chapter, list two reasons that you would give.

Answer: As per the data provided in the chapter, the literacy rate of the Muslim population in India is only 59%, which is the lowest compared to 65% among Hindus, 70% among Sikhs, 73% among Buddhists, 80% among Christians, and 94% among Jains. Also, only 3% of Muslims represent the esteemed Indian Administrative Service Cadre. The above statistics support that Muslims are a marginalised community in India.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

Re-read the section on Minorities and Marginalisation. What do you understand by the term minority?

Answer: A minority is a community that is numerically small in relation to the rest of the population. A particular religious section which has a low percentage in population compared to the major religious community is called a minority. The Constitution of India provides safeguards to linguistical and religious minorities as a part of its fundamental rights and ensures that minorities do not face any disadvantage or discrimination. In India, Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, etc., are included as minorities.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

Write one reason why you think the Constitution’s safeguards to protect minority communities are very important.

Answer: The safeguards to protect minority communities are necessary because the majority community may culturally dominate the minority communities, and the minority communities might become marginalised.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

List two reasons why Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalised.

Answer: Adivasis are being increasingly marginalised for the following two reasons: Changes in forest laws have deprived the Adivasis of access to forest produce. The construction of factories and other projects in tribal areas have forced many tribal people to migrate to other places in search of a livelihood.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

Write in your own words two or more sentences of what you understand by the word ‘marginalisation’.

Answer: A social process of being confined to lower social standing is marginalisation. It involves people being denied their fundamental rights, which results in lowering their social and economic status. It is a situation when a particular social group is forced to live on the fringes rather than in the mainstream. A marginalised section of society does not get opportunities for social and economic development.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

The column on the left lists some of the key features of the Indian Constitution. In the other columns, write two sentences, in your own words, on why you think this feature is important.

Key Feature Significance Federalism It is important because, in a country like India, there are people living at different levels, and only one level of government cannot govern them. Hence, forming a government for the different levels is important. The Panchayati Raj is responsible for governing the village, the state government is responsible for governing the state, and the Central Government is responsible for governing the entire country. Separation of Powers There are three organs of governance: legislature, executive and judiciary. Each of these organs has different powers and serves different functions. In order to prevent the misuse of power by any one branch of government, the Constitution says that each of these organs should exercise different powers. Fundamental Rights Fundamental Rights are a set of rights that the Constitution offers to every citizen of the country. These rights include the Right to Freedom, the Right to Equality, the Right against Exploitation, the Right to Freedom of Religion, Cultural and Educational Rights and the Right to Constitutional Remedies. These rights give every citizen of the country the right to be considered equal, not to get discriminated based on caste, culture or religion, to get equal educational opportunities and to be equal in front of the law. Parliamentary Form of Government A democratic government is one where the citizens of the country have the right to elect their representatives. When the Constitution was being made, it was made sure that every citizen of the country, irrespective of caste, colour, creed and religion, would have the right to elect their leaders under universal adult suffrage, i.e., where the right to vote will b

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

(d) In a class of 50 students, 40 belong to more well-off families.

Answer: In this case, the minority are the 10 students who do not belong to well-off families. It is important to keep their viewpoints in mind because they may not be able to contribute to the various expenses required by the school and they should not feel humiliated for the same.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

(c) In a factory mess for all employees, 80 per cent are vegetarians.

Answer: The minority here are the 20 per cent of non-vegetarians having food at the factory mess. It is important that the food prepared in the factory mess must be prepared for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

(b) In a city, 5 per cent of the population are Buddhists.

Answer: Here, the minority is the 5 per cent Buddhist population in the city. Their views should be respected. Just because they are in the minority with different religious beliefs, they should not be disrespected. Any decision should be taken keeping in mind the religious feelings of the Buddhist population.

Social StudiesClass 8CBSE

In each of the following situations, identify the minority. Write one reason why you think it is important to respect the views of the minority in each of these situations.(a) In a school with 30 teachers, 20 of them are male.

Answer: The minority here are the 10 female teachers teaching in the school. It is important to keep the point of view of the female teachers in mind because despite being a minority, their opinions are of great importance, and no decision made keeping the majority views in mind should cause discomfort for the female teachers.

12345678