Civics

Chapter – 2
What is government

Keywords

1. Monarch
2. Democracy
3. Women's suffrage movement
4. Local level
5. State level
6. National level

Answer the following

1. Name two essential features of a democratic government.

It is the people who give the government its power. They do this through
elections in which they vote for particular persons and elect them. Once
elected, these persons form the government. The government has to explain
its actions and defend its decisions to the people.

2. What was the suffrage movement? What did it accomplish?

 Suffrage movement was the struggle by women all over Europe and
USA to gain the right to vote in the same way men had.
 Women who participated in the Suffrage movement are referred to as
suffragettes.
 Suffrage movement strengthened during the First World War.
Suffragettes were imprisoned and went on hunger strikes, and they
had to be fed by force.
 Accomplishment of this movement was: American women got the
right to vote in 1920 while women in the UK got to vote on the same
terms as men some years later in 1928
General Questions :

1. Give three reasons why people prefer to live in a democracy than any
other forms of government.
a) Fundamental Rights
b) Sense of Participation
c) Right to criticize the government

2. Why is it important for people to abide by laws?

a) Laws are meant for safety and welfare of the people.
b) Absence of law causes inequality, corruption etc in the society.

3. What did Gandhiji write in the journal Young India in 1931?

Gandhiji wrote that he did not like the idea that only wealthy people were
given the right to vote, when men with education and good character
were not allowed to vote. He felt that the right to vote should not be taken
away from the hard-working common man only for the reason that he
was poor.

4. What is meant by universal adult franchise?

Universal adult franchise means that all the adults in the country are
allowed to vote. A government cannot call itself democratic unless it
allows universal adult franchise.

5. What is meant by representative democracy?

In representative democracies, people do not participate directly. They
choose their representatives through an election process. These
representatives form government and make decisions for the entire
population.

6. Give three examples of Institutions that are part of the government.

a. The Supreme court
b. Bharat Petroleum
c. Indian Railways.