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NCERT Exercise Solutions for Class 9 Political Science Chapter 1 – What is Democracy? Why Democracy?

1. Here is some information about the four countries. Based on this information, how would you classify 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: The Ruling party has lost in the last three elections.

d.     Country D: There is no independent election commission.

Answer -

a.      Country A: Undemocratic

b.     Country B: Not sure

c.      Country C: Democratic

d.     Country D: Undemocratic

2. Here is some information about four countries. Based on this information, how would you classify 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 Chief of the Army.

b.     Country Q: The parliament cannot pass a law reducing the powers of the 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.      Country P: Undemocratic

b.     Country Q: Democratic

c.      Country R: Undemocratic

d.     Country S: 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 others.

Answer - D. Democracies are more prosperous than others.

4. Each of these statements contains a democratic and 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 parliament has barely reached 10 per cent. This led women’s organisations to demand one-third of seats for women.

Answer -

a.      Democratic element – A minister said that some laws have to be passed by the parliament. Undemocratic element – Conform to the regulations decided by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

b.     Democratic element – The Election Commission ordered re-polling in a constituency. Undemocratic element – Large-scale rigging was reported.

c.      Democratic element – Women’s organisations to demand one-third of seats for women. Undemocratic element – Women’s representation in parliament has barely reached 10 per cent.

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 - D. The statement, ‘People are free to believe in and practice any religion’, is not a valid reason for arguing that there is a lesser possibility of famine in a democratic country.

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 needs. Which of these is not a democratic method?

a.      Filing a case in the courts claiming that water is part of the right to life.

b.     Boycotting the next elections to give a message to all parties.

c.      Organising public meetings against the government’s policies.

d.     Paying money to government officials to get water.

Answer - D. Paying money to government officials to get water is not a democratic method.

7. Write a response to the following arguments against democracy:

a.      Army is the most disciplined and corruption-free organisation in the country. Therefore, the 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, even 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.

Answer -

a.      The army is a disciplined organisation. However, it is unfair if an army rules, as the army was not chosen by the citizens, and hence, it will be an undemocratic practice.

b.     The rule of the majority is not the rule of ignorant people. Wisdom is subjective, and the government is run by people who know law and order.

c.      Religion and politics are two different things. While religion can guide someone towards religious affairs, it cannot guide anyone towards politics, which is an important segment of a nation.

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, children 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.      The statement does not keep with democracy as a value, as the daughter is not allowed to express her opinion.

b.     The statement does not keep with democracy as a value, as students are not allowed to ask questions, which is their right.

c.      The statement keeps with democracy as law, as the employee voices their opinion for their right under the law.

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 the right to vote. Elections are held regularly.

b.     The country took loans from international agencies. One of the conditions for giving loans was that the government would reduce its expenses on education and health.

c.      People speak more than seven languages, but education is available only in one language, the language spoken by 52 per cent of people in that country.

d.     Several organisations have given a call for peaceful demonstrations and nationwide strikes in the country to oppose these policies. The 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 the government’s policies and protests.

Answer -

a.      From this statement, we can understand that it is a democratic country where citizens are allowed to vote and choose their government.

b.     While taking a loan from international agencies, the country is compromising on the welfare of the people by reducing their expenditure on education and health, which is totally undemocratic.

c.      The provision of making education accessible in only one language is undemocratic. It is the fundamental right for people to have an education, and it is the government’s duty to provide them with the language they know.

d.     The right to assemble and peacefully demonstrate is a basic right of an individual. Hence, arresting the protestors is undemocratic.

e.      When the government owns the radio and television, it is debarring people from availing their right to a free press. It is undemocratic.

10 Write an essay on ‘Democracy and Poverty’ using examples from India.

Answer - Democracy is not a magical solution for all the problems. It has not ended poverty in our country and in other parts of the world. Democracy as a form of government only ensures that people take their own decisions. This does not guarantee that their decisions will be good. People can make mistakes. Involving the people in these decisions does lead to delays in decision making. It is also true that democracy leads to frequent changes in leadership. Sometimes this can set back big decisions and affect the government’s efficiency. These arguments show that democracy of the kind we see may not be the ideal form of government. 

But that is not a question we face in real life. The real question we face is different: is democracy better than other forms of government that are there for us to choose democracy.

Extra Questions

Q 1   What is democracy? What are its features? Give some arguments against the democracy.

Answer - The word democracy comes from a Greek word ‘Demokratia’. In Greek ‘demos’ means people and ‘kratia’ means rule. So Democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.

 

In the words of former US President Abraham Lincoln - “Democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people”.

 

Features / Merits of Democracy:-

(i)                Democracy is a form of government in which the rulers are elected by the people.

(ii)             Democracy is based on a fundamental principle of political equality, means each adult citizen have one vote and each vote have one value.

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

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

(v)             The exercise of this choice leads to a government limited by basic rules of the constitution and citizens’ rights.

(vi)           Democracy improves the quality of decision-making.

(vii)        A democratic government is a better government because it is a more accountable form of government.

(viii)      Democracy enhances the dignity of citizens.

(ix)           Democracy is better than other forms of government because it allows us to correct its own mistakes.

Arguments against democracy: -

(a) Leaders keep changing in a democracy. This leads to instability.

(b) Democracy is all about political competition and power play. There is no scope for morality.

(c)  So many people have to be consulted in a democracy that it leads to delays.

(d) Elected leaders do not know the best interest of the people. It leads to bad decisions.

(e)  Democracy leads to corruption for it is based on electoral competition.

(f)   Ordinary people don’t know what is good for them; they should not decide anything.

Q 2   What types of government works in different countries discussed in the chapter? Explain in brief.

Answer – There are two types of government found in the different countries of the world, as

Ø Democratic governments

Ø Non-democratic governments

o    The army rulers of Myanmar were not elected by the people. Those who happened to be in control of the army became the rulers of the country. People had no say in this decision.

o    Dictators like Pinochet (Chile) are not elected by the people. This also applies to monarchies.

o    The kings of Saudi Arabia rule not because the people have chosen them to do so but because they happen to be born into the royal family.

o    Syria, a small west Asian country. The ruling Ba’ath Party and some of its small allies are the only parties allowed in that country.

o    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. Pakistani media, human rights organisations and democracy activists said that the referendum was based on malpractices and fraud. In August 2002 he issued a ‘Legal Framework Order’ that amended the Constitution of Pakistan. According to this Order, the President can dismiss the national and provincial assemblies. The work of the civilian cabinet is supervised by a National Security Council which is dominated by military officers. After passing this law, elections were held to the national and provincial assemblies. So Pakistan has had elections, elected representatives have some powers. But the final power rested with military officers and General Musharraf himself.

o    In China, elections are regularly held after every five years for electing the country’s parliament, called Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (National People’s Congress). The National People’s Congress has the power to appoint the President of the country. It has nearly 3,000 members elected from all over China. Some members are elected by the army. Before contesting elections, a candidate needs the approval of the Chinese Communist Party. Only those who are members of the Chinese Communist Party or eight smaller parties allied to it were allowed to contest elections held in 2002-03. The government is always formed by the Communist Party. Chinese government blocked free flow of information on the internet by placing restrictions on popular websites like ‘Google’ and ‘Yahoo’.

o    Since its independence in 1930, Mexico holds elections after every six years to elect its President. The country has never been under a military or dictator’s rule. But until 2000 every election was won by a party called PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party). Opposition parties did contest elections, but never managed to win. The PRI was known to use many dirty tricks to win elections. All those who were employed in government offices had to attend its party meetings. Teachers of government schools used to force parents to vote for the PRI. Media largely ignored the activities of opposition political parties except to criticise them. Sometimes the polling booths were shifted from one place to another in the last minute, which made it difficult for people to cast their votes. The PRI spent a large sum of money in the campaign for its candidates.

o    Zimbabwe attained independence from White minority rule in 1980. Since then the country has been ruled by ZANU-PF, the party that led the freedom struggle. Its leader, Robert Mugabe, ruled the country since independence. Elections were held regularly and always won by ZANU-PF. President Mugabe was popular but also used unfair practices in elections. Over the years his government changed the constitution several times to increase the powers of the President and make him less accountable. Opposition party workers were harassed and their meeting disrupted. Public protests and demonstrations against the government were declared illegal. There was a law that limited the right to criticise the President. Television and radio were controlled by the government and gave only the ruling party’s version. There were independent newspapers but the government harassed those journalists who went against it. The government ignored some court judgments that went against it and pressurised judges. He was forced out of office in 2017.

o    Until 2015, in Saudi Arabia women did not have the right to vote.

o    Estonia has made its citizenship rules in such a way that people belonging to Russian minority find it difficult to get the right to vote.

 o    In Fiji, the electoral system is such that the vote of an indigenous Fiji has more value than that of an Indian-Fijian.

o    Brazil, a country that has long experience of dictatorship.

 o    Jaruzelski in Poland, Sani Abacha in Nigeria and Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines were also dictators.


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