{"id":118840,"date":"2022-04-28T17:29:37","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T11:59:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/?p=118840"},"modified":"2022-04-28T17:29:37","modified_gmt":"2022-04-28T11:59:37","slug":"chapter-3-election-and-representation-questions-and-answers-ncert-solutions-for-class-11-political-scienceindian-constitution-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/education\/chapter-3-election-and-representation-questions-and-answers-ncert-solutions-for-class-11-political-scienceindian-constitution-at-work","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 3 – Election and Representation Questions and Answers: NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Political Science(Indian Constitution at Work)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question 1.
\nWhich of the following resembles most a direct democracy?
\n(a) Discussions in a family meeting.
\n(b) Election of the class monitor.
\n(c) Choice of a candidate by a political party.
\n(d) Decisions taken by the Gram Sabha.
\n(e) Opinion polls conducted by the media<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\n(d) Decisions taken by the Gram Sabha.<\/h3>\n

Question 2.
\nWhich of the following tasks are not performed by the Election Commission?
\n(a) Preparing the Electoral Rolls.
\n(b) Nominating the candidates.
\n(c) Setting up polling booths.
\n(d) Implementing the model code of conduct.
\n(e) Supervising the Panchayat elections.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\n(e) Supervising the Panchayat elections.<\/h3>\n

Question 3.
\nWhich of the following is common to the method of election of the members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha?
\n(a) Every citizen above the age of 18 is an eligible voter.
\n(b) Voter can give preference order for different candidates.
\n(c) Every vote has equal value.
\n(d) The winner must get more than half the votes.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\n(a) Every citizen above the age of 18 is an eligible voter.<\/h3>\n

Question 4.
\nIn the First Past the Post System, that candidate is declared winner who:
\n(a) Secures the largest number of postal ballots.
\n(b) Belongs to the party that has highest number of votes in the country.
\n(c) Has more votes than any other candidate in the constituency.
\n(d) Attains first position by securing more than 50% votes.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\n(c) Has more votes than any other candidate in the constituency.<\/h3>\n

Question 5.
\nWhat is the difference between the system of reservation of constituencies and the system of separate electorate? Why did the Constitution makers reject the latter?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThere is much difference between the system of reservation of constituencies and system of separate electorate:
\nSeparate electorate system:
\nIt has been a curse to India.
\nThe British started this system to divide votes between the Sikhs, the Muslims, and some other minorities.
\nThese groups elected their own representatives by separate vote.
\nIn separate electorate system, the candidates are elected by those voters, who belong to that particular community.
\nSystem of reservation of constituencies:
\nAll voters are eligible to vote.
\nCandidate must belong to a particular community for which seat is reserved.
\nThe constitution provides the reservation of seats in the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies. The constitution-makers rejected the latter because they were aware that the system of separate electorate destroyed the spirit of national integration.<\/h3>\n

Question 6.
\nWhich of the following statements are incorrect? Identify and correct them by substituting, adding or rearranging only one word or phrase.
\n(a) FPTP system is followed for all the elections in India.
\n(b) Election Commission does not supervise PanChayat and Municipal elections.
\n(c) President of India cannot remove an Election Commissioner.
\n(d) Appointment of more than one Election Commissioner in the Election Commission is mandatory.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\n(a) This is incorrect, the correct statement is FPTP system is followed for all elections in India except election of the President, the Vice President and for the elections to the Rajya Sabha and the Vidhan Parishad.
\n(b) This is correct statement
\n(c) This is incorrect because the President can remove an Election Commissioner.
\n(d) This is also incorrect. The correct statement is the appointment of more than one Election Commissioner is not mandatory.<\/h3>\n

Question 7.
\nIndian electoral system aims at ensuring representation of socially disadvantaged sections. However, we are yet to have even 10 per cent women members in our legislatures. What measures would you suggest to improve the situation?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe Indian Constitution provides the reservation for SC\u2019s and ST\u2019s in our legislative\u2019s. But it lacks the similar reservation for disadvantaged groups. As there should be some more reservation for women through the constitutional amendment, which should not only be a proposal, but also be passed.<\/h3>\n

Question 8.
\nHere are some wishes expressed in a conference to discuss a constitution for a new country. Write against each of these whether FPTP or Proportional Representation system is more suited to meet each of these wishes.
\n(a) People should clearly know who is their representative so that they can hold him or her personally accountable.
\n(b) We have small linguistic minorities who are spread all over the country; we should ensure fair representation to them.
\n(c) There should be no discrepancy between votes and seats for different parties.
\n(d) People should be able to elect a good candidate even if they do not like his or her political party.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\n(a) FPTP
\n(b) Proportional Representation
\n(c) Proportional Representation
\n(d) FPTP<\/h3>\n

Question 9.
\nA former Chief Election Commissioner joined a political party and contested elections. There are various views on this issue. One view is that a former Election Commissioner is an independent citizen and has a right to join any political party and to contest election. According to the other view, leaving this possibility open can affect the impartiality of the Election Commission. So, former Election Commissioners must not be allowed to contest any elections. Which position do you agree with and why?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nElection Commission of India is a constitutional independent body set for conducting elections of the Union Parliament, the state Legislative Assembly, President and Vice President under the Article 324(i) of India Constitution. The Election Commission is an impartial agency to conduct free and fair elections in country. Hence, Election Commissioner must not be allowed to contest any election because it can affect the impartiality of the Commission.<\/h3>\n

Question 10.
\n\u201cIndian democracy is now ready to shift from a crude First Past the Post system to a system of Proportional Representation\u201d. Do you agree with this statement? Give your reasons for or against this statement.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nYes, I agree with the statement along with the following reasons:
\nIndia enjoys a multi-party system including regional parties, hence to provide the shape to all the political parties, the proportional system is far better.
\nDecentralization of power strengthens the sense of responsibility along with national unity and integrity.
\nRepresentation democracy makes the democracy more effective and trustworthy.
\nIt ensures the political parties to get seats along with proportionate votes.
\nThe election system has allowed the voters to change governments peacefully both at the state and the national level.
\nVoters have consistently keen interest to the election process. Hence, the number of candidates and parties are continuously on rise.<\/h3>\n

Very Short Answer Type Questions<\/h3>\n

Question 1.
\nWhat is Democracy?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nDemocracy is a type of government of the people, for the people and by the people.<\/h3>\n

Question 2.
\nWhat is meant by a direct democracy?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nIn direct democracy, the citizens directly participate in day-to-day decision making and in the running of the government. Example \u2013 Greece.<\/h3>\n

Question 3.
\nWhat do you mean by Universal Adult Franchise?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nAll adult citizens of a country above maturity age are entitled to enjoy the right to vote without any discrimination, known as Universal Adult Franchise.<\/h3>\n

Question 4.
\nWhat does FPTP and PR stand for?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nFPTP: First Past the Post System.
\nPR: Proportional Representation.<\/h3>\n

Question 5.
\nMention the amendment made in constitution of India in 1989.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nIt reduced the eligibility age of Universal Adult Franchise from 21 to 18.<\/h3>\n

Question 6.
\nWhat do you mean by Election System?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nElection system is a medium to elect the representatives especially in indirect democracy to form the government. The representatives are elected by the people to act in accordance with the wishes of the people.<\/h3>\n

Question 7.
\nWhat is electoral behavior?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThrough elections people participate in election process to determine who will hold power. Hence, elections are visible expression of public interest which is determined by individual\u2019s own reasons and perceptions as well as his being a part of a group. Electoral behavior depends on both short term and long term influences.<\/h3>\n

Question 8.
\nWhat is Direct Method of Election?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nIn Direct Method of Election:
\nA voter participates in election directly.
\nA voter casts his vote to a candidate of one\u2019s own choice.
\nSecret method of ballot is used.
\nElected representatives hold the rein of government of the country.<\/h3>\n

Question 9.
\nWhat is an Indirect Method of Election?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nIn Indirect Method of Election:
\nVoters do not elect the representatives directly.
\nVoters elect intermediary electors who are collectively known as Electoral College.
\nElectoral college elects the representatives to the legislative assemblies.<\/h3>\n

Question 10.
\nWhat do you understand by Simple Majority Representation System?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe Simple Majority Representation System declares the candidate elected who secures votes more than others. In this system to secure absolute majority is not necessary. In this system in the case of multi-cornered contests, candidate even with less than 50% votes is elected.<\/h3>\n

Question 11.
\nWhat is Political Minority?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nPolitical Minority refers to the opposition party. After elections, the party who gets majority forms the government and other parties who do not get majority become opposition parties and known as political minority who enjoys the right to convert themselves into political majority democratic methods.<\/h3>\n

Question 12.
\nMention the shortcomings of the Simple Majority System of Elections.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nSimple Majority System of Elections declares the candidate to be winner even in the case of not getting an absolute majority or if even more than 50% voters do not like the candidate.<\/h3>\n

Question 13.
\nDefine Secret Ballot system.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nSecret Ballot system refers to the secret ballot-when everyone chooses one\u2019s own candidate in secret as well as does not disclose one\u2019s choice also, so that others could not pressurize the one.<\/h3>\n

Question 14.
\nWhat are Mid-term Elections?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nMid-Term Elections refer to elections held before the expiry of the term of Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assembly due to some reasons or the other or if Lok Sabha or state Legislative Assemblies are dissolved by the President or Governor before expiry of the terms of Lok Sabha or Legislative Assemblies.<\/h3>\n

Question 15.
\nWhat do you mean by Bye-election?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nBye-election refers to the elections held on creating some sudden reasons which make the seat vacant, i.e. resignation or the sudden death of the member, etc.<\/h3>\n

Question 16.
\n\u201cUniversal Adult Franchise is important in a democracy\u201d. Justify the statement.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nUniversal Adult Franchise is important in a democracy for the following reasons:
\nRight to vote is enjoyed by every adult without any discrimination on any ground.
\nOnly lunatics, bankrupts, minors or criminals are deprived of right to vote.
\nThe age of adulthood differs from country to country, i.e. 18 years in India, 21 years in the USA and 23 years in Norway and so on.
\nEveryone is treated equally.
\nThis provides political education to the citizens and develop self-respect.<\/h3>\n

Question 17.
\nWhat is political participation?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nTo elect the representatives or to be elected as a representative.
\nTo be a member of executive.
\nTo be selected for government post.
\nA steady increase in percentage of voters turnout despite some functions.<\/h3>\n

Question 18.
\nWhat is Election Manifesto? Explain.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nElection Manifesto is a document to let the voters know about programmes, policies and aims of political party to be declared on the eve of elections:
\nIt clarifies the internal and external policies of the government.
\nPeople became aware of performance of the political party on winning.
\nPeople can pressurize even the winning party or the government to work on behalf of manifesto.<\/h3>\n

Question 18.
\nWhat do you mean by the list system?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nLarge multi-member constituencies are formed.
\nMany members\/representatives are elected from each constituency.
\nEach political party submits a list of as many candidates as are to be elected from political constituency.
\nThe voters vote for the list, which are indivisible to be elected.
\nEach candidate has to secure minimum votes fixed by the quota to be obtained by dividing the total number of votes polled to the party by the quota.
\nThe same number of candidates enumerated in the party list from top are declared successful.<\/h3>\n

Question 19.
\nHow does India ensure the secret ballot?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nSecret ballot is ensured in India:
\nThe voter is given a secret ballot paper by the presiding officer of the polling booth.
\nThe voter goes behind the curtain to vote to the candidate of one\u2019s own choice.
\nNow-a-days, EVM\u2019s (Electronic Voting Machines) are being used in place of ballot paper.
\nThe voter presses the button against the candidate of his\/her choice with the symbols assigned to them.
\nThis maintains the complete secrecy because no one else comes to know to whom the voter has voted.
\nEven the candidate does not come to know who has voted him or not.<\/h3>\n

Question 20.
\nHow does the Election Commission recognize the regional party?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe Election Commission lays down the following criterion to recognize the regional parties:
\nThe Election Commission declares and decides that which political party stands at national level or which should stand at regional level.
\nThe Election Commission has been empowered to see the popularity of the regional party in a particular region.
\nThe Election Commission checks the organization and membership of the party.
\nThe Election Commission looks after either the regional party works under the code of conduct or not as assigned by the Election Commission.<\/h3>\n

Long Answer Type Questions<\/h3>\n

Question 1.
\nExplain the role of Election Commission of India.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe role of Election Commission can be summarized as follows:
\nThe Election Commission controls over the election machinery to conduct free and fair elections as supervises and makes changes if needed in the electoral rules of the elections.
\nThe Election Commission prepares the voters\u2019 list who enjoy the right to vote as well as considers objections also to be raised by voters in reference of voters\u2019 list.
\nElection Commission provides the election symbols to the political parties as well as to independent candidates. As Congress (I) has been assigned the symbol of hand and lotus has been provided to BJP. The independent candidates are provided symbols on temporary basis.
\nThe Election Commission declares and recognizes the political parties as national or regional.<\/h3>\n

Question 2.
\nHow does the Election Commission of India ensure its independence?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe Election Commission ensures its independence by the following provisions
\nChief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners and Regional Election Commissioners are appointed for a fixed term.
\nThe Chief Election Commissioner cannot be removed from his office before the expiry of his term except on the grounds of incapacity and misbehavior only if a resolution to this effect is passed by both the houses of parliament by a two-third majority.
\nOther Election Commissioners and Regional Election Commissioners can be removed from the Office only on the recommendations of the Chief Election Commissioner.
\nSalaries and other allowances of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners are to be paid out of consolidated fund of India.
\nTenure and other service conditions of Chief Election Commissioner and others, are fixed by the president, but they cannot be changed to their disadvantage during their term of office.<\/h3>\n

Question 3.
\nWhat is the composition of Election Commission of India?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe Election Commission consists of Chief Election Commissioner and the number of other Election Commissioners may also be fixed by the president from time to time.
\nThus, the Election Commission may be single member or multi member body. Till 1989, the Election Commission was a single member body.
\nIn 1993, two more Election Commissioners were also appointed and become multi\u00acmember body since then.
\nThe Chief Election Commissioner presides over the Election Commission, but the other Election Commissioners also enjoy the same power to work mainly on consensus as a collective body only.
\nThe constitution of India has ensured independence of Election Commission and declared it can important body to conduct free and fair elections.<\/h3>\n

Question 4.
\nSometimes criticism has taken place against Universal Adult Suffrage. Explain them.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nUniversal Adult Suffrage refers to the right to vote given to all adult citizens without any distinction of caste, class, colour, creed, language, religion, etc. It has faced some criticisms also:
\nRight to vote is a special privilege to confer on those who utilize it for the welfare of the state. Hence, it should be conferred only to the educated persons and illiterate persons should be debarred from it because they cannot understand who is the best candidate for the state.
\nThe Universal Adult Suffrage establishes the government of fools because fools and ignorant form the majority in the society which can create some dangerous consequences in the state.
\nAll the people should not be given the right to vote equally and to contest elections as well because God has not created everybody equal.
\nThe right to vote should be extended to those persons only who are competent or capable of using it because it is a responsibility not the right and a responsibility cannot be extended to the incompetent persons.
\nThe Universal Adult Suffrage leads to corruption because contesting and voting, both are usually made on the bases of money and muscle power by dominating the poor the downtrodden people.<\/h3>\n

Question 5.
\nSuggest some major suggestions for electoral reforms.<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe various committees have worked on electoral reforms, i.e. the Goswami Committee and Tarkunde Committee, but these have not brought substantial changes in electoral system and law. It seems that political parties are indifferent to electoral reforms because in some cases, political parties have neutralized the steps taken by the Election Commission to bring in some desired changes. It is now widely recognized to preserve and strengthen the democratic setup a comprehensive agenda of reforms is necessary in system, structure and processes:
\nCriminalization should be checked in politics.
\nPolitical parties\u2019 functions should be regulated.
\nVoters\u2019 participation and awareness should be ensured.
\nMake the election machinery effective and credible.
\nThe use of money and muscle power should be stopped.
\nA proportionate share to every class, section and society should also be provided in the parliament.<\/h3>\n

Question 6.
\nWhat is the electoral process in India?<\/h2>\n

Answer:
\nThe electoral process is performed into different stages under the provisions of Representation of People Act, 1950 and 1951:
\nFirst of all, constituencies are formed in a territorial area from where a candidate contest election.
\nThe nomination papers are filled with the returning officer.
\nThe scrutiny is made to check whether the information filled in nomination form, are correct.
\nAfter the scrutiny is over, the candidate is given a date for withdrawal.
\nThen Election campaign takes place by various techniques by holding rallies, meetings, processions, distributing handbills and door-to-door canvassing, etc.
\nThe election campaign stops 48 hours earlier before polling is held on the due date. Presiding officers and polling officers supervise the whole polling process. The voters vote through the secret ballot.
\nAfter the voting is over, the counting made on a fixed date and time. The candidate getting highest number of votes, is declared elected.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Class 11 Political Science(Indian Constitution at Work) NCERT book solutions for Chapter 3 – Election and Representation Questions and Answers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21830,"featured_media":118815,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-118840","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21830"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118840"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118846,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118840\/revisions\/118846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mapsofindia.com\/my-india\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}