NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science Civics Chapter 1 What is democracy? Why Democracy? Questions and Answers

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science Civics Democratic Politics Chapter 1, “What is Democracy? Why Democracy?” provide comprehensive answers to questions, shedding light on the fundamentals of democracy and its significance. Students delve into the concepts of governance, representation, and citizen participation. These solutions foster a deep understanding of democratic principles, helping students appreciate the importance of democracy in ensuring justice, equality, and accountability in society. With NCERT solutions, Class 9 students can develop a strong foundation in civics and political awareness.

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? WHY DEMOCRACY? Questions and Answers Class 9

EXERCISE

Q1. 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.

  1. Country A:  People who do not accept the country’s official religion do not have a right to vote.
  2.  Country B: The same party has been winning elections for the last twenty years.
  3.  Country C: The ruling party has lost in the last three elections.
  4. Country D: There is no independent election commission.

Answers:-

a) Country A:- Undemocratic

b) Country B:- Not sure

c) Country C:- Democratic

d) Country D:- Undemocratic

Q2. 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.

  1. Country P: The parliament cannot pass a law about the army without the consent of a Chief of Army.
  2.  Country Q:  The parliament cannot pass a law reducing the powers of the judiciary.
  3. Country R: The country’s leaders cannot sign any treaty with another country without taking permission from its neighbouring country.
  4.  Country S:  All the major economic decisions about the country are taken by officials of the central bank which the ministers cannot change.

Answers:-

a) Country P:- Undemocratic

b) Country Q:- Democratic

c) Country R:- Undemocratic

d) Country S:- Undemocratic

Q3. which of these is not a good argument in favour of democracy? Why?

  1.  People feel free and equal in a democracy.
  2. Democracies resolve conflict in a better way than others.
  3.  Democratic government is more accountable to the people.
  4.  Democracies are more prosperous than others.

Answers:- D) is not a good argument in favour of democracy because the prosperity of a country depends on the policies made by the government, the natural resources of the country etc.

For example, India doesn’t have monarchist countries like Saudi Arabia and the communist like China. India is not as prosperous as some countries.

Q4. Each of these statements contains a democratic and an undemocratic element. Write out the two separately for each statement.

  1. 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 Organization (WTO).
  2.  The Election commission ordered re-polling in a constituency where large-scale rigging was reported.
  3.  Women’s representation in the parliament has barely reached 10per per cent. This led women’s organisations to demand one-third of the seats for women.

Answers:- a) A minister said that some laws have passed by the parliament = Democratic element.

regulations decided by the World Trade Organization (WTO) = Undemocratic element

b) The Election commission ordered re-polling in a constituency = Democratic element

large- scale rigging was reported = Undemocratic element

c) Women’s representation in the parliament has barely reached 10per per cent = Undemocratic element

This led women’s organisations to demand one- of third seats for women = a Democratic element

Q5. Which of these is not a valid reason for arguing that there is a lesser possibility of famine in a democratic country?

  1. Opposition parties can draw attention to hunger and starvation.
  2.  The free press can report suffering from famine in different parts of the country.
  3.  The government fears its defeat in the next elections.
  4.  People are free to believe in and practise any religion.

Answers:- D) ‘People are free to believe in and practise any religion is not a valid reason.

Q6. 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 Is this not a democratic method?

  1.  Filling a case in the courts claiming that water is part of the right to life.
  2.  Boycotting the next elections to give a message to all parties.
  3.  Organizing public meetings against the government’s policies.
  4.  Paying money to government officials to get water.

Answers:- D) is not a democratic method.

Q7. Write a response to the following arguments against democracy:

  1.  The Army is the most disciplined and corruption-free organisation in the country. Therefore the army should rule the country.
  2. The 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.
  3.  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.

Answers:- a) Army is the most disciplined and corruption-free but is not chosen by the people, They are from among the people but the government made in a democratic country is chosen by the people and for the people.

b) It is not necessary that wise people will understand all the problems of the people and give the solution for the problem, some people have their own way to understand and give the solution their intelligence can understand rules and regulations and can rule wisely.

c) Religion is a very different matter than politics, they are two different matters. If religious leaders will rule the country there will be many chances of conflict between two leaders and their conflict can affect the whole country.

Q8. Are the following statements in keeping with democracy as a value? Why?

  1.   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.
  2. Teacher to student: Don’t disturb my concentration by asking me questions in the classroom.
  3.  Employee to the officer: Our working hours must be reduced according to the law.

Answers:- a) No, it is not in keeping with democratic values because in the above statement the daughter doesn’t have a right to decide or Deny the decision that is made for her life. In democratic countries, everyone has a right to decide about their personal life.

b) No, it is not in keeping with democratic values because in the above statement the student doesn’t have a right to ask the doubt to teacher and doubt can affect the whole concept that the student is understanding. It is the responsibility of the teacher to clear all the doubts coming into the student’s mind.

c) No, it is not keeping up with democratic values because in the above statement the employee has to work more than the time set by the law. And it is against the law to make the employee work for extra time.

Q9.  Consider the following facts about the country and decide if you would call it a democracy. Give reasons to support your decision.

  1. All the citizens of the country have the right to vote. Elections are held regularly.
  2. The country took loans from international agencies. One of the conditions for giving a loan was that the government would reduce its expenses on education and health.
  3.  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.
  4. Several organisations have given a call for peaceful demonstrations and nation wide strikes in the country to oppose the policies. The government has arrested these leaders.
  5. 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.

Answers:- a) Yes, we will call it a democracy because in a democratic country everyone has a right to vote and choose the government and the election should be held regularly so that if the government is not solving the problem by the people, the people can choose the other government to treat them better.

b) No, we will not call it a democracy because it shows that the country’s economic condition is not well and reducing the education and health of the people is against the welfare of people.

c) No, we will not call it a democracy because education is available in all languages. It shows that half of the people in that country are uneducated because education is available only in one language.

d)  No, we will not call it a democracy as in democratic countries everyone has the right to express and speak, in this case, the people are expressing their thoughts in a peaceful manner and arresting them is an Undemocratic decision.

e) No, we will not call it a democracy because the Government is forcing them to show all the positive things about them in the democratic country. The press and media are given the right to show both the negative as well as positive things about the government.

Q10.  In 2004 a report published in the USA pointed to the increasing inequalities in that country. Inequalities in income are reflected in the participation of people in democracy. It also shaped their abilities to influence the decisions taken by the government.

The report highlighted that:

  • If an average Black family earns $ 100 then the income of an average White family is $ 162. A White family has twelve times more wealth than the average Black family.
  •  In a President’s election, nearly 9 out of 10 individuals in families with income over $ 75,000 have voted. These people are in the top 20% of the population in terms of their income. On the other hand, only 5 people out of 10 from families with incomes less than $ 15,000 have voted. They are in the bottom 20% of the population in terms of their income.
  • About 95% of the contribution to the political parties comes from the rich. This gives them the opportunity to express their opinions and concerns, which is not available to most citizens.
  • As poor sections participate less in politics, the government does not listen to their concerns- coming out of poverty, getting jobs, education, health care and housing for them. Politicians hear most regularly about the concerns of business persons and the rich.

Write an essay on ‘Democracy and Poverty’ using the information given in this report but using examples from India.

Answers:- A democracy is taken from the Greek word dēmokratiā where dēmo means people and Kratos means a rule. It is a system in which the government of the country is elected by the people and for the people and it provides people many rights like the right to express themselves, the right to vote etc.

A democratic country is a country where all the people have the right to express their opinions on decisions taken by the government. So India is a democratic country where the government is chosen by the people and people have all the rights that a democratic country should have.

Poverty is a condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources and essentials for a minimum standard of living. Poverty means that the income level of employees is so low that basic human needs can’t be met.

In India, there is so much poverty that people also can’t afford 2 meals a day. India has the pride of largest democratic country in the world.

  1. In India, the wages for black and white people are the same. There is no inequality between them but in India, there is very much inequality between rich and poor people. The rich people are getting wealthier and the poor people are getting poorer.
  2. In India, Every single person has the right to vote whether they are wealthier or poorer. Here, the richer people vote very often. They are not very concerned about politics but the normal people do vote because the decision taken by the government will affect them more. In India, there is inequality between the people with maximum and minimum income.
  3. In India, Every citizen has the right to express their opinions to the government. Here, the contribution to politics comes from both the rich and the normal. In India, rich people and normal people can give their opinions on political decisions.
  4. In India, normal people participate more than the richer people in politics. That’s why the government listens to the concerns and problems of richer as well as normal people but here also the poor people have to struggle to let the government hear the problem, they are facing and richer people just easily let the government know the problem. For poor people if the government knows the problem they will not take permanent action they will take temporary action so that they will cool down. Sometimes they just ignore it.

It is the sample of the essay that is given in paragraphs, read it and write the essay in your own language.

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