CBSE Important Questions for Class 10 Social Science Civics Chapter 2: Chapter 2 of Class 10 CBSE Civics, "Federalism," explores the distribution of power between different levels of government in India. It explains the concept of federalism, its features, and how it is practiced in India through Union, State, and Local governments.
Key topics include Union and State lists, decentralization, the role of the judiciary, and linguistic states. Important questions often focus on differences between unitary and federal systems, the role of the Constitution in maintaining federalism, and the importance of local self-government. Case studies on Belgium and Sri Lanka are also crucial for understanding federal structures in different countries.
Chapter 2 of Class 10 CBSE Civics, "Federalism," is crucial as it helps students understand how power is shared between different levels of government in India. It highlights the significance of decentralization, Union-State relations, and the role of local governments.
Understanding federalism is essential for grasping how democracy functions effectively in a diverse country like India. The chapter covers key concepts such as Union, State, and Concurrent lists, linguistic states, and the judiciary's role in maintaining federalism. Important questions focus on the advantages of federalism, case studies of Belgium and Sri Lanka, and how federalism promotes unity in diversity.
Class 10 Social Science Civics Chapter 2 , "Federalism," explains the division of power between different levels of government, including Union, State, and Local bodies.
It highlights key concepts such as decentralization, linguistic states, and the role of the judiciary. Understanding federalism is crucial for democracy and unity in a diverse country like India. Below, we have provided a PDF with important questions to help in exam preparation.
CBSE Important Questions for Class 10 Social Science Civics Chapter 2 PDF
1. The Union List includes subjects such as:
(A) Education, forests, trade unions, marriages, adoption and succession.
(B) Police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation.
(C) Residuary subjects like computer software.
(D) Defence, foreign affairs, banking, currency, communications.
Ans. (D) Defence, foreign affairs, banking, currency, communications.
2. The system of Panchayati Raj involves:
(A) Village, State and Union levels
(B) Village, District and State levels
(C) Village and State levels
(D) Village, Block and District levels
Ans. (D) Village, Block and District levels
3. Which of the following subjects are included in the State List?
(A) Agriculture (B) Irrigation
(C) Police (D) All of the above
Ans. (D) All of the above
4. How many languages are included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution?
(A) 15 (B) 22
(C) 25 (D) 21
Ans. (B) 22
5. Who is the head of urban local government?
(A) Sarpanch (B) Ward commissioner
(C) Mukhiya (D) Mayor
Ans. (D) Mayor
6. Belgium shifted from a unitary form of government to:
(A) Democratic (B) Federal
(C) Authoritarian (D) None of the above
Ans. (B) Federal
7. Both the union and the state government can make laws on the subjects mentioned in the:
(A) Union list (B) State list
(C) Concurrent list (D) All of the above
Ans. (C) Concurrent list
8. Which of the following states in India enjoys a special status?
(A) Arunachal Pradesh (B) Mizoram
(C) Nagaland (D) All of the above
Ans. (D) All of the above
9. What is true regarding sources of revenue in a federal system?
(A) States have no financial powers or independent sources of revenue.
(B) Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.
(C) States are dependent for revenue or funds on the central government.
(D) States have no financial autonomy.
Ans. (B) Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.
10. Consider the following statements on the practice of federalism in India. Identify those which hold true for decentralisation after 1992.
A. Local governments did not have any power or resources of their own.
B. It became constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.
C. The state governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies.
D. No seats are reserved in the elected bodies for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes.
(A) B and C (B) A and C
(C) A and D (D) B and D
Ans. (A) B and C
11. What is federalism?
Sol. Federalism is a system of government under which power is divided between a central authority and its various constituent units. The various constituent units and the central authority run their administration independently and do not interfere unnecessarily in the affairs of one another.
12. What is the Unitary Government?
Sol. Under the unitary system, either there is only one level of government or the sub units are subordinate to the central government.
13. What are ‘residuary’ subjects? {Imp)
Sol: Subjects which do not fall in any of the three lists are known as ‘residuary’ subjects. For example, Computer software, Since it came up after the Constitution was made, it was placed in residuary subjects and the Union Government has power to legislate on these subjects.
14. What is decentralisation?
Sol. When power is taken away from Central and State governments and given to local government, it is called decentralisation.
15. What is the importance of the judiciary in a federal government?
Sol. The judiciary plays an important role in overseeing the implementation of constitutional provisions and procedures. In case of any dispute about the division of powers, the High Courts and the Supreme Court make a decision.
16. India has a large cultural, regional and religious diversity but there is unity among people”. What factors are responsible for this? Elaborate.
Sol. The Indian Constitution, adopted in 1950, enshrines principles of secularism, democracy, and federalism. It guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms to all citizens, regardless of their religion, caste, or creed. The principles of equality and social justice form the foundation of India's unity, providing a sense of belonging to all its citizens. Factors, responsible for this are:
• Right to equality.
• No discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, region or religion.
• SCs & STs have some seats reserved and do get representation.
• Right to freedom of religion and cultural and educational rights
17. Explain five changes towards decentralization brought in the Constitution after the amendments made in 1992.
Sol. The following steps were taken towards decentralization after 1992.
• It was made constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.
• Women were given one-third representation.
• Seats were reserved for Scheduled Castes
(SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward communities (OBCs) in the elected bodies.
• An independent institution, called state election commission, was created to conduct local body elections.
• State governments were required to share this power and revenue with local bodies.
18. Explain the threefold distribution of legislative powers between the Union Government and the State Governments.
Sol. Legislative powers are divided between the Union government and the State Governments by the Constitution of India. The Constitution is the supreme power in the country and the legislative powers are divided into various areas of government jurisdiction into three lists.
• The Union List: The Union List is given in Seventh Schedule in the Constitution of India on which Parliament has exclusive power to legislate. It contains areas like defense, foreign affairs, currency and communications.
• The State List: The State List is also in the Seventh Schedule of the constitutioncontaining subjects like social service, police and Health, which are under the jurisdiction of
the state government. Only the state legislature can pass laws on these subjects.
• The Concurrent List: The Concurrent List contains items like criminal law, forests, population control in which both parliament and state legislature can pass laws. However,
in case of any conflict arising between the laws made by the parliament and the laws made by the state legislature, the laws made by the parliament will prevail.
19. What are the advantages of local governments?
Sol. Some advantages of local Government are:
(i) Constitutional status for local government has helped to deepen democracy in our country.
(ii) It has also increased women’s representation and voice in our democracy.
(iii) This allows people to directly participate in decision making.
(iv) Local people have better ideas and knowledge about the local problems.
20. Throw light on the key features of federalism.
Sol. Following are the key features of federalism-
(i) There are two or more levels or tiers of government.
(ii) Different tiers of government govern the same citizens, but each tier has its own jurisdiction in specific matters of legislation, taxation and administration.
(iii) The jurisdictions of the respective tiers of government are specified in the constitution. So, the existence and authority of each tier of government is constitutionally guaranteed.
(iv) The fundamental provisions of the constitution cannot be unilaterally changed by one level of government. Such changes require the consent of both the levels of
government.
(v) Sources of revenue for each level of government are clearly specified to ensure its financial autonomy.
(vi) The federal system has dual objectives – to safeguard and promote unity of the country, while at the same time accommodate regional diversity. Also, the governments at different levels should trust each other and agree to live together.
Chapter-Wise Important Questions for Class 10 Political Science |
Studying important questions for Chapter 2 Federalism in Class 10 CBSE Civics can greatly enhance a student’s understanding of the subject and improve their exam performance. Below are the key benefits of using these important questions:
The important questions cover fundamental topics like power-sharing, levels of government, the division of powers, and the role of the judiciary.
They clarify the structure of federalism in India and how it operates in a diverse country.
CBSE exams often repeat or modify previous years’ questions, so practicing these helps in predicting the type of questions that may appear in the exam.
These questions align with the NCERT syllabus and CBSE board exam patterns, ensuring relevant preparation.
Practicing these questions enhances students' ability to frame well-structured and to-the-point answers within the word limit.
It teaches how to write analytical answers by connecting concepts with real-world examples like the case studies of Belgium and Sri Lanka.
Regular practice of important questions increases familiarity with different types of questions, making students more confident during exams.
It helps in better time management as students learn to answer quickly and effectively.