NCERT Solutions For Class 9 Civics Chapter 1: What Is Democracy? Why Democracy? (Updated Pattern)

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.

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

Answer.

1. Country A: Undemocratic
2. Country B: Not sure
3. Country C: Democratic
4. 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. 

1. a. Country P: The parliament cannot pass a law about the army without the consent of the Chief of the Army.
2. b. Country Q: The parliament cannot pass a law reducing the powers of the judiciary.
3. c. Country R: The country’s leaders cannot sign any treaty with another country without taking permission from its neighbouring country.
4. 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.

1. Country P: Undemocratic
2. Country Q: Democratic
3. Country R: Undemocratic
4. Country S: Undemocratic

3. Which of these is not a good argument in favour of democracy? Why?

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

Answer.

D. Democracies are more prosperous than others is not a good argument in favour of democracy. There are examples of countries being democratic but not as prosperous as other countries which are not democratic. Democracy means that the citizen of the country is involved in the decision-making process and electing the leaders. It does not necessarily guarantee prosperity, as there are other factors like geography, economic capacity, government policies, human resources, mineral resources, etc.

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

1. 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).
2. b. The Election Commission ordered re-polling in a constituency where large-scale rigging was reported.
3. 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.

1. 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).
2. b. Democratic element – The Election Commission ordered re-polling in a constituency. Undemocratic element – Large-scale rigging was reported.
3. 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?

1. a. Opposition parties can draw attention to hunger and starvation.
2. b. A free press can report suffering from famine in different parts of the country.
3. c. The government fears its defeat in the next elections.
4. 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?

1. a.Filing a case in the courts claiming that water is part of the right to life.
2. b. Boycotting the next elections to give a message to all parties.
3. c. Organising public meetings against the government’s policies.
4. 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:

1. a. The army is the most disciplined and corruption-free organisation in the country. Therefore, the army should rule the country.
2. b.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. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

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

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

Answer.

1. a. The statement does not keep with democracy as a value, as the daughter is not allowed to express her opinion.
2. b. The statement does not keep with democracy as a value, as students are not allowed to ask questions, which is their right.
3. 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. 

1. a. All the citizens of the country have the right to vote. Elections are held regularly.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.

1. a. From this statement, we can understand that it is a democratic country where citizens are allowed to vote and choose their government.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. d.The right to assemble and peacefully demonstrate is a basic right of an individual. Hence, arresting the protestors is undemocratic.
5. 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 the information given in this report but using examples from India.
Answer:
Democracy and poverty have been inextricably linked in India ever since her birth. The political independence of our country had been achieved through the mass participation of the rural poor in the national movement. However, and unfortunately, since then this rural poor mass of the Indian population has seen its influence shrink in national politics.

A decade by decade, India has cultivated its resources and added to its national financial wealth, the rich have grown richer, and the poor have grown abysmally poorer. We have the distinction of being the largest democracy in the world, but we are also one of the world’s poorest countries, with gaping economic cleavages within our society.

The inequality of income is a concern that gets reflected directly in the operation of the democratic process of our republic. Research has firmly established the fact that though the majority of Indian voters come from the rural Indian hinterland, their influence on their elected representatives and on the whole, on the process of national policymaking is shrinking with each passing year. On the other hand, the richer sections of our society, though they do not necessarily vote or have any discernible concern for their civic responsibilities, exercise leverage on the policymaking in this country grossly disproportionate to their actual size in the population.

Moreover, the culture of corporate funding of political parties has fast spawned its offspring in the realms of the government establishment. It has made political parties and their leaders less dependent on their actual electorate and has allowed them to ignore the real concerns of the public like agrarian reforms, fine-tuning of the Public Distribution System, agricultural subsidies, and educational reforms.

To encapsulate, as we take pride in us being the largest democracy in the world, it is also necessary to recognise and act on the fact that the phenomenon of gross economic inequalities is putting a major limitation on its workability.