NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Political Science Chapter 3 - Election and Representation

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81. Which of the following resembles most a direct democracy?

(a) Discussions in a family meeting

(b) Election of the class monitor

(d) Decisions taken by the Gram Sabha

(e) Opinion polls conducted by the media

Ans. (b) Election of the class monitor

(d) Decisions taken by the Gram Sabha

82. Which of the following tasks are not performed by the Election Commission?

(a) Preparing the Electoral Rolls

(b) Nominating the candidates

(d) Implementing the model code of conduct

(e) Supervising the Panchayat elections

Ans. (b) Nominating the candidates

(e) Supervising the Panchayat elections

83. Which of the following is common to the method of election of the members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha?

(a) Every citizen above the age of 18 is an eligible voter.

(b) Voter can give preference order for different candidates.

(d) The winner must get more than half the votes.

Ans. (c) Every vote has equal value.

84. In the First Past the Post system, that candidate is declared winner who:

(a) Secures the largest number of postal ballots

(b) Belongs to the party that has highest number of votes in the country

(d) Attains first position by securing more than 50% votes

Ans. (c) Has more votes than any other candidate in the constituency

85. What is the difference between the system of reservation of constituencies and the system of separate electorate? Why did the Constitution makers reject the latter?

Ans. In the system of reserved constituency, all voters in a constituency are eligible to vote but the candidates must belong to only a particular community or social section for which the seat is reserved. Whereas in the system of separate electorate a representative is elected from a particular community, only those voters would be eligible who belong to that community. For example, seats are reserved for Muslims and Christians and the Muslim voters will vote for the Muslim candidates and the Christian voters will vote for the Christian candidates only.

The Constitution makers rejected the system of separate electorate because it divided the people on the basis of religion.

86. Which of the following statements are incorrect? Identify and correct them by substituting, adding or rearranging only one word or phrase.

(a) FPTP system is followed for all the elections in India.

(b) Election Commission does not supervise Panchayat and Municipal elections.

(d) Appointment of more than one Election Commissioner in the Election Commission is mandatory.

Ans. (a) FPTP system is followed for election to Panchayati Raj, Legislative Assembly and the Lok Sabha.

(b) Election Commission does not supervise Panchayat and Municipal elections. (correct)

(c) President of India can remove an Election Commissioner if both Houses of Parliament make such a recommendation with a special majority.

(d) Appointment of more than one Election Commissioner in the Election Commission is not mandatory but it is an established practice through consensus to ensure
accountability.

87. Indian electoral system aims at ensuring representation of socially disadvantaged sections. However we have only 12 per cent women members in our legislatures. What measures would you suggest to improve the situation?

Ans. The representation of women in the Parliament and State Legislatures is very less. To improve the situation the following measures should be implemented:

(a) 33 per cent of the seats of Parliament and State Legislatures should be reserved for women.

(b) Political awareness should be brought among the women so that more women should participate in the election.

(c) All political parties should make an initiation to give chance to women candidates and encourage their political participation.

88. Here 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.

(a) People should clearly know who is their representative so that they can hold him or her personally accountable.

(b) We have small linguistic minorities who are spread all over the country; we should ensure fair representation to them.

(d) People should be able to elect a good candidate even if they do not like his or her political party.

Ans. (a) FPTP system

(b) Proportional Representation system

(d) FPTP system

89. A 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?

Ans. A former Election Commissioner is an independent citizen and has a right to join any political party and to contest election because after leaving the position he is no more accountable or responsible in conducting free and fair election. Being the citizen of the country, he/she has all the rights to join any political party like any other citizen.

90. “Indian democracy is now ready to shift from a crude First Past the Post system to a system of Proportional Representation”. Do you agree with this statement? Give your reasons for or against this statement.

Ans. In my opinion, Indian democracy is not ready to make shift from First Past the Post system to a system of Proportional Representation because of the following reasons:

(a) The system of Proportional Representation is very complex and not easy for an ordinary citizen to understand the system.

(b) The system of Proportional Representation would encourage party competition as people vote for the party and not for the representative.

(c) The system of Proportional Representation is not suitable for a big country like India and not as ideal for a parliamentary form of setup.