CIVICS

CH. 6
Q.What are the rights?
Ans.Rights are reasonable claims of persons over other fellow beings over the society, and over
the government recognized by society and sanctioned by law.
What is Amnesty International?
Ans:It is an international human rights organization which helps the people who suffers due to
violation of human rights.
Q.What does ‘rule of law’ mean?
The constitution says that the government shall not deny to any person in India equality before
the law or the equal protection of the laws. It means that the laws apply in the same manner to
all, regardless of a person’s status. This is called the ‘rule of law’.
Q.What is ‘Secularism’?
Secularism is based on the idea that the state is concerned only with relations among human
beings, and not with the relation between human beings and the god. Indian secularism practices
an attitude of a principled and equal distance from all religion.
Q.What is a secular state?
A secular state is one that does not establish any one religion as official religion. The state has to
be neutral and impartial in dealing with all religion.
Q.Why do we need rights in a democracy?
I. Fundamental rights provide the conditions which are essential for the development of the
inherent qualities in man and to secure his all-around growth.
ii.These are necessary to preserve human dignity and promote social progress in an atmosphere
of freedom.
iii. these provide civil liberties, without which democracy cannot be even conceived.
iv.These are a significant check on the arbitrary use of power by the government.
V rights protect minorities from the oppression of majority.
Q.Write any four features of the right to equality as a fundamental right.
Ans:i. according to this law, the government shall not deny to any person in India equality before
the law or the equal protection of the laws.
ii. The government shall not deny person in India equality before the law or the equal protection
of the laws.
iii. The government shall not discriminate against any citizen on the grounds of religion, caste,
ethnicity, sex or place of birth.
iii. all citizens shall have equality of opportunity I matters relating to any position in the
government.
iv. The principle of non-discrimination extends to social life as well.
Q.‘The right to freedom is actually a cluster of several rights.’ Discuss.
Ans:- i. freedom to live in any part of India- all citizen are free to live in any part of India but state
can put restrictions keeping in mind the welfare of local people.
ii. freedom to practice any profession or occupation- all citizens have the right to practice any
profession or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.
iii.right to free movement- every citizen of India has been granted freedom to move throughout
the Indian territory.
iv. freedom to assemble peace-fully- Indian citizen have been given the right to assemble without
arms.
v. right to form associations or unions: the constitution guarantees the right to form associations
and unions to every citizen of India.
Q.Explain the right against exploitation.
Ans:i. Prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour: under this traffic in human beings
and ‘begar’ or any other form of forced labour is prohibited. This means that sale and purchase of
women,men and children and making a person work against their will without payment is
banned.
ii.Prohibition of employment of children in factories: no child below the age of 14 years shall be
employed in a factory or mine and in other hazardous work. Thus child labour is banned, because
this is considered as an exploitation, and as such it is illegal.
Q.Mention any three rights of a detained person.
i.To be informed of the reason of arrest and detention.
ii.To be produced before the nearest magistrate within 24 hours of arrest.
iii.Right to consult a lawyer or engage a lawyer for his defence.
Q.Dr.Ambekar called the Right to Constitutional Remedies, ‘the heart and soul of our
constitution.’ Give reason.
Ans: I.It is through this right that all other fundamental rights are safeguarded and arbitrary action
of the state is checked.
ii.under this right, a citizen is entitled to move the supreme court or any high court or any other
courts so authorized, it his\her fundamental right (or right) is encroached upon, abridged or
snached away by the state, an individual or body of persons.
iii.The courts are empowered to issue orders, directions and writs to the concerned to protect the
right of the complainant.
Define fundamental rights.
Ans The fundamental rights are those basic conditions which are considered essential for the overall
development of a person. These are guaranteed under the Constitution.
What is public litigation?
Ans: Under the PIL, any citizen or group of citizens can approach the Supreme Court or a High Court
for the protection of public interest against a particular law or action of the government. One can
write to the judges even on a postcard. The court will take up the matter if the judges find it in a
public interest.
Why do some rights need to be placed higher than the government?
Ans i. Things may go wrong when some citizens may wish to take away the rights of others. This
usually happens when those in majority want to dominate in the minority.
ii. The government should protect the citizen’s rights in such a situation but sometimes elected
governments may not protect or may even attack the rights of their own citizen.
iii. That is why, some rights need to be placed higher than be placed higher than the government,
so that the government cannot violate them.
Write a short note on National Human Rights Commission.
Ans:I. NHRC is an independent commission set up by the law in 1993.
Ii. Like the judiciary, the commission is independent for the government.
iii. The commission is appointed by the President and includes retire judges, officers and eminent
citizens.
iv. it does not bear the burden of deciding cases. So, it can focus on helping the victims secure
their human rights.
v. These include all the rights granted to the citizens by the constitution.
vi. The NHRC cannot punish the guilty. That is the responsibility of the courts.
vii. like any court, it can summon witnesses, question any government official, demand any official
paper, visit any prison for inspection or send its own team for on-the spot inquiry.
Q. Right to Freedom of Religion. Write a short note.
Ans:a. Right to Freedom of religion:- right to freedom of religion provides religious freedom to all
the citizens of India. All religions are equal before the state and no religions will be given
preference over the other. Citizens are free to practice their respective religions. Foremost
objective of this right is to sustain the principle of secularism in the country. No state-run
institution can give religious education. Religious communities can set up charitable institutions of
their own.
Cultural and Educational rights- India is multi-religious, multi-lingual and multi-cultural, each
having its own identity and characteristics. To preserve these diversities, it is natural to grant the
following cultural and educational rights to the minorities and other communities.
I.Right to conserve the language, script and culture under this right minorities have the right to
conserve their distinct language, script or culture and to join state-owned or state-aided
institutions without discriminations.
II.Right to establish educational institutions- under this each minority group has a right to
establish and administer educational institutions of its choice. The state shall not discriminate
between minorities, while granting aid to their educational institutions.
SUBJECT – GEOGRAPHY
CH. 6TH
QWhat is the importance of studying population?
i.the people make and use resources and are themselves resources with varying quality.
ii.it is the point of reference from which all other elements are observed and from which they
derive significance and meaning.
iii. ‘resources’, ‘calamities’ and ‘disasters’ are all meaningful only in relation to human beings.
Their numbers, distribution, growth and characteristics or qualities provide the basic background
for understanding and appreciating all aspects of the environment.
iv. human beings are producers and consumers of earth’s resources. Therefore, it is important to
know how many people are there in a country, where do they live, how and why their numbers
are increasing and what are their characteristics.
What is the main cause of the rapid population growth in India?
Ans :i.High Birthrate and Low Death rate- from 1921 to 2001, the death rate has fallen from 42 to
8.7 per thousand while the birth rate fell from 49.6 to 26.1 per thousand.
ii.Poverty- poor people have to spend little on the upbringing of their offspring. Besides, the
children supplement the family income.
iii.Child Marriage- early marriage is a common feature in India. About 90 % of girls are married in
the age group of 15-20 years.
iv. low status of women- in India women have a low social status. They are treated merely as a
child producing machines.
v.Illeteracy- rate of illiteracy of 35 % is pretty high in India. Illiterate persons fail to understand the
significance of family planning.
Explain the process or population change.
There are three main processes of change of population- birth rate, death rate and migration. The
natural increase of population is the difference between birth rates and death rate.
i.Birth rate –birth rate is the number of live births per thousand persons in a year. It is a major
component of growth because in India, birth rates have always been higher than death rates.
ii.Death rate- death rate is the number of deaths per thousand persons in a year. The main cause
of the rate of growth of the Indian population has been the rapid decline in death rates. Till 1980,
high birth rates and declining death rate led to a large difference between birth rate and death
rates resulting in higher rates of population growth. Since 1981, birth rates have also started
decline gradually, resulting in a gradual decline in the rate of population growth.
iii. Migration- the third component of population growth is migration. Migration is the movement
of people across regions and territories. Migration can be internal (within the country) or
international (between the countries). Internal migration does not change the size of the
population, but influences the distribution of population within the nation. Migration plays a very
significant role in changing the composition and distribution of population.
Distribution of population in India is uneven. Prove this statement with examples.
Distribution of population- the average density of population in India according to 2011 Census
was about 382 persons per sq. km.
i.Low density- the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal
Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have very low
to low population density. Rugged terrain and unfavourable climatic conditions are mainly
responsible for the sparse population in these areas.
ii.Moderate density- the bulk of the peninsular blocks and Assam have a moderate density of
population. Distribution of population is influenced here by the rocky nature of the terrain, low to
moderate rain and shallow and less fertile soil.
iii. high density- the northern plains, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have high to very high density of
population because of the plain terrain, rich and fertile soil, abundant rainfall and moderate
climate.
Health situation in India is still a cause for serious concern. Give reason.
Ans – i. Public health facilities only for few: at present, less than 20 % if population utilizes public
health facilities. One study has pointed out that only 38% if the PHCs have the required number of
doctors and only 30 % if the PHCs have sufficient stock of medicines.
ii. poor health facilities in rural India- though 70 % of India’s population lives in rural areas, only
one-fifth of its hospitals are located in rural areas. Rural India has only about half the number of
dispensaries.
iii. Poor health status for women- more than 50 % of married women between the age group of
15 and 49 have anemias and nutritional anemias caused by iron deficiency, which has contributed
to 19 % of maternal deaths.
Who is treated as literate in India? What is importance of literacy?
Ans- According to the census of 2011, a person aged 7 years and above who can read and write
with understanding in any language, is treated as literate.
Importance-i. Only an informed and educated citizen can make intelligent choice and undertake
research and development projects.
ii. Literate citizens become human resource.
What are the major factors responsible for internal migration?
Ans In India, most migrations have been from the rural to the urban areas because of the push
factor in rural areas. These are adverse conditions of poverty and unemployment in the rural
areas and the pull of the city in terms of increased employment opportunities and better living
conditions.
What is occupational structure? Explain.
Ans- occupational structure refers to the distribution of work force among different occupations.
Different occupations can be classified into three groups.
I. Primary occupations ii. Secondary occupations iii. Tertiary occupations
I. Primary producers or occupations: Those who grow natural products like crops, etc., and are
mainly engaged in agriculture and allied activities.
ii. secondary occupations: Those who are producing products with the help of machines like
textiles, construction, etc.
iii.Tertiary Occupations- those who provide services like education, health services, banking,
insurance.
about 64 % population of India is still engaged in primary sector.
What is the relationship between age composition and dependency ratio? Explain.
Ans. The age composition of population refers to the number of people in different age groups in
a country. It is one of the most basic characteristics of a population. The age composition of
population is expressed in three broad categories.
i.Children below the working age(below 15 yrs)-they are economically unproductive, and need to
be provided with food, clothing, education and medical care.
ii.Persons in the working age(15 to 59 yrs)-they are economically reproductive. They comprise the
work population.
iii.Old persons above the working age( above 59 yrs)-they can be economically productive but
need care.
Anyone, who is engaged in work and has the ability to do so is the part of the working population.
The dependent population is either in the age group of below 15 years or in the age group of over
59 years.
HISTORY CH 4
Q.1Explain the movement of Gujjar Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ans. The Gujjar Bakarwals migrated to Jammu and Kashmir in the 19th century in search of
pastures for their animals.
Winter: when the high mountains were covered with snow and there was lack of pastures at the
high altitude, they moved to the low hills of the Shiwaliks. The dry scrub forests here provided
pastures for their herds. By the end of April, they began their northern march for their summer
grazing grounds.
Summer- with the onset of summer, the snow melted and the mountain sides became lush green.
By the end of September, the Bakarwals started their backward journey.
Q.2.Name the pastoralists in India and mention where they lived?
There were seven major pastoralists communities in India. They were
i. The Bakarwals of Jammu and Kashmir
ii. The Gaddi shepherds or Himachal Pradesh
iii. The Gujjar cattle herders of Garhwal and Kumaon
iv. Dhangars of Maharashtra
v. The Gollas, Kurumas and Kurubas of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
vi. The banjaras of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra
 vii. The Raikas of the Rajasthan deserts
Q.3.Name the two groups in the Raikas of the Rakasthan desert.
The Raikas of the Rajasthan deserts can be classified into two groups according to the animals they
reared. The Marus Raikas reared camels while the Raikas reared sheep and goats.
Q.4.‘Under the colonial rule, the life of pastoralists changed dramatically.’ Mention any for
factors responsible for this change.
Ans-i.After colonialization, their mobility was restricted. Now the people had limited area to move.
ii. The new rules encouraged settlement which had an adverse impact on the herd and the people.
iii.The colonies were to be used as a source of raw material, so the new rulers encouraged
commercial agriculture. The pastures were converted into big forms.
iv. To exploit the natural resources of their colonies, the European countries started building roads
and railways tracks. This resulted in the loss of pastures.
Q.5.Explain the various laws introduced by the British and explain how these laws changed
the lives of the pastoralists.
Ans: a. Waste land rules- under this, uncultivated land was brought under cultivation. The basic
aim was to increase land revenue because by expanding cultivation government could increase its
revenue collection.
Reasons
i. Revenue- the basic aim was to increase land revenue because by expanding cultivation
government could increase its revenue collection.
ii. Raw materials: Crops like jute, cotton and indigo were used as raw material in England.
So the British government wanted to bring more and more areas under these crops.
Impact on the lives of the pastoralists.
i. After the act, the mobility of monads was restricted.
ii. Under the act the grazing land was given to big landlords. Due to this nomads’ grazing
grounds shrank.
iii. Due to shrinking grazing grounds, the agricultural stock of the nomads declined and their
trade and crafts were adversely affected.
b.Forest act- under the Forest acts forest were classified into
i.reserved forests
ii.protected forests
Impact on the lives of the pastoralists.
i. They were now prevented from entering many forests. So there was a reduction in their
grazing grounds.
ii. After the laws, their movements were regulated.
c.Criminal Tribes Act– In 1871, the colonial government in India passed the criminal tribes act.
By this act, many communities of craftsmen, traders and pastoralists were classified as Criminal
Tribes. They were stated to be criminal by nature and birth. Once this act came into force, these
communities were expected to live only in notified village settlements. They were not allowed to
move out without a permit. They village police kept a continuous watch on them.
Impact on the lives of the pastoralists.
This restricted their grazing grounds. Their agriculture stock declined, and their trades and cafts
were adversely affected.
d. Grazing tax- the grazing tax was imposed on the pastoralists. Pastoralists had to pay tax on
every animal they grazed on the pastures. In most pastoral tracts of India, grazing tax was
introduced in the mid-nineteenth century.
Impact on the lives of the pastoralists.
i As the tax had to be paid in cash so pastoralists started selling their animals.
 ii The heavy burden of taxes had an adverse impact on their economic status. Now most of
the pastoralists started taking loans from the money lenders.
Q.6.How did the pastoralists cope with the changes brought by the colonial rule? Explain.
Ans. i. reduction in the number of cattle- when the grazing lands were taken over and converted
into fields, this forced many nomads to reduce the number of cattle in their herds.
ii.New pastures- defining of boundaries forced many nomads to search for new pastures. For
example, after the partition of India in 1947, the camel and sheep herding Raikas, for instance,
could no longer move into Sindh and graze their camels on the banks of the Indus, as they had done
earlier. The new political boundaries between India and Pakistan stopped their movement. So they
had to find new places to go. In recent years they have been migrating to Haryana where sheep can
graze on agricultural fields after the harvests are cut.
This is the time that the fields need manure that the animals provide.
iii.New occupations- over the years, some richer pastoralists began buying land and settling down,
giving up their nomadic life. Some became settled peasants cultivating land others took to more
extensive trading. Many poor pastoralists, on the other hand, borrowed more from moneylenders to
survive. At times, they lost their cattle and sheep and became labourers, working on fields or in
small towns.
Q.7.Give reasons to explain why the Maasai community lost their grazing lands.
i. Colonialism- in the late nineteenth century, the European imperial powers scrambled for
territorial possessions in Africa, slicing up the region into different colonies. In 1885,
Maasai land was cut into half by an international boundary between British Kenya and
German Tanganyika.
ii. Expansion of cultivation- from the late nineteenth century, the British colonial
government in East Africa also encouraged local peasant communities to expand
cultivation. As cultivation expanded, pasture lands were turned into cultivated fields.
iii. Setting up of reserves-large areas of grazing land were also turned into game reserves like
the Maasai Mara and Samburu National Park in Kenya and Serengeti Park in Tanzania.
Pastoralists were not allowed to enter these reserves; they could neither hunt animals nor
graze their herds in these areas.
iv. Deterioration of the quality of pastures- the loss of the finest grazing lands and water
resources created pressure on the small areas of land that the Maasai were confined
within. Continuous grazing within a small area inevitably meant deterioration of the
quality of pastures.
Q.8.Explain the impact of drought on the life of pastoaralists.
i. Limited grazing areas- because of the restrictions on the movement of nomads, they were
bound down to a fixed area. They were cut off from the best grazing lands, and forced to
live within a semi-arid tract prone to frequent droughts.
ii. Death of animals- since lots of restrictions were imposed on their movements, so they
could not move to places where pastures were available. Due to this, there was shortage
of fodder. A large number of Maasai cattle died of starvation and disease.
Q.9.‘Many ecologists believe that in dry regions and in the mountains, pastoralism is still
ecologically the most viable form of life.’ Do you agree? Justify by giving reasons.
Ans.Yes, I do agree that in dry regions and in the mountains, pastoralism is still ecologically the
most viable form of life because
i.In winter, when the high mountains are covered with snow the pastoralists need to move in
the low hills in search of pastures.
ii.The people of central plateau of Maharashtra need to move out of the plateau in search of
pastures. They migrate towards the Kokan region manuring the fields of the Kokan farmers.
 Iii. In the hilly areas or dry regions if the pastoralists do not move the continuous intense
grazing of the pastures will lead to deterioration of pastures.
Q.10.Explain the annual cycle of seasonal movement of the Dhangars.
Ans: The Dhangars were an important pastoral community of Maharastra.
i. The Dhangar community used to stay in the semi-arid central plateau of Maharashtra during
the monsoon.
ii. Due to low rainfall, only dry crops could be grown there. In the monsoon, this region
became a vast grazing ground for the Dhangar flocks.
iii. By October, the Dhanagars harvested their crops. During this season, there was shortage of
grazing grounds so the Dhanagars had to move towards the west.
iv. By mid-September, they used to reach the Kokan. In this region, the locals used to
welcome them as the flocks of Dhangars provided manure to the field.
With onset of the monsoon, the Dhangars, after collecting supplies of rice and other food grain,
used to leave the Kokan.
Q.11.Describe the cycle of seasonal movement of the Gaddi shepherds of Himachal Pradesh.
Ans-i. They spent their winter in the low hills of the Shiwalik range, grazing their flocks in the
scrub forests.
ii. By April, they moved north, and spent the summer in Lahul and Spiti. When the snow melted
and the high passes were clear, many of them moved on to higher mountain meadows.
iii. By September, they began their return movement.
iv. On the way, they stopped once again in the villages of Lahul and Spiti, reaping their summer
harvest, and sowing their winter crop.
v. Then they descended with their flock to their winter grazing grounds, on the Shiwalik hills.
vi. Next April, once again, they began their march with their goats and sheep, to the summer
meadows.
Q.12.“The pastoral group had sustained by a careful consideration of a host of factors.”
Explain these factors.
Ans.i. climatic factors- they had to judge the climatic conditions of the regions where they wanted
to move. They had to judge how long the herds could stay in one area, and where they could find
water and pasture.
ii. Timing- they needed to calculate the timing of their movements, and ensure that they could
move through different territories.
iii. Relationship they had to set up a relationship with farmers so that the herds could graze in
harvested fields, and manure the soil.
Q.13.Mention a few pastoral communities in Africa.
Ans. There are over 22 million Africans depending on some form of pastoral activity or other for
their livelihood till today. Some of the pastoral communities in Africa are –
i. Bedouins, ii. Berbers, iii. Maasai, iv.Somali, v.Boran and v. Turkana
Most of them now live in the semi-dry grasslands or deserts where rain fed agriculture is difficult.