Class – 8

Subject – Civics
. Chapter – 3
A. Choose the correct answer and fill in the
blanks :-
1. (c) 500000
2. (d) President
3. (c) Five
4. (b) Civil servants
5. (c) Prime minister
B. Match the columns :-
1. Cabinet minister — Defence
2. Selection of civil servants — UPSC
3. Police service — IPS
4. Forest service — Scientific management of
forests
5. Council of ministers — Collective
responsibility
C. Fill in the blanks :-
1. Both
2. Either
3. 250
4. President
5. IAS
D. State whether true or false . If false, correct
the statement :-
1. True
2. False – The President of India can exercise
his powers on the advice of Prime minister .
3. True
4. True
5. False – The President can be removed from
his position by impeachment process.
E. Answer the following questions in 10 – 20
words :-
1. The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are the
two constituents of our parliament.
2. A money bill can be introduced only in
the Lok Sabha. The bill is then sent to
Rajya Sabha and it has to return the bill
within 14 days . The Upper house may
suggest changes .Even if the changes are
not accepted, once the lower house
sends it to the president, she / he has to
sign it.
3.The president appoints the ministers in the
union government.
4. The president appoints the governor.
5.
 Cabinet ministers who hold charge of
different portfolios or departments of the
central government like defence, finance,
industry, etc.
The second level of the Council of Ministers
are the ministers of state .
A Third category is of deputy ministers who
assist the cabinet ministers and ministers of
state .
F. Answer the following questions in 50 – 70
words :-
1. Our constitution makers chose the
parliamentary form of government as they
had gained some experience of operating
it under British rule and felt that it was
advantageous to continue with established
institutions.
2. The qualifications for election as the
President of India :-
A person must be a citizen of India .
A person must be at least 35 years of age.
Must be qualified to be a member of the Lok
Sabha.
He/she should not be a member of the
parliament or state legislature .
3. If the president thinks that the security of
the country is threatened by a war or external
aggression or internal armed rebellion,
she/he can declare a state of emergency for
the entire country.
4. If the president is convinced that the
government of a state is not being run in
accordance with the Constitution, she/he can
declare emergency in that state.
5. If the president thinks that the financial
stability of the country is threatened, she/he
can declare a financial emergency.
6. The president can be impeached only for
violation of the Constitution. The impeachment
process can be stared by either of two houses
of the parliament. The process of
impeachment includes the following steps :-
Specific charges have to be brought against
him/her by a 2/3 majority of the House.
The other House investigates the charges.
 If the investigating house also passes a
resolution with a 2/3 majority sustaining the
charges, the president is removed.
G. Answer the following questions in 80 -100
words :-
1. The differences between the Lok Sabha
and Rajya Sabha :-
The Lok Sabha is known as the lower house
of the parliament while the Rajya Sabha is
the upper house of the parliament.
The tenure of the Lok Sabha is five years. Once
this five years term expires, the Lok Sabha
dissolves. On the other hand, the Rajya Sabha is
a permanent house. After every two years, 1/3 of
the members of the Rajya Sabha retire.
Lok Sabha is the house of people. The members
of the Lok Sabha also called as the MPs are
elected by the common people. Rajya Sabha is
the Council of states and the members of the
Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly by the
elected representatives of the people in the
assemblies of different states and union territories
in the country.
The minimum age of eligibility to become a
member of the Lok Sabha is 25 while it is 30
for Rajya Sabha.
 The Lok Sabha has upto 552 members
while the maximum number of members
allowed for the Rajya Sabha is 250 .
2. A bill passes through various stages in the
Lok Sabha before it becomes an act .
 First Reading – It is an introductory stage. At
this stage, the concerned minister or a
private member asks for the permission of
the house to introduce the bill . There is no
debate at this stage . Copies of the bill are
given to the members . The Minister or any
member who introduces the bill gives a
general speech explaining the purpose of
the bill .
Second Reading – At this stage, first of all, a
general decision is held. Then a clause- by –
clause discussion takes place. The members
who support the bill, explain why the bill is
important and necessary. The members who
oppose it, criticize the bill. The members can
also suggest changes in the bill. Some of
these changes can be accepted by the
house .
Third Reading – At this stage, the bill is
moved for final approval. The bill as a
whole is finally discussed and put to vote. If
the majority of the MPs are in its favour
coma the bill is passed to the President to
seek his / her approval.
President’s assent – if the president gives
assent, the bill becomes an act. The
president can with hold his / her assent
and can return the bill to the house for
consideration .
3. Civil services consist of bureaucrats who
run the administration of a country. The
ministers come to power through a
political mandate and change after every
election. They merely frame the policies
but the actual implementation of those
decisions is carried out by civil servants.
They are the officials working under
various departments other than the armed
forces. These services exist both at the
centre and at the state level.
4. The Prime Minister of India is also the
leader of the Lok Sabha. The members of the
Lok Sabha are directly elected by the people,
hence the President has to agree to the wishes
of this House. The Prime Minister is considered
to be the leader of the government. It is the
Prime Minister on whose advice other ministers
are appointed or dismissed by the President.
So the burden of success or failure of the
government lies on the shoulders of the Prime
Minister. The Prime Minister is a link between
the President and the council of ministers.
5. The president exercises the following
legislative powers :-
 The president addresses the first session of
the Parliament after the elections .
 She / he has the power to summon or close
the sessions of the Parliament .
 She / he can dissolve the Lok Sabha. She is /
he can also summon a joint sitting of both
houses of parliament in case of deadlock
between them.
A bill passed by the Parliament can become
a law only after the president signs it .
 The president can issue ordinances ,which
have the effect of law, when the parliament
is not in the session.