📘 Class 8 Social Science
🏛️ Chapter 6: The Parliamentary System – Legislature & Executive
🌟 The Big Questions
1. What is India’s parliamentary system, and how is it structured?
👉 Answer:
🇮🇳 India’s parliamentary system means:
- 🧑🤝🧑 People elect representatives
- 🏛️ These representatives run the country
👉 Structure:
- 👑 President
- 🏛️ Lok Sabha (Lower House)
- 🏛️ Rajya Sabha (Upper House)
👉 ✔️ Bicameral system = 2 Houses
2. What are the key functions of the Parliament?
👉 Answer:
📊 Main Functions:
1. 🧾 Law making
2. 💰 Financial control (Budget)
3. ❓ Questioning government
4. 📜 Constitutional work
👉 ✔️ Ensures proper governance
3. What are the roles of the legislature and the executive in India’s Parliamentary democracy?
👉 Answer:
🏛️ Legislature:
- 📜 Makes laws
- ❓ Checks government
⚙️ Executive:
- 🛠️ Implements laws
- 👨💼 Includes PM & Ministers
👉 ✔️ Legislature controls Executive
4. How are the legislature and the executive organised at the union and state levels?
👉 Answer:
🇮🇳 Union Level:
- 🏛️ Parliament
- 👑 President
- 👨💼 Prime Minister
🏙️ State Level:
- 🏛️ Vidhan Sabha
- 👤 Governor
- 👨💼 Chief Minister
👉 ✔️ Same system at both levels
📝 Questions and Activities
1. Find out how many representatives from your state are in each House of the Parliament.
👉 Answer:
📍 Example: Delhi
- 🏛️ Lok Sabha → 7 MPs
- 🏛️ Rajya Sabha → 3 MPs
👉 ✔️ Total = 10 MPs
2. What makes the Indian Parliament the “voice of the people”? How does it ensure that different opinions are heard?
👉 Answer:
🧑🤝🧑 Why voice of people:
- MPs are directly elected
📢 How opinions are heard:
- 🗣️ Debates
- ❓ Question Hour
- 🏛️ Two Houses
- 📑 Committees
👉 ✔️ Everyone’s voice matters
3. Why do you think the Constitution made the Executive responsible to the Legislature?
👉 Answer:
⚖️ Reasons:
- ✔️ Accountability
- ✔️ Prevent misuse of power
- ✔️ Government works for people
👉 ✔️ Keeps democracy strong
4. Why do you think we have chosen the system of bicameral legislature at the Union level?
👉 Answer:
🏛️ Reasons:
- 🧑🤝🧑 Better representation
- ⚖️ Balance between states & people
- 📜 Better law discussion
👉 ✔️ Improves decision-making
5. Try to track the journey of a recent bill passed by the Parliament...
👉 Answer:
📘 Example: Public Examinations Bill 2024
📅 Timeline:
- Feb 5 → Introduced
- Feb 6 → Passed Lok Sabha
- Feb 9 → Passed Rajya Sabha
- ✔️ Became law in 4 days
👉 ✔️ Fast decision due to importance
6. Choose a recent law… role-play (model Parliament).
👉 Answer:
🎭 Scenes include:
- 🏛️ Lok Sabha debate
- 🗳️ Voting
- 🏛️ Rajya Sabha approval
- 👑 President assent
👉 ✔️ Bill → Law process
7. Why might it have taken over 25 years for Women’s Reservation Bill to pass?
👉 Answer:
⏳ Reasons:
- ⚖️ Political disagreements
- 🗣️ Long debates
- 📑 Committee discussions
👉 ✔️ Laws take time
8. What impact do disruptions in Parliament have?
👉 Answer:
❌ Effects:
- 📉 Poor law quality
- 😟 Loss of public trust
👉 ✔️ Parliament must function properly
9. Create interest groups and questions for MP / MLA
👉 Answer:
👨🎓 Example Groups:
📚 Education Group
- MLA → School issues
- MP → National policy
🌱 Environment Group
- MLA → Local pollution
- MP → National laws
👉 ✔️ Different roles
10. What is the role of Judiciary? What if it was not independent?
👉 Answer:
⚖️ Judiciary Role:
- 📜 Protect Constitution
- ⚖️ Solve disputes
- 🛡️ Protect rights
❌ Without it:
- 🚫 No justice
- 🚫 Power misuse
👉 ✔️ Very important for democracy
⚡ Very Short Answer Questions
✏️ Short Answer Type Questions
1. What is the structure of India’s parliamentary system?
👉 Answer:
🇮🇳 India’s parliamentary system has:
- 🏛️ Bicameral Parliament (2 Houses)
- 🧑🤝🧑 Lok Sabha → directly elected
- 🏛️ Rajya Sabha → indirectly elected
- 👑 President → constitutional head
👉 ✔️ Together form Legislature + Executive
2. How does the lawmaking process work in Parliament?
👉 Answer:
📜 Process:
- 📝 Bill introduced (any house)
- 📖 Readings & discussion
- 👥 Committee review
- 🗣️ Debate
- 🗳️ Voting in both houses
- 👑 President’s assent
👉 ✔️ Becomes law after approval
3. What are the key functions of Parliament?
👉 Answer:
⚡ Functions:
- 📜 Makes laws
- ❓ Holds government accountable
- 💰 Controls finances
- 📖 Amends Constitution
- 🧑🤝🧑 Represents people
👉 ✔️ Platform for national debate
4. What is the difference between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha?
👉 Answer:
🏛️ Lok Sabha:
- 🧑🤝🧑 Represents people
- 🗳️ Direct election
- ⏳ 5 years
- 👥 543 members
🏛️ Rajya Sabha:
- 🌍 Represents states
- 🔁 Indirect election
- ⏳ 6 years
- 👥 245 members
👉 ✔️ Both have different roles
5. How does Parliament hold government accountable?
👉 Answer:
🔍 Methods:
- ❓ Question Hour
- 🗣️ Debates
- 📑 Committees
- 🚫 No-confidence motion
- 💰 Budget discussion
👉 ✔️ Ensures transparency
6. What is the role of the President in Parliament?
👉 Answer:
👑 President:
- 📅 Summons Parliament
- ⏸️ Prorogues sessions
- ✍️ Gives assent to bills
- 🏛️ Addresses joint session
- नियुक्त PM & ministers
👉 ✔️ Constitutional head
7. How do state legislatures compare to Parliament?
👉 Answer:
🏙️ State system:
- 🏛️ Vidhan Sabha (like Lok Sabha)
- 🏛️ Vidhan Parishad (like Rajya Sabha)
- 👤 Governor = head
👉 ✔️ Makes laws for state
8. What are the challenges facing Indian legislatures?
👉 Answer:
❌ Problems:
- 🔇 Disruptions
- ⚖️ Criminalization
- ⏳ Delay in laws
- 👥 Poor attendance
- 🗣️ Weak debates
👉 ✔️ Affects governance
9. What is the significance of the Sengol in Parliament?
👉 Answer:
🏛️ Sengol means:
- 📜 Symbol of power transfer (1947)
- ⚖️ Represents justice & dharma
- 🇮🇳 Cultural heritage
👉 ✔️ Sign of righteous governance
10. How does Judiciary balance Parliament’s power?
👉 Answer:
⚖️ Judiciary:
- 📜 Checks laws
- ❌ Stops unconstitutional acts
- 🛡️ Protects rights
👉 ✔️ Maintains balance of power
📝 Long Answer Type Questions
1. Explain the composition and functions of the Indian Parliament
👉 Answer:
🏛️ Composition:
- 👑 President
- 🧑🤝🧑 Lok Sabha (543 members)
- 🌍 Rajya Sabha (245 members)
⚡ Functions:
- 📜 Lawmaking
- ❓ Control Executive
- 💰 Approve budget
- 📊 Check spending
👉 ✔️ Ensures governance
2. Describe the lawmaking process in the Indian Parliament
👉 Answer:
📜 Steps:
- 📝 Bill introduced
- 📖 First reading
- 🧠 Committee review
- 🗣️ Debate
- 🗳️ Voting
- 🔁 Other house
- 👑 President assent
- 📢 Gazette notification
👉 ✔️ Law comes into force
3. Compare and contrast the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
👉 Answer:
📊 Comparison:
- 🧑🤝🧑 Lok Sabha → People
- 🌍 Rajya Sabha → States
- ⏳ 5 years vs 6 years
- 💰 Money bill → only Lok Sabha
- 🔄 Rajya Sabha permanent
👉 ✔️ Both important
4. Explain the system of checks and balances between legislature executive and judiciary
👉 Answer:
⚖️ System:
- 🏛️ Legislature → makes laws
- ⚙️ Executive → implements
- ⚖️ Judiciary → checks
🔁 Balance:
- Judiciary reviews laws
- Legislature controls executive
- Executive executes decisions
👉 ✔️ No one becomes too powerful
5. Discuss the challenges faced by Indian legislatures today
👉 Answer:
❌ Challenges:
- 🔇 Frequent disruptions
- ⚖️ Criminalization
- ⏳ Delay in laws
- 👥 Poor attendance
- 🗣️ Weak debates
- 🔍 Need transparency
👉 ✔️ Improvement needed
