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Class 11 Political Science Chapter 3 Election and Representation
Section-A Indian Constitution
Selected Questions & Answers
A. Very Short Answer Type Questions: (Marks for each – 1)
1. Which of the following best fits with direct democracy?
(a) Discussion in a family meeting.
(b) Election of a class representative.
(c) Selection of candidates by a political party.
(d) Decisions of the village assembly.
(e) Opinion polls conducted through the media.
Ans: (d) Decisions of the village assembly.
2. Which of the following functions are not performed by the Election Commission?
(a) Preparation of voter list.
(b) Nomination of candidates.
(c) Establishment of polling booths.
(d) Enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.
(e) Conducting Panchayat elections.
Ans: (e) Conducting Panchayat elections.
3. Which election principle is common in the election of members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha?
(a) Every citizen above 18 years of age is eligible to be a voter.
(b) Voters can give preference order to different candidates.
(c) The value of each vote is equal.
(d) The winner must obtain more than half of the votes.
Ans: (a) Every citizen above 18 years of age is eligible to be a voter.
4. In the FPTP system, the candidate declared the winner is:
(a) The one who receives postal votes.
(b) A member of the party that receives the highest number of votes in the country.
(c) The one who receives more votes than other candidates in the constituency.
(d) The one who secures more than 50 percent of the votes and stands first.
Ans: (c) The one who receives more votes than other candidates in the constituency.
Note: ‘FPTP’ refers to the First-Past-The-Post system.
5. What is meant by electorate?
Ans: The group of people within a country who have the right to vote is called the “electorate”.
6. Who is called an elector or voter?
Ans: A person who has the right to cast a vote in a democratic election is called an elector or voter.
7. What is meant by election?
Ans: The process by which voters cast their votes to choose representatives is called an election.
8. Is universal adult franchise an inseparable part of democracy?
Ans: Yes.
9. By which method is the President of India elected?
Ans: By the indirect method.
10. What is meant by “direct election”?
Ans: The method in which voters directly cast their votes to elect their representatives is called direct election.
11. “All citizens are not voters”: Is the statement correct?
Ans: Correct.
12. What is meant by universal franchise?
Ans: Universal franchise means the right to vote enjoyed by all individuals, irrespective of age and gender.
13. What is the basis of universal adult franchise?
Ans: Age.
14. “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” Who said this?
Ans: Thomas Jefferson.
15. “Before introducing universal franchise, universal education should be established.” Who said this?
Ans: John Stuart Mill.
16. Mention one type of proportional representation.
Ans: List system.
17. Do democratic decisions depend on number or on quality?
Ans: On number.
18. Write the names of two countries where the proportional representation system is practiced.
Ans: Israel and Netherlands.
Short Questions and Answers: (Value of each—2)
1. Give two arguments in favour of women’s suffrage.
Ans: Two arguments in favour of women’s suffrage are:
(a) The right to vote makes women conscious as responsible citizens of the state.
(b) In order to implement the principle that “all are equal in the eyes of law”, women should have the right to vote.
2. What is meant by universal franchise? What is the minimum age of a voter in India?
Ans: The right by which all men and women can exercise the right to vote, irrespective of caste, religion, race or language, is called “universal franchise”. In India, the minimum age of a voter is 18 years.
3. Write two qualifications of a voter.
Ans: Two qualifications of a voter are:
(1) A person must be at least 18 years of age.
(2) The person must not be insolvent or convicted of a serious crime.
4. What is meant by the FPTP system?
Ans: The FPTP system is an electoral system in which the candidate who receives the highest number of votes is declared the winner in the election. In this system, it is not necessary for the candidate to obtain a majority of votes.
5. By what methods can the representation of minority communities be secured?
Ans: The methods for securing representation of minority communities are:
(1) Proportional representation.
(2) Limited voting system.
(3) Provision of reserved seats.
(4) Nomination.
(5) Communal representation.
C. Medium Answer Type Questions: (Marks for each – 4)
1. What is meant by direct election and indirect election? Explain.
Ans: The electoral system in which voters directly cast their votes to elect their representatives is called a “direct election”. Through direct elections, members of the lower house of the legislature and the members of the Lok Sabha are generally elected in India. On the other hand, the system in which voters elect their representatives indirectly is called an “indirect election”. In India, the President of India is elected by the indirect method.
2. Mention the differences between direct election and indirect election.
Ans: The differences between direct election and indirect election are:
(1) Direct election is single-tier, whereas indirect election is two-tier.
(2) In direct elections, voters can directly participate in the election. But in indirect elections, voters cannot participate directly in the final election.
(3) Direct elections provide political education to voters, whereas indirect elections deprive voters of such political education.
(4) Direct elections are simple and strong, whereas indirect elections are comparatively complex and difficult for the general public to understand.
3. What is proportional representation? What are its types?
Ans: In order to ensure proper representation of minority groups in society, certain electoral systems have been developed. Among them, the system of proportional representation is an important one. According to this system, all sections of people can send representatives to the legislature in proportion to their numbers. This system has two types, namely:
(a) The Hare system.
(b) The List system.
D. Essay Type Questions and Answers: (Marks for each – 6)
1. Discuss the merits and demerits of the direct election system.
Ans: The electoral system is mainly of two types: direct election and indirect election. The merits and demerits of direct election are discussed below.
Merits of Direct Election:
(1) The direct election system is completely democratic. In this system, the people directly elect their representatives; therefore, the representatives cannot ignore public opinion.
(2) This system establishes a good relationship between the people and their representatives. Since representatives and voters get the opportunity to know each other, the representatives become more responsible in performing their duties.
(3) The direct election system provides political education to the people.
(4) Since the number of voters is large in this system, the influence of corruption becomes comparatively less.
Demerits of Direct Election:
(1) In direct elections, there is less possibility that the most suitable candidate will be elected. Because many voters are inexperienced, mistakes may occur in selecting candidates.
(2) In direct elections, party interests often receive more importance, which may lead to party conflicts.
(3) Direct elections are very expensive and may lead to the misuse of public money.
(4) In such elections, many voters cast their votes under emotional influence, which may result in the failure to elect the most capable candidate.
2. Discuss the merits and demerits of the indirect election system.
Ans: The electoral system is mainly of two types: direct election and indirect election. The merits and demerits of indirect election are discussed below.
Merits of Indirect Election:
(1) In indirect elections, the defects found in the system of universal adult franchise are comparatively less; therefore, elections become more orderly and peaceful.
(2) The intermediate voters are generally knowledgeable and experienced, so they can judge properly and elect suitable representatives.
(3) Indirect elections involve less expenditure, and therefore public money is not wasted.
(4) There is less opportunity for party interests to mislead the process.
Demerits of Indirect Election:
(1) Indirect election is against the spirit of true democracy.
(2) In this system, the possibility of corruption is higher. Because the number of voters is small, it becomes easier to influence them.
(3) In indirect elections, the people are deprived of political education.
(4) Representatives elected through indirect elections do not feel directly responsible to the general voters; therefore, their attention towards public welfare may decrease.
3. Write the differences between direct election and indirect election.
Ans: The differences between direct election and indirect election are:
(1) Direct election is single-tier, whereas indirect election is two-tier.
(2) In direct elections, the people directly elect their representatives. In indirect elections, this is not possible.
(3) Direct elections provide political education to the people, whereas indirect elections deprive the people of such political education.
(4) The direct election system is simple and easy for the public to understand, whereas the indirect election system is complex and difficult for the general public.
(5) Direct elections are very expensive and may cause misuse of public money, whereas indirect elections involve less expenditure.
4. What is universal adult franchise? Give arguments for and against it.
Ans: Universal adult franchise means the right by which all adult men and women can exercise the right to vote irrespective of caste, religion, race, or language. In India, this principle forms the basis of democratic elections.
Arguments in favour of Universal Adult Franchise:
(a) Universal adult franchise is consistent with democratic principles and is based on the principle of equality.
(b) When universal adult franchise exists, the governing authority cannot become autocratic, because representatives are elected with the consent of the people and the government is formed accordingly.
(c) Universal adult franchise encourages citizens to perform their duties responsibly. When people possess voting rights, the government becomes more attentive to their demands and grievances.
(d) Citizens pay taxes to the state; therefore, voting rights make them more responsible participants in governance.
Arguments against Universal Adult Franchise:
(a) The system of universal adult franchise is very expensive and requires considerable time to conduct elections.
(b) Modern governance is very complex, and not everyone can equally understand its complexities. Therefore, some argue that all citizens should not necessarily have voting rights.
(c) According to the philosopher John Stuart Mill, uneducated people should not be given voting rights because they may not exercise sound judgment.
(d) Some thinkers argue that property-less people should not have voting rights because they consider them less responsible.
5. Under which Article of the Constitution of India is the Election Commission formed? How many members does it have? Mention four main functions of the Election Commission.
Ans: In India, the Election Commission of India was established under Article 324(1) of the Constitution to conduct various elections. The Election Commission consists of three members: one Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners. Their tenure is six years or until they reach the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
The main functions of the Election Commission are:
(1) Preparation of electoral rolls (voter lists).
(2) Fixing the election schedule and organizing the election process.
(3) Ensuring free and fair elections.
(4) Granting recognition to political parties and allotting election symbols.
