Class 9 Social Part 3B Chapter 2 Types or Classification of Government
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Part III: (b) Political Science
Types or Classification of Government
Lesson-Based Questions &Answers
Very Short Answer Type Questions
1. Who was the first political philosopher to classify governments?
Ans: The first political philosopher to classify governments was Plato.
2. Which is the most popular form of government in the world today?
Ans: The most popular form of government in the world today is the parliamentary democratic government.
3. Name a country having a parliamentary system of government.
Ans: A country having a parliamentary system of government is India.
4. Who are the head of government and head of state in a parliamentary system?
Ans: In a parliamentary system, the head of government is the Prime Minister and the head of state is the President.
5. In which type of government is the principle of separation of powers found?
Ans: The principle of separation of powers is found in the presidential form of government.
6. Name a country having a presidential form of government.
Ans: A country having a presidential form of government is the United States of America.
7. Name a country having a unitary form of government.
Ans: A country having a unitary form of government is Italy.
8. What are the two types of government in a federal system?
Ans: The two types of government in a federal system are the Central Government and the State Government.
9. What type of government exists in Switzerland?
Ans: Switzerland has a federal form of government.
10. Does India have dual citizenship?
Ans: No, India does not have dual citizenship.
Short Answer Type Questions
1. What are the different types of government prevalent in the world today?
Ans: The different types of government prevalent in the world today are:
(a) Parliamentary government
(b) Federal government
(c) Presidential government
(d) Unitary government
2. Mention two features of a parliamentary system of government.
Ans: Two features of a parliamentary system are:
(a) There are two executives–one real and one nominal. The Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister is the real executive, while the President is the nominal executive.
(b) The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the legislature.
3. Write two merits and two demerits of the parliamentary system.
Ans: Two demerits of the parliamentary system are:
(a) If no party gets a majority in the legislature, a coalition government may be formed, which is often unstable and may face political crises.
(b) Ministers may lack expertise in departmental work and depend heavily on bureaucrats, which may lead to bureaucratic dominance.
Two merits are:
(a) Since the government is accountable to the legislature, it cannot act against public interest, ensuring public welfare.
(b) There is a close relationship between the executive and legislature, which helps in solving problems easily.
4. What is meant by the principle of separation of powers?
Ans: In a system of governance, the government has three organs—executive, legislature, and judiciary. Each organ works independently within its own sphere and has its own powers. None is subordinate to the other. This is called the principle of separation of powers.
5. Write two features of a presidential system of government.
Ans: Two features of a presidential system are:
(a) The President is both the head of state and the head of government.
(b) The executive is not responsible to the legislature, and both function independently. A member of the legislature cannot be a member of the executive.
6. Write two merits and two demerits of a unitary government.
Ans: Two merits of a unitary government are:
(a) It can implement a uniform administrative system throughout the country without complexity.
(b) It can respond quickly to emergencies.
Two demerits are:
(a) It may fail to provide effective governance in large countries, as it cannot address the needs of backward regions properly.
(b) Bureaucratic dominance may increase, leading to possible exploitation.
Essay Type Question-Answers
1. Write the merits and demerits of a presidential government.
Ans: The merits of a presidential government are:
(a) Due to separation of powers, all three organs of government function independently.
(b) The President is elected for a fixed term and cannot be easily removed, ensuring stability.
(c) The President can take quick decisions in emergencies.
(d) A strong executive helps maintain unity and integrity of the nation.
The demerits of a presidential government are:
(a) The legislature cannot control the President effectively, leading to chances of autocracy.
(b) Due to separation of powers, there may be lack of cooperation between the executive and legislature.
(c) If the executive and legislature belong to different parties, political conflicts may arise.
(d) The President may sometimes behave like a dictator, leading to authoritarian rule.
2. Write the features of a parliamentary form of government.
Ans: The features of a parliamentary government are:
(a) In a parliamentary system, there are two heads: the Prime Minister is the head of the government and the President is the head of the state.
(b) In a parliamentary system, the members of the executive, i.e., the Council of Ministers, are also members of the legislature.
(c) There is a close relationship between the legislature and the executive, which ensures good governance.
(d) The Council of Ministers is responsible to the legislature. If the legislature passes a vote of no confidence, the Council of Ministers is bound to resign.
(e) In this system, all members of the Council of Ministers are collectively responsible for the failure of one member.
3. Why has the federal form of government become popular in the present world? Discuss with examples.
Ans: In the present world, the federal form of government has become popular due to the following reasons:
(a) In a federal system, each state enjoys autonomy, which makes it easier to solve local or regional problems.
(b) Since there is a division of powers between the central and state governments, the central government can focus on common national welfare.
(c) A federal government is more democratic. The distribution of powers between the centre and the states allows greater participation in governance.
(d) There is decentralization of power in a federal system, which reduces the chances of internal conflicts. Due to these advantages, the federal system has become more popular in the modern world.
4. Write the features of a unitary government.
Ans: The features of a unitary government are:
(a) All powers are vested in the central government, making it strong.
(b) Citizens have single citizenship, unlike in a federal system where dual citizenship may exist.
(c) The constitution is generally flexible and can be amended easily by the central government.
(d) The judiciary is comparatively weak. Laws made by the legislature are applicable throughout the country, and the judiciary cannot declare them unconstitutional.
(e) The constitution may be written or unwritten.
5. Is a unitary government truly democratic? Discuss.
Ans: A unitary government is not truly democratic because:
(a) The judiciary has less power. Laws made by the legislature are enforced throughout the country, and the judiciary cannot declare them unconstitutional. This may lead to one-sided laws that can go against minority interests.
(b) There are no state or local governments, so the central government may fail to provide good governance in all regions of the country.
(c) The head of the government may become autocratic like a dictator. Under such rule, people cannot expect good governance.
(d) The government may not give importance to public opinion, making it unpopular among the people.
Additional Questions and Answers
1. According to Plato, what is the rule by one for the welfare of the people called?
Ans: Monarchy.
2. What did Plato call the rule by one for the ruler’s own interest?
Ans: Tyranny.
3. What did Plato name the rule by many?
Ans: Democracy.
4. Into how many parts did Leacock classify modern governments?
Ans: Into two parts.
5. Who described modern democracy as a limited monarchy?
Ans: Leacock.
6. Which government is called the “best minister model”?
Ans: The parliamentary form of government.
7. Can the constitution of a unitary government be unwritten?
Ans: Yes, it can be.
8. Which form of government is followed in India?
Ans: Parliamentary form of government.
9. “Checks and balances” is a special feature of which government?
Ans: Presidential form of government.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
1. Who was the first political philosopher to classify governments?
(a) Aristotle
(b) Plato
(c) Locke
(d) Rousseau
Ans: (b)
2. Which is the most popular form of government in the world today?
(a) Monarchy
(b) Dictatorship
(c) Parliamentary democracy
(d) Oligarchy
Ans: (c)
3. Which country has a parliamentary form of government?
(a) USA
(b) China
(c) India
(d) Russia
Ans: (c)
4. Who is the real executive in a parliamentary system?
(a) President
(b) Prime Minister
(c) Governor
(d) Chief Justice
Ans: (b)
5. Who is the nominal executive in India?
(a) Prime Minister
(b) Chief Minister
(c) President
(d) Speaker
Ans: (c)
6. In which system is the principle of separation of powers followed?
(a) Parliamentary
(b) Federal
(c) Presidential
(d) Unitary
Ans: (c)
7. Which country follows a presidential system?
(a) India
(b) UK
(c) USA
(d) Japan
Ans: (c)
8. Which country has a unitary form of government?
(a) India
(b) USA
(c) Italy
(d) Switzerland
Ans: (c)
9. In a federal system, how many levels of government exist?
(a) One
(b) Two
(c) Three
(d) Four
Ans: (b)
10. Which type of government exists in Switzerland?
(a) Unitary
(b) Presidential
(c) Federal
(d) Dictatorship
Ans: (c)
11. Does India have dual citizenship?
(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) Partially
(d) Only for states
Ans: (b)
12. Which of the following is a feature of a parliamentary system?
(a) Separation of powers
(b) Collective responsibility
(c) Fixed tenure
(d) No legislature
Ans: (b)
13. Which organ is independent in the separation of powers?
(a) Executive only
(b) Legislature only
(c) Judiciary only
(d) All three organs
Ans: (d)
14. Which is a merit of a parliamentary system?
(a) Instability
(b) Dictatorship
(c) Accountability
(d) No cooperation
Ans: (c)
15. Which is a demerit of a parliamentary system?
(a) Stability
(b) Collective responsibility
(c) Coalition instability
(d) Cooperation
Ans: (c)
16. Which is a feature of a presidential system?
(a) Dual executive
(b) Collective responsibility
(c) Single executive
(d) Legislative control
Ans: (c)
17. In which system is the executive not responsible to the legislature?
(a) Parliamentary
(b) Federal
(c) Presidential
(d) Unitary
Ans: (c)
18. Which is a feature of a unitary government?
(a) Division of powers
(b) Strong states
(c) Centralized power
(d) Dual citizenship
Ans: (c)
19. Which type of citizenship exists in a unitary government?
(a) Dual
(b) Multiple
(c) Single
(d) None
Ans: (c)
20. Which government system ensures decentralization of power?
(a) Unitary
(b) Presidential
(c) Federal
(d) Monarchy
Ans: (c)
21. Which thinker classified governments into monarchy, tyranny, and democracy?
(a) Aristotle
(b) Plato
(c) Locke
(d) Marx
Ans: (b)
22. What is the main advantage of federal government?
(a) Central dominance
(b) Local autonomy
(c) No states
(d) Weak democracy
Ans: (b)
23. Which is a demerit of a unitary government?
(a) Quick decisions
(b) Uniform administration
(c) Neglect of local needs
(d) Strong centre
Ans: (c)
24. What happens if a no-confidence motion is passed?
(a) President resigns
(b) Judiciary dissolves
(c) Council of Ministers resigns
(d) Parliament dissolves
Ans: (c)
25. Which system provides more stability due to fixed tenure?
(a) Parliamentary
(b) Federal
(c) Presidential
(d) Unitary
Ans: (c)
26. Which principle ensures independence of organs of government?
(a) Democracy
(b) Federalism
(c) Separation of powers
(d) Socialism
Ans: (c)
27. Which system may lead to dictatorship due to the concentration of power?
(a) Federal
(b) Parliamentary
(c) Unitary
(d) Democratic
Ans: (c)
28. Which system has close relation between executive and legislature?
(a) Presidential
(b) Parliamentary
(c) Federal
(d) Unitary
Ans: (b)
29. Which type of government is more democratic in nature?
(a) Unitary
(b) Federal
(c) Dictatorship
(d) Monarchy
Ans: (b)
30. “Checks and balances” is related to which system?
(a) Parliamentary
(b) Federal
(c) Presidential
(d) Unitary
Ans: (c)
