Practice Questions

Identify the body that was responsible for framing the Indian Constitution.

Name any one country whose constitution provided provisions that were adapted into the Indian Constitution.

Critique the idea that a constitution's only function is to allocate decision-making power.

Examine why the introduction of universal suffrage was the only provision passed in the Constituent Assembly without significant debate.

Name the first function of a constitution as mentioned in the chapter.

List two basic liberties that a constitution typically protects as a limitation on government power.

Recall the name of the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly.

Evaluate in one sentence whether a constitution that exists only on paper can perform the function of providing 'coordination and assurance' to citizens.

Formulate a single principle that explains why a constitution must provide a framework for a just society, not just rules for governance.

Justify the inclusion of 'enabling provisions' in a constitution, like those in South Africa or India, that empower the government to take positive welfare measures.

Compare the method of allocating decision-making power in a monarchical constitution with that in a democratic constitution as explained in the text.

Evaluate the role of the Objectives Resolution as the moral foundation of the Indian Constitution.

Justify why a constitution is considered a source of a nation's 'fundamental identity'.

Apply the concept of 'fundamental identity' to explain why the Indian Constitution does not make ethnic identity a criterion for citizenship.

Explain how a constitution allows for coordination and assurance in a diverse society.

Define the concept of 'universal suffrage' as discussed in the context of the Indian Constitution's making.

Explain the importance of a 'balanced institutional design' in making a constitution successful.

Analyze the fourth function of a constitution, focusing on how it enables a government to fulfill the aspirations of a society.

Explain what is meant by the 'mode of promulgation' and why it is crucial for a constitution's authority.

Evaluate the claim that the Indian Constitution is merely a 'borrowed document' with little originality.

Propose a hypothetical scenario where the absence of a 'balanced institutional design' in a constitution could lead to the subversion of democracy.

Propose two reasons why public deliberation and reasoned argument, as practiced in the Indian Constituent Assembly, are more crucial for constitution-making than a simple majority vote on each clause.

Justify the necessity of placing limitations on a democratically elected government through a constitution.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the 'mode of promulgation' of the Indian Constitution in ensuring its long-term authority and acceptance.

Summarize the second function of a constitution regarding the specification of decision-making powers.

Examine how a constitution sets fundamental limits on the powers of government to prevent unjust laws.

Analyze why a constitution that systematically privileges a majority group over minorities is unlikely to command allegiance and succeed in the long run.

Analyze the statement that the Constituent Assembly was giving 'concrete shape and form to the principles it had inherited from the nationalist movement'.

Examine the significance of the diverse composition of the Constituent Assembly, despite the dominance of the Congress party.

Describe the 'Principle of Deliberation' that characterized the working of the Indian Constituent Assembly.

Analyze the first function of a constitution, which is to provide basic rules for minimal coordination and assurance in a diverse society.

Examine the role of 'mode of promulgation' in determining the authority and success of a constitution, using the Indian example.

Contrast the functioning of the Indian Constituent Assembly with a process where members only represent their own community's narrow interests.

Analyze the argument that borrowing provisions from other constitutions does not make the Indian Constitution a work of slavish imitation.

Describe the five key functions that a constitution performs for a society.

Critique the viewpoint that a constitution made decades ago is irrelevant today because it was not consented to by the current generation.

Critique the argument that the Constituent Assembly was not a representative body and therefore lacked the legitimacy to draft the Constitution for India.

Design a brief framework with three core principles that a new, small democratic nation should include in its constitution to ensure both stability and flexibility.

Create an argument to counter the statement: 'If a government is popular and has a large majority, it should not be bound by the limits set by the constitution.'

Apply the principle of 'balanced institutional design' to explain how the Indian Constitution prevents the subversion of its core principles.

Describe the composition of the Constituent Assembly of India.

Explain how the Indian Constitution is designed to fulfill the aspirations and goals of society.

Demonstrate how agreeing to a basic set of constitutional norms helps constitute a fundamental political identity for a people.

Summarize the main points of the Objectives Resolution moved by Jawaharlal Nehru.

Examine how the Indian Constitution balances the need for stability with the need for adaptability to changing circumstances.