Federalism — Class 10 Social Science NCERT Solutions (Free)
Free step-by-step NCERT solutions for Class 10 Social Science chapter "Federalism" — 6 important questions with detailed answers for CBSE board exam preparation.
TL;DR: Free step-by-step NCERT solutions for Class 10 Social Science chapter "Federalism" — 6 important questions with detailed answers for CBSE board exam p…
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NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Social Science — Federalism. Step-by-step answers to all 6 textbook questions from this chapter, written for CBSE board preparation and free to use.
Federalism — All 6 Questions Solved
Q1. What is federalism and what are its key characteristics?
Federalism is a system of government where power is divided between a central authority and regional units (states or provinces). Key characteristics include: (1) Written constitution defining power distribution, (2) Dual sovereignty with both central and state governments, (3) Separate executive, legislature, and judiciary at both levels, (4) Amendment requiring consent of both levels, (5) Supreme Court arbitrating disputes.
Q2. How is India a federal state and what are its distinctive features?
India is a federal state with power divided between the Union (central) government and State governments. Distinctive features include: (1) Asymmetrical federalism giving Jammu-Kashmir and Nagaland special status, (2) Three lists (Union, State, Concurrent) dividing legislative powers, (3) Union controls defense, foreign relations, and taxation; States control education, police, (4) Panchayati Raj adds third tier of governance.
Q3. What is the three-fold distribution of legislative powers in India?
The Indian Constitution divides legislative powers into: (1) Union List (97 subjects): Defense, foreign affairs, currency, income tax—Union Parliament legislates, (2) State List (66 subjects): Police, education, agriculture, local governance—State Legislature legislates, (3) Concurrent List (52 subjects): Criminal law, contracts, labor—Both can legislate, but Union law prevails if conflict.
Q4. How does the principle of cooperative federalism work in India?
Cooperative federalism involves coordination and collaboration between Union and State governments. Mechanisms include: (1) Finance Commission allocating funds, (2) Scheduled negotiations between Union and States, (3) Planning Commission coordinating development, (4) Zonal councils facilitating coordination, (5) Special laws for unique regions. Cooperative federalism balances autonomy with national integration.
Q5. What are the conflicts and tensions in Indian federalism?
Tensions arise from: (1) Revenue sharing disputes between Union and States, (2) Disagreements over resource distribution, (3) States demanding greater autonomy or financial support, (4) Language and cultural issues in multilingual nation, (5) Implementation of central policies by resistant State governments, (6) Special status demands from specific regions. Despite conflicts, federalism remains India's framework.
Q6. How does decentralization at the local level strengthen federalism?
The 73rd Amendment introduced Panchayati Raj (village councils) and the 74th Amendment introduced Municipal Corporations (urban councils) as third tier of government. This decentralization brings governance closer to people, ensures grassroots participation, and allows local issues to be addressed locally. It strengthens federalism by creating multiple levels of governance and accountability.
Federalism — Practice MCQs with Answers
Attempt these 20 multiple-choice questions after working through the solutions above. Each carries the correct option and the reasoning behind it, so a wrong answer tells you which idea to revisit.
MCQ 1. Which of the following is a key feature of a federal system of government?
- A. There is only one level of government.
- B. Power is concentrated in the hands of the central government.
- C. Power is divided between different levels of government.
- D. The judiciary has no role in interpreting the constitution.
Answer: C. Power is divided between different levels of government. — In a federal system, power is constitutionally divided and shared between different levels of government, such as a central authority and constituent units.
MCQ 2. In India, which list includes subjects like 'Defence' and 'Foreign Affairs'?
- A. State List
- B. Union List
- C. Concurrent List
- D. Residuary Subjects
Answer: B. Union List — Subjects of national importance like defence, foreign affairs, banking, and communications are exclusively handled by the central government and are part of the Union List.
MCQ 3. Which type of federation is India considered to be?
- A. Coming Together Federation
- B. Holding Together Federation
- C. Unitary Federation
- D. Confederal System
Answer: B. Holding Together Federation — India is an example of a 'holding together' federation where a large country decides to divide its power between the constituent states and the national government.
MCQ 4. Which of the following countries is an example of a 'Coming Together Federation'?
- A. India
- B. Spain
- C. Belgium
- D. USA
Answer: D. USA — In a 'coming together' federation, independent states come together on their own to form a bigger unit, as seen in the USA, Switzerland, and Australia.
MCQ 5. Who has the power to legislate on 'Residuary Subjects' in India?
- A. State Governments only
- B. Both Central and State Governments
- C. Central Government only
- D. Local Self-Governments
Answer: C. Central Government only — Subjects that do not fall under any of the three lists (Union, State, Concurrent) are known as 'Residuary Subjects', and the Central Government (Parliament) has the exclusive power to legislate on them.
MCQ 6. Which subject falls under the Concurrent List in India?
- A. Police
- B. Agriculture
- C. Education
- D. Banking
Answer: C. Education — The Concurrent List includes subjects on which both the Union and State governments can make laws, such as education, forests, trade unions, marriage, and adoption.
MCQ 7. How many languages are recognized as Scheduled Languages by the Indian Constitution?
- A. 18
- B. 20
- C. 22
- D. 25
Answer: C. 22 — The Indian Constitution recognizes 22 languages, including Hindi, as Scheduled Languages in the Eighth Schedule, reflecting India's linguistic diversity.
MCQ 8. Which amendment made it mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies?
- A. 42nd Amendment
- B. 73rd Amendment
- C. 74th Amendment
- D. 86th Amendment
Answer: B. 73rd Amendment — The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments (1992) brought about significant changes, including making it constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to Panchayats (rural) and Municipalities (urban).
MCQ 9. What percentage of seats are reserved for women in local self-government bodies in India?
- A. 1/4th
- B. 1/3rd
- C. 1/2
- D. 2/3rd
Answer: B. 1/3rd — The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments of 1992 mandate that at least one-third of all positions in local bodies and at least one-third of the seats reserved for SC/ST must be reserved for women.
MCQ 10. Which institution was created by the 1992 constitutional amendment to conduct elections for local government bodies?
- A. Election Commission of India
- B. State Election Commission
- C. Union Public Service Commission
- D. State Public Service Commission
Answer: B. State Election Commission — The 1992 amendments mandated the creation of an independent State Election Commission in each state to conduct elections for Panchayats and Municipalities.
MCQ 11. What is the lowest tier of Panchayati Raj in rural areas?
- A. Zilla Parishad
- B. Gram Panchayat
- C. Panchayat Samiti
- D. Block Committee
Answer: B. Gram Panchayat — The Gram Panchayat is the lowest tier of rural local self-government, directly elected by the adult population of a village or group of villages.
MCQ 12. What is the collective name for the elected body at the district level in rural local government?
- A. Gram Sabha
- B. Panchayat Samiti
- C. Zilla Parishad
- D. Municipal Corporation
Answer: C. Zilla Parishad — The Zilla Parishad is the local government body at the district level, comprising elected members and often district officials, overseeing the Panchayat Samitis.
MCQ 13. Which term describes the areas over which someone has legal authority?
- A. Autonomy
- B. Decentralization
- C. Jurisdiction
- D. Concurrent
Answer: C. Jurisdiction — Jurisdiction refers to the legal authority or power to hear and determine cases, make laws, and administer justice within a defined area.
MCQ 14. What is the main objective of decentralization in India?
- A. To concentrate power at the state level.
- B. To reduce the power of the central government entirely.
- C. To enable people to directly participate in decision-making.
- D. To create more administrative offices without real power.
Answer: C. To enable people to directly participate in decision-making. — Decentralization aims to bring governance closer to the people, allowing them to participate directly in decision-making and address local problems more effectively.
MCQ 15. In a federal system, which body has the power to interpret the Constitution and the powers of different levels of government?
- A. The Legislature
- B. The Executive
- C. The Judiciary
- D. The President
Answer: C. The Judiciary — An independent judiciary is a crucial feature of federalism; it acts as an umpire to settle disputes between different levels of government regarding their respective powers.
MCQ 16. Which of the following describes a scenario where the central government tends to be more powerful than state governments?
- A. A Coming Together federation
- B. A Holding Together federation
- C. A Confederal system
- D. A Unitary system
Answer: B. A Holding Together federation — In 'holding together' federations, like India, the central government usually retains more power relative to the constituent units, which are often of unequal power.
MCQ 17. What was a significant impact of the rise of regional political parties and coalition governments at the Centre since the 1990s?
- A. Increased dominance of the Central government over states.
- B. Strengthening of federalism and greater autonomy for states.
- C. Complete collapse of the federal structure.
- D. Elimination of the need for state governments.
Answer: B. Strengthening of federalism and greater autonomy for states. — The era of coalition governments meant that no single national party had a clear majority, forcing the Central government to respect the autonomy of state governments and engage in more federal power-sharing.
MCQ 18. Which of these is NOT a subject under the State List?
- A. Police
- B. Public Health
- C. Prison
- D. Communications
Answer: D. Communications — Police, Public Health, and Prison are typically subjects on which state governments have exclusive legislative powers. Communications, especially national communications, falls under the Union List.
MCQ 19. What is meant by a 'Unitary System' of government?
- A. Power is shared equally between central and state governments.
- B. There is only one level of government or sub-units are subordinate to the central government.
- C. States are independent and only loosely united by a central authority.
- D. Power is derived from local bodies.
Answer: B. There is only one level of government or sub-units are subordinate to the central government. — In a unitary system, either there is only one level of government, or the sub-units are subordinate to the central government and derive their powers from it.
MCQ 20. Who is the political head of a Municipal Corporation?
- A. Chief Minister
- B. District Collector
- C. Mayor
- D. Commissioner
Answer: C. Mayor — The Mayor is the elected political head of a Municipal Corporation, responsible for presiding over meetings and overseeing its administration.
How to Use These Solutions
Attempt each question yourself first and only then compare with the worked answer. Marks in the CBSE board exam are awarded for the METHOD as much as the final result, so reproduce the steps rather than memorising the last line. Where a solution states a law, a formula or a definition, learn that wording — examiners look for it.
Related practice for this chapter: chapter MCQs, previous-year questions, revision notes and sample papers.