Federalism: MCQs and Assertions Competency Based Questions Class 10 Pol. Science

Federalism chapter MCQs with assertion type questions are given here. Students should attempt MCQs first and then check answers given in the last.

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MCQs: Federalism – Class 10

1. Who presides over the meetings of the Municipal Corporation? 

• i) Secretary 
• ii) Sarpanch 
• iii) Chairperson 
• iv) Mayor 

2. In the question given below, there are two statements marked Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option. 

Assertion (A): Major steps towards decentralisation of power were taken through the 69th Constitutional Amendment. 

Reason (R): Decentralisation in a federal structure promotes the unity and integrity of the country. 

• i) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). 
• ii) (A) is false, but (R) is true. 
• iii) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A). 
• iv) Both (A) and (R) are false. 

3. “Local governments have made a significant impact on Indian democracy. At the same time, there are many difficulties.” Choose from the options an explanation of this assertion. [CBSE 2013]

• i) Local governments have made no significant impact on Indian democracy and have simply created many difficulties for State governments. 
• ii) Local governments have made no serious impact on Indian democracy and have created the problems of unnecessary expenses for the Central government. 
• iii) Local governments have indeed made a significant impact on Indian democracy by paving the way towards State dictatorship while at the same time creating the problem of corruption. 
• iv) Local governments indeed have helped deepen democracy through various ways, but State governments do not provide adequate resources for them to function and so there are difficulties. 

4. In the question given below, there are two statements marked Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option. 

Assertion (A): A vast country like India cannot be run through two tiers of Government and needs a third tier.  

Reason (R): States in India are large and internally very diverse in population as well as culture. 

• i) Both (A) and (R) are false. 
• ii) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).  
• iii) (A) is false, but (R) is true. 
• iv) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). 

5. Which of the following statements are correct with regards to the State List?

• i) The State list contains subjects of the state as well as local importance. 
• ii) State Governments can add subjects from the Union List into the State List.  
• iii) Local Governments have the authority to make or change laws on subjects in the State List. 
• iv) Subjects such as police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation are included in the State List. 
• v) Concurrent List subjects can sometimes be a part of the State List. 

6. According to our Constitution, who has the power to legislate on ‘residuary’ subjects? 

• i) State Legislature 
• ii) Planning Commission 
• iii) Judiciary 
• iv) Union Legislature 

7. If as a Minister, you were a part of the State Government, which of the following subjects could fall under your jurisdiction? 

• i) Banking 
• ii) Agriculture 
• iii) Railways 
• iv Communication 

8. If the laws made by the Union and State governments on a subject in the Concurrent list are in conflict, what decision would the judicial authority pass to end this conflict? 

• i) Judiciary will take pass an independent decision on the Concurrent List. 
• ii) The law of the State Government will prevail. 
• iii) Negotiation will be ordered between the State and the Union governments. 
• iv) The law of the Union Government will prevail. 

9. In the question given below, there are two statements marked Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option. 

Assertion (A): Subjects such as agriculture, police, and prisons come under the State List as per the Constitution. 

Reason (R): Union Government, under special circumstances, can make laws on subjects mentioned in the State List if the State Government is not functioning according to Constitutional provisions. 

• i) (A) is false, but (R) is true. 
• ii) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). 
• iii) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A). 
• iv) Both (A) and (R) are false. 

10. Which of the following statements are correct with regard to Indian Federalism? (Choose the three correct answers.) 

• i) Restructuring Centre-State relations is one way in which federalism has been strengthened in practice. 
• ii) The Central Government has banned the use of English, along with Hindi, for official purposes. 
• iii) A candidate in an examination conducted for Central Government positions may opt to take the examination in any of 22 Scheduled languages.  
• iv) The Central Government has never misused the Constitution to undermine and dismiss State governments in India. 
• v) The formation of linguistic States in India has made the country more united and has also made federal administration easier. 

11. Must an Indian candidate attempt an examination for Central Government positions only through Hindi medium? Choose the right option along with the reason. 

• i) Yes; as Hindi is the national language of India, it should be the only medium through which the examination can be attempted. 
• ii) No, the candidate can attempt the examination through any of the 22 scheduled languages of India as the Constitution recognises all the 22 languages as equal. 
• iii) Yes, the candidate is expected to write the examination in Hindi as Hindi is the majority language spoken by 40% of Indian population.  
• iv) No, the candidate can also attempt the examination through any international language that he or she knows. 

12. In the question given below, there are two statements marked Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option. 

Assertion (A): In a federal system, the division of powers is between a central authority and constituent units known as states. 

Reason (R): The constitution defines the powers, limits on powers and overall jurisdictions of governments at the two levels and their sub-units or tiers.  

• i) (A) is false, but (R) is true. 
• ii) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).  
• iii) Both (A) and (R) are false. 
• iv) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). 

13. In the question given below, there are two statements marked Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read the statements and choose the correct option. 

Assertion (A): Under the unitary system, either there is only one level of government or the sub-units are subordinate to the central government. 

Reason (R): There is no concept of dual governance in a unitary system as we see in a federal system. 

• i) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).  
• ii) Both (A) and (R) are false. 
• iii) (A) is false, but (R) is true. 
• iv) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). 

14. Which system of government safeguards the unity of a nation and accommodates regional diversity? 

• i) Dictatorial system  
• ii) Unitary system  
• iii) Federal system  
• iv) Monarchical system 

15. A federal country is regionally and culturally diverse. What provision should be made to allow the governments of this federation to amend its constitution? 

• i) Any provision of the constitution can be changed with the consent of the people of the concerned federation. 
• ii) The fundamental provisions of the constitution can be changed with the consent of only the central or unitary government. 
• iii) The fundamental provisions of the constitution can be changed with the consent of both, the central or unitary government and the provincial or state governments. 
• iv) The fundamental provisions of the constitution can be changed with the consent of solely the provincial and state governments. 

Answers

1. iv) Mayor 

2. ii) (A) is false, but (R) is true. 

3. iv) Local governments indeed have helped deepen democracy through various ways, but State governments do not provide adequate resources for them to function and so there are difficulties. 

4. iv) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). 

A vast country like India cannot be run only through two tiers of government as some States in India are as large as some countries of Europe. Many of these States are internally very diverse. There is, thus, a need for power sharing. 

5. i) and iv)

The State list contains subjects of state as well local importance and is handled by the state government. 

Subjects of state and local importance such as police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation are included in the State List. 

6. iv) Union Legislature 

According to our Constitution, only the Union government has the power to legislate on ‘residuary’ subjects. States have no say in this. 

7. ii) Agriculture

Agriculture is a part of the State List, which contains subjects of state and local importance, and so it would fall under State jurisdiction. 

8. iv) The law of the Union Government will prevail. 

If the laws made by the Union and State governments on a subject in the Concurrent list are in conflict, the law of the Union Government will always prevail. 

9. iii) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A). 

Subjects such as agriculture, police, and prisons are in the State List as the State Governments have a better understanding of and reach over such matters. Although (R) is true in itself, it is not the correct explanation of (A). 

10. i), iii) and v)

Restructuring Centre-State relations is one way in which federalism has been strengthened in practice. 

Constitutional provisions are necessary for the success of federalism, and restructuring Centre-State relations is one way in which federalism has been strengthened in practice. 

A candidate in an examination conducted for Central Government positions may opt to take the examination in any of 22 Scheduled languages.  

There are 22 languages recognised as Scheduled Languages by the Indian Constitution. A candidate taking an examination conducted for a Central Government position, may take the examination in any of these languages. 

The formation of linguistic States in India has made the country more united and has also made federal administration easier. 

The Central Government had initially resisted linguistic States. But the experience of linguistic states has shown that it actually made the country more united. 

11. ii) No, the candidate can attempt the examination through any of the 22 scheduled languages of India as the Constitution recognises all the 22 languages as equal. 

Our Constitution does not give the status of national language to any one language in India, including Hindi. It recognises 22 Indian languages as Scheduled Languages. A candidate may opt to take the examination in any of these languages. 

12. ii) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A). 

In a federal country, the division of powers is between the central authority and constituent units known as states. The division of powers (A) are a part of the federal system, whether they are defined in a constitution (R) or through some other means. Therefore, A and R are true, but R is not the explanation of A. 

13. iv. Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). 

In the unitary system, there is no concept of dual governance. The central government can issue orders to the provincial or local governments, which is not the case in federal systems in which both governments have their own independent powers. 

14. iii) Federal system  

The federal structure gives state governments enough powers to protect their regional identities and interests while the central government keeps them together by acting as an apex body. In this way, the federal structure protects the nation’s unity while also accommodating regional diversity. 

15. iii) The fundamental provisions of the constitution can be changed with the consent of both, the central or unitary government and the provincial or state governments. 

The fundamental provisions of the constitution can be changed with the consent of both the central or unitary government and the provincial or state governments. This makes the federal rule stronger and more accepted.