Question 1:
Which of the following is not an instance of an exercise of a Fundamental Right?
- Workers from Bihar go to Punjab to work on the farms.
- Christian mission set up a chain of missionary schools.
- Men and women government employees get the same salary.
- Parents’ property is inherited by their children.
Answer:
(d) Parents’ property is inherited by their children.
Question 2:
Which of the following freedom is not available to an Indian citizen?
- Freedom to criticise the government.
- Freedom to participate in armed revolution.
- Freedom to start a movement to change the government.
- Freedom to oppose the central value of the Constitution.
Answer:
(b) Freedom to participate in armed revolution.
Question 3:
Which of the following rights is available under the Indian Constitution?
- Right to work
- Right to adequate livelihood
- Right to protect one’s culture
- Right to privacy
Answer:
(c) Right to protect one’s culture
Question 4:
Name the Fundamental Rights under which, each of the following rights falls:
(a) Freedom to propagate one’s religion
(b) Right to life
(c) Abolition of untouchability
(d) Ban on bounded labour
Answer:
(a) Freedom of religion
(b) Right to freedom (Protection of individual life and personal liberty).
(c) Right to equality
(d) Right against exploitation
Question 5:
Which of the statements about the relationship between democracy and right is more valid?
Give
reasons for your preference.
(a) Every country that is a democracy gives rights to its citizens.
(b) Every country that gives rights to its citizens is a democracy
(c) Giving rights is good, but it is not necessary for a democracy.
Answer:
(a) The statement, ‘Every country that is a democracy gives right to its citizens’ is more valid because citizens enjoy rights only in a democratic state. Without rights, citizens cannot participate in the administration of the state. Rights are also very helpful in the development of the personality of the citizens. Without rights, a democracy cannot be a true democracy.
Question 6:
Are these restrictions on the right to freedom justified? Give reasons for your answer.
(a) Indian citizens need permission to visit some border areas of the country for reasons of
security.
(b) Outsiders are not allowed to buy property in some areas to protect the interest of the
local population.
(c) The government bans the publication of a book that can go against the ruling party in
the next elections.
Answer:
(a) Yes, this restriction is justified for the security of the country.
(b) Yes, this restriction is also justified to protect the culture and interests of the
people. In Himachal
Pradesh outsiders are not allowed to purchase property.
(c) No, this restriction is not justified because it is against the right of expression.
Question 7:
When Madhurima went to the property registration office, the Registrar told her, “You can’t write your name as Madhurima Banerjee d/o A. K. Banerjee. You are married, so you must give your husband’s name. Your husband’s surname is Rao. So your name should be changed to Madhurima Rao.” She did not agree. She said “If my husband’s name has not changed after marriage, why should mine?” In your opinion who is right in this dispute? And why?
Answer:
In this dispute, Madhurima is right. She can write her name according to her own will. She has right to equality and cannot be forced to write Rao with her name.
Question 8:
Draw a web interconnecting different rights discussed in this chapter. For example right to freedom of movement is connected to the freedom of occupation. One reason for this is that freedom of movement enables a person to go to place of work within one’s village or city or to another village, city or state. Similarly, this right can be used for pilgrimage, connected with freedom to follow one’s religion. Draw a circle for each right and mark arrows that show connection between or among different rights. For each arrow, give an example that shows the linkage.
Answer:
Question 9:
If you were a Serb, would you support what Milosevic did in Kosovo? Do you think his project of establishing Serb dominance was good for the Serbs?
Answer:
If I were a Serb, I would not support what Milosevic did in Kosovo. He was a narrow minded Serb nationalist who had won the elections. He wanted the Serbs to dominate the country election. His project of establishing Serb dominance was not benificial for the Serbs as it was against the Ethnic minorities, like the Albanians. They (Albanians) either had to leave the country or accept their (Serbs) dominance.
Question 10:
What are the examples of elected governments not protecting or even attacking the rights of their own citizens? Why do they do that?
Answer:
The examples of elected governments not protecting or even attacking the rights of their own
citizens are given below:
(i) Prison in Guantanamo Bay, an area near Cuba, controlled by the American Navy.
(ii) Women are subjected to many public restrictions in Saudi Arabia.
(iii) Albanians in Kosovo.
The elected governments sometimes did so as the vision of their leaders was very
narrow-minded.
Question 11:
Everyone knows that the rich can have better lawyers in the courts. What is the point in talking about equality before law?
Answer:
It is a fact that the rich can have better lawyers in the courts, but this does not mean that the equality before law has no value. Equality before law means that nobody is above the law. Anybody who violates the law should be punished according to the law.
Question 12:
Should the freedom of expression be extended to those who are spreading wrong and narrow minded ideas? Should they be allowed to confuse the public?
Answer:
Freedom of expression should not be extended to those who spread wrong and narrow minded ideas. Such people should not be allowed to confuse the public.
Question 13:
The Constitution does not give people their religion. Then how can it give people the right to practise their religion?
Answer:
The Constitution does not give people their religion. It provides only a constitutional provision to safeguarded their interests. The Indian Constitution declares India as a Secular State, which means that the state shall not follow any religion but at the same time, it gives the right to profess, practice and propagate the religion he or she believes in. Every religious group or sect is free to manage its religious affairs.
Question 14:
Can the President of India stop you from approaching the Supreme Court to secure your fundamental rights?
Answer:
The President of India cannot stop you from approaching the Supreme Court to secure your fundamental rights.