Understanding Laws Extra Questions Chapter 4 Class 8 Civics
Here you will find Extra Questions for Chapter 4 understanding Laws Class 8 Civics which will encourage students to learn new topics and help in improving the student's experience. Class 8 Extra Questions will guide students to act in a better way an frame better answers in the examinations.
Chapter 4 Understanding Laws Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs):
1. How was the Rowlatt Act an arbitrary law?
Answer
This Act allowed the British government to imprison people without trial.
2. Who introduced the rule of law in India – the British or the Indians?
Answer
The Indians introduced the rule of law in their country.
3. Why do people not accept some laws passed by the Parliament?
Answer
It is because they feel that the intention behind such laws is unfair and harmful.
4. How can you say that the Sedition Act of 1870 was arbitrary?
Answer
The Sedition Act of 1870 was arbitrary because under this Act any person protesting or criticising the British government could be arrested without trial.
5. What is controversial law?
Answer
The law that favours one group and disregards the other is known as controversial law.
6. Which type of laws can be called repressive?
Answer
Laws that brutally control persons and often prevent them from exercising their Fundamental Rights including Right to speech and Assembly can be called repressive laws.
7. What do people do to criticise unfair laws of the Parliament?
Answer
They hold public meeting, write about it in newspapers, report to TV news channels, etc.
8. What was the Civil Rights Act that was introduced in the USA in 1964?
Answer
This act prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, religion or national origin in the USA.
Chapter 4 Understanding Laws Short Answer Questions (SAQs):
1. How was the Rowlatt Act protested by the Indian nationalists? What was its consequence?
Answer
The Rowlatt Act came into effect on 10 March, 1919. This Act allowed the British government to imprison people without due trial. Indian nationalists began to protest this arbitrary Act. In Punjab, the protest was more intensely carried out. On April 10, two leaders of the movement, Dr. Satyapal and Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew were arrested. To protest these arrests, a public meeting was held on 13 April at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. General Dyer entered the park with his troops and after closing the only exit ordered them to fire on the gathering. As a result several hundreds of people were killed and many more were wounded.
2. ‘In ancient India, there was no rule of law’. Explain.
Answer
In ancient India there were several and often overlapping local laws. Different communities enjoyed different degrees of autonomy in administering these laws among their own people. In some cases, the punishment that the two persons received for the same crime varied judgement depending on their caste backgrounds. The lower castes in such circumstances were more harshly penalised than the upper castes.
3. What role do citizens play in the evolution of a new law?
Answer
The Parliament plays an important role in making laws. There are many ways through which this takes place and it is often deifferent groups in society that raise issue begins to take root, it is brought to the attention of the Parliament which in due course makes a law to crush it. Thus, the role of citizens is important in helping Parliament frame different concerns that people might have into laws. From establishing the need for a new law to its being passed, at every stage of the process the voice of the citizen is an important element.
4. What does the rule of law mean?
Answer
The rule of law means is that all laws apply equally to all citizens of the country and no one can be above the law. Neither a government official, nor a wealthy person nor even the President of the country is above the law. Any crime or violation of law has a specific punishment as well as a process through which the guilt of the person has to be established.
5. State two reasons why historians refute the claim that the British introduced the rule of law in India?
Answer
• First that colonial rule was arbitrary.
• Second that the Indian nationalists played a prominent role in the development of the legal sphere in British India.
6. How did the Indian legal profession develop by the end of the 19th century?
Answer
By the end of the 19th century, the Indian legal profession developed enough to demand respect in colonial courts. They began to use law to defend the legal rights of Indians. Indian judges also began to play a greater role in making decisions. In due course, the rule of law evolved during the colonial period.
Chapter 4 Understanding Laws Long Answer Questions (LAQs):
1. Explain the various roles played by the government?
Answer
• The government has to ensure that all the laws are implemented. This means that the law must be enforced. Enforcement becoming even more important when the law seeks to protect the weak from the strong.
• Through making, enforcing and upholding these laws, the government can control the activities of individuals or private companies to ensure social justice.
• As the lawmaker and enforcer, the government is supposed to ensure that safety laws are implemented.
• It is also the duty of the government to ensure that the Right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution is not violated.
• A major role of the government, therefore, is to control the activities of private companies by making, enforcing and upholding laws so as to prevent unfair practices and ensure social justice.
• This means that the governments has to make appropriate laws and also has to enforce the laws.
• Laws that are weak and poorly unforced can cause serious harm as the Bhopal gas tragedy showed.
While the government has a leading role in this respect, people can exert pressure so that both private companies and the government act in the interests of society.
2. What do we mean when we speak of law enforcement? Who is responsible for enforcement? Explain with an example why is enforcement so important?
Answer
Law enforcement means that to make sure a law or rule is obeyed. If there is a certain law, it is meant for being obeyed and followed.
As a lawmaker and enforcer, the government is supposed to ensure that safety laws are implemented. It is also the duty of the government to ensure that the Right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the constitution is not violated.
Enforcement is so important because as seen in the example of the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal:
• Government officials refused to recognize the plant as hazardous and allowed it to come up in a populated locality.
• When some municipal officials in Bhopal objected that the installation of an MIC production unit in 1978 was a safety violation, the position of the government was that the state needs the continued investment of the Bhopal plant, which provides jobs.
• It was unthinkable, according to them, to ask UC to shift to cleaner technology or safer procedures.
• Government inspectors continued to approve the procedures in the plant, even when repeated incidents of leaks from the plant made it obvious to everybody that things were seriously wrong.
• Instead of protecting the interests of the people, their safety was being disregarded both by the government and by private companies.