Class 7 Civics Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Women Change the World

1. How do you think stereotypes, about what women can or cannot do, affect women’s right to equality?
Answer
Stereotypes about what women can or cannot do affect women’s right to equality:
(i) They do not get the same support that boys get.
(ii) They are considered inferior to men.
(iii) They are not sent to educational institutions.
(iv) They are promoted to see marriage as their future instead of higher studies.
(v) They are not paid equally to men for the same work.
(vi) They are assigned household works as their priority job.

2. List one reason why learning the alphabet was so important to women like Rashsundari Devi, Ramabai and Rokeya.
Answer
Rashsundari Devi, Ramabai and Rokeya are able to achieve their goal only by education. they were able to put an impact on the society by writing their ideas or stories or setting up schools through which can never be achieved without learning. Thus, learning the alphabet was so important because it will not only help them in their day to day social life but also help them in pursuing their education and dream.

3. “Poor girls drop out of school because they are not interested in getting an education.” Re-read the last paragraph on page 62 and explain why this statement is not true.
Answer
The statement “Poor girls drop out of school because they are not interested in getting an education.” is not true because:
(i) In many parts of the country, especially in rural and poor areas, there may not even be proper schools nor teachers who teach on a regular basis.
(ii) Parents are not willing to send their girl child to distant schools due to lack of transportation.
(iii) Unable to bear the cost of education.
(iv) Boys get preference over girls for seeking education.
(v) Sometimes, their teacher and classmates discriminate against them.

4. Can you describe two methods of struggle that the women’s movement used to raise issues? If you had to organise a struggle against stereotypes, about what women can or cannot do, what method would you employ from the ones that you have read about? Why would you choose this particular method?
Answer
Two methods of struggle that the women’s movement used to raise issues:
Campaigning: It is an important part of the women’s movement which is used to fight discrimination and violence against women. Women work in a organized and collective manner to achieve their certain and specific goal.
Protesting: Women use public rallies and demonstrations as a very powerful weapon for drawing attention to injustices by the method of protesting. The women’s movement raises its voice when violations against women take place.
I would choose campaigning as a method to struggle against stereotypes. In this method, we use to get clear idea about the thought of people about what they want to seek justice for the discrimination against women. We got to familiar with their opinion about stereotypes and their method of eradication right from the society level. It is also a peaceful and organised method.

Class 7 Civics Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Civics Growing Up as Boys and Girls

 Q1. Are the statements given alongside true or false. Support your answer with the use of an example –
a. All societies do not think similarly about the roles that boys and girls play.
b. Our society does not make distinctions between boys and girls when they are growing up.
c. Women who stay at home do not work.
d. The work that women do is less valued than that of men.
(a) True.
In most societies, the roles men and women play or the work they do are not valued equally. They do not have the same status. It is supposed that household works must be done by women while men do the office work.
(b) False.
The distinctions between boys and girls begins from a very young age. For example, both of them given different toys to play with. Boys are usually given cars to play with and girls dolls. Additionally, they were told how girls must dress, what games boys should play, how girls need to talk softly or boys need to be tough.
(c) False.
The responsibility of housework i.e. looking after children, cooking, washing clothes, cleaning, looking after etc. bear a lot of pressure and hardwork. Even after that, this is not recognized as work and presumed as natural work of women. While women work right from morning to the night in household duties.
(d) True.
As men get paid for what they are doing in the offices and earns the livelihood while a woman who is working from morning to night in household duties are not paid for. The household work is considered as natural duty of a woman and thus is less valued than that of men.

Q2. Housework is invisible and unpaid work.
Housework is physically demanding.
Housework is time consuming.
Write in your own words what is meant by the terms ‘invisible’, ‘physically demanding’, and ‘time consuming’? Give one example of each based on the household tasks undertaken by women in your home.

Invisible: The things which can't be seen.
The household work is invisible which can be seen only when it is not done.
Physically demanding: Demands hardwork and efforts.
Cleaning of floors and washing of clothes are physically demanding works.
Time consuming: Work which takes a lot of to be completed.
Cooking is time consuming work.

Q3. Make a list of toys and games that boys typically play and another for girls. If there is a difference between the two lists, can you think of some reasons why this is so? Does this have any relationship to the roles children have to play as adults?

Toys and games that boys typically play: Cars, Toy guns, Cricket, Football, Hockey, Kabaddi etc.
Toys and games that girls typically play: Kitchen set, Doll, Teddy, Badminton, Skipping etc.
Reasons for the difference in the list of games:
(i) Mentality of the society.
(ii) Physical appearence of the body.
(iii) The thought that girls need to talk softly and boys need to be tough.
Yes, it does have relationship to the roles children have to play as adult as men are supposed to work outside in office and earn money while women are supposed to do household works.

Q4. If you have someone working as a domestic help in your house or locality talk to her and find out a little bit more about her life – Who are her family members? Where is her home? How many hours does she work? How much does she get paid? Write a small story based on these details.

This question should be done by themselves.

Class 7 Civics Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Civics How the State Government Works?

1. Use the terms ‘constituency’ and ‘represent’ to explain who an MLA is and how is the person elected?
Answer: A state is divided into several constituencies on the basis of population. Every constituency elects one representative for the Legislative Assembly. The person elected as representative represents that particular constituency. He/She is called as a Member of Legislative Assembly Le. MLA. An MLA is elected through a general election. He/She may be a member of a recognised political party or independent. One who gets the maximum votes becomes the MLA of that constituency.

2. How did some MLAs become Ministers? Explain.
Answer: The party which is elected in majority for the Legislative Assembly forms the government. As per constitutional provisions the ruling party elects its leader who is called the Chief Minister as the head of the government. The Chief Minister, in consultation with the Governor, constitutes a cabinet which includes members of his/her party as ministers. The MLAs who become ministers are allotted with a portfolio. Here the MLAs turned ministers become accountable for the entire state for that particular portfolio.

3. Why should decisions taken by the Chief Minister and other ministers be debated in the Legislative Assembly?
Answer: The decisions taken by the Chief Minister and other ministers must be debated in the Legislative Assembly. It is because during debate it is discussed whether a particular decision is in interest of the people at large or net. It is also discussed whether it is urgent or not, how much would it cost the government, is there anything objectionable for any particular community, etc.

4. What was the problem in Patalpuram? What discussion/actions was taken by the following? Pill in the table.

Answer: Patalpuram was facing acute crisis of water

5. What is the difference between the work that MLAs do in the Assembly and the work done by government departments?
Answer: The difference between the work that MLAs do in the Assembly and the work done by government departments is that every department is headed by a minister who is also an MIA. The minister approves any work done or proposed by the department. The department is responsible for the projections and complition of the work where as MLAs or ministers coordinate between the Assembly and the departments.

Class 8 Civics Chapter 3

Class 8 Civics Chapter 3 Why do we Need a Parliament

Q1 Why do you think our nationalist movement supported the idea that all adults have a right to vote?

Ans: People had lived in fear of the British government and did not agree with many of the decisions taken by the Britishers under colonial rule.

1. People were subjected to injustice and could not voice their opinions.
2. They faced great danger if they tried to criticise the decisions of the British government.
3. With the coming of independence, everyone became the citizens of a free country. The freedom movement changed this situation and the nationalists began to openly criticise the British government and make demands for freedom and equality.
4. They demanded that there must be elected members in the legislature with a right to discuss the budget and ask questions.
5. This did not mean that the government could do what it felt like, it meant that the government had to be sensitive to people’s needs and demands. The dreams and aspirations of the freedom struggle were made concrete in the Constitution of independent India.
6. These ideas were included in the Constitution of independent India that laid down the principle of universal adult franchise, i.e. that all adult citizens of the country have the right to vote. That way, the citizens can participate in forming the government and they can monitor its functioning.

Hence, the nationalist movement supported the idea of universal adult franchise, so that the people can form the government and take part in its decision making processes.

Class 7 Civics Chapter 2

Class 7 Civics Chapter 2 Role of the Government in Health

1. In this chapter you have read that health is a wider concept than illness. Look at this quote from the Constitution and explain the terms ‘living standard’ and ‘public health’ in your own words.
An important part of the Constitution says it is the “duty of the state to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health. ”

Answer: Living standard means the level of living of people at which they live. If they live in hygeinic conditions enjoying all the comforts of life, it means their living standard is high. On the contrary, if they are bound to live in a filthy surroundings and drink polluted water and eat unhygeinic foods, it means they lead a low standard of living.
Public health. It refers to the health of the general public.

2. What are the different ways through which the government can take steps to provide healthcare for all? Discuss.
Answer: The government can take steps to provide healthcare for all by:

• Increasing the number of hospitals, healthcare centres and family welfare centres.
• Organising free camps for check up of general public.
• Organising Pulse Polio campaigns.
• Spreading health awareness among common people through different means. Workshops, seminars and training camps can also prove to be effective ways.

3. What differences do you find between private and public health services in your area? Use the following table to compare and contrast these.

4. ‘Improvement in water and sanitation can control many diseases’. Explain with the help of examples.
Answer: Water and sanitation are the basic necessities for the maintenance of our health. Poor quality of water causes a lot of health problems. Similarly poor sanitation causes many epidemics giving birth to dangerous insects and worms. Recently we saw the spread of Dengue caused by Aedes (a mosquito). Malaria is also caused by a mosquito called anopheles. Improvement in water and sanitation can control these happenings.

Class 8 Civics Chapter 1

Chapter 1 The Indian Constitution

1. Why does a democratic country need a Constitution?

Answer

A democratic country need a Constitution because:
→ It lays out the important guidelines that govern decision making within the various societies of the country.
→ It lays down the ideals that form the basis of the kind of country that its citizens aspire to live in.
→ It serves as asset of rules and principles as the basis by which the country has to be governed.
→ It provides rules to safeguard the interests of minorities and prevent any kind of domination by the majority on minorities.
→ It lays down rules that guard against the misuse of power by any politician leader.
→ It also provides rights to its citizens and protects their freedom.

2. Look at the wordings of the two documents given below. The first column is from the 1990 Nepal Constitution. The second column is from the more recent interim Constitution of Nepal.

1990 Constitution of Nepal Part 7: Executive	2007 Interim Constitution Part 5: Executive
Article 35: Executive Power: The executive power of the Kingdom of Nepal shall be vested in His Majesty and the Council of Ministers.	Article 37: Executive Power: the executive power of Nepal shall be vested in the council of Ministers.

What is the difference in who exercises 'Executive Power' in the above two Constitutions of Nepal? Keeping this in mind, why do you think Nepal needs a new Constitution today?

Answer
The difference in who exercises "Executive Power" in the given two Constitutions of Nepal is that in the 1990 Constitution, this power was vested in the King and his Council of Ministers, while in the 2007 Interim Constitution of Nepal, "Executive Power" changed hands to being vested only in the Council of Ministers, thereby making Nepal a democracy from being a monarchy.
Nepal needs a new Constitution today because it is no longer a monarchy. The older Constitution vested power in the King, but when the country is now a democracy, a new Constitution is needed to reflect the "democratic" ideals of Nepal that the peoples' movement desired and fought for. In order to achieve this, all its constitutive rules must be changed.

3. What would happen if there were no restrictions on the power of elected representatives?

Answer
If there are no restrictions on the power of the elected representatives the leaders might misuse the powers given to them. The Constitution provides safeguards against this misuse of power by our political leaders.

4. In each of the following situations, identify the minority. Write one reason why you think it is important to respect the views of the minority in each of these situations.(a) In a school with 30 teachers, 20 of them are male.(b) In a city, 5 per cent of the population are Buddhists.(c) In a factory mess for all employees, 80 per cent are vegetarians.(d) In a class of 50 students, 40 belong to more well-off families.

Answer
(a) Female teachers are in minority. The female teachers must be allowed space to voice their opinion so that their efforts at teaching are not hindered by their minority status.

(b) Budhhists are in minority. Every individual has the right to follow the religion of his/her choice. People of other faith must respect the religion other than their own.

(c) Non-vegetrians are in minority. Food choice is personal wish so he/she should have the freedom to eat what he/she wants.

(d) Under privileged are in minority. Citizens cannnot be discriminated by their birth so their views have to be respected.

5. The column on the left lists some of the key features of the Indian Constitution. In the other column write two sentences, in your own words, on why you think this feature is important:

Key Feature	Significance
Federalism Separation of Powers Fundamental Rights Parliamentary Form of Government

Answer
Key features are-
1. Federalism: It ensures national unity and at the same time allows individual progress. A federal government allows the Centre to hold supreme power but its Constituent States have some power as well.

2. Separation of Powers: This serves two purposes: firstly, tyrannical use of power is avoided since it does not vest power in any single authority. Secondly, the 3 organs of power also work as a check on each other, thereby maintaining a good balance.

3. Fundamental Rights: These are important because they conform to a humane society. They also protect citizens against arbitrary and absolute use of power by the State.

4. Parliamentary Form of Government: It upholds universal adult franchise. This entails the fact that the people of a country play a direct role in electing their representatives to run the state as well as the nation.

Class 8 Civics Chapter 10

Chapter 10 Law and Social Justice

Question -1 What are the advantages to foreign companies in setting up production in India?
Solution:
India provides cheap labour compared to some other countries. Wages paid to workers in foreign countries are much higher than in India. For lower pay, the foreign companies can get longer hours of work. Additional expenses such as housing facilities for workers are also fewer in India. Thus, foreign companies can save costs and earn higher profits.

Question -2 Do you think the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy got justice? Discuss.
Solution:
The victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy did not get justice. The disaster was caused due to gross neglect of safety measures by the management of the factory.
The government of India represented the people to legally claim compensation for the affected people. The government demanded $ 3 billion but had to accept a meagre $ 470 million from the Company.
Today, 24 years after the disaster, people of Bhopal are still fighting for justice.

Question -3 What do we mean when we speak of law enforcement? Who is responsible for enforcement? Why is enforcement so important?
Solution:
Law enforcement means to compel obedience to a law. Laws passed by the government have to be enforced otherwise the benefit of the laws will not reach the citizens. It is the duty of the government to enforce the laws.
By enforcing and upholding these laws, the government can control the activities of individuals or private companies so as to ensure social justice.
Enforcement is even more important when the law seeks to protect the weak from the strong.

Question -4 How can laws ensure that markets work in a manner that is fair? Give two examples to support your answer.

Solution:
The government has passed laws that ensure that essential products such as food grains, sugar and kerosene are not highly priced. It is necessary that such restrictions are placed on people who market these products; otherwise the poor will not be able to afford these goods.
The government has also passed the Consumers’ Protection Act which ensures that the consumers are not cheated by the sale of sub-standard products.
‘Hallmark’ certification helps the consumer to buy standard gold ornaments and ‘Agmark’ certification ensures that the food products on sale are of good quality.

Question -5 Write a paragraph on the various roles of the government that you have read about in this unit.
Solution:
The common man is exploited in most societies. When this happens it is the duty of the government to ensure that social justice prevails and all the citizens can establish their rights.
The government has passed many laws to guarantee that workers are not exploited by unscrupulous employers. Payment of Wages Act, 1936; Minimum Wages Act, 1948; Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 are some of the Acts that ensure that workers are not underpaid and exploited.
The government has passed the Factories Act, 1948. This Act regulates health, safety, welfare and other working conditions of workers in factories. It is enforced by the State Governments through their factory inspectorates.
The Consumer Protection Act ensures that the consumer is not put to risk by the poor quality of products such as electrical appliances, food and medicines. The Bureau of Indian Standards is a government organization that oversees the quality of products sold.
The government has also passed laws that ensure that essential products such as food grains, sugar and kerosene are not highly priced.
The Environment (protection) Act, 1986, was passed to protect the environment and avert health hazards to human beings.
Prohibition of Employment of Young Children protects children from being exploited. No child who has not completed his fourteenth year shall be required or allowed to work in any factory
The Trade Unions Act, 1926 provides for registration of trade unions with a view to render lawful organisation of labour to enable collective bargaining.

Question -6 How was environment treated earlier? What has been the change in perception?
Solution:
In 1984, there were very few laws to protect the environment in India. These few laws were not enforced strictly by the government. Industries discharged their waste into water bodies and made it unfit for consumption. The air was polluted with smoke that bellowed from the factories.
This pollution proved to be a health hazard for the people. The Bhopal disaster brought the issue of environmental pollution into focus.
The existing laws did not protect the common man from industrial disasters. Environmental activists insisted on new laws which will protect all the citizens from hazardous pollution of the environment. In response to the demand by the activists and the public, the government introduced new laws on the environmental safety.
According to the new laws imposed by the government the polluter will be held accountable for the damage done to the environment.
The Right to Life is a Fundamental Right under Article 21 of the Constitution and it includes the right to the enjoyment of pollution-free water and air for full enjoyment of life.

Question -7 What do you think the famous cartoonist R.K. Laxman is trying to convey in this cartoon? How does it relate to the 2006 law that you read about on page 125?
Solution:
The cartoon shows a young under privileged boy carrying the books of a well-to- do boy who is off to school. This reveals that the boy who is less than 14 years of age has been employed by the woman seen in the picture.
The cartoon emphasises that young children are being exploited at work places. They are made to work for long hours for very little wages. These children are being denied basic education which is very essential for them.
This is a violation of the Child Labour Prevention Act that was passed by the government in 2006. No child who has not completed his fourteenth year shall be required or allowed to work in any factory. The government has passed certain laws that will protect these children from being exploited.

Class 8 Civics Chapter 9

Chapter 9 Public Facilities

Question 1: Why do you think there are so few cases of private water supply in the world?
Solution:
Private companies work for a profit. Providing public facilities like water supply is not a profitable business. More over the capital needed to provide water supply to the entire population is very high which very few private companies will be able to bear.

Queation 2: Do you think water in Chennai is available and affordable by all? Discuss.
Solution:
Water is not equally available to all citizens in Chennai. Certain areas like Anna Nagar get copious water while areas like Saidapet receive very little water.
Municipal supply meets only about half the needs of the people of the city, on an average. Areas that are close to the storage points get more water whereas colonies further away receive less water. The burden of shortfalls in water supply falls mostly on the poor.
The middle class, when faced with water shortages, are able to cope through a variety of private means such as digging bore wells, buying water from tankers and using bottled water for drinking. The wealthy have safe drinking water, whereas the poor are again left out. In reality, universal access to ‘sufficient and safe’ water, in Chennai, is still a dream.

Question 3: How is the sale of water by farmers to water dealers in Chennai affecting the local people? Do you think local people can object to such exploitation of ground water? Can the government do anything in this regard?
Solution:
Many private companies are providing water to cities due to shortage of water supply by the government organization. These companies buy water from places around the city.
In Chennai, water is taken from nearby towns like Mamandur, Palur, Karungizhi and from villages to the north of the city using a fleet of over 13,000 water tankers. Every month the water dealers pay farmers an advance for the rights to exploit water sources on their land. The water that is taken away from the farms is creating a deficit for irrigation and for drinking water for the villagers. There is also a drastic drop in ground water levels in these areas.
The local people have a right to object to this exploitation and the government has the power to stop this.

Question 4: Why are most of the private hospitals and private schools located in major cities and not in towns or rural areas?
Solution:
Private hospital and private schools are located only in major cities as the services they offer are very costly and only the affluent city dweller will be able to afford it.

Question 5: Do you think the distribution of public facilities in our country is adequate and fair? Give an example of your own to explain.
Solution:
The distribution of public facilities in our country is neither adeduate no fair.for example, the Delhites avail all public facilities like water, healthcare and sanitation, electricity, public transport, schools and colleges. But if we go few kilometers away, for example, Mathura or Aligarh people face grave crises of public facilites. Electricity cut-off, water shorthages are normal routine of life. Public transport is also not properly developed.

Question 6: Private educational institutions – schools, colleges, universities, technical and vocational training institutes are coming up in our country in a big way. On the other hand, educational institutes run by the government are becoming relatively less important. What do you think would be the impact of this? Discuss.
Solution:
Private educational institutions levy very high fees, which only affluent people can afford. So quality education will be the right of only the rich. If educational institutions run by the government are not up to the mark, the weaker sections of the society are deprived of quality education.
The end result of this disparity will be that only the rich will get good education while the poor will be deprived of it.

Class 7 Civics Chapter 9

Chapter 9 A Shirt in the Market

Q.1. What made Swapna sell the cotton to the trader instead of selling at the Kurnool cotton market?

Answer: Swapna sold the cotton to the trader instead of selling at the Kurnool cotton market because:
(i) At the beginning of the cropping season, Swapna had borrowed Rs 2,500 from the trader at a very high interest rate to buy seeds, fertilisers, pesticides for cultivation.
(ii) So, she promised to sell all her cotton to him.

Q.2. Describe the conditions of employment as well as the wages of workers in the garment exporting factory. Do you think the workers get a fair deal?

Answer: Conditions of employment in the garment exporting factory:

(i) Workers are employed on a temporary basis means they can be asked to leave anytime when not needed.

(ii) They have pressure to produce quality products in limited time.

(iii) They have to do hardwork for long hours.

No, the workers don't get a fair deal as they are not even paid the minimal wages for their work. They are being exploited by their employer and their work is also temporary. They also don't have respect for the work the do.

Q.3. Think of something common that we use. It could be sugar, tea, milk, pen, paper, pencil, etc. Discuss through what chain of markets this reaches you. Can you think of the people that help in the production or trade?

Answer: Chain of markets to produce Milk is first produced in

(i) Dairy cooperatives first purchase milk at different locations.

(ii) After that, milk is transported to the milk factories by the dairy cooperatives.

(iii) Milk is pasteurised in the factories and are packed.

(iv) Packets are milk are then given to the traders which transport them to cities where wholesaler purchase these.

(v) Retailers purchase from the wholesalers then sell these packets of milk to the consumers in the open market in booths.

Q.4. Arrange the statements given alongside in the correct order and then fill in the numbers in the cotton bolls accordingly. The first two have already been done for you.

1. Swapna sells the cotton to the trader.

2. Customers buy these shirts in a supermarket.

3. Trader sells cotton to the Ginning Mill.

4. Garment exporters buy the cloth from merchants for making shirts.

5. Yarn dealers or merchants give the yarn to the weavers.

6. The exporter sells shirts to the businessperson from the USA.

7.Spinning mill buys the cotton and sells yarn to the yarn dealers.

8.Weavers return with the cloth.

9. Ginning mill cleans the cotton and makes it into bales.

Answer: 1. Swapna sells the cotton to the trader.

3. Trader sells cotton to the Ginning Mill. 

9. Ginning mill cleans the cotton and makes it into bales. 

7.Spinning mill buys the cotton and sells yarn to the yarn dealers. 

5. Yarn dealers or merchants give the yarn to the weavers.

8.Weavers return with the cloth.

4. Garment exporters buy the cloth from merchants for making shirts. 

6. The exporter sells shirts to the businessperson from the USA. 

2. Customers buy these shirts in a supermarket. 

Class 7 Civics Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Markets Around Us

1. In what ways is a hawker different from a shop owner?
Answer: A hawker provides door to door service. He sells his goods by calling out the names of his items. He generally owns a thela which we may call a movable shop and keeps in it different items of our everyday use. He sells his goods at minimum profit.
A shop owner runs his shop at one fixed place. Whenever, we need any thing we go there and purchase it. Here, we get things at somewhat costlier rate.

2. Compare and contrast a weekly market and a shopping complex on the following:

3. Explain how a chain of markets is formed. What purpose does it serve?
Answer: Goods are produced in factories, Goods are also produced in farms and in homes. But we are not required to go to factories or farms to buy goods of our need, because the producers are not interested in selling us small quantities. The wholesale traders do this job. They are the people who come in between the producer and the final consumer. They first buy goods in bulk. Then they sell these goods to the retailers, who finally sell this to the consumers.
From the above instance we come to the conclusion that from factories to final consumers a chain is formed, which we may call a chain of markets. We can better understand it through the flow chart given below:

It serves great purpose. It maintains flow of money. It makes easy availability of various items of our daily use. It also promotes co-ordination in society.

4. ‘All persons have equal rights to visit any shop in a marketplace.’ Do you think this is true of shops with expensive products? Explain with examples.
Answer: Yes, it is equally true of shops with expensive products. As consumers we can visit any shop. Even though we have no money in our pockets. The shop owner is bound to show the articles which the customer asks him to show. He cannot force the customer to buy any article. It totally depends upon him whether he buys any thing or not. We can understand it more clearly through an example. Kavita and Sujata went to Ansal Mall out of curiosity. While wandering here and there they enter a shop all of a sudden. They have no plan to buy anything. They look some branded dresses and move away,

5. ‘Buying and selling can take place without going to a marketplace’. Explain this statement with the help of examples.
Answer: This is the age of Internet. It has changed the mode of everything. We can now make on-line purchases with the help of credit cards. We can place orders through the Internet and the goods are delivered at our place.
In clinics and nursing homes we usually notice medical representatives waiting for doctors. These medical representatives are also engaged in selling goods. Thus, buying and selling takes place in different ways, without going to the market.

Class 8 Civics Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Understanding Marginalization

Question-1 Write in your own words two or more sentences of what you understand by the word ‘marginalisation’.

Answer: Marginalization is the social process of being confined to a lower social standing. Marginalization involves people being denied their fundamental rights which results in lowering their economic and social status.

Question-2 List two reasons why Adivasis are becoming increasingly marginalised.

Answer: The development of forests robbed the Adivasis of their natural territory and livelihood and turned them into marginal and powerless communities.
The Adivasis are portrayed negatively as exotic, primitive and backward people and are represented through colourful costumes and headgears. This has led to the marginalization of this community in modern India.
Question-3 Write one reason why you think the Constitution’s safeguards to protect minority communities are very important?
Solution: Safeguards are needed to protect minority communities against the possibility of being culturally dominated by the majority and being marginalized.

Question-4 Re-read the section on Minorities and Marginalisation. What do you understand by the term minority?
Answer: The term minority is most commonly used to refer to communities that are numerically small in relation to the rest of the population.
The Indian Constitution provides safeguards to religious and linguistic minorities as part of its Fundamental Rights. It ensures that the minorities are not discriminated and that they do not face any disadvantage.

Question-5
You are participating in a debate where you have to provide reasons to support the following statement: ‘Muslims are a marginalised community’. Using the data provided in this chapter, list two reasons that you would give.
Answer: The literacy rate of the Muslim population in India is the lowest. It is only 59%.
43.2% of Hindus have access to electricity while only 30% of Muslims have access to electricity.
The above statistics support the statement that Muslims are a marginalised community in India.

Question-6 Imagine that you are watching the Republic Day parade on TV with a friend and she remarks, “Look at these tribals. They look so exotic. And they seem to be dancing all the time”. List three things that you would tell her about the lives of Adivasis in India.
Answer: Adivasis had a deep knowledge of the forests. They were traditionally hunter-gatherers and nomads and lived by shifting agriculture and also cultivating in one place. This knowledge of forests made the Adivasis indispensable to the Rulers of the various Empires in India during the pre-colonial days.
Adivasis have their own languages which may be as old as Sanskrit. The Adivasi language has influenced the formation of Indian languages, like Bengali.

Question-7
Would you agree with the statement that economic and social marginalisation are interlinked? Why?
Answer: Yes, economic and social marginalisation is interlinked. When Adivasis were displaced from their lands, they lost much more than a source of income. They lost their traditions and customs – a way of living and being. Destruction in one sphere impacts the other.

Class 8 Civics Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Understanding Our Criminal Justice System

Question. 1. In a town called Peace Land, the supporters of the Fiesta football team learn that the supporters of the Jubilee football team in the nearby city about 40 km away have damaged the ground on which the Final between both teams is to be held the following day. A crowd of Fiesta fans armed with deadly weapons attacks the homes of the supporters of the Jubilee football team in the town. In the attack, 10 men are killed, 5 women are gravely hurt, many homes are destroyed and over 50 people injured.

Imagine that you and your classmates are now part of the criminal justice system. First divide the class into the following four groups of persons:

1. Police 2. Public Prosecutor 3. Defence lawyer 4. Judge

The column on the right provides a list of functions. Match these with the roles that are listed on the left. Have each group pick the functions that it needs to perform to bring justice to those who were affected by the violence of the Fiesta fans. In what order, will these functions be performed?

Roles	Functi
Police Public prosecutor Defence Lawyer Judge	hear the witnesses
	record the statements of witnesses
	cross examine the witnesses
	take photographs of burnt homes
	record the evidence
	arrest the Fiesta fans
	writes the judgment
	argue the case for the victims
	decide for how many years the accused will be put in jail
	examine the witnesses in court
	pass the judgment
	get the assaulted women medically examined
	conduct a fair trial
	Meet the accused persons

Answer. Police: record the statements of witnesses; take photographs of burnt homes; arrest the Fiesta fans; get the assaulted women medically examined.

Public Prosecutor: cross examine the witnesses; examine the witnesses in court; argue the case for the victims.

Defence Lawyer: cross examine the witnesses; meet the accused persons; examine the witness in court.

Judge: hear the witness; writes the judgment; decide for how many years the accused will be put in jail; pass the judgment.

The victims would not get justice if only one person performed all of the functions of the criminal justice system because a separation of powers is necessary within a judicial system too since absolute power can never be fair.

Different persons need to play different roles as part of the criminal justice system because: one, all aspects of an investigation and trial cannot be conducted by one person alone as they entail diverse kinds of work including, arrests, recording of witness statements, defence of accused and victims' parties, passing of a fair trial and a judicially correct judgment. Two, if all these powers are vested in one person alone, they might be misused and will thereby violate the rule of law based on equal and just decisions.

Class 7 Civics Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Understanding Advertising

1. What do you understand by the word brand? List two reasons why building brands is central to advertising?

Answer: Brand: It means stamping a product with a particular name or sign in order to differentiate it from other products in the market.
Two reasons why building brand is central advertising:
(i) It creates a positive image of the product in the eyes of the consumer and compel them to buy it.
(ii) It differentiates the product from the local or other competitive products in the market.

2. Q.2. Choose two of your favourite print advertisements. Now, look at each of these and answer the following questions:
a. What visuals and text is being used in these advertisements to attract my attention?
b. What values are being promoted in these advertisements?
c. Who is this advertisement speaking to and who is it leaving out?
d. If you could not afford the brand that is being advertised how would you feel?

Answer: Advertisement 1: Filter your Life
a. It shows the tagline of "Filter your life" by using the plant grown in the filter of the cigarette.
b. It promotes the values of "Smoking is injurious to health".
c. This advertisement speak to all those who do smoking and leave out them who don't do.
d. I feel nothing if i could not afford the product but appreciate it as it spread social values.

Advertisement 2: Show your child you care
a. It shows the tagline of "Show your child you care" by using the soap, child and mother.
b. It promotes the values of "Mothers love for their child".
c. This advertisement speak to all those women having small child and leaving out them who don't have.
d. I feel nothing if could not afford the product as there are lot of other care soap for baby available in the market..

3. Can you explain two ways in which you think advertising affects issues of equality in a democracy?

Answer: Two ways in which advertising affects issues of equality in a democracy:

(i) It only focus on the lives of the rich and famous and forget about the issues of poverty, discrimination and dignity.
(ii) Advertising tends to promote a certain lack of respect for the poor as in a democracy, all people are equal and should be able to lead a life of dignity.

4. Making an advertisement requires a lot of creativity. Let us imagine a situation in which a manufacturer has just made a new watch. She says that she wants to sell this watch to school children. She comes to your class and asks you all to create a brand name as well as an advertisement for the watch. Divide the class into small groups and each group creates an advertisement for this watch. Share it with the class.

Answer: Students should attempt it at class level. 

Class 7 Civics Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Understanding Media

1. In what ways does media play an important role in a democracy?
Answer: Media plays an important role in a democracy. It provides news and discusses events taking place in the country and the world. It is on the basis of this information that we learn how the government works.

• Media also criticises the unpopular policies and programmes that the government takes.
• Media forms public opinion.
• Media acknowledges us with several current issues.
• Media provides awareness among masses.

2. Can you give this diagram a title? What do you understand about the link between media and big business from this diagram?

Answer:  A title to the above diagram may be given like this—Media and Big Business Houses. Big Business Houses attract people to promote their products through media. It is the best and the cheapest means to reach people at large.

3. You have read about the ways in which the media ‘sets the agenda’. What kind of effect does this have in a democracy? Provide two examples to support your point of view.
Answer: Media creates public opinion an a democracy. It can build up public opinion in favour of or against any issue. Today, it has diverted from its real agenda. Instead of highlighting public issues, it is now concentrating upon cheap agendas like fashion shows, child falling in pit, etc.