Solutions for NCERT Class 7 Civics Social and Political life ll Chapter 1 On Equality

Hello students and welcome to our solutions for NCERT Class 7 Civics- Social and Political life-ll Chapter 1 – On Equality! We have anticipated and addressed whatever problems you might be having with this chapter and am sure you will love going through our solutions which playfully quiz you on various aspects of equality.

Find Solutions for NCERT Class 7 Civics Social and Political life-ll Chapter 1 – On Equality here

1. In a democracy, why is a universal adult franchise important?
Answer:
The concept of equality is a fundamental principle of democracy. Universal adult franchise is important in a democracy because it is based on the concept of equality. It ensures that every adult citizen has the right to cast one vote irrespective of their social or economic background.

2. Read the box on Article 15 and state two ways in which the article addresses inequality.
Answer:
Article 15 addresses inequality in the following ways:

(i) it prohibits discrimination against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.

(ii) It states that no citizen shall be denied access to public places like playgrounds, shops, hotels, or use of wells, bathing ghats, roads funded by the state.

3. What do you understand by the term “All persons are equal before the law?” Why do you think it is important in a democracy?
Answer:
The above term means that all citizens must obey the same laws irrespective of their socio-economic background. Moreover, all laws apply equally to all citizens without discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or economic status. This is important in a democracy because it is based on the principle of equality.

4. The Government of India passed the Disabilities Act in 1995. This law states that persons with disabilities have equal rights and that the government should make possible their full participation. The government has to provide free education and integrate children with disabilities into mainstream schools. This law also states that all public spaces, including buildings, schools etc., should be accessible and provided with ramps.

Look at the photograph and think about the boy who is being carried with the stairs. Do you think that the above law is being implemented in his case? What needs to be done to make the building accessible for him? How would his being carried down the stairs affect his dignity as well as his safety?

Answer:

No, the Disabilities Act (2016) has not been implemented. Ramps are mandatory for all public buildings and one should be constructed to make the building more accessible for disabled people.

Being carried violates the boy’s dignity by making him conscious of his disability, and also exposes him to injury in case he slips and falls.

Solutions for in-Text Questions of NCERT Class 7 Civics Social and Political life ll Chapter 1 On Equality

1. What is the midday meal programme? Can you list three benefits of the programme? How
do you think this programme might help promote greater equality?
Answer:

Midday meal scheme is the programme introduced by the Government to provide children with cooked lunch in all government elementary schools.

Three benefits of the programme are as follows:

(i) More poor children have begun enrolling in schools and regularly attending schools.

(ii) The midday meal has helped reduce the hunger of poor students.

(iii) The programme has helped reduce caste prejudices because children of all castes in school eat this meal together.

Dalit women are employed in some schools to cook midday meals. This not only empowers women by making them financially independent, but also helps to promote greater equality by reducing caste prejudices because the meals cooked by these women are eaten by all children irrespective of caste.

2. Find out about one government scheme in your area. What does this scheme do? Whom is this scheme set up to benefit?
Answer:

The Delhi Government launched the “Vidwa Pension Scheme” for the welfare of widows living in the state who are below poverty line.

 This scheme provides monthly financial assistance of Rs 2500/- to the eligible widows.

The scheme empowers widows living below the poverty line by helping them improve their financial condition without family support.

Extra Questions for NCERT – Class 7 Civics- Social and Political life-ll Chapter 1 On Equality

A. Multiple Choice type Questions (MCQs)

1. The Indian Constitution recognises every person as ________.
(i) a citizen
(ii) bonafide
(iii) equal
(iv) None of the above

2.The government has tried to implement the equality that is guaranteed in the constitution through________
(i) laws
(ii) programmes or schemes to  help disadvantaged communities
(iii) None of the above
(iv) Both (i) and (ii) above

3. The Civil Rights Movement was sparked off by_________.

(i) Dr B.R. Ambedkar
(ii )Mahatma Gandhi
(iii) Rosa Parks
(iv) None of the above

4. Article 15 prohibits discrimination on grounds of ____________.

(i) race, religion ,caste, complexion, place of birth
(ii) religion,race, caste, sex, , wealth
(iii)race , caste, religion, health, place of birth
(iv) race, religion, caste, sex, place of birth

5. Universal adult suffrage means that ________.
(i) all adult citizens can vote
(ii) all adult citizens cannot vote
(iii) all adult citizens have multiple votes
(iv) all adult citizens have one vote

Answers:

1. (iii) equal

2. (iv) Both (i) and (ii) above

3. (iii) Rosa Parks

4. (iv) race, religion, caste, sex, place of birth

5. (iv) all adult citizens have one vote

B. Fill in the blanks with suitable words from the box to complete the following sentences:

positive	cooked	midday	poor	introduced
elementary	regularly	provide	school	enrolling

1.One of the steps taken by the government includes the _______meal scheme.

2.This refers to the programme ____________ in all government _______________schools to

 ________ children with _________ lunch.

3. This programme has had many  ___________ effects.

4. These include the fact that more _____children have begun ____________ and ________attending __________.

Answer:

1.One of the steps taken by the government includes the midday meal scheme.

2.This refers to the programme introduced in all government elementary schools to

 provide children with cooked lunch.

3. This programme has had many  positive effects.

4. These include the fact that more poor children have begun enrolling and regularly attending school.

C. Match the words in column A with those in column B

A	B
Article 15	Without it(self-respect) Man is a cypher
Rosa Parks	first introduced in Tamil Nadu
Dr B. R. Ambedkar	prohibition of discrimination
Midday meal	2016
Rights of Persons with Diabilities Act	Civil Rights movement

Answer:

A	B
Article 15	Prohibition of discrimination
Rosa Parks	Civil Rights movement
Dr B. R. Ambedkar	Without it(self-respect) Man is a cypher
Midday meal	first introduced in Tamil Nadu
Rights of persons with Diabilities Act	2016

D. State whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE:

1. In india only the people belonging to the upper caste  can use public bathing ghats , water tanks and wells

2. In many democratic countries around the world, the struggle for equality continues to exist.

3. There are no instances of inequality in schools since the law prohibits discrimination on grounds of race, religion, caste, sex and place of birth.

4. The Civil Rights Movement was initiated  by the African-Americans, whose ancestors were slaves brought over from Africa, to push for equal rights.

5. Most Arican-American children can only afford to attend government schools that have fewer facilities and poorly qualified teachers.

Answers:

1. False: Article 15 stipulates that no citizen shall on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them will be subject to any disability ,restriction with regard to the use of wells, tanks bathing ghats roads, places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of state funds.

2. True

3. False – Although Article 15 prohibits discrimination on grounds of race, religion, caste, sex and place of birth, we see that in reality there are many instances of discrimination in schools against Dalit children when their dignity is not respected. This is because people have not yet changed their attitudes towards them even though the law stipulates equality.

4. True

5. True

E.  Very Short Answer type Questions:

1. Which article of the Indian Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, caste, sex, or place of birth?
Answer:
Article 15 of the Indian Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, caste, sex, or place of birth.

2. Who represents us in the Parliament?
Answer:
Our elected representatives represent us in Parliament.

3. What is the most common form of inequality in India?
Answer:
The caste system is the most common form of inequality in India.

4. How does a person feel if he has been treated unequally?
Answer:
 If a person has been treated unequally, he feels that his dignity was violated.

5. What was Dr Ambedkar’s opinion about self-respect?
Answer;
Dr Ambedkar’s believed that “It is disgraceful to live at the cost of one’s self-respect.”

6. What role do the government schemes to improve lives of deprived communities play ?
Answer:
Government schemes to improve lives of communities who have been treated unequally for ages play an important role in in increasing equality of opportunity.

7. State one of the effects of the midday meal scheme?
Answer:
One of the effects of the midday meal scheme is the increase in enrollment and regular attendance in government elementary schools.

8. Are all schools in India equally well-equipped??
Answer:
There is a vast difference in the schools in which the  the rich study and those in which the poor study in terms of infrastructure and quality of teachers.

9. What did Rosa Parks do to spark off a protest?
Answer:
Rosa Park refused to give up her seat up on a bus to a white man.

10. What is a constitution?
Answer:
A Constitution is a written document which lays down basic rules and regulations for the people and the government to follow.

11. Which country can be described as being completed democratic
Answer:
No country can be described as completely democratic.

12. What do you understand by ‘dignity’?
Answer:
Dignity means thinking that one is worthy of respect.

13. What are the ways in which the government implements equality guaranteed by the constitution?
Answer:
The government implements equality guaranteed by the constitution in the following ways:

(i) through laws

(ii) through  programmes and schemes designed to benefit the unprivileged sections of society.

14. Who are employed to cook the midday meals in some places?
Answer:
Dalit women are employed to cook midday meal in some schools.

15. Is the law sufficient to remove prejudices that exist in society?
Answer:
No, the law is not enough. There should be efforts to raise awareness and change attitudes of the citizens.

16. What was the position of the African-American citizens in the United States of America before the 1950s?
Answer:
Prior to the 1950s African-Americans were treated extremely unequally in the USA and denied equality through law.

17. What is known as the Civil rights movement?
Answer:
There was a movement in the late 1950s to demand equal rights for African-Americans which came to be known as the Civil Rights Movement.

F. Short Answer Type Questions:

1. Why do people still not consider Dalits as equal even though the law requires it?
Answer:
People continue to discriminate against Dalits because attitudes change very slowly. Even though people are aware that discrimination is against the law, they persist in treating people unequally on the basis of race, religion, caste, sex disability and economic status . It is only when people begin to really believe that no one in inferior and that every person deserves to be treated with respect without violating their dignity that the present bigoted attitudes will change.

2. What does the Civil Rights Act of 1964 state??
Answer:
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, religion or national origin. It also stated that all schools would be open to African-American children, so they would no longer have to attend separate schools set up for them .

3. What is the condition of African-Americans now?
Answer:
A majority of African-Americans continue to be among the poorest in the country. Most African-American children can only afford to attend government schools that have fewer facilities and poorly qualified teacher unlike the whilte students who can attend private schools or live in areas where government schools are as well equpiied and rated as private schools.

4. Write what you know about equality in Indian democracy?
Answer:
The Indian constitution recognises every person as equal. This means that every individual in the country, irrespective of race, religion, caste, sex, place of birth, educational and economic backgrounds are recognised as equal. Although inequality has not been eradicated totally, the principle of the equality of all persons is recognised. While earlier no law existed to protect people from discrimination, and ill treatment, now there are several that work to see that people are treated with dignity.

5. What do you understand by the challenge of democracy?
Answer:
No country can be described as being completely democratic because there is always communities and individuals trying to push for greater recognition of equality on existing as well as new issues. There is a constant struggle for the recognition of all persons as equal and for their dignity to be maintained.

G. Long answer Type Questions

1. What provisions are there in the constitution to recognise equality of all citizens?

Answer:

The following provisions are there in the constitution to recognise equality of all citizens:

 (i) Every person is equal before the law. This means that every person from the president of the country to the lowly daily wage earner has to obey the same laws.

(ii) No person can be discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, caste, sex, or place of birth.

(iii) Every person has access to all public places including playgrounds, hotels, shops and marlets. All persons can use publicly available, wells, roads and bathing ghats.

(iv) Untouchability has been abolished.

2. What are the things that still need to be done to increase equality aside from the government schemes?

Answer:

The government schemes play an important role in increasing equality of opportunity. But there is a lot that still needs to be done.

While the midday meal scheme has helped increase the enrolment of students and attendance of poor children in school, there exists a vast disparity in our country between the schools that the rich attend and those that the poor attend.

 Even today there are several schools in the country where Dalit children are discriminated against and treated unequally. These children are treated in a manner which violates their dignity.

 This is because people refuse to think of them as equal even though the law stipulates it. Awareness needs to be raised against prejudices so that we can move towards a society where all citizens are truly equal and the dignity of every  individual is maintained.

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