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Class 9 Social Science: Democracy, 8 practice questions with answers

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These are 8 practice questions on Chapter 6, Democracy, of the new NCERT Class 9 Social Science textbook, Understanding Society: India and Beyond (Part 1, first published June 2026). Each has a worked answer and the textbook page it comes from. They follow the chapter: a timeline from the Constituent Assembly to the RTI Act, India's democracy in numbers, which institution does what, the Fundamental Rights by article, kinds of democracy around the world, women's seats in local bodies, four assertion-and-reason pairs, and democracy in two villages. Try each one on paper before you open the answer.

These questions are our own, drafted with AI help. Every fact was checked against the textbook page it cites, but no practising teacher has reviewed them yet. If you find a mistake, please tell us.

How this chapter is examined

This is a new book for 2026-27, and Democracy is its first Political Science chapter. The CBSE Class IX Social Science curriculum for 2026-27 gives it 9 teaching hours. Its learning outcomes ask you to understand the features of a democracy, to see how early Indian traditions of discussion fed into modern democracy, and to tell parliamentary and presidential systems apart, with examples of countries (curriculum, page 10). CBSE says the marks for each unit "will be provided shortly" (page 14), so ask your school how the annual exam is split. The same page lists 20 internal-assessment marks, 5 of them for a pen-paper test.

What the chapter says you need

Facts from the NCERT textbook (Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Class 9 Part I, Chapter 6, printed pages 137 to 160):

From the Constituent Assembly to the RTI Act

Question 1. Put these in order, earliest first: (P) the Right to Information Act comes into force; (Q) a National Emergency is imposed; (R) the Constitution of India comes into force; (S) the PESA Act is passed for tribal areas; (T) the Constituent Assembly is formed; (U) the Representation of the People Act is passed; (V) the Emergency ends and general elections are held; (W) the Constitution is adopted. (a) Give the order with the year the chapter gives for each. (b) How many days passed between the adoption of the Constitution and the day it came into force? (c) The Constitution sets out three kinds of emergency provision in Articles 352, 356 and 360. Match each article to its provision. (d) What does the chapter say happened to rights, the press and political leaders during the Emergency, and what did the elections of 1977 show?

Answer: (a) T 1946, W 1949, R 1950, U 1951, Q 1975, V 1977, S 1996, P 2005; (b) 61 days; (c) 352, a National Emergency; 356, President's Rule; 360, a Financial Emergency; (d) the government suspended most Fundamental Rights, censored the press and arrested many political leaders and activists; the defeat of the ruling government in 1977 showed the strength of Indian democracy and why constitutional safeguards, civil liberties and active citizens matter. (a) T, page 139; W and R, page 137; U, page 143; Q and V, page 155; S, page 151; P, page 154. (b) From 26 November 1949 to 26 January 1950: 4 days left in November, 31 in December and 26 in January, 4 + 31 + 26 = 61. (c) The side note on page 155. (d) Pages 155 to 156. The Assembly took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days to draft the Constitution (pages 139 to 140). (The choice of eight events is our own.)

India's democracy in numbers

Question 2. (a) India had over 96.8 crore registered voters in 2024, and its population is over 140 crore. Taking those two figures, roughly what share of the population was registered to vote? (b) There are more than one million polling stations. If the voters were spread evenly, roughly how many voters would each station serve? (c) In 2019 a Member of Parliament represented about 25 lakh people on average. At that average, how many MPs would a made-up state of 2 crore people send to Parliament? (d) Elections are held in 22 scheduled languages and many more. What does the chapter say election symbols are for?

Answer: (a) about 69 per cent; (b) about 970 voters; (c) 8 MPs; (d) so that every citizen, including people who cannot read, can vote on their own. (a) 96.8 ÷ 140 ≈ 0.69 (pages 137 and 149). Both figures start with "over", so this is only a rough share. (b) 96.8 crore is 968 million, and 968 million ÷ 1 million ≈ 970. With more than a million stations, the true average is a little lower; some stations are set up for a single voter (page 149). (c) 2 crore ÷ 25 lakh = 200 lakh ÷ 25 lakh = 8 (page 149). (d) Page 149. More than 2,800 political parties are registered in India (page 149). (The state of 2 crore people is our own.)

Which institution does what?

Question 3. The chapter's table pairs each democratic process with its institutions and the values they promote (page 144). For each made-up news item, name the process, the institution and one value the table gives. (i) An audit report finds that a district paid twice for the same road. (ii) A High Court strikes down a state rule that treated two groups of shopkeepers differently. (iii) Polling officials carry voting machines by boat to an island booth. (iv) A Gram Sabha votes to repair the village pond. (v) In a debate on a new bill, several members of the state assembly speak and vote against it. (vi) A newspaper series and a citizens' group push the city to fix its drains. (b) How many institutions does the table list under accountability mechanisms? Name them.

Answer: (i) accountability mechanisms; the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG); transparency; (ii) the judicial process; the courts; the rule of law, equality or justice; (iii) the electoral process; the Election Commission of India; participation or equality; (iv) decentralisation; rural local bodies; people's participation at the grassroots; (v) the legislative process; the legislature; representation, deliberation or dissent; (vi) participatory processes; the media and civil society; debate and discussion or freedom of expression; (b) four: the CAG, the Central Information Commission (CIC), the Lokpal and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). All from the table on page 144. Federalism is the table's seventh row: the written Constitution guarantees how power is divided between the centre and the states. Civil society means voluntary groups, NGOs and community associations (side note, page 144). (The six news items are our own.)

The Fundamental Rights, by article

Question 4. The chapter lists six Fundamental Rights with their article numbers (page 141). (a) To which right does each of these articles belong: 15, 21, 23, 26, 30 and 32? (b) How many articles do the six ranges cover in all? (c) Under which two articles can citizens seek constitutional remedies when a Fundamental Right is violated? (d) In the chapter's own glossary, what is the difference between equality before law and equal protection of law?

Answer: (a) 15, the Right to Equality; 21, the Right to Freedom; 23, the Right against Exploitation; 26, the Right to Freedom of Religion; 30, Cultural and Educational Rights; 32, the Right to Constitutional Remedies; (b) 18 articles; (c) Articles 32 and 226; (d) equality before law means the law treats every person the same, whatever their status, identity or rank; equal protection of law means people in similar circumstances are treated alike, with no arbitrary discrimination. (a) The ranges on page 141: Equality 14 to 18, Freedom 19 to 22, against Exploitation 23 to 24, Freedom of Religion 25 to 28, Cultural and Educational 29 to 30, Constitutional Remedies 32. Article 21 is the one the side note quotes: no person shall lose life or personal liberty except by the procedure established by law. (b) 5 + 4 + 2 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 18. (c) and (d) Page 141.

Kinds of democracy around the world

Question 5. (a) Name the kind of democracy in each made-up country. Kestria: citizens vote on most big decisions themselves. Lorvan: people elect a parliament; the Prime Minister and ministers are members of it and must answer to it. Mirabad: people elect a President, who heads the government and is not a member of the legislature. (b) Which real country does Fig. 6.4 give as the example for each of the three kinds? (c) The chapter's table names the head of state in India, Canada and the United Kingdom. Who is it in each? (d) In elections to Parliament or a State Assembly, what share of the seats must a party or coalition win to form the government?

Answer: (a) Kestria, direct democracy; Lorvan, parliamentary democracy; Mirabad, presidential democracy; (b) direct, Switzerland; parliamentary, India and Canada; presidential, the United States of America; (c) India, the President; Canada, the Monarch, who appoints a Governor-General on the Prime Minister's advice; the United Kingdom, the Monarch; in all three the Prime Minister is head of government; (d) more than 50 per cent. (a) and (b) Fig. 6.4, page 146: in a parliamentary democracy voters choose the legislature, not the executive directly, and the executive's members also sit in the legislature; in a presidential democracy the President is elected by the people and answers to them. Fig. 6.4 notes that direct democracy is hard to follow in large countries. (c) The table on page 148, which also says the United Kingdom has an unwritten constitution. (d) Page 143; the largest opposing group becomes the opposition. (The three countries are made up.)

Women's seats in local bodies

Question 6. (a) Article 243(d) reserves not less than one-third of the directly elected seats in every Panchayat for women. In a made-up Gram Panchayat of 16 such seats, what is the least number reserved for women, and how many would be reserved in a state that gives 50 per cent? (b) Article 243(t) does the same for every Municipality. In a made-up municipality of 40 seats, what are the two figures? (c) For Panchayati Raj institutions, 21 States and 2 Union Territories give 50 per cent; for Urban Local Bodies, 17 States and 1 Union Territory did so as of 2023. How many States and UTs are there in each group, and what is the gap? (d) British women won full voting rights in 1928 and American women in 1920. How many years after each did Indian women vote as equals under the Constitution, and what does the chapter say still holds back women's representation?

Answer: (a) at least 6, and 8; (b) at least 14, and 20; (c) 23 and 18, a gap of 5; (d) 22 years after Britain and 30 after the USA; social prejudices, because the right to vote does not by itself ensure equal participation. (a) 16 ÷ 3 ≈ 5.3, so "not less than one-third" needs at least 6 seats; 16 ÷ 2 = 8. (b) 40 ÷ 3 ≈ 13.3, so at least 14; 40 ÷ 2 = 20. (c) 21 + 2 = 23, 17 + 1 = 18, 23 − 18 = 5. (d) 1950 − 1928 = 22 and 1950 − 1920 = 30; all from page 153. Indian women did not have to fight long legal battles for the vote: Universal Adult Franchise came with the Constitution (page 153). (The Panchayat and the municipality are our own.)

Assertion and reason

Question 7. For each pair, choose: (A) both true, and R explains A; (B) both true, but R does not explain A; (C) A true, R false; (D) A false, R true.

  1. A: The media is often called the fourth pillar of democracy. R: Newspapers, news channels and social media keep people informed and raise public issues, acting as a voice of the masses.
  2. A: The chapter gives Switzerland as its example of direct democracy. R: Direct democracy works most easily in large countries.
  3. A: In elections to Parliament, the party or coalition with more than half the seats forms the government. R: Political parties work within the rules of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
  4. A: Indian women had to fight a long legal battle to win the right to vote. R: Universal Adult Franchise came into force with the Constitution in 1950.

Answer: 1 (A); 2 (C); 3 (B); 4 (D). (1) Both are true, and R is why the media earns the name (page 146). (2) A is true, but R is false: Fig. 6.4 says direct democracy is difficult to follow in large countries (page 146). (3) Both are true (page 143), but the Act that parties work under does not explain how a government is formed. (4) A is false: the chapter says Indian women did not need prolonged legal battles or protests for the vote. R is true (page 153).

Democracy in two villages

Question 8. (a) Where in India are Autonomous District Councils set up, and what authority do they have? (b) Where does the PESA Act of 1996 apply, and which body does it make the main decision-maker? (c) A Gram Sabha meeting needs a quorum to be valid. A made-up village has 1,450 voters and a rule that one-tenth must attend. What is the quorum, and is a meeting of 130 people valid? (d) Name the Gram Panchayat that won the Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar in 2019, its state, and two things it did besides holding regular Gram Sabhas. Which Gram Panchayat in Tripura did the Ministry of Panchayati Raj recognise as women-friendly?

Answer: (a) in specific north-eastern regions, with legislative and judicial authority to keep tribal customs; (b) in tribal areas of other states, where it makes the Gram Sabha the main decision-making body; (c) 145, so a meeting of 130 is 15 short and not valid; (d) Jethipura, in Sabarkantha district, Gujarat; any two of: Special Gram Sabhas, Mahila Sabhas, keeping proper records, a full quorum with SC, ST and women members taking part; South Manubankul Gram Panchayat, in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. (a) and (b) Page 151. (c) 1,450 ÷ 10 = 145, and 145 − 130 = 15. The side note on page 152 defines a quorum as the smallest number of members who must be present for a meeting's work to count. (d) Pages 151 to 152. (The village and its quorum rule are our own.)

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Sources

All opened and read on 3 November 2026. Page numbers are the printed page numbers of the textbook.

The facts and figures are from the textbook pages above. The questions, worked answers, the sums and the examples marked as ours are our own. This guide is general information; follow your teacher and the official CBSE notices.

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