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Class 6 History & Civics — Democracy and representatives

Take the word democracy apart into its two Greek halves, tell direct democracy from representative democracy, and name who represents people at each level in India.

Name: ________________________

Before you start

The same decision taken two ways, side by side.

12
  1. 1. Direct
  2. 2. Representative

On the left, eight people and eight votes going straight into the decision at the bottom. On the right, four people whose lines run together into one person, and that one person's line goes into the decision. Same number of people either side; different number of hands on the result.

  1. 1.What does grassroots democracy refer to?

    • a) A system in which representatives are elected from villages rather than cities
    • b) A system that encourages ordinary citizens to take part, so they have a say in decisions which affect them
    • c) A democracy without any elected representatives
    • d) The lowest of the three levels of government

  2. 2.Sort each title by the level of government its holders are elected to.

    Groups: State level · National level

    • Members of Parliament
    • Members of Legislative Assembly

  3. 3.The chapter uses one school arrangement to explain representation. Which?

    • a) A school assembly held each morning
    • b) A class teacher appointed by the principal
    • c) A class monitor or class representative, elected by the whole class
    • d) A prefect chosen by the older students

  4. 4.One of democracy's foundation stones, the chapter says, is an idea it introduces before naming the word itself. Which idea?

    • a) The rule of law
    • b) The separation of powers
    • c) The three levels of government
    • d) Representatives of the people

  5. 5.How do people choose their representatives, according to the chapter?

    • a) By turns, so each citizen serves for a period
    • b) By agreement among the families of a locality
    • c) By appointment from the assembly itself
    • d) Through elections, in which they vote for them

  6. 6.Put the two Greek words together. What does democracy literally mean? Five words, beginning with the.

  7. 7.Why does the chapter say the whole population cannot rule directly?

    • a) Because most people would not want to take part
    • b) Because it is clearly not practical, so representatives are chosen instead
    • c) Because a decision taken that way would not be binding
    • d) Because the law forbids it

  8. 8.What is the name of the process in which people raise hands or cast ballots, and the option with the larger number wins?

Answer key — Class 6 History & Civics — Democracy and representatives

  1. 1. b) A system that encourages ordinary citizens to take part, so they have a say in decisions which affect them
  2. 2. Members of Legislative Assembly → State level; Members of Parliament → National level
  3. 3. c) A class monitor or class representative, elected by the whole class
  4. 4. d) Representatives of the people
  5. 5. d) Through elections, in which they vote for them
  6. 6. the rule of the people
  7. 7. b) Because it is clearly not practical, so representatives are chosen instead
  8. 8. voting