NCERT Class 6 Civics Chapter 3 - What is Government?

Chapter 3 - What is Government?

Question 1: What do you understand by the word 'government'? List five ways in which you think the government affects your daily life.
Answer: The word government refers to a governing body that makes decisions and gets things done for the welfare of its citizens.
• The government provides equal supports to its citizens against any discrimination and injustice.
• It maintains peace and so keeps society in order.
• It assists people to lead proper life.
• In the event of natural calamities, the government provides all emergency assistance to the affected people.

Question 2: Why do you think the government needs to make rules for everyone in the form of laws?
Answer: The government needs to make rules for everyone in the form of laws because of the following reasons:
• The government wants to give advantages to the people of the welfare measures to all without discrimination.
• To provide equality and justice to all.
• To maintain peace and administer the country efficiently.

Question 3: Name two essential features of a democratic government.
Answer:
• Democracy is a rule by the people. It is people who rule themselves by participating in the making of these rules.
• In a democracy people have the power to elect their leaders. These leaders or representatives meet and make decisions for the entire population.

Question 4: What was the suffrage movement? What did it accomplish?
Answer: All over Europe and USA, women and the poor have had to fight for participation in government. Women's struggle to vote got strengthened during the First World War. This movement is called the women's suffrage movement as the term suffrage usually means right to vote. During the War, many men were away fighting, and because of this women were called upon to do work that was earlier considered men's work. Many women began organising and managing different kinds of work. When people saw this they began to wonder why they had created so many unfair stereotypes about women and what they were capable of doing. So women began to be seen as being equally capable of making decisions. The suffragettes demanded the right to vote for all women and to get their demands heard they chained themselves to railings in public places. Many suffragettes were imprisoned and went on hunger strikes, and they had to be fed by force. American women got the right to vote in 1920 while women in the UK got to vote on the same terms as men some years later, in 1928.

Question 5: Gandhiji strongly believed that every adult in India should be given the right to vote. However, a few people don't share his views. They feel that illiterate people, who are mainly poor, should not be given the right to vote. What do you think? Do you think this would be a form of discrimination? Give five points to support your view and share these with the class.
Answer: We think that all the people whether illiterate or literate, poor or rich should have the right to vote. Yes, we think that if the right to vote is denied to illiterate and poor people it would be a form of discrimination. Five points to support our views:
• Wealth is not the criterion of good judgment.
• Illiterate or poor might have a strong character.
• Government policies affect all.
• Democracy talks of equality and justice for all.
• One needs understanding to vote.