Federalism Class 10 Social Science Important Questions

Please refer to Federalism Class 10 Social Science Important Questions with solutions provided below. These questions and answers have been provided for Class 10 Social Science based on the latest syllabus and examination guidelines issued by CBSE, NCERT, and KVS. Students should learn these problem solutions as it will help them to gain more marks in examinations. We have provided Important Questions for Class 10 Social Science for all chapters in your book. These Board exam questions have been designed by expert teachers of Standard 10.

Class 10 Social Science Important Questions Federalism

Objective Type Questions

Question. The territories or areas which are too small to become an independent state and also could not be merged with any of the existing states is called:
(a) Union Territory
(b) State Territory
(c) Executive Area
(d) Schedule Area

Question. Indian official language is
(a) Hindi
(b) English
(c) Urdu
(d) None of these

Question. The area over which someone has legal authority is called
(a) Sovereignty
(b) Jurisdiction
(c) Accession
(d) Delimitation

Question. The Municipal Corporation Officers are called
(a) Mayors
(b) MLAs
(c) Sarpanchs
(d) None of these

Question. Federal power sharing in India needs another tier of government i.e. third-tier of government called government.
(a) Lower
(b) Local
(c) Self
(d) Regional

Question. Which of the organs acts as an umpire if dispute arises between different levels of governments in India?
(a) Supreme Court
(b) High Courts
(c) Attorney-General of India
(d) Solicitor General of India

Question. Who has special power in administering the union territories in India?
(a) The President of India
(b) The Governor
(c) The Central Government
(d) The Chief Minister

Question. The first and major test for democratic politics in our country was
(a) Caste problem
(b) Language problem
(c) Problems related to union territories
(d) Creation of linguistic state

Question. In federal system, central government cannot order the
(a) Community government
(b) Local government
(c) State government
(d) None of these

Question. The state which violently demanded that the use of English for official purpose should be continued, is
(a) Kerala
(b) Karnataka
(c) Tamil Nadu
(d) Andhra Pradesh

Question. Which of the following states created to recognise differences based on culture, ethnicity or geography?
(a) Nagaland
(b) Jharkhand
(c) Uttarakhand
(d) All of these

Question. State government has powers of its own for which it is not answerable to the:
(a) Central government
(b) Judiciary
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) Prime Minister

Question. Which of the following subjects is not included in the union list?
(a) Deference of the country
(b) Agriculture and irrigation
(c) Communication and currency
(d) Foreign affairs

Question. Who is the head of urban local government?
(a) Sarpanch
(b) Ward commissioner
(c) Mukhiya
(d) Mayor

Question. An independent institution called the has been created in each state to conduct Panchayat and Municipal elections.
(a) State Election Commission
(b) Local Election Commission
(c) Regional Election Commission
(d) Decentralise Election Commission

Question. In which of the following lists both union and state governments can make laws?
(a) Residuary Subject
(b) State List
(c) Union List
(d) Concurrent List

Question. Which of the following Indian states enjoys special power under certain provisions of Article 371 of the Constitution of India?
(a) Assam
(b) Nagaland
(c) Arunachal Pradesh
(d) All of these

Question. How any languages are included in the Eight Schedule of the Indian Constitution?
(a) 15
(b) 22
(c) 25
(d) 21

Question. Which of the following aspects is necessary for an ideal federal system?
(a) Mutual trust
(b) Agreement to live together
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) None of these

Question. In federalism, power is divided between various constituent units and
(a) Central authority
(b) States
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) None of these

Question. Which group of countries follow the unitary system?
(a) France, Germany and India
(b) United Arab Emirates, China and Sri Lanka
(c) The United States, Japan and Spain
(d) Belgium, India and Spain

Question. In which forms of government, there is only one level of government or sub-units are subordinate to the central government?
(a) Unitary form of government
(b) Federal form of government
(c) Monarchical form of government
(d) Democratic form of government

Question. Which language has status of the national language in India?
(a) Tamil
(b) Hindi
(c) English
(d) None of these

Question. Power to interpret the constitution is with the
(a) Executive
(b) Judiciary
(c) State government
(d) Legislature

Question. Residuary subjects include subjects which among the following?
(a) of national importance
(b) of state level importance
(c) which do not fall in any of union, state and current lists
(d) of common interest of both the central and the state governments

Question. Which of the following years was the beginning of the era of coalition governments at the centre?
(a) 1990s
(b) 1980s
(c) 2000s
(d) 2014s

Question. Arrange the correct sequence of Column I against the Column II.

Choose the correct answer.
(a) I-2, III-4, IV-3, II-1
(b) III-2, I-4, II-1, IV-3
(c) II-4, IV-1, I-3, III-2
(d) IV-2, III-1, I-4, II-3

Question. What was the main objective of the Constitutional amendment made in 1992 in India?
(a) To make the first-tier of the democracy more powerful and effective
(b) To make the second-tier of the democracy more powerful and effective
(c) To make the third-tier of the democracy more powerful and effective
(d) None of the above

Question. The Mayor is the head of
(a) Panchayat
(b) Municipality
(c) Zila Parishad
(d) Municipal Corporation

Question. Transfer of property other than agricultural land comes under List.
(a) Union
(b) State
(c) Concurrent
(d) Residuary

Question. Holding together country decides to divides its power between the and the national government.
(a) Constituent states
(b) Central government
(c) Linguistic
(d) Judiciary

Question. The number of seats reserved for women in Panchayati Raj bodies is part of the total seats.
(a) one-third
(b) two-third
(c) half
(d) one-fourth

Question. Through which of the following arrangement the basic structure of the Constitution can be amend?
(a) Passed the amendment bill by both the houses of the Parliament with at least two-thirds majority.
(b) The bill has to ratified by the legislatures of at least half of the total states.
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) None of the above

Question. Besides there are 21 other languages recognised by the Constitution of India.
(a) English
(b) Punjabi
(c) Hindi
(d) Konkani

Question. Major step towards decentralisation in India was taken up in:
(a) 1992
(b) 1993
(c) 1991
(d) 1990

Question. Which of the following is/are the member(s) of Zila Parishad?
(a) Member of the Lock Sabha of that district
(b) Member of Legislative Assembly of that district.
(c) Member of all Panchayat Samitis or mandals in an district
(d) All of the above

Question. Which country is an example of coming together federation?
(a) USA
(b) Belgium
(c) Sri Lanka
(d) India

Question. Who is the guardian of the Constitution of India?
(a) The High Court
(b) The Supreme Court
(c) The President
(d) The Prime Minister

Question. Assertion (A): India is a federation.
Reason (R): Power resides with the central authority.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): Coalition government is formed during dearth of coal in the country.
Reason (R): This led to a new culture of power sharing and respect for the autonomy of state government.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): In a federal system, the central government orders the state government to do something.
Reason (R): State government has powers of its own for which it is not answerable to the central government.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) R is true but A is false.

Question. Assertion (A): The subjects which are not included in Union List, State List and Concurrent List are considered as residuary subjects.
Reason (R): The subjects included that came after constitution was made and thus could not be classified.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): Hindi is identified as the only official language of India.
Reason (R): It helped in creating supremacy of Hindi speaking people over others.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): The exact balance of power between the central and the state government varies from one federation to another.
Reason (R): This balance depends mainly on the historical context in which the federation was formed.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) R is true but A is false.

Question. Assertion (A): A major step towards decentralization was taken in 1992 by amending the constitution.
Reason (R): Mayor is the head of municipalities.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): In 1947, the boundaries of several old stats of India were changed in order to create new states.
Reason (R): This was done to ensure that people who spoke the same language lived in the same state.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): Third-tier of government is local government.
Reason (R): It made democracy weak.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): Belgium and Spain has ‘holding together’ federation.
Reason (R): A big country divides power between constituent states and national government.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) R is true but A is false.

Question. Assertion (A): Promotion of Hindi continues to be the official policy of the government of India.
Reason (R): The flexibility shown by Indian political leaders helped our country avoid the kind of situation that Sri Lanka finds itself in.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): When power is taken away from central and state governments and given to local government, it is called decentralisation.
Reason (R): The basic idea behind decentralisation is that there are a large number of problems and issues which are best settled at the local level.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): Australia and Spain has ‘coming together’ federation.
Reason (R): Independent states coming together on their own to form a bigger unit, so that by pooling sovereignty and retaining identity they can increase their security.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) R is true but A is false.

Question. Assertion (A): It is very difficult to make the changes in the basic structure of the constitution.
Reason (R): Both the houses have power to amend the constitution independently.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): Zila Parishad Chairperson is the political head of the zilla parishad.
Reason (R): Mayor is the head of municipalities.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Assertion (A): When the power is taken from the local and state government and given to central government, it is called decentralisation.
Reason (R): Decentralisation helps to build effective communication.
Options:
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true but R is false.
(d) A is false but R is true.

Question. Identify the political ideology of the Indian Constitution with the help of the following information.
• Power is taken away from central and state governments and given to local government.
• The main idea behind it is that there are many people and their different issues which are well settled at the local level.
• Its need was highlighted in the Indian Constitution.
Select the appropriate option from the following:
(a) Privatisation
(b) Nationalisation
(c) Decentralisation
(d) Industrialisation

Question. Identify the one of the scheduled languages of India with the help of the following information.
• This language is the mother tongue of about 40 per cent of Indians.
• It was identified as the official language.
• It is also spoken with regional accents like Rajasthani and Haryanvi.
Select the appropriate option from the following:
(a) Sanskrit
(b) Hindi
(c) Konkani
(d) English

Question. Identify the list mentioned in the Indian Constitution with the help of the following information.
• The central government makes decisions on matters such as defence, foreign affairs, banking, etc.
• The aim of these matters is to ensure uniformity in the policy of these areas throughout the country.
• It includes all subjects of national importance.
Select the appropriate option from the following:
(a) Government List
(b) State List
(c) Concurrent List
(d) Union List

Question. Identify the states of India with the help of the following information.
• The boundaries of several old states of India were changed in order to create new states in 1947.
• This was done to ensure that people who spoke the same language lived in the same state.
• Some states were created not on the basis of language but to recognise differences based on culture, ethnicity or geography.
Select the appropriate option from the following:
(a) Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Rajasthan
(b) Odisha and West Bengal
(c) Nagaland, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand
(d) Punjab and Maharashtra

Question. Which of the following options best signifies this cartoon?

(a) The ruling party and the opposition party forms the coalition government.
(b) In the coalition government the leader decides every rule.
(c) Coalition government is a new form of government in India.
(d) The leader of the coalition keep the partners of the government satisfied.

Case/Source Based Questions

1. Read the source given below and answer the questions by choosing the most appropriate option.

When power is taken away from Central and State governments and given to local government, it is called decentralisation. The basic idea behind decentralisation is that there are a large number of problems and issues which are best settled at the local level. People have better knowledge of problems in their localities. They also have better ideas on where to spend money and how to manage things more efficiently. Besides, at the local level it is possible for the people to directly participate in decision making. This helps to inculcate a habit of democratic participation. Local government is the best way to realise one important principle of democracy, namely local self-government. The need for decentralisation was recognised in our Constitution. Since then, there have been several attempts to decentralise power to the level of villages and towns. Panchayats in villages and municipalities in urban areas were set up in all the States. But these were directly under the control of state governments. Elections to these local governments were not held regularly. Local governments did not have any powers or resources of their own. Thus, there was very little decentralisation in effective terms.

Question. Which of the following is/the basic idea behind the decentralisation?
(a) There are a large number of problems and issue are best settled at the local level.
(b) People have better knowledge of problems in their localities.
(c) People have better ideas on where to spend money and how to manage things more efficiently.
(d) All of the above

Question. In India, an important step towards decentralisation was taken in
(a) 1990
(b) 1992
(c) 1991
(d) 2000

Question. Local government is the best way to realise one important principle of namely local self-government.
(a) republic
(b) Monarchy
(c) Democracy
(d) Dictatorship

Question. Municipalities were set up in
(a) Urban areas
(b) Rural areas
(c) Notified areas
(d) Industrial towns

Question. Third-tier government in India is known as
(a) Community government
(b) Local self-government
(c) Democratic government
(d) Institutional government

Question. Which of the following options helps local self-government to deepen democracy in India?
(a) The members of the local-self government
(b) Constitutional status for local-self government
(c) Parliamentary bills for the local-self government
(d) All of the above

2. Read the source given below and answer the questions by choosing the most appropriate option.

Regional governments existed in Belgium even earlier. They had their roles and powers. But all these powers were given to these governments and could be withdrawn by the Central Government. The change that took place in 1993 was that the regional governments were given constitutional powers that were no longer dependent on the central government. Thus, Belgium shifted from a unitary to a federal form of government. Sri Lanka continues to be, for all practical purposes, a unitary system where the national government has all the powers. Tamil leaders want Sri Lanka to become a federal system.
Federalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the country. Usually, a federation has two levels of government. One is the government for the entire country that is usually responsible for a few subjects of common national interest. The others are governments at the level of provinces or states that look after much of the day-to-day administering of their state. Both these levels of governments enjoy their power independent of the other. In this sense, federations are contrasted with unitary governments. Under the unitary system, either there is only one level of government or the sub-units are subordinate to the central government. The central government can pass on orders to the provincial or the local government. But in a federal system, the central government cannot order the state government to do something. State government has powers of its own for which it is not answerable to the central government. Both these governments are separately answerable to the people.

Question. A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and various constituent unit of the country is called
(a) Federalism
(b) Unitary
(c) Socialism
(d) Democracy

Question. In a federation there is the government for the that is usually responsible for a few subjects of common national interest.
(a) Provinces
(b) Entire country
(c) States
(d) Legislatures

Question. Which one of the following countries continues to be a unitary system where the national government has all the power?
(a) USA
(b) Australia
(c) Sri Lanka
(d) Belgium

Question. In which of the following years the regional governments were given constitutional powers in Belgium?
(a) 1991
(b) 1992
(c) 1990
(d) 1993

Question. Belgium shifted from a unitary form of government to
(a) Democratic government
(b) Federal government
(c) Authoritarian
(d) None of these

Question. Which of the following is not a feature of federalism?
(a) Written Constitution
(b) Central government has all powers
(c) Two or more level of government
(d) Division of powers between the central government and governments of units (centre and state)

3. Read the source given below and answer the questions by choosing the most appropriate option.

Union List includes subjects of national importance such as defence of the country foreign affairs, banking, communications and currency. They are included in this list because we need a uniform policy on these matters throughout the country. The Union Government alone can make laws relating to the subjects mentioned in the Union List. State List contains subjects of State and local importance such as police, trade, commerce, agriculture and irrigation. The State Governments alone can make laws relating to the subjects mentioned in the State List.
Concurrent List includes subjects of common interest to both the Union Government as well as the State Governments, such as education, forest, trade unions, marriage, adoption and succession. Both the Union as well as the State Governments can make laws on the subjects mentioned in this list. If their laws conflict with each other, the law made by the Union Government will prevail.

Question. Both the Union and State Governments can make laws on the subjects mentioned in the
(a) Union List
(b) State List
(c) Concurrent List
(d) Residuary power

Question. Which of the following is not included in the State List?
(a) Law and order
(b) National defence
(c) Trade and commerce
(d) Agriculture and irrigation

Question. Marriage, adoption, succession come under
(a) Concurrent List
(b) State List
(c) Union List
(d) None of these

Question. Which of the following is a subject of the Union List?
(a) Education
(b) Foreign affairs
(c) Trade unions
(d) Law and order

Question. Which of the following governments has the power to legislate on Residuary subjects?
(a) State Government
(b) Union Government
(c) Local Government
(d) Community Government

Question. What do you mean by Residuary subjects?
(a) Subjects under State list
(b) Subject under Union list
(c) Subjects under both Union and State list
(d) Subjects which are not under any list

4. Read the source given below and answer the questions by choosing the most appropriate option.

The Constitution of India originally provided for a two-tier system of government, the Union Government or what we call the Central Government, representing the Union of India and the State governments. Later a third tier of federalism was added in the form of Panchayats and Municipalities. As in any federation, these difference tiers enjoy separate jurisdiction. The Constitution clearly provided a three-fold distribution of legislative powers between the Union Government and the State Governments. Thus, it contains three lists.

Question. To make India a strong federation, we need:
(a) Written constitution
(b) Rigid constitution
(c) Independent judiciary
(d) All of these

Question. Usually a federation has how many levels of government?
(a) One
(b) Two
(c) Three
(d) Six

Question. The Constitution of India originally provided for which system of government?
(a) Two-tier system
(b) One-tier system
(c) Three-tier system
(d) Four-tier system

Question. What is the first-tier of government in India called?
(a) District Government
(b) Provincial Government
(c) Central Government
(d) Community Government

Question. Municipalities are set up in .
(a) houses
(b) towns
(c) villages
(d) metropolitan cities

Question. What did the Indian Constitution provide?
(a) Three-fold distribution of legislative powers
(b) Two-fold distribution of legislative powers
(c) Four-fold distribution of legislative powers
(d) None of the above