CBSE Class 6 Social Science Study Materials Based on NCERT

Core Concepts

1. What is 'governance'?

Answer:

Governance is the way decisions are made and carried out for a community or country.

2. What does 'grassroots' mean in grassroots democracy?

Answer:

'Grassroots' refers to the local level—ordinary people and their communities where democracy begins.

3. Define 'decentralisation' in one line.

Answer:

Decentralisation transfers power and responsibilities from higher to local levels of government.

4. What is a 'local body'?

Answer:

A local body is an elected organisation that manages public services in a town or village.

5. Give one example of a local government body in India.

Answer:

Gram Panchayat (village council) is an example of a rural local government body.

6. What is 'accountability'?

Answer:

Accountability means officials must explain their actions and be answerable to the public.

7. What is meant by 'transparency' in governance?

Answer:

Transparency means making information about decisions and spending openly available to people.

8. Define 'public service' with one example.

Answer:

A public service is a facility provided by the government, such as clean drinking water or street lighting.

9. What is a 'Gram Sabha'?

Answer:

A Gram Sabha is the assembly of all adult residents of a village where they discuss local issues.

10. Why is local governance important?

Answer:

Local governance makes decision-making faster, relevant to local needs, and improves service delivery.

Participation

11. What is 'participation' in local governance?

Answer:

Participation is when people take part in discussions, voting and local decision-making processes.

12. Name one way citizens participate in local decisions.

Answer:

Citizens participate by voting in panchayat or municipal elections.

13. How does attending Gram Sabha help villagers?

Answer:

Attending Gram Sabha lets villagers voice needs, approve plans and monitor work done by the panchayat.

14. What role can youth play in participation?

Answer:

Youth can join local groups, lead drives, raise issues and help implement projects.

15. Why is women's participation important?

Answer:

Women's participation ensures decisions reflect women's needs and improves social equity.

16. What is 'collective action'?

Answer:

Collective action is when people work together, for example to clean a street or repair a well.

17. How can citizens monitor public services?

Answer:

They can check work progress, ask questions in meetings and report problems to officials.

18. Give one example of volunteering for local projects.

Answer:

Joining a cleanliness drive to remove garbage from neighbourhood drains.

19. How does voting influence governance?

Answer:

Voting selects representatives who make local decisions, so it directly shapes governance priorities.

20. What is public consultation?

Answer:

Public consultation is seeking people’s views before making a decision or starting a project.

Local Institutions

21. What is a 'Ward' in urban local governance?

Answer:

A Ward is an area of a town represented by a councillor in the municipal body.

22. Who is a 'Sarpanch'?

Answer:

A Sarpanch is the elected head of a Gram Panchayat (village council).

23. What does a Panchayat Samiti do?

Answer:

Panchayat Samiti coordinates development activities across several village panchayats at the block level.

24. Name two services provided by municipalities.

Answer:

Municipalities provide water supply, sanitation, street lighting and waste management.

25. What is the function of local officials?

Answer:

Local officials implement plans, manage staff and deliver public services on the ground.

26. How are local representatives chosen?

Answer:

They are elected by people through local elections held periodically.

27. What is an elected council?

Answer:

An elected council is a group of representatives who decide on local issues together.

28. Why are local offices important for services?

Answer:

They are the nearest point where people can ask for and get services quickly.

29. What role do schools play locally?

Answer:

Schools teach civic values, host meetings and act as community centres for events and training.

30. How do NGOs support local governance?

Answer:

NGOs provide training, awareness, services and help mobilise people for community projects.

Decision Making & Planning

31. What is a local 'budget'?

Answer:

A local budget is a plan showing how funds will be used for services and projects.

32. Why is prioritisation necessary in planning?

Answer:

Prioritisation ensures limited resources are spent on the most urgent needs first.

33. What is a project proposal?

Answer:

A document describing what will be done, its cost and benefits for approval and funding.

34. How are decisions recorded?

Answer:

Decisions are recorded in meeting minutes and official registers for future reference.

35. What is follow-up after a decision?

Answer:

Follow-up checks whether the decision was implemented properly and on time.

36. Why are signatures and approvals needed for spending?

Answer:

They authorise spending and help prevent misuse of public funds.

37. What is citizen feedback?

Answer:

Feedback is people's opinions about services, used to improve future work.

38. What is public consultation?

Answer:

It is asking citizens for views before making important decisions or starting projects.

39. How does technology help planning?

Answer:

Technology shares information quickly, tracks progress and enables online feedback and services.

40. Give one example of a local decision-making step.

Answer:

Holding a meeting to decide where a new handpump should be installed.

Challenges & Reforms

41. Name one challenge to effective participation.

Answer:

Low awareness—many people do not know about meetings or their rights.

42. How does social inequality affect participation?

Answer:

Marginalised groups may be excluded from discussions and decision-making processes.

43. Why is language a barrier in local governance?

Answer:

If information is not in local languages, some people cannot understand or participate fully.

44. How can meetings be made inclusive?

Answer:

By choosing convenient times, using simple language and inviting women and marginalised groups to speak.

45. What is one reform to improve transparency?

Answer:

Publishing budgets and meeting minutes on notice boards in public places.

46. How can schools help strengthen local governance?

Answer:

Schools can teach civic duties and host awareness programmes for local issues.

47. What role can NGOs play in reforms?

Answer:

NGOs can train local leaders, support awareness and help organise marginalised groups.

48. Why is follow-up important after projects?

Answer:

Follow-up ensures work is completed as planned and resources were used properly.

49. How does citizen monitoring reduce corruption?

Answer:

Public oversight makes officials answerable and discourages misuse of funds.

50. What is the main benefit of strong grassroots democracy?

Answer:

Decisions that reflect local needs, better services and active citizen involvement in governance.

Social Science — Theme D: Governance and Democracy

CBSE Short Answer Practice (50 Questions)

Core Concepts

Participation

Local Institutions

Decision Making & Planning

Challenges & Reforms

Grassroots Democracy – Part 1: Governance – Short Answer Type Questions

Social Science — Theme D: Governance and Democracy

CBSE Short Answer Practice (50 Questions)

Core Concepts

Participation

Local Institutions

Decision Making & Planning

Challenges & Reforms

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