State whether the following statements about a constitution are True or False.

A. Constitutions are written documents about formation and power of the government.


B. Constitutions exist and are required only in democratic countries.


C. Constitution is a legal document that does not deal with ideals and values.


D. A constitution gives its citizens a new identity.

A. True

Explanation- A constitution is set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. It lays down rules and regulations for the government and its working body. All these rules are written down into a single document or set of legal documents may be said to embody a written constitution in its detailed provisions.


B. False


Explanation- Constitution is a set of rules and regulations that are laid out for the government or any authority in power. It is not necessary for the constitution to only be in democratic countries. It is required everywhere and has its own significance. In a liberal democracy a constitution imposes rules and divides power between different branches and institutions in order to protect the citizens from the state. In a dictatorship, a constitution as it confers political legitimacy to the ruler or ruling party. It sets the ideological tone of the constitution. It increases the power of the state, specifically by creating bureaucracies and not separating the different branches of government.


C. False


Explanation- Constitution is not just a legal document but it also deals with ideals and values. The constitution reflects certain values that form the core of the political system. These values guide not only the government, but also the citizens and the society at large. The values expressed in the Preamble are expressed as objectives of the constitution. These are: sovereignty, socialism, secularism, democracy, republican character of Indian State, justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, human dignity and the unity and integrity of the nation.


D. True


Explanation- Constitution gives its citizens a new identity Indian as it has provision for single citizenship. It means that every Indian is a citizen of India, irrespective of the place of his/her residence or both in the county. This is unlike the United States of America where there is the system of double citizenship. A person is a citizen of a state where he/she lives as well as he/she is a citizen of U.S.A. This provision in the Indian constitution defiantly reinforces the values of equality, unity and integrity.


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