The Class 8 is an important year in a student’s life and Maharashtra State Board Social Science Civics is one of the subjects that require dedication, hard work, and practice. It’s a subject where you can score well if you are well-versed with the concepts, remember the important formulas and solving methods, and have done an ample amount of practice. Worry not! Home Revise is here to make your Class 8 journey even easier. It’s essential for students to have the right study material and notes to prepare for their board examinations, and through Home Revise, you can cover all the fundamental topics in the subject and the complete Maharashtra State Board Class 8 Social Science Civics Book syllabus.
Q1. Choose the correct option and complete the statements.
(1) The Winter session of Maharashtra Legislature takes place at …………. .
(a) Mumbai
(b) Nagpur
(c) Pune
(d) Aurangabad
(2) The ……………appoints the Governor.
(a) Chief Minister
(b) Prime Minister
(c) President
(d) Chief Justice
(3) The right to summon the state legislature lies with the ……………
(a) Chief Minister
(b) Governor
(c) President
(d) Speaker
Answer 1: The Winter session of Maharashtra Legislature takes place at Nagpur.
Answer 2: The President appoints the Governor.
Answer 3: The right to summon the state legislature lies with the Governor.
Q2. Complete the table.
| Sr No | Houses | Tenure | No. of Members | Type of Election | Head |
| 1 | Vidhan Sabha | ||||
| 2 | Vidhan
Parishad |
Answer:
| Sr No | Houses | Tenure | No. of Members | Type of Election | Head |
| 1 | Vidhan Sabha | 5 years | 288 members | First past the post system | Speaker of the House |
| 2 | Vidhan
Parishad | Vidhan Parishad never dissolves fully. Each member has a tenure of 6 years. | 78 members | Proportional representation through single transferable vote system | Chairman |
Q3. Write short notes on.
(1) Governor
(2) Functions of the Chief Minister
Answer 1: Governor –The President is a nominal head at the Centre while the Governor is the titular/nominal head at the state-level. The Governor is appointed by the President and holds the office during the tenure of the President. The Governor also enjoys certain legislative powers. For example, the Bills passed by the Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad are converted into laws only after receiving the assent of the Governor. The Governor has the right to summon the session of the state legislature. When the legislature is not in session but the need arises to make the law, then the Governor can issue an Ordinance for the same.
Answer 2: The functions of the Chief Minister are as follows:
Q4. Answer the following in brief.
(1) Enumerate the functions of the Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly).
(2) Why did the Constitution adopt a federal system for India?
(3) What are the considerations of the Chief Minister while allocation of portfolios?
Answer 1: The proceedings of the Vidhan Sabha are carried out under the supervision and guidance of the Speaker. The elected members of the newly constituted Vidhan Sabha elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha from amongst themselves. The Speaker has many responsibilities which range from the power to prepare the order of business, to carry out the proceedings of the House in a disciplined manner, or to suspend members for misbehaviour or misconduct. In absence of the Speaker, the responsibility is taken over by the Deputy Speaker. Maharashtra’s legislature conducts minimum of three sessions in a year. The budget session and monsoon session is conducted in Mumbai while the winter session is conducted in Nagpur.
Answer 2: India has a large geographic expanse with a multicultural population. There is diversity in language, religion, ways of life and regional characteristics. It would not have been possible to govern from a centralised place; therefore the Constitution has adopted a federal setup for India. It was decided to form the States on the basis of language. Accordingly, linguistic reorganisation of states took place. The nature of government machinery in all states of India is the same. However, Jammu and Kashmir is an exception.
Answer 3: After the formation of the Council of Ministers, the Chief Minister has to distribute portfolios among the ministers. While distributing portfolios, he/she has to consider the political experience, administrative skills, awareness of public opinion, leadership qualities etc.
Q5. Write short notes on
(1) Vidhan Sabha
(2) Vidhan Parishad
Answer 1: Vidhan Sabha is the first House of the Maharashtra legislature and comprises 288 members. In case there is inadequate representation of the Anglo-Indian community, the Governor nominates one member from this community in the Vidhan Sabha. Some seats are reserved for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Maharashtra is divided into territorial constituencies for the purpose of elections. One member is elected from each of the constituencies. Tenure of Vidhan Sabha is 5 years. However, in exceptional circumstances elections can be held before the completion of 5 years. Any citizen residing in Maharashtra and who has completed 25 years of age can contest the elections to the Vidhan Sabha.
Answer 2: Vidhan Parishad is the second House of the Maharashtra legislature and members are indirectly elected from various sections of society. There are 78 members in the Vidhan Parishad of Maharashtra. Of these some members who are distinguished personalities from the fields of literature, science and social service are nominated by the Governor; remaining representatives are elected by the members of Vidhan Sabha, local government institutions, teacher-constituencies and graduate constituencies. The Vidhan Parishad is never fully dissolved. A specific number of members retire every 2 years and these vacant seats are filled again by conducting fresh elections for those seats. The proceedings of the Vidhan Parishad are conducted under the control and guidance of the Chairman. In absence of the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman takes over the responsibility.