Grassroots Democracy — Part 3: Local Government in Urban Areas — Mastery

Q1. Three towns have populations of 60,000, 5 lakh and 18 lakh. Which list correctly matches their highest bodies?

• A. Corporation, Council, Nagar Panchayat
• B. Nagar Panchayat, Council, Corporation
• C. Council, Corporation, Nagar Panchayat
• D. Nagar Panchayat, Corporation, Council

Q2. Order these municipal milestones chronologically: 1) Bombay Corporation created 2) Madras Corporation established 3) Act giving Madras taxing power.

• A. 2, 3, 1
• B. 1, 2, 3
• C. 3, 2, 1
• D. 2, 1, 3

Q3. Which set of problems does the chapter say ward committees keep an eye on and report?

• A. Water leak, blocked drain, damaged road
• B. Stock prices, exchange rates, exports
• C. Court cases, tax appeals, treaties
• D. Election dates, party manifestos, polls

Q4. According to the chapter, good governance in a democracy aims to

• A. Empower citizens to actively participate in the country's functioning
• B. Keep citizens passive
• C. Concentrate all power centrally
• D. Abolish local bodies

Q5. In the governance pyramid, which government sits at the very top, at the national level?

• A. Local government
• B. State government
• C. Union government
• D. Ward committee

Q6. The Indore Municipal Corporation uses 'CRM' for several services. What does CRM stand for in Fig. 12.4?

• A. Citizen Relationship Management
• B. Civic Road Maintenance
• C. City Revenue Ministry
• D. Council Reform Mission

Q7. For urban local bodies to perform functions efficiently, the chapter says people living in the city must

• A. Move to villages
• B. Stop paying any charges
• C. Avoid the ward committee
• D. Also perform their duties and care for their area

Q8. A student claims: 'Urban local bodies are totally different from village Panchayats with nothing in common.' How should this be judged?

• A. Correct, they share nothing
• B. Correct, only cities have democracy
• C. Incorrect; both have elected members representing citizens
• D. Incorrect; villages have no leaders

Q9. Which phrase best describes the overall role of urban local bodies as summarised in the chapter?

• A. Responsible for a range of functions including infrastructure and development planning
• B. A narrow body that only collects fines
• C. A body with no funds or duties
• D. A court that settles disputes

Q10. The 'Before we move on' summary stresses that in urban areas decentralised governance works through

• A. A single national office
• B. The army alone
• C. Private companies only
• D. Different urban local bodies fulfilling functions affecting citizens

Q11. Which pair of names refers to the same urban local body?

• A. Municipal Council and Nagar Palika
• B. Municipal Corporation and Nagar Panchayat
• C. Gram Sabha and Ward Committee
• D. Zila Panchayat and Municipal Council

Q12. The chapter studies which side of the governance pyramid in Chapter 12?

• A. The left (rural) side
• B. The right (urban) side
• C. Only the top
• D. Only the base

Q13. In the dialogue, after children spotted a dangerously low electric wire, what did they do beyond reporting it?

• A. Cut the wire themselves
• B. Suggested to a Gram Sabha member that the electric post be shifted
• C. Ignored it
• D. Climbed the post

Q14. Which statement about India's municipal history is correct per the chapter?

• A. Bombay's is the oldest, from 1688
• B. Madras Corporation is the oldest, from 1688; Bombay's was created in 1865
• C. Both began in 1865
• D. Madras began only in 1865

Q15. On the urban side of the pyramid, which level sits directly above 'People of the ward'?

• A. Ward Committee
• B. State government
• C. Union government
• D. Gram Panchayat

Q16. Beyond day-to-day services, the chapter says urban local bodies also have some role in

• A. Planning for the area's economic and social development
• B. Conducting the national census
• C. Appointing the Governor
• D. Framing the Constitution

Q17. Participatory democracy, the chapter says, can operate at which levels?

• A. Only the national level
• B. Only the village level
• C. Only urban level
• D. Rural, regional, urban, State and national levels

Q18. The 'Let's Explore' box asks how urban local bodies fund their activities, hinting at Fig. 12.4. The intended answer is that they

• A. Receive no money
• B. Charge for some services and collect taxes/fees
• C. Borrow from villages
• D. Sell their buildings

Q19. Sameer notes that in a village Panchayat, because members all know each other, what happens?

• A. No one participates
• B. Only adults vote
• C. Decisions are banned
• D. More people participate and discuss issues, and even children can be heard

Q20. Which feature distinguishes a decentralised local body from a system run by a top central authority?

• A. Decisions are imposed from the top
• B. No elections are held
• C. Local communities have a direct say on managing their areas
• D. It works only at the national level

Q21. A teacher opens the lesson with the 1949 Sidhwa quote. Pedagogically, this best helps students

• A. Memorise dates only
• B. Connect local self-government to the vision of the Constituent Assembly
• C. Skip the chapter
• D. Avoid discussion

Q22. Which urban local body is associated with the smallest urban populations among the three types?

• A. Municipal Corporation
• B. Municipal Council
• C. Nagar Panchayat
• D. Mahanagar Nigam

Q23. What does Indore's repeated 'cleanest city' award most strongly suggest about its citizens?

• A. They played no part
• B. The award was random
• C. Only officials mattered
• D. Their active participation supported the corporation's cleanliness work

Q24. Which of the following is NOT a function of urban local bodies as described in the chapter?

• A. Garbage collection and disposal
• B. Collecting local taxes and fines
• C. Maintaining national highways and railways
• D. Caring for local infrastructure

Q25. Although urban governance is more complex, the chapter says it will limit itself to

• A. Every administrative detail
• B. Only Mumbai's system
• C. Court procedures
• D. Its basic principles

Q26. The Madras Corporation charter included territories within what distance of Fort St. George?

• A. Within 16 km of the Fort
• B. Within 100 km of the Fort
• C. The whole of Tamil Nadu
• D. Only the Fort itself

Q27. Two cities in different States run their wards differently. Per the chapter, this is best explained by

• A. One city breaking the law
• B. Each State making its own rules for ward functioning
• C. A central order banning uniformity
• D. Wards being illegal in one State

Q28. Anita's example of city people gathering to clear rubble after a house collapsed in heavy rain illustrates that cities

• A. Have no sense of community
• B. Never face disasters
• C. Still retain some sense of community
• D. Have no local government

Q29. Which group lists ONLY urban local bodies (no rural body)?

• A. Municipal Corporation, Municipal Council, Nagar Panchayat
• B. Gram Sabha, Ward Committee, Nagar Palika
• C. Zila Panchayat, Municipal Council, Gram Panchayat
• D. Panchayat Samiti, Ward Committee, Corporation

Q30. The chapter's closing points state that ensuring local bodies can work efficiently is whose duty?

• A. Only elected members'
• B. Only the army's
• C. Only the Union government's
• D. The citizens'