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

Q1. Why does the chapter say urban governance needs to be more complex than rural governance?

• A. Villages have no leaders
• B. Cities have no taxes
• C. Rural areas are richer
• D. Cities are generally larger and more diverse

Q2. Urban local bodies are described as 'decentralised'. What does this mean?

• A. They are run by the army
• B. They operate only at night
• C. They do not operate under a single central authority at the top
• D. They are based abroad

Q3. A resident notices a blocked drain in her ward. Following the chapter, which body should she report it to?

• A. The Supreme Court
• B. The Reserve Bank
• C. The Election Commission
• D. The ward committee

Q4. A city has a population of about 15 lakh. Which urban local body would be its highest body?

• A. Municipal Corporation
• B. Nagar Panchayat
• C. Municipal Council
• D. Gram Panchayat

Q5. The Indore Municipal Corporation chart hints that some services are paid. Which of these is listed as a 'service on request'?

• A. Water tanker
• B. National census
• C. Issuing voter IDs
• D. Running courts

Q6. How does the chapter say citizens make garbage collection easier for the local body?

• A. By burning all waste
• B. By throwing waste in drains
• C. By refusing to pay tax
• D. By carefully following instructions on waste segregation

Q7. In the governance pyramid (Fig. 12.2), the rural Panchayati Raj and urban local bodies are shown

• A. At the very top
• B. Side by side at the local level
• C. Outside the pyramid
• D. Above the Union government

Q8. What feature do both rural and urban local bodies share, according to the chapter?

• A. Both are run by the army
• B. Both collect income tax
• C. Both control foreign policy
• D. Both have elected members who represent local citizens

Q9. The East India Company charter that led to the Madras Corporation constituted which town and nearby territories into a corporation?

• A. Fort William
• B. Fort St. George
• C. Fort St. David
• D. Surat Fort

Q10. Besides garbage and infrastructure, which of these is also listed as a responsibility of urban local bodies?

• A. Declaring national holidays
• B. Commanding the navy
• C. Setting school board exams
• D. Checking implementation of government schemes

Q11. Indore was awarded India's cleanest city for seven years in a row under which government scheme?

• A. Swachh Survekshan
• B. Make in India
• C. Digital India
• D. Skill India

Q12. In the dialogue, Sameer compares urban local bodies to the village Panchayat. What is his main point?

• A. They are exactly identical
• B. Urban bodies have no members
• C. Villages have no government
• D. They are like the Panchayat, only bigger, with elected members

Q13. According to the chapter, an urban local body is best understood as a mechanism for citizens to

• A. Avoid all taxes
• B. Replace the State government
• C. Come together and take decisions about what is best for them
• D. Elect the Prime Minister

Q14. A resident of Indore wants the corporation to handle dry waste. Under Fig. 12.4, this falls under which service?

• A. Solid waste management
• B. Marriage certificate
• C. Fire services
• D. Property tax

Q15. A ward committee organises a campaign against single-use plastics. This is an example of

• A. A central government law
• B. A ward-level activity facilitated by the committee
• C. A court order
• D. A state election