NCERT Solutions for Class 8th Social Science Chapter 6 The Parliamentary System: Legislature and Executive
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
India’s Parliament is bicameral — it is composed of the President , the Lok Sabha (House of the People / Lower House) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States / Upper House). Lok Sabha members are directly elected on universal adult suffrage (maximum strength envisaged by the Constitution: 550 ); Rajya Sabha members are elected indirectly by an electoral college. Both allocations follow each state’s population. There have been 17 Lok Sabhas since 1952; the 18th was constituted in June 2024 . The Constitution gives Parliament four broad functions — constitutional (electing the President and Vice President, amending the Constitution, upholding universal adult suffrage, separation of powers, federalism, Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles), lawmaking , executive accountability and f
- Chapter opening
- Legislative Functions of the Parliament
- Lawmaking
- Executive accountability
- ) Financial accountability
- Executive Functions of Parliament
- ) The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers
- The Judiciary
- Structure of State Legislatures
- Challenges to the Effective Functioning of the Legislatures
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter | What the book says about it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bicameral | A legislature with two houses (‘bi’ = two, ‘cameral’ = chamber / house) | ‘Composition of the Parliament of India’, page 142 | A single directly elected House was felt to be inadequate; in the spirit of federalism a Council of States — the Rajya Sabha — was needed |
| Universal Adult Franchise | Every adult citizen has the right to vote, whatever their social or economic background, gender, race or religion | ‘Introduction’, page 141 | A foundational principle laid down by the Constitution; the Lok Sabha is directly elected on this basis |
| Federalism | A form of government where power is distributed between the centre, the states and local governments | DON’T MISS OUT, page 143 | It “helps to keep the balance between national unity and local interests” |
| Sceptre | A decorated rod carried by a king or queen at ceremonies as a symbol of their power | Margin note, page 144 | The Sengol, handed to Pt. Nehru on 14 August 1947, now stands near the Speaker’s chair; Chola-period practice, with Nandi (justice) at its top |
| Bill | A draft of a proposed law that needs to be approved by Parliament before it can be enacted into law | Margin note, page 146 | A bill “goes through a long and effortful journey” before it becomes an act |
| Act | The instrument through which a law is generally brought into force | ‘Lawmaking’, page 146 | The RTE was tabled as a bill in the Rajya Sabha, passed in the Lok Sabha in August 2009, and became an Act on the President’s assent |
| Reading | MPs read the bill before the discussions take place | Fig. 6.8 note, page 147 | The practice began in the British Parliament, where a clerk read the bill out because many MPs were illiterate |
| Clause | The parts of a bill that explain its specific details | Fig. 6.8 note, page 147 | Example: the RTE defines the age group it applies to — 6 to 14 years |
| Standing Committee | A permanent committee of MPs (the MPs may change, the committee remains) that scrutinises government activities, makes recommendations and asks questions | Margin note, page 147 | Fig. 6.9 shows one at work — the Committee on Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry’s ‘Action Taken’ reply |
| Gazette | An official government publication that announces legal documents and official information | Fig. 6.8 note, page 147 | Gazette notification is the last step in the lawmaking flow chart |
| Money Bill | A draft law concerned with financial matters — taxation, government borrowing and the like | DON’T MISS OUT, page 148 | It can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha, and only with the prior recommendation of the President |
| Question Hour | A select period — typically the first hour of a sitting — when MPs question ministers on government policies and activities | ‘Executive accountability’, page 148 | It is the process by which Parliament holds the Executive ‘accountable’, i.e. makes it justify all its actions and decisions |
| Productivity | The number of hours a House actually functioned, measured against the time it was scheduled to | Margin note, page 158 | M. Venkaiah Naidu (2021): Rajya Sabha productivity about 78% in 2004–14, about 65% after; the lowest ever, 35.75%, in 2018 |
| Union / State / Concurrent List | The lists that decide who may legislate on what — Union only, State only, or both | ‘Union List, State List, and Concurrent List’, page 155 | If the Union legislates on a Concurrent List subject, the state is bound to follow it — which is why the RTE applies all over India |
| Session and sitting | Parliament meets three times a year (Budget, Monsoon and Winter sessions); each session has sittings | Page 158 | A sitting usually runs 6 hours a day, extendable for urgent business; State Assemblies follow similar schedules |
Exercises
- Chapter opening — The Big Questions Page 139
- Legislative Functions of the Parliament — LET’S REMEMBER Page 145
- Lawmaking — LET’S EXPLORE Page 148
- Executive accountability — LET’S EXPLORE Page 150
- ) Financial accountability — LET’S EXPLORE Page 1514
- Executive Functions of Parliament — DON’T MISS OUT Page 151
- ) The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers — LET’S EXPLORE Page 1522
- The Judiciary — LET’S EXPLORE Page 154–155
- Structure of State Legislatures — LET’S EXPLORE Page 157
- Challenges to the Effective Functioning of the Legislatures — LET’S EXPLORE Page 158
- Challenges to the Effective Functioning of the Legislatures — LET’S EXPLORE Page 159
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the Lok Sabha — DON’T MISS OUT Page 160
- End-of-chapter exercise — Questions and activities Page 161–162