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CBSE · Class 8 · Social Science

Universal Franchise and India’s Electoral System

Standard difficulty · 20 questions · 40 marks

Name: Date: Score: ____ / 40

Write full answers in Sections B and C. Answers are on the last page — try every question first!

Section A — Choose the correct answer8 × 1 = 8 marks
1.
Universal adult franchise means every citizen aged ___ or above can vote:
  1. 16
  2. 25
  3. 21
  4. 18
2.
What does the Chief Electoral Officer do?
  1. oversees elections in a state
  2. runs panchayat and municipal elections
  3. conducts the election in a constituency
  4. manages the voter list
3.
Who votes to elect a state Legislative Assembly?
  1. elected MPs and elected MLAs
  2. all members of both Houses of Parliament
  3. registered adult citizens, directly
  4. registered voters of the state, directly
4.
What does “proxy voting” mean?
  1. None Of The Above
  2. the right to vote
  3. voting in someone else’s name, which is not allowed
  4. two or more parties working together
5.
The Model Code of Conduct was adopted in Kerala in 1960; T. N. Seshan became Chief Election Commissioner in 1990. How many years apart were these?
  1. 27 years
  2. 30 years
  3. 31 years
  4. 40 years
6.
Three candidates got 254, 125 and 365 votes. Under First-Past-the-Post, did the winner get more than half of all the votes?
  1. No: 365 of 744, yet still wins
  2. No one wins without half the votes
  3. Yes: 365 of 744
  4. Yes: 744 of 744
7.
A constituency has 8 polling stations, each serving about 1,500 voters. About how many voters is that in all?
  1. 11,900 voters
  2. 1,508 voters
  3. 12,000 voters
  4. 13,500 voters
8.
A ward has 3,100 voters and 85% of them voted. How many people voted?
  1. 26,350
  2. 465
  3. 2,635
  4. 2,735
Section B — Short answer8 × 2 = 16 marks
9.
What is a constituency?
10.
What does each do? (a) the Returning Officer (b) a State Election Commission
11.
Who elects (a) the President (b) the Lok Sabha?
12.
Explain each term: (a) bicameral (b) VVPAT
13.
Dev was born in 2014. In which year could they first vote at 18? Would they have been able to vote at that age before 1988?
14.
Like the Rajya Sabha, suppose a house of 180 members has one-third retire every two years. How many retire each time, and how many rounds of retirement happen in 12 years?
15.
In a class election, Dev got 36, Sana got 46, Riya got 56 votes. Who wins under First-Past-the-Post, and did the winner get more than half?
16.
India’s first general elections began in 1951. How many years before 2039 was that? What body runs national elections?
Section C — Longer answers4 × 4 = 16 marks
17.
Why was giving every adult the vote from the start a bold decision?
18.
Match each with its role: (a) the Chief Electoral Officer (b) the Chief Election Commissioner (c) the Returning Officer. Choose from: conducts the election in a constituency; heads the Election Commission; oversees elections in a state.
19.
A constituency has 39,000 registered voters. Turnout was 58%. (a) How many voted? (b) How many did not? (c) Suggest two ways to get more people to vote.
20.
(a) Put these in order, earliest first: T. N. Seshan became Chief Election Commissioner (1990); women in Switzerland got the vote (1971); the voting age was lowered to 18 (1988). (b) How many years from the first to the last? (c) Which of these helped make Indian elections fairer, and how?
AmbifulWorksheets
Practice that never repeats
CBSE · Class 8 · Social Science

Answer key

Universal Franchise and India’s Electoral System · AW-8SS-UFE-2026-V1 · For parents — fold back or tear off before handing the sheet to your child.

QAnswerWorking
1(d) 18—
2(a) oversees elections in a state—
3(d) registered voters of the state, directly—
4(c) voting in someone else’s name, which is not allowed—
5(b) 30 years1990 − 1960 = 30
6(a) No: 365 of 744, yet still wins254 + 125 + 365 = 744; half is 372
7(c) 12,000 voters8 × 1,500
8(c) 2,63585% of 3,100
9An area whose voters elect one representative to a legislature.—
10(a) conducts the election in a constituency (b) runs panchayat and municipal elections—
11(a) elected MPs and elected MLAs (b) registered adult citizens, directly—
12(a) having two houses (b) a paper slip to check your vote—
132032; no, before 1988 the voting age was 212014 + 18
1460 each time; 6 rounds180 ÷ 3; 12 ÷ 2
15Riya; no (total 138)36 + 46 + 56
1688 years; the Election Commission of India2039 − 1951
17In 1947 only about 14% of people could read, and before Independence only about 13% could vote; still the Constitution’s makers trusted every adult with an equal vote.—
18(a) oversees elections in a state (b) heads the Election Commission (c) conducts the election in a constituency—
19(a) 22,620 (b) 16,380 (c) Awareness drives, easier access such as home voting, and making election day convenient.58% of 39,000
20(a) women in Switzerland got the vote; the voting age was lowered to 18; T. N. Seshan became Chief Election Commissioner (b) 19 years (c) Answers will vary; see the chapter.—