NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science Chapter 18 The State, the Government, and You – step-by-step answers to every exercise and in-text question of the chapter, as per the latest NCERT syllabus for 2027. Read them online or download the free question-answer PDF.
Answers for The State, the Government, and You — Chapter 6 of Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Grade 7, Part 2), in Theme D, Governance and Democracy. Every question the chapter asks has an answer card: the three Big Questions, both LET’S REMEMBER boxes, all four LET’S EXPLORE boxes, the THINK ABOUT IT box on page 162, the eight points of Before we move on …, the five end-of-chapter Questions and activities, and every question asked inside the running text — the conversation with Roshini didi on page 145, the police box on page 147, and the questions on pages 146, 148, 150 and 156. The five DON’T MISS OUT boxes carry no question, so their content is folded into the answers and the revision table below. This is a chapter about how India’s government is built and how a citizen can reach it; the answers stay with what the chapter itself says, describe the institutions rather than judge any party or leader, and mark clearly where an answer is a matter of your own reasoning.
NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science Chapter 18 The State, the Government, and You PDF
All the answers are on this page below. The PDF also explains every answer – why it is right and how to check it – so download it for revision.
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|---|---|---|
| Solutions PDF | The State, the Government, and You | View PDF |
NCERT Solutions for Class 7 Social Science Chapter 18 The State, the Government, and You – Questions and Answers
All 38 questions of the chapter (textbook pages Part II, 143 – 168) are answered below, in the order of the book – in-text questions, activities and the end-of-chapter exercises. Each answer is written the way you would write it in the exam.
The Big Questions — Page 143Chapter opening — Theme D, Governance and Democracy
The state is the whole; the government is only one part of it. A state is a political organisation with four parts — people, land (a defined territory), government and sovereignty. The government is the group of leaders, ministers and officials who make laws, enforce laws and resolve disputes. The government can change after elections, but the state remains the same — just as teachers may come and go, but the school remains.
Democracy means ‘rule by the people’: the people choose their government through free and fair elections. A republic is a country whose head of state is elected (directly or indirectly), not a king or queen who inherits the post, and where the rulers’ powers are limited by a constitution or laws. India is a democratic republic because its people elect their representatives, and its head of state, the President, is elected by elected representatives — all under a Constitution that protects fundamental rights.
Day to day, we deal mostly with the executive — government schools, hospitals, the police, ration shops, buses, and officials such as teachers, anganwadi and health workers. Citizens can make the government work for the people by: (1) filing grievances, e.g. on the Public Grievances Portal; (2) asking for information under the RTI Act; (3) using the media; (4) joining a civil society organisation; (5) writing to their representatives; and (6) voting in elections.
LET’S REMEMBER — Page 144Looking back at Grade 6 and at ‘From the Rulers to the Ruled’ in Part 1
Yes. A government is needed so that people live by common rules; without it, the powerful would swallow the weak like big fish eating small fish (matsya nyāya). Its three functions are: the legislature makes laws, the executive carries out laws and makes policies, and the judiciary ensures that laws are followed. We also studied the three levels of government in India — union, state and local.
They differ in who holds power and how they get it. In a democracy, the people elect their rulers and can vote them out. In a monarchy, a king or queen inherits power. In a theocracy, religious leaders, or rulers acting in the name of a religion, hold power. In a dictatorship, one person holds all power, usually by force. In an oligarchy, power stays with a small group or family.
In-text Questions — Page 145Fig. 6.4 — the conversation with Roshini didi, who studies Political Science
Because without people there can be no state, and visitors do not form a society. Tourists who visit and move on do not identify with the place and share nothing in common — they don’t live together. People who identify with a territory and usually live there form a permanent population, which develops its own culture and society linked to that territory. So a state cannot be just a place people visit.
It is a place, a geographical area, that has clear boundaries. The boundaries need not be natural features like rivers or mountains; they can be lines agreed upon by the neighbouring states that separate them.
Sovereignty means that the state has complete control over its own matters and can make and implement laws according to its own needs. No other state or outside body can interfere in its internal affairs. It is essential because without it a state would not really be governing itself — its final decisions would be taken by someone outside.
In-text Question — Page 146“What is a Government?” — after the school-and-teachers comparison
Because the government acts on behalf of the state and is the face of the state we see in action every day. The government runs the daily work of the state, and we usually interact with the government, not the whole state. So people say “the state did this” or “the government decided that” as if both meant the same thing.
In-text Questions — Page 147The box ‘People, police, and the government’, and Fig. 6.6
Yes. The police are part of the government — the executive of the state government. They maintain law and order within each state and work directly with local communities in towns, cities and villages. They are agents of the state who can legally use force to keep people safe from crime and violence.
The police:
- enforce the law and maintain law and order and peace;
- protect citizens and keep them safe from crime and violence;
- investigate crimes and present cases to the courts (judiciary);
- run awareness programmes on road safety, drug abuse and women’s safety.
While doing all this, they must respect and protect the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
Yes, but indirectly. Citizens elect the leaders who form the government, and the police work under that government. The police must follow the laws made by the legislature and respect the rights given by the Constitution; if they violate a person’s rights, that person can go to court. Citizens can also complain to grievance offices, use the RTI Act, or raise the matter in the media.
LET’S EXPLORE — Page 148Government departments around you
| What the board says | What it does | Usual level |
|---|---|---|
| Police Station | Maintains law and order, registers complaints, investigates crime and presents cases to court | State |
| Government Higher Primary School | Runs free schooling; the teachers are government employees | State (with union schemes such as Samagra Shiksha and PM Poshan) |
| Primary Health Centre / Anganwadi | Vaccinations, check-ups, maternal and child care, nutrition for small children | State |
| Post Office (India Post) | Letters, parcels, money orders, small savings accounts | Union |
| Public Works Department (PWD) | Builds and repairs roads, bridges and government buildings | State |
| Municipal Corporation / Nagar Palika / Gram Panchayat | Water supply, drainage, garbage, streetlamps, parks, local roads | Local |
| State Electricity Board | Supplies power, repairs lines, sends the bill | State |
| Railway Station | Runs the trains and the tracks | Union |
All these departments are part of the executive: they carry out the laws and policies made by the legislature.
In-text Question — Page 148‘Democracy and Republic’ — reading the Preamble
Because ‘democratic’ and ‘republic’ mean two different things, and India wanted both. ‘Democratic’ means the people choose their government through elections. ‘Republic’ means the head of state is elected, not a hereditary king or queen, and the rulers’ powers are limited by the Constitution. The UK is a democracy but not a republic, as it has a monarch. India kept elected representatives but chose an elected President instead of a monarch — so it is a democratic republic.
In-text Question — Page 150“Why is the protection of rights important?” — the Resident Welfare Association story
No, it was not a fair rule. It was passed properly by a majority vote, but it ignored the minority who warned that the sick and the elderly would suffer. When an elderly resident collapsed because her medicine could not be delivered in time, the RWA changed the rule to allow food and medicines. A fair rule must protect the rights of the minority too, not just follow the wishes of the majority.
In-text Questions — Page 156‘The Government and You’ — after the government’s triple role of protector, provider and regulator
Because the system is very large and does not work perfectly everywhere. India has over 1.4 billion people, and schemes depend on many officials; some misuse their power when nobody checks them. Decisions taken far away from people are hard to question, and people often do not know how money is being spent. That is why tools like the RTI Act, grievance portals, vigilance commissions, the courts and a free media are needed.
Citizens can:
- file a grievance with the department or on the Public Grievances Portal;
- ask for information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act;
- use the media and social media to raise the issue;
- join a civil society organisation (NGO);
- write to their political representatives;
- vote in elections when old enough.
For example, in Bagepalli an RTI request helped citizens get a badly built road completed properly.
LET’S EXPLORE — Page 160Newspaper editorials and government policy
| Newspaper | Topic of the editorial | About government policy? |
|---|---|---|
| Paper A, editorial 1 | A new scheme to give scholarships to school students | Yes — a union government scheme |
| Paper A, editorial 2 | Air quality in the city this winter | Yes — state and municipal action |
| Paper B, editorial 1 | Rules for approving new medicines | Yes — a regulator’s decision |
| Paper B, editorial 2 | An Indian team’s performance in a tournament | No |
| Paper C, editorial 1 | Repair of a state highway after the monsoon | Yes — a state public works matter |
| Paper C, editorial 2 | A book festival in the city | No |
Result: 4 out of 6 editorials (two-thirds) were about government policy. Most editorials discuss government decisions, because these affect prices, schools, roads, health and the environment.
LET’S REMEMBER — Page 161‘Tiers of Government’ — the image of the three tiers from Grade 6, Chapter 10
Because India is too large and diverse for one government to meet everyone’s needs. India has over 1.4 billion people, thousands of towns and villages, many languages and cultures, and 28 states and 8 union territories. So governance is decentralised: the central government handles national matters, state governments handle state matters, and local governments (panchayats and municipalities) solve local problems.
No, one level would not work well. A single central government cannot meet the needs of all the people of such a big country. It would be slow, it would not know local needs, and people could not easily question it. So local matters are decided locally, while big matters like defence stay with the central government.
THINK ABOUT IT — Page 162Which level of government would you go to?
The local government — the ward councillor or municipal office in a town or city, or the gram panchayat (ward member or sarpanch) in a village. Streetlamps are a local government responsibility, and the local body can fix them fastest.
No. They would first go to their gram panchayat, and, if the road is a bigger one, to the state government’s public works or rural roads department. The Central Government looks after matters of the whole country, like defence and foreign affairs; local problems are best solved at the level closest to the people.
LET’S EXPLORE — Page 162Why local decisions should be taken locally
Local concerns should be decided locally because:
- local leaders know the area, its needs and traditions better than distant officials;
- people get more chance to take part in decisions that affect their daily lives;
- local issues like water, roads and schools can be discussed by the people who face them every day;
- leaders close to the people are easier to question (more accountability);
- the local body can act faster.
LET’S EXPLORE — Page 165A class discussion on 75 years of the republic
(for a small town; replace with your own):
| Achievement | Level, and how | What changed in daily life |
|---|---|---|
| A government higher secondary school in the town | State government built and staffed it, under a union law (the Right to Education Act) and schemes such as Samagra Shiksha | Girls no longer have to travel 12 km for Classes 9–12, so far more of them finish school |
| Tap water in the house | Local body laid and maintains the pipes; state and union funds paid for the scheme | Hours a day that used to be spent carrying water are free for school and work |
| An all-weather road to the highway | State public works department, with union rural-roads funding | Vegetables reach the market unspoilt; an ambulance can come in the monsoon |
| A primary health centre with vaccination and maternity care | State health department; ASHA and anganwadi workers at the grassroots | Children are vaccinated in the village itself; fewer risky home deliveries |
| Electricity, and mobile and internet coverage | State electricity board for power; union policy and telecom regulation for the network | Studying after dark; bill payments, tickets and forms filled online instead of a day’s travel |
Most such achievements came from different levels working together — money often from the union, work by the state, and delivery by the local body.
| Problem | Level | How it should be addressed |
|---|---|---|
| Garbage not cleared; blocked drains flooding the lane in the rains | Local | Complaint to the ward councillor or municipal office / panchayat; raise it in the ward or gram sabha meeting so it enters the plan and budget |
| Irregular water supply | Local, with state support for the source and pipeline | Written complaint with dates to the water works office; if there is no reply, use the state grievance portal |
| Teacher vacancies in the government school; poor building repair | State (education is a concurrent subject, so union schemes help) | School Management Committee and parents raise it with the Block Education Officer; an RTI can be filed on sanctioned versus filled posts |
| Doctor or medicines not available at the primary health centre | State | Complaint to the district health officer; grievance portal; the matter can also be raised through the local body |
| A road built badly, or a bus route that keeps being cancelled | State (a national highway would be union) | RTI on the funds sanctioned and the contract, as the citizens of Bagepalli did; then approach the officials together, and write to the MLA if needed |
Each problem should first go to the level closest to it; if that fails, use a grievance portal, RTI, the media or your representative.
Before we move on … — Pages 165–166The chapter in eight points
The state is the bigger idea. It has four parts: its citizens (people), its territory (land), sovereignty (freedom to make its own laws without outside control) and a government. The government is only the part that makes and implements laws. The two words get mixed up because the government acts on behalf of the state and is the part we deal with daily. An election changes the government, not the state.
A republic has two features: (1) its head of state is elected, directly or indirectly, and does not inherit the post — in India the President is elected by elected representatives; (2) the powers of the head of state and other rulers are limited by a constitution or laws. India and the U.S.A. are democracies and republics; the UK, Canada and Sweden are democracies but not republics, as each has a monarch.
The three organs: the legislature (Parliament and the state legislatures) makes laws; the executive (elected ministers and permanent civil servants) implements laws and makes policies; the judiciary (the courts) makes sure laws are followed, settles disputes and protects rights. Each organ checks the others, so that no part of the government becomes too powerful.
The three levels: the union (central) government looks after the whole country — defence, foreign affairs, currency; state governments look after each state — police, land, health, agriculture, education; local governments (panchayats and municipalities) solve local problems — water, drainage, streetlamps, parks. Local government became the third tier after the Constitution was amended in the early 1990s.
The Constitution is the basic framework of our government. It sets up the organs and levels of government; it creates ‘checks and balances’ so that no organ becomes too powerful (for example, elected leaders cannot pass laws against fundamental rights, and courts can check them); and it divides work among the union, state and local governments so that power is not all concentrated at the centre.
The media has two roles in a democracy: it keeps citizens informed about what the government is doing, and it gives a platform for discussion and debate — editorials, letters, TV debates and social media. Citizens can also use print, TV and social media to raise problems and draw officials’ attention to them.
Civil society organisations (NGOs) are citizen groups working on issues like education, health, environment, livelihood and women’s empowerment. They raise issues the government may overlook and also work with the government to solve them. Example: in the Silent Valley movement, NGOs and citizens campaigned against a dam; the project was cancelled in 1983 and the valley was declared a National Park.
The permanent executive is made up of civil servants (bureaucrats) who are selected through examinations such as those of the UPSC, not elected, and are not replaced after elections. They implement laws, policies and schemes; link citizens with the government through departments and field offices; and keep records of government work. Examples: IAS, IPS and IFS officers, and at the grassroots, government teachers and health workers.
Questions and activities — Pages 166–167End-of-chapter exercise
False. Not every democracy is a republic. In a democracy the people elect their government; in a republic, in addition, the head of state is elected and not hereditary. The UK, Canada and Sweden are democracies, but they are not republics because each has a monarch (a king or queen) as head of state. India and the U.S.A. are both democracies and republics.
Two reasons why decentralisation is important in India:
- Local leaders know local needs better. India is huge and diverse; local leaders know the area, its needs and traditions better than distant officials, and can solve local problems faster.
- It makes government more democratic and accountable. People take part in decisions that affect their daily lives, and leaders who are close to them are easier to question.
(b) Should the student council have the power to make rules about the food you eat, or the language you speak?
(c) What can go wrong if the student council is the most powerful body in your school and no one questions its decisions?
(a) Power should be shared among all the members. Members know the problems of different students, more voices get heard, and discussion catches mistakes that one person deciding alone would miss.
(b) No. Food and language are personal choices. A rule about them would let the majority decide how others must live — the ‘dominance of the majority’ — and would go against people’s basic rights.
(c) If no one can question it, the council may ignore minorities, keep wrong decisions, misuse its power to favour friends, and students would stop taking part. Rules and checks are needed so that no body becomes too powerful.
(a) Should the Parliament be the most powerful institution in the country? Why or why not?
(b) Should the Parliament have the power to make any law it wants, even if it affects your rights?
(c) What could go wrong if lawmaking has no limits? Can it lead to unfair or unjust laws?
(d) Who is more powerful in India, the Parliament or the Supreme Court? Give your reasons.
(a) No. Parliament is very important because it is elected by the people and makes laws, but the Constitution makes sure that no part of the government becomes too powerful. Parliament works under the Constitution.
(b) No. Elected leaders cannot pass laws that go against people’s fundamental rights, such as freedom of speech, religion or equality before the law.
(c) Yes. Without limits, a majority could pass unfair laws that hurt minorities or take away rights, and power would be used unchecked.
(d) Neither is above the other. Parliament makes laws; the Supreme Court interprets the Constitution and can check laws that violate it. Both work under the Constitution, which is above both.
| What they did | Office | Level | Challenge faced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid the property tax | Municipal corporation / gram panchayat | Local | The online receipt did not open; had to go in person |
| Complained about a blocked drain | Ward office | Local | Cleared only after a second visit and a complaint number |
| Got my sister admitted to Class 9 and collected a transfer certificate | Government school, Block Education Office | State | Documents had to be attested; two trips to the block office |
| Renewed a driving licence | Regional Transport Office | State | Long queue; the appointment slot was three weeks away |
| Took grandmother for treatment and medicines | Primary Health Centre / district hospital | State | One medicine was out of stock and had to be bought outside |
| Filed the income tax return | Income Tax Department (online) | Union | The form was confusing; needed help to fill it |
| Applied for a passport | Passport Seva Kendra | Union | Police verification took several weeks |
| Voted in the panchayat / municipal election | Election machinery | Local (conducted under state law) | Name had to be checked on the roll beforehand |
Classified: local — 3 items; state — 3 items; union — 2 items.
Challenges faced: long queues and delays, repeated visits, confusing forms, a medicine out of stock, and slow police verification.
Chapter 18 of 20 – Social Science
- Previous: Chapter 17 India, a Home to Many
- Next: Chapter 19 Infrastructure: Engine of India’s Development
- All chapters: NCERT Solutions Class 7 Social Science
Also for This Chapter
NCERT Solutions Class 7 Social Science Chapter 18 The State, the Government, and You – Overview
| Class | Class 7 |
| Subject | Social Science |
| Chapter | 18 – The State, the Government, and You |
| Textbook pages | Part II, 143 – 168 |
| Questions solved | 38 |
| Session | 2027 |
| Format | Full answers on this page + PDF |
NCERT Solutions Class 7 Social Science Chapter 18 – FAQs
Where can I download NCERT Solutions Class 7 Social Science Chapter 18 The State, the Government, and You PDF?
Read every answer on this page, or download the free PDF from the table at the top.
Is this for the 2027 session?
Yes, it follows the latest NCERT Class 7 Social Science book for 2027.
How many questions are solved in NCERT Class 7 Social Science Chapter 18?
All 38 questions of the chapter (textbook pages Part II, 143 – 168) – the in-text questions, activities and the end-of-chapter exercises.
How should I use these solutions?
Read the chapter in the NCERT book first, attempt the questions yourself, then check your answers here.