NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Civics Chapter 2 – Understanding Secularism

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Civics Chapter 2 – Understanding Secularism (Social Science), contains solutions to various questions in Exercise for Chapter 2. At the end of the Solutions, all the keywords and Notes which are important to understand Chapter 2 Understanding Secularism Class 8 Civics, have been explained in a simple and easy to understand manner. NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Social Science help to check the concept you have learnt from detailed classroom sessions and application of your knowledge.

Category NCERT Solutions for Class 8
Subject Civics (Social Science)
Chapter Chapter 2 – Understanding Secularism

Download NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Civics Chapter 2 – Understanding Secularism

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Civics Chapter 2 – Understanding Secularism – NCERT Exercises

Question 1:-

List the different types of religious practice that you find in your neighbourhood. This could be different forms of prayer, worship of different gods, sacred sites, different kinds of religious music and singing etc. Does this indicate freedom of religious practice?

 Answer 1:-

The different types of religious practices that we find in our neighbourhood are as follows:

  1. We hear the sound of the azaan from mosques.
  2. We see Hindus organize jagrans, havans, kirtans etc
  3. We find Muslims worshiping Allah, Hindus performing idol of different gods and goddesses while Christians worshiping Jesus Christ.
  4. While the Sikhs worship at Gurudwaras, the Christians go to the Church and Hindus to the temples.
  5. People of different religions celebrate different festivals. For Christians, the main festival is Christmas. For Muslims itsEid.Sikhs mainly celebrate Baisakhi and Guru Nanak Jayanti while Hindus celebrate festivals like Shivratri, Ganesh Chathurthi, Holi, Diwali etc.

From all the above observations we can say that it does indicates the freedom of religious practice. The citizens of India are provided with  the freedom to practice, preach and propagate the religion of their choice and this leads to  peaceful co-existence of different communities.

Question 2:-

Will the government intervene if some religious group says that their religion allows them to practice infanticide? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer 2:

Yes, the government will intervene if some religious group allows infanticide, as it is a crime. No religion can sanction any person’s death. While the Indian government does not interfere in religious matters, it also follows the strategy of intervention to prohibit some evil practices within religions as freedom of religion in India is not absolute and government can put reasonable restrictions at the times of need.Also, Infanticide would violate the Fundamental Right to Life, thus, the government would have to intervene.

Question 3:-

Complete the following table:

Objective Why is it important Example of a violation of this objective
One religious community does not dominate another The Constitution guarantees all the citizens the freedom to practice any religion of their choice. This freedom would become futile if one community dominates another. It would also lead to hostility, conflicts and riots between communities. Persecution of people of a religious community
The state does not enforce any particular religion nor take away the religious freedom of individuals This means that the state respects all religions equally and also respects people’s freedom to follow their religion. It makes our country secular in the true sense. Religious prayers in government schools
That some members do not dominate other members of the same religious community This is important so that all members enjoy their rights and freedoms equally. Giving privileges and better opportunities to upper caste Hindus as compared to those of the lower castes




Question 4:-

Look up the annual calendar of holidays of your school. How many of them pertain to different religions? What does this indicate?

Answer 4:-

Our school gives holidays for all major festivals of different religious communities, like Diwali, Eid, Dussehra, Gurupurab, Christmas, Good Friday etc. This shows that our country is indeed secular as it treats all religions equally and does not favour one religion over the other.

Question 5:-

Find out some examples of different views within the same religion.

Answer 5:-

Examples of different views within the same religion are as follows:

  • Muslims are divided into Shias and Sunnis
  • Christians are divided into Catholics and Protestants
  • There are worshippers of Shiva and worshippers of Vishnu within Hinduism
  • In Hinduism, people worship the idols of different gods and goddesses.

Question 6:-

The Indian State both keeps away from religion as well as intervenes in religion. This idea can be quite confusing. Discuss this once again in class using examples from the chapter as well as those that you might have come up with.

Answer 6:-

The Indian State maintains a principled distance vis-à-vis religion. It does not endorse any religion and follows a strategy of non-interference, but at the same time it intervenes based on the ideals laid down by the Constitution As it has been said that Fundamental rights provided to the citizens are not absolute and government can put reasonable restrictions hence for certain religious act which is harmful for the citizens of the country the government does intervenes. For instance, the Indian Parliament banned the Muslim practice of instant divorce (Triple Talaq) in 2019 as it violated the rights of Muslim women. Similarly, our Constitution makers banned the practice of untouchability because it violated the Fundamental Rights of the lower caste Hindus. Sometimes, the State also has to intervene in the ‘personal laws’ of communities to look into the issues of inheritance rights like the Hindu Succession Act 2005 polygamy etc.

Question 7:

This poster alongside highlights the need for‘Peace’. It says, “Peace is a never-endingprocess.It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests.” Write in your own words what you think the above sentences are trying to convey? How does it relate to the need for religious tolerance?

question 7

Answer 7:-

‘Peace’ as stated above is a reciprocal process which does not lets us overlook our common interests. It is a process by which the similarities and dissimilarities together form a whole. Fear cannot enforce peace into people. It needs to be mutual among the different sections to bring out its original meaning.

Religious tolerance can be taken up as an example where people follow different methods of worshipping the divine power in their own manner and yet are open and respects the ways of the other communities which leads to peace.




Topics Covered in Understanding Secularism Chapter 2 Civics (Social Science)

  • What is Secularism?
  • Why is it Important to Separate Religion from the State?
  • What is Indian Secularism?

Important Terms Relevant for NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Civics Chapter 2 – Understanding Secularism :

Coercion:To force or threaten someone to do something.

Freedom to interpret: Giving people the freedom to develop their own understanding of something. In this chapter, it means to give people the freedom to understand their religion for themselves.

Intervene: To interfere in a particular matter. In this chapter, it refers to the State’s interference in religious matters based on the ideals in the Constitution.

Secularism: Religious The separation of state from religion where no specific religion is given more importance than other and people have the freedom to practice their own religion.

Untouchability: When a particular section of the society is discriminated on the basis of their caste identity and is treated in a manner where even touching the individual from the other class is forbidden then it can be termed as untouchability.

NCERT Solutions for Class 8 Civics

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