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The State, the Government, and You – Class 7 Social Science notes, important questions and MCQs

NCERT Class 7 Social Science, chapter 18. Notes, key terms, important questions with answers and MCQs.

Chapter overview

The state is a political organisation with a territory, a population, a government and sovereignty. The government is the body of people that runs the state at a given time. Citizens interact with the government every day through services, laws and rights, and they have duties towards the state.

State and government

A state has four elements: territory, population, government and sovereignty (supreme power to make its own decisions).
The government is the machinery that makes and carries out decisions for the state; governments change through elections, but the state continues.
In India, 'state' also means a constituent unit such as Odisha or Kerala; in political science, 'the state' means the whole country.

Government in our daily life

We meet the government through schools, hospitals, ration shops, roads, police and post offices.
Documents such as birth certificates, Aadhaar, ration cards and voter ID connect citizens with government services.
Laws such as traffic rules and the right to education affect our daily lives.

Rights and responsibilities of citizens

Citizens have rights such as equality, freedom of speech and the right to vote at 18.
They have duties such as obeying laws, paying taxes, protecting public property and respecting others' rights.

Key terms

State: a political organisation with territory, population, government and sovereignty
Government: the group of people and institutions that run the state at a particular time
Sovereignty: the supreme power of a state to make its own decisions without outside control
Citizen: a legal member of a country who enjoys its rights and has duties towards it

Important questions with answers

What is the difference between the state and the government?2 marks

The state is a permanent political organisation with territory, population, government and sovereignty. The government is the group of people and institutions that run the state at a particular time; governments change through elections, but the state continues.

Give three examples of how the government affects our daily lives.3 marks

The government runs schools and hospitals, provides food grains through ration shops, builds roads and supplies water and electricity. It issues documents such as birth certificates and voter IDs, and makes laws such as traffic rules that we follow every day.

Explain the elements of a state and describe the relationship between citizens and the government.5 marks

A state has four elements. Territory is the land, water and air space under its control. Population is the people who live there. Government is the machinery that makes and implements decisions. Sovereignty is the supreme power to decide its own internal and external affairs without outside control. The government runs the state for a period and can change through elections, while the state continues. Citizens and the government are closely connected. The government provides services such as education, health care, food security, roads, water, electricity and policing, protects rights such as equality and freedom of speech, and makes laws. Citizens elect the government by voting, pay taxes that fund public services, obey laws, protect public property and hold the government accountable through elections, media, courts and peaceful protest. This two-way relationship makes democracy work.

Quick revision

State: territory, population, government, sovereignty.
Government changes; state continues.
Services, documents and laws connect us with the government.
Rights come with duties.

Exam tips

Remember the four elements of the state with the word 'TPGS': territory, population, government, sovereignty.
Do not confuse the state (permanent) with the government (changes after elections).

Practice MCQs

Which is not an element of a state
1. territory
2. population
3. a cricket team
4. sovereignty
Show answer
Answer: (c) a cricket team. The four elements are territory, population, government and sovereignty.
The supreme power of a state to make its own decisions is
1. sovereignty
2. tax
3. election
4. policy
Show answer
Answer: (a) sovereignty. A sovereign state is free from outside control.
The minimum voting age in India is
1. 16 years
2. 18 years
3. 21 years
4. 25 years
Show answer
Answer: (b) 18 years. Every citizen aged 18 or above can vote.
Which statement is correct
1. the government is permanent and the state changes
2. governments never change
3. the state and government are always the same
4. the state continues while governments change through elections
Show answer
Answer: (d) the state continues while governments change through elections. Elections change governments, not the state.
Paying taxes and obeying laws are examples of a citizen's
1. rights
2. privileges only
3. duties
4. hobbies
Show answer
Answer: (c) duties. Duties are responsibilities towards the state.
A ration shop under the public distribution system is an example of
1. a private business only
2. a government service in daily life
3. a court
4. a political party
Show answer
Answer: (b) a government service in daily life. It supplies food grains at fair prices.
In political science, 'the state' refers to
1. only Odisha or Kerala
2. the whole country as a political organisation
3. a political party
4. a city corporation
Show answer
Answer: (b) the whole country as a political organisation. Constituent units are also called states in India.
Which document mainly links a citizen to the right to vote
1. ration card
2. voter ID card
3. library card
4. school diary
Show answer
Answer: (b) voter ID card. It is issued by the Election Commission.

All chapters of Class 7 Social Science

Written by Kundali IQ from standard, well-established facts to help with revision. This is not an official NCERT publication; always read your textbook too.