Law and Social Justice Class 8 Extra Questions and Answers Free PDF Download
FAQs on CBSE Important Questions for Class 8 Social Science Law and Social Justice - 2025-26
1. What is the importance of laws in achieving social justice, as discussed in Class 8 Social Science?
Laws are fundamental to achieving social justice in a democracy like India. They serve as a crucial tool to protect citizens from exploitation and inequality. The government enacts laws to ensure that vulnerable groups are not taken advantage of by the powerful. For instance, the Right against Exploitation (Articles 23-24) prohibits forced labour and child labour. Laws ensure fair wages, safe working conditions, and protect the market from unfair practices, thereby upholding the principles of justice and equality for all.
2. What is the Minimum Wages Act? Why is it considered a crucial law for protecting workers' rights?
The Minimum Wages Act is a law that specifies that wages paid to workers cannot fall below a certain minimum level. This minimum wage is periodically revised by the government. It is a crucial law for social justice because:
It protects workers, especially in the unorganised sector, from being paid unfairly low wages.
It ensures that workers can afford a basic standard of living for themselves and their families.
It prevents employers from exploiting the high supply of labour to drive down wages.
By setting a wage floor, the government ensures a degree of economic justice for millions of labourers.
3. Analyse the key factors that led to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. What lessons were learned regarding industrial safety?
The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the world's worst industrial disaster, was caused by a combination of critical failures. Key factors include:
Cost-Cutting on Safety: The Union Carbide plant deliberately ignored safety protocols and cut down on maintenance and safety personnel to save costs.
Weak Safety Laws: At the time, India's industrial safety and environmental laws were not strong enough to hold corporations accountable.
Lack of Enforcement: Even the existing weak laws were not properly enforced by government officials, who failed to recognise the hazardous nature of the plant.
The key lesson learned was that having strong laws is not enough; their strict enforcement and holding corporations accountable are paramount to preventing such disasters.
4. Why is the enforcement of laws as important as their creation for ensuring social justice? Explain with an example.
Simply creating a law is not enough to guarantee social justice. The law's effectiveness depends entirely on its enforcement. If a law is not enforced, it remains merely a rule on paper with no real-world impact. The government has the responsibility to ensure that laws are implemented in their true spirit. For example, despite the existence of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, child labour persists in many areas. This is because of lax enforcement. For the law to be effective, government inspectors must conduct regular checks, and those who violate the law must be penalised. Therefore, enforcement translates the promise of a law into a reality.
5. Why do foreign companies often set up production in India? How does this relate to labour laws and safety standards?
Foreign companies are often attracted to setting up production in India due to several factors that increase their profitability. A major reason is the availability of cheap labour. Compared to developed countries, wages in India are significantly lower. Furthermore, some companies take advantage of weaker enforcement of labour and environmental laws. By spending less on worker wages, safety measures, and environmental compliance, these companies can drastically reduce their cost of production. As seen in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, this prioritisation of profit over safety can have devastating consequences, highlighting the need for stricter government oversight of all companies, both domestic and foreign.
6. What significant changes were made to environmental laws in India following the Bhopal Gas Tragedy?
The Bhopal Gas Tragedy was a major wake-up call that exposed the inadequacy of existing environmental laws. In its aftermath, the Indian government introduced significant new legislation. The most important change was the introduction of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Subsequently, the judiciary also played a proactive role. The Supreme Court declared that the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution includes the right to a clean and healthy environment. The principle of 'the polluter pays' was also firmly established, making the entity responsible for the pollution financially liable for the damage caused to the environment and the people.
7. From an exam perspective, what are some of the most frequently asked questions from the chapter 'Law and Social Justice' for the CBSE Class 8 exam?
For the CBSE Class 8 Social Science exam 2025-26, several topics from this chapter are important. Students should prepare for questions on:
The role and importance of laws in a democracy.
Case studies like the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, often as a 3 or 5-mark question focusing on its causes and consequences.
Specific laws like the Minimum Wages Act and the Child Labour Prohibition Act.
The distinction between the making of a law and its enforcement, which is a common conceptual question.
Understanding these key areas will help in scoring well on questions from this chapter.
