Q1. [4]
Power Sharing
Power is shared among different organs of government, such as the legislature, executive and judiciary. Let us call this horizontal distribution of power because it allows different organs of government placed at the same level to exercise different powers. Such a separation ensures that none of the organs can exercise unlimited power. Each organ checks the others. This results in a balance of power among various institutions. Last year, we studied that in a democracy, even though ministers and government officials exercise power, they are responsible to the Parliament or State Assemblies. Similarly, although judges are appointed by the executive, they can check the functioning of executive or laws made by the legislatures. This arrangement is called a system of checks and balances.
Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that follow :
- 28.1 Explain the term 'Balance of Power'. [1]
- 28.2 Why is the judiciary considered independent in a democracy ? [1]
- 28.3 How is power shared among different organs of government ? [2]
Previously asked in CBSE board exam
2026 32/4/1 Q28
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:00 · grounding stimulus
Model Answer
28.1 Balance of Power means a situation where each organ of government checks the others, ensuring no single organ exercises unlimited power, thus maintaining equilibrium among institutions.
28.2 Although judges are appointed by the executive, they can independently check the functioning of the executive and review laws made by the legislature. This freedom makes the judiciary independent.
28.3 Power is shared among the legislature, executive, and judiciary through horizontal distribution of power. Each organ operates at the same level but exercises different powers. No organ can exercise unlimited power as each checks the others — for example, ministers are responsible to Parliament, and judges can review executive actions. This is called a system of checks and balances.
Source: Power Sharing, Horizontal Distribution of Power
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Explanation
- 28.1 is 1 mark — one crisp line defining Balance of Power directly from the passage.
- 28.2 is 1 mark — focus on the key idea: appointed by executive yet can check it = independence.
- 28.3 is 2 marks — mention horizontal distribution, all three organs, "no unlimited power," and checks and balances. Examiners look for these specific terms from the passage, so use them explicitly.
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