Federalism MCQs [100] Class 10 Cbse, Fully Conceptual, You can’t Miss It!

Are you ready to ace your Class 10 Federalism chapter?

Well, you’re in the right place! We’ve put together 100 fully conceptual Federalism MCQs that cover every nook and corner of Federalism – perfect for mastering this important topic for your CBSE exams.

Whether you’re looking to brush up on key concepts or challenge yourself with tricky questions, this collection has got you covered.

From the basics to advanced questions, we’ve carefully crafted these MCQs to help you gain a deep understanding of Federalism and tackle your exams with confidence.

Ready to dive in? Let’s go! 💡

📘 Section 1: Basics of Federalism (Q1–Q20)

1. What is federalism?
(a) Rule by a king
(b) Power is divided between central and state governments
(c) Only the central government holds power
(d) Rule by local bodies

2. In a federal system, power is divided between:
(a) People and government
(b) Central and state governments
(c) Judiciary and Parliament
(d) PM and President

3. Which of these is a feature of federalism?
(a) Only one government
(b) Sub-units can’t make laws
(c) Power sharing between levels
(d) Dictatorship

4. A unitary system means:
(a) All power is with the judiciary
(b) All power is with central govt
(c) States have equal power
(d) Two levels of government

5. Which of the following countries is NOT a federation?
(a) India
(b) Belgium
(c) Sri Lanka
(d) USA

6. Which of the following is a ‘coming together’ federation?
(a) India
(b) Belgium
(c) Spain
(d) USA

7. In a ‘holding together’ federation:
(a) States come together voluntarily
(b) Central government shares power with states
(c) States can secede
(d) None of the above

8. India is described as a ‘Union of States’ because:
(a) States are independent
(b) States are temporary
(c) States don’t have their own laws
(d) It emphasizes unity of the nation

9. Which country shifted from unitary to federal in 1993?
(a) India
(b) USA
(c) Belgium
(d) Sri Lanka

10. The number of federal countries in the world is around:
(a) 50
(b) 25
(c) 75
(d) 193

11. Which feature is essential for a successful federation?
(a) Economic equality
(b) Mutual trust
(c) Common language
(d) Same religion

12. The term “jurisdiction” refers to:
(a) Area under rainfall
(b) Area under legal authority
(c) Area under irrigation
(d) None of the above

13. In federalism, each government tier has:
(a) Equal population
(b) Its own police
(c) Its own area of jurisdiction
(d) No separate powers

14. A key characteristic of federalism is:
(a) Division of wealth
(b) Division of caste
(c) Division of power
(d) Division of labor

15. The Belgian model gave powers to regions in:
(a) 1947
(b) 1971
(c) 1993
(d) 2000

16. In India, the tier below State government is called:
(a) District Council
(b) Local government
(c) Central Secretariat
(d) Zonal body

17. Which of these countries follow ‘holding together’ model?
(a) Australia
(b) Switzerland
(c) India
(d) USA

18. Which country is NOT a federal country?
(a) Pakistan
(b) China
(c) Brazil
(d) Canada

19. The Constitution of India distributes power between:
(a) State and Panchayat
(b) Union and State
(c) PM and President
(d) Village and City

20. What does federalism promote?
(a) Centralisation
(b) Monarchy
(c) Unity and diversity
(d) Dictatorship

✅ Answer Key: Federalism MCQs 1–20

⚖️ Section 2: Federalism in India (Q21–Q40)

21. What kind of structure does the Indian Constitution provide?
(a) Unitary
(b) Federal
(c) Dictatorial
(d) Monarchial

22. The three lists in the Indian Constitution are:
(a) Primary, Secondary, Tertiary
(b) Government, State, Civil
(c) Union, State, Concurrent
(d) Civil, Political, Economic

23. Which of the following is not in the Union List?
(a) Defence
(b) Currency
(c) Police
(d) Foreign Affairs

24. Which of the following falls under the State List?
(a) Banking
(b) Education
(c) Police
(d) Communications

25. Concurrent List includes:
(a) Agriculture
(b) Currency
(c) Foreign Affairs
(d) Marriage

26. If there’s a conflict between Union and State laws on a concurrent subject:
(a) State law prevails
(b) Union law prevails
(c) Judiciary decides
(d) Both laws become invalid

27. Residuary powers belong to:
(a) State Government
(b) Union Government
(c) Local Government
(d) Judiciary

28. Which Article provides special provisions for North Eastern states?
(a) 350
(b) 370
(c) 371
(d) 356

29. The Union Government can make laws on ‘residuary’ subjects because:
(a) It is more powerful
(b) It is older
(c) Constitution gives it power
(d) States allow it

30. Subjects like software development fall under:
(a) Union List
(b) State List
(c) Concurrent List
(d) Residuary List

31. In India, all states do not have:
(a) Equal territory
(b) Equal languages
(c) Equal representation
(d) Equal powers

32. Article 371 protects:
(a) Land rights of indigenous people
(b) Voting rights
(c) Fundamental duties
(d) Citizenship rights

33. Which of these is a Union Territory?
(a) Sikkim
(b) Goa
(c) Nagaland
(d) Chandigarh

34. Who can change the federal structure of India?
(a) President
(b) Parliament with state consent
(c) Lok Sabha alone
(d) Prime Minister

35. Who interprets power-sharing in case of dispute?
(a) Prime Minister
(b) Governor
(c) Supreme Court
(d) President

36. Revenue sources for each level of government are:
(a) Common
(b) Undefined
(c) Clearly specified
(d) Controlled by PM

37. What prevents Union Govt from dismissing State Govts arbitrarily?
(a) President
(b) Parliament
(c) Judiciary
(d) Police

38. Which list includes education?
(a) Union
(b) State
(c) Concurrent
(d) Residuary

39. States like Nagaland enjoy special status due to:
(a) Climate
(b) Location
(c) Cultural & historical reasons
(d) Economic status

40. The Constitution of India uses which term for the country?
(a) Republic of States
(b) Federal Union
(c) Union of India
(d) United Provinces

✅ Answer Key: Federalism MCQs 21–40

🌍 Section 3: Federalism in the World – Compare & Contrast (Q41–Q60)

41. The USA is an example of which type of federation?
(a) Holding together
(b) Coming together
(c) Disintegrated
(d) Parliamentary

42. Which of the following is a ‘holding together’ federation?
(a) Australia
(b) India
(c) Switzerland
(d) USA

43. In a ‘coming together’ federation:
(a) States lose independence
(b) Central govt is more powerful
(c) States retain identity and power
(d) No power-sharing

44. Which of these countries has equal powers for all states?
(a) India
(b) Belgium
(c) USA
(d) China

45. The federal structure of the USA is designed to:
(a) Strengthen monarchy
(b) Avoid division of power
(c) Promote unity and individual state rights
(d) Establish one-party rule

46. The word ‘federal’ comes from:
(a) Latin
(b) Greek
(c) French
(d) Sanskrit

47. In a federal system, who is the final interpreter of the Constitution?
(a) President
(b) Supreme Court
(c) Prime Minister
(d) Home Minister

48. Which of these countries practices unitary government?
(a) Sri Lanka
(b) Canada
(c) Brazil
(d) Russia

49. What makes Belgium different from Sri Lanka in power-sharing?
(a) More dictatorship
(b) More decentralisation
(c) Less democracy
(d) No state governments

50. The central government in a unitary system can:
(a) Dismiss state laws
(b) Override regional powers
(c) Withdraw state powers anytime
(d) All of the above

51. In the Belgian model, regional governments got powers in:
(a) 1983
(b) 1993
(c) 1975
(d) 2001

52. How many countries in the world officially follow federalism?
(a) 193
(b) 150
(c) 25
(d) 60

53. Federation means:
(a) Rule by army
(b) Rule by king
(c) Sharing of power between central and regional govts
(d) No rule at all

54. Germany, USA, and Australia are examples of:
(a) Unitary governments
(b) Dictatorships
(c) Coming together federations
(d) Monarchies

55. Which country provides equal power to its constituent states?
(a) Belgium
(b) Switzerland
(c) India
(d) Pakistan

56. In which federation are regional governments more powerful?
(a) Holding together
(b) Unitary
(c) Coming together
(d) Hybrid

57. In a unitary system, the provincial governments are:
(a) Autonomous
(b) Equal
(c) Subordinate
(d) Supreme

58. Which among the following is NOT a feature of a federal country?
(a) Two levels of govt
(b) Power-sharing
(c) Same laws for all areas
(d) Decentralisation

59. Which type of federalism allows different states to have unequal powers?
(a) Unitary
(b) Holding together
(c) Coming together
(d) Dictatorship

60. Which of the following practices decentralisation most extensively?
(a) Sri Lanka
(b) Canada
(c) India
(d) China

✅ Answer Key: Federalism MCQs 41–60

🗳️ Section 4: Language, Local Government & Decentralisation (Q61–Q80)

61. Why were linguistic states created in India?
(a) For better governance
(b) To divide the country
(c) To promote Hindi
(d) For religious unity

62. What was the fear behind creating linguistic states?
(a) Loss of identity
(b) Disintegration of country
(c) Economic crisis
(d) Political dominance

63. Which of the following states was not created based on language?
(a) Nagaland
(b) Andhra Pradesh
(c) Karnataka
(d) Kerala

64. Which state was formed to protect tribal culture and geography?
(a) Tamil Nadu
(b) Gujarat
(c) Nagaland
(d) Punjab

65. What is India’s official language?
(a) Hindi
(b) English
(c) Hindi and English
(d) Sanskrit

66. Which of these is NOT a scheduled language?
(a) Bhojpuri
(b) Urdu
(c) Tamil
(d) Gujarati

67. As per the 2011 Census, how many Scheduled Languages were recorded?
(a) 21
(b) 18
(c) 22
(d) 26

68. What proportion of Indians had Hindi as their mother tongue in 2011?
(a) 30%
(b) 44%
(c) 50%
(d) 60%

69. What was a key reason for avoiding the imposition of Hindi?
(a) Hindi was not rich
(b) To maintain unity
(c) To promote English
(d) To protect ancient texts

70. Which state strongly opposed the imposition of Hindi?
(a) West Bengal
(b) Maharashtra
(c) Punjab
(d) Tamil Nadu

71. Panchayati Raj refers to:
(a) The President’s rule
(b) State legislature
(c) Local self-government in villages
(d) Rajya Sabha

72. Which amendment gave constitutional status to local governments?
(a) 42nd
(b) 44th
(c) 73rd
(d) 52nd

73. The third tier of government includes:
(a) High Courts
(b) Panchayats and Municipalities
(c) Lok Sabha
(d) Governors

74. The chairperson of a Zilla Parishad is elected by:
(a) People directly
(b) State Governor
(c) Gram Sabha
(d) Members of Zilla Parishad

75. In urban areas, the local government body is called:
(a) Zilla Parishad
(b) Municipal Corporation
(c) Gram Panchayat
(d) State Assembly

76. Who supervises the functioning of a Gram Panchayat?
(a) MLA
(b) Gram Sabha
(c) Sarpanch
(d) Collector

77. What is the term for power being given to local governments?
(a) Centralisation
(b) Division
(c) Decentralisation
(d) Dictatorship

78. Which body conducts elections to Panchayats and Municipalities?
(a) Election Commission of India
(b) State Election Commission
(c) Gram Sabha
(d) Parliament

79. One-third of all seats in Panchayats and Municipalities are reserved for:
(a) SCs
(b) STs
(c) Women
(d) OBCs

80. Which of the following is a goal of decentralisation?
(a) Reduce state power
(b) Create more jobs
(c) Promote local self-governance
(d) Increase taxes

✅ Answer Key: Federalism MCQs 61–80

🧠 Section 5: Case-Based, Analytical & Higher-Order Thinking (Q81–Q100)

81. Pokharan, where India conducted nuclear tests, is in Rajasthan. Could the Rajasthan Government stop it?
(a) Yes, nuclear is a state subject
(b) Yes, if people oppose
(c) No, it’s a Union subject
(d) Only after court approval

82. If the Union and State make laws on a Concurrent List subject and there’s a conflict, whose law prevails?
(a) State law
(b) Union law
(c) Judiciary
(d) President

83. The Sikkim Government wants to introduce new textbooks. Does it need permission from the Union Government?
(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) Only if in Hindi
(d) Depends on the topic

84. Chief Ministers of 3 states have different policies for naxalism. Can PM force a uniform rule?
(a) Yes, PM has overriding power
(b) No, law and order is a state subject
(c) Yes, for national security
(d) Only with court permission

85. What does decentralisation promote?
(a) Central authority
(b) Political instability
(c) People’s participation
(d) Bureaucracy

86. The purpose of Gram Sabha is to:
(a) Elect CM
(b) Pass state laws
(c) Monitor village decisions
(d) Solve national disputes

87. Which of the following is NOT true about local government?
(a) It promotes democracy
(b) It increases people’s participation
(c) It centralises power
(d) It improves governance

88. The 73rd Amendment is related to:
(a) Abolishing state assemblies
(b) Panchayati Raj
(c) Presidential election
(d) Judicial reforms

89. Which of these is a challenge in local governance?
(a) Overfunding
(b) Excessive elections
(c) Lack of power and funds
(d) Global interference

90. A Gram Panchayat consists of:
(a) 5 elders of the village
(b) Only the sarpanch
(c) Panchs and sarpanch
(d) MLAs and MPs

91. How often must Gram Sabha meet?
(a) Once a month
(b) Only during elections
(c) Twice or thrice a year
(d) Never – it’s informal

92. What is the role of the State Election Commission?
(a) Conduct MP elections
(b) Approve state budgets
(c) Conduct Panchayat elections
(d) Form political parties

93. In a municipal corporation, the head is called:
(a) Governor
(b) MLA
(c) Mayor
(d) Chairperson

94. Who runs the Zilla Parishad politically?
(a) Collector
(b) Mayor
(c) Zilla Parishad Chairperson
(d) Home Minister

95. Who can participate in a Gram Sabha meeting?
(a) Only elected members
(b) Only women
(c) All voters in the village
(d) Only the sarpanch

96. Which experiment inspired decentralisation in Kerala?
(a) South Korea
(b) China
(c) Porto Alegre, Brazil
(d) New York, USA

97. Why is Porto Alegre famous?
(a) Giant skyscrapers
(b) Local budgeting model
(c) Rich culture
(d) World Cup stadium

98. One reason why decentralisation is ideal for democracy:
(a) Gives power to armed forces
(b) Prevents voting
(c) Allows local decision making
(d) Centralises economy

99. Which one of the following helps deepen democracy?
(a) Centralisation
(b) Federalism
(c) Dictatorship
(d) Unitary governance

100. What makes Indian federalism unique?
(a) Single-party rule
(b) Unequal power sharing
(c) Special provisions for states
(d) Both (b) and (c)

✅ Answer Key: Federalism MCQs 81–100

Congratulations on making it through our 100 Federalism MCQs! With these carefully curated questions, you’ve got everything you need to master the topic and tackle your Class 10 CBSE exams with confidence.

Remember, consistent practice is key, and the more you challenge yourself, the better prepared you’ll be.

Keep revisiting these questions, explore other chapters, and stay ahead in your studies.

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Finally,

If you have came here first I suggest you please read this – [2025] Federalism Explained! : Brilliant & Game-Changer – Master India’s Power-Sharing Secrets for Class 10

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