Dokchory learns about Panchayat (viii)

A. Very Short Answer Questions (1 mark)

1. Who is Dokchory’s father?
   → Konke Mili.

2. What is the meaning of the name ‘Dokchory’?
   → A necklace of beads the Misings usually wear during festival time.

3. What class does Dokchory study in?
   → Class VIII.

4. Which school does she study in?
   → Disangmukh Janajati High School.

5. How does Konke Mili take Dokchory to school?
   → On his bicycle.

6. In which time do the Misings usually wear the necklace called Dokchory?
   → Festival time.

7. What new thing did Dokchory notice at the Panchayat office?
   → A new sign board.

8. How many elderly men formed the old Panchayat system?
   → Five.

9. What were the elderly men in old Panchayat called?
   → Panch Gramin Pramukh.

10. At what minimum age can a person contest Panchayat elections now?
    → 21 years.

11. Name one tax from which Panchayat raises money.
    → Tax on vehicles. (Other correct answers: river ghats, bazaars, beels)

12. Which government department gives an annual grant to the Panchayat?
    → Panchayat and Rural Development Department.

13. Who can contribute substantially to the Panchayat funds apart from the government grant?
    → The local MLA or Ministers.

14. For whom did Panchayat build a house last year?
    → Dhaniram.

15. Why did Dhaniram leave his house?
    → After his mother died.

16. What special home is being built by the Panchayat?
    → A home for people with special needs.

17. What does Ba-bu advise young people like Dokchory to do for the special home?
    → Do volunteer work there.

B. Short Answer Questions (2–3 sentences)

1. Why does Dokchory enjoy the bicycle ride to school?
   → She enjoys it because she gets to know new things every day during the ride.

2. What was the role of Panch Gramin Pramukh in earlier times?
   → They were five elderly men who governed the village, and their word was respected as law, so there were no quarrels among villagers.

3. Mention any three powers or functions of the Panchayat as given in the passage.
   → Raising taxes, planning development schemes, and working for local development.

4. How does the Panchayat raise money for development works?
   → By collecting taxes on vehicles, river ghats, bazaars, beels, etc., and also receiving an annual government grant.

5. How did the Panchayat help Dhaniram earlier?
   → They built a house for him last year.

6. What activities will be available in the home for people with special needs?
   → Painting, reading, playing games, enjoying hobbies, and learning to do their own chores.

7. What does Ba-bu mean when he says such people can “live with dignity”?
   → He means they can lead normal, happy, and independent lives despite their disabilities.

C. Long Answer Questions (4–5 sentences)

1. Explain the difference between the old Panchayat system and the present Panchayat system.
   → In the old system, the Panchayat was run by five elderly men called Panch Gramin Pramukh, whose decisions were final and respected. In the present system, anyone above 21 can contest Panchayat elections. The modern Panchayat is a formal body empowered by the Constitution to raise taxes, plan schemes, and work for local development.

2. Describe the conversation between Dokchory and her Ba-bu about helping differently-abled people.
   → Dokchory asked why her father didn’t help poor Dhaniram, a man with no legs. Ba-bu explained that they had built him a house earlier, but he left after his mother died. He added that the Panchayat is building a home for people with special needs so they can live with dignity and independence, and encouraged Dokchory to volunteer there.

3. How does the Panchayat contribute to village development? Give examples from the text.
   → The Panchayat builds and repairs rural roads, bridges, and houses for the poor. It raises funds through taxes and receives government grants. It also undertakes welfare projects such as building homes for people with special needs.

D. Fill in the Blanks

1. Dokchory is a student of Class VIII of Disangmukh Janajati High School.

2. ‘Dokchory’ means a necklace of beads worn by Misings during festivals.

3. In the old Panchayat system, governance was done by five elderly men called Panch Gramin Pramukh.

4. Nowadays, anyone above the age of 21 can contest Panchayat elections.

5. The Panchayat raises taxes on vehicles, river ghats, bazaars and beels.

6. Dhaniram is the man with no legs.

7. The Panchayat is building a home for people with special needs.

E. True or False

1. Konke Mili takes his daughter to school on a motorbike. → False

2. The Panchayat can raise taxes for local development. → True

3. The old Panchayat system was run by five elderly women. → False

4. Dhaniram left his house after his mother’s death. → True

5. The Panchayat gets all its money only from government grants. → False

F. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. What did Dokchory notice at the Panchayat office?
   b) A new sign board ✅

2. The Constitution of India grants the Panchayat the power to:
   b) Raise taxes and plan development schemes ✅

3. What is one of the works done by the Panchayat mentioned in the passage?
   b) Building rural roads and houses for the poor ✅

4. Who can also contribute to the Panchayat funds apart from government grants?
   b) Local MLA or Ministers ✅

G. Match the Following

A	B
1. Panch Gramin Pramukh	c) Five elderly men in old system
2. Above 21 years	d) Minimum age to contest elections
3. Panchayat	b) Body for village development
4. Panchayat & Rural Dev. Dept.	a) Annual grant

H. Vocabulary / Meaning

1. Panchayat – A local self-government body at the village level.

2. Grant – A sum of money given by the government for a particular purpose.

3. Differently-abled – People having physical or mental disabilities.

4. Dignity – The state of being respected and valued.

I. Reference to Context

1. "Long ago Dokchory, Panchayat meant a system of governance by five elderly men called Panch Gramin Pramukh."
a) Who is speaking this line? → Konke Mili.
b) What was special about these five men? → Their word was respected as the rule, and villagers obeyed them without quarrels.

2. "We did build a house for him last year but he left it after his mother died."
a) Who is ‘him’ here? → Dhaniram.
b) Why did he leave the house? → Because his mother died.

Q.6. Who takes Dokchory to school every day?
👉 Her father, Konke Mili, takes her to school on his bicycle.

Q.7. What does the name 'Dokchory' mean?
👉 'Dokchory' means a necklace of beads that the Misings usually wear in festival time.

Q.8. Who were called Panch Gramin Pramukh?
👉 Five elderly men who governed the village in olden days were called Panch Gramin Pramukh.

Q.9. What power does the Constitution of India grant to the Panchayat?
👉 The Constitution grants power to the Panchayat to raise taxes, plan development schemes, and work for local development.

Q.10. Name two works done by the Panchayat.
👉 (i) Build and repair rural roads and bridges.
👉 (ii) Build houses for the poor.

Q.11. From where does the Panchayat raise some money?
👉 The Panchayat raises money from taxes on vehicles, river ghats, bazaars, and beels.

Q.12. Who gives the annual grant to the Panchayat?
👉 The Panchayat and Rural Development Department of the government gives the annual grant.

Q.13. What kind of help do differently-abled people need?
👉 They need help with their daily chores like cooking, cleaning, and managing their life.

Q.14. Where did Dhaniram start living after his mother died?
👉 He started living on the open verandah of the school building.

Q.15. Why does Dokchory request her father to help Dhaniram?
👉 Because Dhaniram is a poor differently-abled man with no legs and spends cold December nights on the open verandah of the school.

Q.16. What will young people learn if they do volunteer work in the Panchayat home?
👉 They will learn how differently-abled people can live happily, do their own chores, paint, read, play games, enjoy hobbies, and become independent.

Q.2. Why does Dokchory love her bicycle ride to school? (1 mark)
👉 Because she gets to know new things every day during the ride.

Q.3. Who can contest Panchayat elections nowadays? (1 mark)
👉 Anyone who is above 21 years of age.

Q.4. What kind of work does the Panchayat do for the villagers? (1 mark)
👉 It builds and repairs roads, bridges, houses for the poor, and works for village development.

Q.5. Who were the Panch Gramin Pramukhs? (2 marks)
👉 In olden days, five elderly men who governed the village were called Panch Gramin Pramukhs. Their word was the rule, and villagers respected them.

Q.6. Why does Dokchory request her father to help Dhaniram? (2 marks)
👉 Because Dhaniram, a poor differently-abled man with no legs, spends the cold December nights on the open verandah of the school building.

Q.7. What works of development does the Panchayat do in the village? (3 marks)
👉 The Panchayat builds and repairs rural roads and bridges, constructs houses for the poor, raises money from taxes, and works for local development and social change.