Chapter 17 of 25

68%

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE)Class 8 Social Studies★ 5-8 marks in the TN Class 8 annual exam through book-back MCQs, fill-ups and short answers

How the State Government Works

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 8 Social Science — Civics Chapter 1, How the State Government Works. The structure of a state government — the Governor, the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers, the State Legislature (Legislative Assembly and Council), the qualifications of an MLA, how a bill becomes an Act, and the High Court. Notes with the actual book-back questions, common mistakes and quick revision.

⏱ 16 min readEasy difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

Worksheet

Podcast

Listen as a conversation

A teacher & a student talk through the chapter — in your language.

Mind Map

The chapter at a glance

Every concept and exam-favourite branch — revisable in 5 minutes.

…

Study Guide

Night-before notes

Key points, glossary and the questions most likely to show up.

…

VocabularyBuild your vocabularyLexiGenome mines the key words and schedules them with spaced repetition.Mine words →

By the end of this chapter you'll be able to…

1Describe the role of the Governor and the Chief Minister
2Explain the structure of the State Legislature
3State the qualifications of an MLA
4Trace how a bill becomes an Act
5Recall the High Court retirement age

💡

Why this chapter matters

How the State Government Works explains who runs a state — the Governor, the Chief Minister and the Legislature — and how laws are made. The roles, the MLA qualifications and the bill-to-Act process are directly tested book-back content in the TN Class 8 exam.

Before you start — revise these

A 5-minute refresher here will save you 30 minutes of confusion below.

🔗

Class 7 — The Union Government

Government at the centre.

How the State Government Works — Class 8 Social Science (Samacheer Kalvi)

TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 8 Social Science, Civics — Chapter 1. The Governor, the Chief Minister and the State Legislature.

1. About this lesson

This lesson explains the executive, legislature and judiciary at the state level — the Governor, the Chief Minister, the State Legislature, how a bill becomes an Act, and the High Court.

2. The Governor and the Chief Minister

The Governor is the constitutional head of the state, appointed by the President of India. The Governor can summon and prorogue the sessions of the State Legislature.
The Chief Minister is the real head of the state government — the Governor appoints the leader of the majority party in the Legislative Assembly as Chief Minister, who heads the State Council of Ministers.

3. The State Legislature

The State Legislature consists of the Governor and one or two houses:
- the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) — the lower house, whose members (MLAs) are directly elected by the people;
- the Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) — the upper house (only some states have one).
Qualifications of an MLA: a citizen of India, 25 years or above, of sound mind, and an elector in the state.

4. How a bill becomes an Act; the High Court

A bill is introduced in the Assembly → debated → if more than half the MLAs vote for it, it is passed → it becomes an Act after the Governor's assent.
The High Court is the highest court of the state. A High Court judge retires at the age of 62.

5. Worked examples

Example 1. Who appoints the Governor of a state? The President of India.

Example 2. What is the minimum age to become an MLA? 25 years.

Example 3. When does a bill become an Act? After it is passed by the Assembly and gets the Governor's assent.

6. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)

I. Choose the correct answer

The Governor of a state is appointed by the — (a) President / (b) Chief Minister. Ans: (a) President.
The State Council of Ministers is headed by the — (a) Governor / (b) Chief Minister. Ans: (b) Chief Minister.
The lower house of the State Legislature is the — (a) Legislative Assembly / (b) Legislative Council. Ans: (a) Legislative Assembly.
The minimum age to become an MLA is — (a) 21 / (b) 25. Ans: (b) 25.
A High Court judge retires at the age of — (a) 62 / (b) 65. Ans: (a) 62.

II. Fill in the blanks 6. The Governor can summon and prorogue the State Legislature. 7. Members of the Legislative Assembly are called MLAs. 8. A bill becomes an Act after the Governor's assent.

III. Answer briefly 9. State the qualifications to become an MLA. 10. How does a bill become an Act in a state?

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Saying the Chief Minister appoints the Governor. Fix: The President appoints the Governor; the Governor appoints the Chief Minister.
Mistake: Confusing the two houses. Fix: Assembly = lower house (elected MLAs); Council = upper house.
Mistake: Giving 65 as the High Court retirement age. Fix: A High Court judge retires at 62 (a Supreme Court judge at 65).

8. Quick revision

Civics Ch 1 · state government.
Governor = constitutional head, appointed by the President; Chief Minister = real head (majority leader).
State Legislature: Legislative Assembly (lower, elected MLAs) + Legislative Council (upper, some states).
MLA: citizen of India, 25+, sound mind, elector.
Bill → passed by majority of MLAs → Governor's assent → Act. High Court judge retires at 62.

Key formulas & results

Everything you need to memorise, in one card. Screenshot this for revision.

Governor

constitutional head; appointed by the President

Summons/prorogues the legislature.

Chief Minister

real head; leader of the majority party

Heads the Council of Ministers.

State Legislature

Assembly (lower, MLAs) + Council (upper)

Governor is part of it.

MLA qualifications

citizen, 25+, sound mind, elector

Directly elected.

⚠️

Common mistakes & fixes

These are the exact errors that cost students marks in board exams. Read them once, save yourself the trouble.

WATCH OUT

✗ Saying the Chief Minister appoints the Governor

✓ The President appoints the Governor; the Governor appoints the Chief Minister.

WATCH OUT

✗ Confusing the two houses

✓ Assembly = lower house (elected MLAs); Council = upper house.

WATCH OUT

✗ Giving 65 as the High Court retirement age

✓ A High Court judge retires at 62 (a Supreme Court judge at 65).

NCERT exercises (with solutions)

Every NCERT exercise from this chapter — what it covers and how many questions to expect.

Choose the correct answer

Book-back MCQs on the Governor, Chief Minister, Assembly, MLA age and the High Court.

Questions

Fill in the blanks

Governor's powers, MLAs and the Governor's assent.

Questions

Answer briefly

MLA qualifications and the bill-to-Act process.

Questions

Practice problems

Try each one yourself before tapping "Show solution". Active recall > rereading.

Q1EASY· MCQ

The Governor of a state is appointed by the ____.

▶ Show solution

President of India.

Q2EASY· MCQ

The State Council of Ministers is headed by the ____.

▶ Show solution

Chief Minister.

Q3EASY· MCQ

A High Court judge retires at the age of ____.

▶ Show solution

62.

Q4EASY· Fill in the blanks

The minimum age to become an MLA is ____.

▶ Show solution

25 years.

Q5MEDIUM· Answer briefly

State the qualifications to become an MLA.

▶ Show solution

The person must be a citizen of India, at least 25 years old, of sound mind and an elector for a constituency in the state.

Q6MEDIUM· Answer briefly

How does a bill become an Act in a state?

▶ Show solution

A bill is introduced in the Legislative Assembly and debated; changes may be made. If more than half the MLAs vote in its favour it is passed, and once it receives the Governor's assent it becomes an Act.

5-minute revision

The whole chapter, distilled. Read this the night before the exam.

•Civics Chapter 1 of Samacheer Kalvi Class 8 Social Science.
•Governor = constitutional head, appointed by the President; can summon/prorogue the legislature.
•Chief Minister = real head, leader of the majority party, heads the Council of Ministers.
•State Legislature: Legislative Assembly (lower, elected MLAs) and Legislative Council (upper).
•MLA: citizen of India, 25+, sound mind, elector.
•Bill passed by a majority of MLAs + Governor's assent = Act; High Court judge retires at 62.

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) marks blueprint

Where the marks come from in this chapter — so you can plan your prep.

Typical chapter weightage: 5-8 marks across book-back MCQ, fill-ups and short answers

Question type	Marks each	Typical count	What it tests
MCQ / Fill	1	3-5	Roles, ages, houses
Short Answer	2-3	1-2	MLA qualifications, bill-to-Act
Application	2	1	Governor vs Chief Minister

Prep strategy

Separate the Governor's and Chief Minister's roles
Learn the two houses of the legislature
Memorise the MLA qualifications
Trace the bill-to-Act steps in order

Where this shows up in the real world

This chapter isn't just an exam topic — it lives in the world around you.

Citizenship

Knowing how laws are made helps you engage with your state.

Elections

Explains who MLAs are and why we vote for them.

Governance

Shows how decisions affecting daily life are taken.

Exam strategy

Battle-tested tips from teachers and toppers for this chapter.

Pair the Governor with the President, the CM with the majority party
Name the two houses correctly
List the four MLA qualifications
Give the bill-to-Act steps in order

Going beyond the textbook

For olympiad aspirants and curious learners — topics that build on this chapter.

Compare the powers of the Governor with those of the President.
Trace a real state law from bill to Act.

Where else this chapter is tested

CBSE board isn't the only one — other exams test this chapter too.

TN Class 8 Annual ExamHigh

TNPSC Foundation / PolityHigh

School unit testsHigh

AI helpers for this chapter

Generate more practice on the fly, or have the chapter explained at a different level.

⚡

Generate 5 more questions

Fresh MCQs + short-answer items based on this chapter, plus answer keys.

🧠

Explain at a different level

Re-explain the chapter at the level you actually want.

📝 My notes

Saved on this device — sign in to sync · how this works

0/600

Questions students ask

The real ones — pulled from the Q&A community and tutor sessions.

The Governor is the constitutional (nominal) head of the state appointed by the President, while the Chief Minister is the real executive head who, with the Council of Ministers, actually runs the government.

Even after the elected MLAs pass a bill, the Governor's assent is the final formal step that turns it into a law (Act), reflecting the Governor's role as constitutional head of the state.

Practice more, ask doubts, find a tutor

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) Class 8 mock tests

Tamil Nadu (TNBSE) Class 8 PYQs

Ask in Q&A

Social Studies flashcards

Related chapters

Students who read How the State Government Works usually read these next.

Advent of the Europeans

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 8 Social Science — History Chapter 1, Advent of the Europeans. Why Europeans sought a sea route to India, the coming of the Portuguese (Vasco da Gama, Almeida, Albuquerque), the Dutch, the English and the French East India Companies, the trading factories they set up, and the rivalry between them. Notes with the actual book-back questions, common mistakes and quick revision.

From Trade to Territory

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 8 Social Science — History Chapter 2, From Trade to Territory. How the English East India Company turned from a trading body into a ruling power — the Battle of Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764), Robert Clive and the Diwani of Bengal, and the policies of expansion (Subsidiary Alliance and Doctrine of Lapse). Notes with the actual book-back questions, common mistakes and quick revision.

Rural Life and Society

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 8 Social Science — History Chapter 3, Rural Life and Society. How the British changed the Indian village through new land revenue systems — the Permanent Settlement (Cornwallis), the Ryotwari system (Munro and Read) and the Mahalwari system (Bentinck) — and the suffering of peasants that led to the Indigo Revolt. Notes with the actual book-back questions, common mistakes and quick revision.

People's Revolt

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 8 Social Science — History Chapter 4, People's Revolt. The Great Revolt of 1857 — its political, economic, social, religious and military causes, the immediate cause of the greased Enfield cartridges, the leaders (Mangal Pandey, Bahadur Shah II, Nana Sahib, Tantia Tope, Rani Lakshmi Bai), and the reasons the revolt failed. Notes with the actual book-back questions, common mistakes and quick revision.