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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

Human Rights and UNO

Samacheer Kalvi (TN State Board) Class 8 Social Science — Civics Chapter 4, Human Rights and UNO. The meaning of human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948, 30 articles), the founding and main organs of the United Nations (24 October 1945), and the National Human Rights Commission (1993). Notes with the actual book-back questions, common mistakes and quick revision.

⏱ 16 min readEasy difficulty✓ Free · NCERT-aligned

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

1Define human rights
2Recall the UDHR (1948, 30 articles)
3State when the UNO was founded
4Name the main organs of the UN
5Identify the NHRC and its year

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Why this chapter matters

Human Rights and UNO explains the rights every person has and the world body that protects peace and human rights. The UDHR (1948), the UNO's founding (1945) and its organs, and the NHRC (1993) are directly tested book-back content in the TN Class 8 exam.

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

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Chapter 3 — Understanding Secularism

Rights and equality.

Human Rights and UNO — Class 8 Social Science (Samacheer Kalvi)

TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 8 Social Science, Civics — Chapter 4. The rights every human has, and the UN that protects them.

1. About this lesson

This lesson explains human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Organisation (UNO) and its organs, and the National Human Rights Commission.

2. Human rights

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language or religion.
They include freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, and the right to a fair trial.

3. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

After the Second World War, the UN took steps to protect human rights.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted on 10 December 1948 (now observed as Human Rights Day); it contains 30 articles.

4. The United Nations Organisation (UNO)

The UNO was established on 24 October 1945 (observed as UN Day) to maintain world peace and security.
Its main organs are: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the International Court of Justice (at The Hague), the Trusteeship Council, and the Secretariat (headed by the Secretary-General).

5. Human rights in India

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was set up in 1993 to protect and promote human rights in India.

6. Worked examples

Example 1. When was the UDHR adopted? On 10 December 1948 (Human Rights Day).

Example 2. How many articles does the UDHR contain? 30 articles.

Example 3. When was the UNO founded? On 24 October 1945.

7. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)

I. Choose the correct answer

The UNO was established on — (a) 24 October 1945 / (b) 10 December 1948. Ans: (a) 24 October 1945.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights contains ____ articles — (a) 30 / (b) 50. Ans: (a) 30.
Human Rights Day is observed on — (a) 10 December / (b) 24 October. Ans: (a) 10 December.
The National Human Rights Commission was set up in — (a) 1993 / (b) 1948. Ans: (a) 1993.
The judicial organ of the UN is the — (a) International Court of Justice / (b) Security Council. Ans: (a) International Court of Justice.

II. Fill in the blanks 6. Human rights belong to all human beings irrespective of race, sex, religion etc. 7. The UDHR was adopted in the year 1948. 8. The UN headquarters for the World Court is at The Hague.

III. Answer briefly 9. What are human rights? 10. Name any three organs of the United Nations.

8. Common mistakes

Mistake: Confusing the dates of the UNO and the UDHR. Fix: UNO founded 24 October 1945; UDHR adopted 10 December 1948.
Mistake: Saying human rights must be earned. Fix: Human rights are inherent — everyone has them by being human.
Mistake: Giving the wrong number of UDHR articles. Fix: The UDHR has 30 articles.

9. Quick revision

Civics Ch 4 · human rights and the UN.
Human rights = inherent to all, regardless of race, sex, religion etc.
UDHR adopted 10 December 1948 (Human Rights Day); 30 articles.
UNO founded 24 October 1945 (UN Day); organs: General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, ICJ (The Hague), Trusteeship Council, Secretariat.
NHRC set up in India in 1993.

Key formulas & results

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

Human rights

inherent to all, regardless of race/sex/religion

Cannot be taken away.

UDHR

adopted 10 December 1948; 30 articles

Human Rights Day.

UNO

founded 24 October 1945 (UN Day)

For peace and security.

UN organs / NHRC

General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, ICJ, Trusteeship, Secretariat; NHRC 1993

ICJ at The Hague.

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Common mistakes & fixes

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

WATCH OUT

✗ Confusing the dates of the UNO and the UDHR

✓ UNO founded 24 October 1945; UDHR adopted 10 December 1948.

WATCH OUT

✗ Saying human rights must be earned

✓ Human rights are inherent — everyone has them by being human.

WATCH OUT

✗ Giving the wrong number of UDHR articles

✓ The UDHR has 30 articles.

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 UNO, UDHR, Human Rights Day and the NHRC.

Questions

Fill in the blanks

Human rights, 1948 and The Hague.

Questions

Answer briefly

Human rights, organs of the UN.

Questions

Practice problems

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

Q1EASY· MCQ

The UNO was established on ____.

▶ Show solution

24 October 1945.

Q2EASY· MCQ

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights contains ____ articles.

▶ Show solution

30.

Q3EASY· MCQ

The National Human Rights Commission was set up in the year ____.

▶ Show solution

1993.

Q4EASY· Fill in the blanks

Human Rights Day is observed on ____.

▶ Show solution

10 December.

Q5MEDIUM· Answer briefly

What are human rights?

▶ Show solution

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language or religion — including freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, and the right to a fair trial.

Q6MEDIUM· Answer briefly

Name any three organs of the United Nations.

▶ Show solution

The General Assembly, the Security Council and the International Court of Justice (also ECOSOC, the Trusteeship Council and the Secretariat).

5-minute revision

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

•Civics Chapter 4 of Samacheer Kalvi Class 8 Social Science.
•Human rights are inherent to all, regardless of race, sex, religion etc.
•UDHR adopted on 10 December 1948 (Human Rights Day); it has 30 articles.
•UNO founded on 24 October 1945 (UN Day) for peace and security.
•UN organs: General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, ICJ (The Hague), Trusteeship Council, Secretariat.
•India's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was set up in 1993.

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	Dates, UDHR, NHRC
Short Answer	2-3	1-2	Human rights, UN organs
Application	2	1	Role of the UN

Prep strategy

Separate the 1945 and 1948 dates
Memorise the six UN organs
Remember 30 UDHR articles and the NHRC year (1993)
Define human rights in one line

Where this shows up in the real world

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

Justice

Human-rights laws protect people from abuse and discrimination.

World peace

The UN works to prevent and end conflicts.

Awareness

Knowing your rights helps you stand up for yourself and others.

Exam strategy

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

Quote 24 October 1945 and 10 December 1948 separately
State 30 UDHR articles
List three UN organs
Tie the NHRC to 1993

Going beyond the textbook

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

Pick five UDHR articles and explain them in your own words.
Describe the special role of the Security Council in the UN.

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

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Questions students ask

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The terrible suffering of the war made nations resolve to prevent such horrors again, so they founded the UN to keep peace and adopted the UDHR to protect the basic rights of every human being.

Set up in 1993, the NHRC investigates complaints of human-rights violations in India, recommends action and works to protect and promote people's rights.

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