Indian Constitution - general studies MCQs

ANSWER: c) India

Explanation: At around 444 Articles that are divided in 22 parts, and 12 Schedules, India's Constitution stands considerably larger than most other Constitutions. United States Constitution is the shortest written constitution with just 7 articles.

ANSWER: a) 26th November, 1949

ANSWER: d) Secular, Socialist, Integrity

Explanation: These words were added through the 42nd amendment Act in 1976.

ANSWER: c) Article 368

Explanation: There is a procedure for amending the Constitution, and since the Preamble is also regarded as a part of the Constitution, it can be amended. It was indeed amended in 1976 by the 42nd Amendment Act.

ANSWER: a) Kesavananda Bharti vs State of Kerala (1973)

Explanation: In this famous case the court gave us the famous doctrine of “basic structure” that dictated that the Constitution can't be changed beyond a certain limit.

ANSWER: a) Article 14-18

Explanation: This includes: Equality Before Law, Social Equality and Equal Access to Public Areas, Equality in Matters of Public Employment, Abolition of Untouchability, Abolition of Titles

ANSWER: b) Article 19-22

Explanation: This includes: Freedom of speech and expression, Freedom to assemble peacefully, Freedom to form associations or unions, Freedom to move freely throughout the territory of India, Freedom to live and settle in any part of the territory of India, Freedom to practice any profession or to carry on any occupation, trade or business

ANSWER: b) Article 23-24

Explanation: This includes: eradication of human trafficking and forced labor (beggar), abolition of employment of children below the age of 14 years in dangerous jobs like factories and mines etc

ANSWER: c) Article 25-28

Explanation: This includes: Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion, Freedom to run religious affairs, no compulsion to pay any tax for the promotion or maintenance of any religion, freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in certain educational institutions

ANSWER: c) Article 32

Explanation: Different writs in the Constitution aim at protecting the Fundamental Rights of citizens: habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari.

Habeas corpus means that the arrested person must be brought before the court, that holds the right to set the person free if the grounds of arrest are found to be faulty.

Mandamus is issued when an office holder is found to misuse his duties

Prohibition is issued by higher courts when they find that lower courts have made judgments beyond their powers of jurisdiction

Quo warranto is issued when the court finds that the office holder is illegally holding that position

Certiorari is issued when a court wants to order a lower court or similar authority to transfer some matter pending before it to other courts or other authorities

ANSWER: a) 26th November, 1949

Explanation: on 26 November 1949, the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India. The Constitution was drafted by a committee headed by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar,
The Constitution came into effect from 26th January, 1950

ANSWER: d) Australia

ANSWER: a) 42nd Constitutional Amendment

Explanation: The Fundamental Duties were added to the Constitution by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, upon the recommendations of the Swaran Singh Committee

ANSWER: a) British form of government

Explanation: The UK also has an unwritten Constitution, because it doesn't have any single document that codifies all of their principles and laws.

ANSWER: a) British form of government

ANSWER: b) United States

ANSWER: a) Ireland

Explanation: The idea of Directive Principles of State Policy was adopted from the Irish Constitution. Although the DPSP cannot be enforced in a court of law, they are the governing principles based on which a state is supposed to act. A Constitutional Amendment bill is necessary to bring about a change in the Directive Principles.

ANSWER: a) Weimar Constitution of Germany

Explanation: There have been 3 incidences when the Emergency was declared in India: Indo-China war, Indo-Pak war, and when India Gandhi declared threat to national security due to 'internal disturbances'.

ANSWER: d) France

Explanation: 'Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity' is also the national motto of France and Republic of Haiti. The motto was first used in the French Revolution.

ANSWER: b) Fifth Schedule

Explanation: As per Article 244 (1), “The provisions of the Fifth Schedule shall apply to the administration and control of the Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in any State other than the States of Assam Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram”

ANSWER: d) Eleventh Schedule

ANSWER: b) 61st Constitutional Amendment of 1988

Explanation: This change was brought about by amending Article 326 of the Constitution, and the bill for this purpose was introduced by B. Shankaranand, the then Minister of Water Resources

ANSWER: c) Partly rigid, partly flexible

Explanation: To achieve the balance of challenging modernity without losing sight of our most fundamental ideals, our Constitution contains rigidity and flexibility at the same time. For some provisions, there needs to be a special majority for the Amendment to be passed whereas for other parts one can introduce an Amendment with just a simple majority.

ANSWER: a) Kesavananda Bharti vs State of Kerala (1973)

Explanation: This is probably the most landmark case in Indian judicial history, and the length of the judgment delivered is also a record: it was around 800 pages long and had more than 4,20,000 words. The doctrine of 'basic structure' came into being after this case.

ANSWER: c) Federal system of government but showing a unitary bias.

Explanation: This part is borrowed from the Canadian form of government that also shows strong bias towards the Center. Other features of this form of government include: appointment of state governor by the Center, vesting residual powers with the Center, etc.

ANSWER: a) absolutely independent

ANSWER: b) system of political economy that ensures equitable distribution of wealth and protects from exploitation

ANSWER: b) head of the state is elected by the citizens and is not hereditary.

ANSWER: c) having no official state religion and granting every citizen the right to freely follow any religion of his or her choice

ANSWER: d) granting equal voting rights to every single citizen of the nation

ANSWER: c) They can be enforced in court of law

Explanation: The idea of Directive Principles of State Policy was adopted from the Irish Constitution. Although the DPSP cannot be enforced in a court of law, they are the governing principles based on which a state is supposed to act. A Constitutional Amendment bill is necessary to bring about a change in the Directive Principles.

ANSWER: b) Supreme Court

Explanation: India has a system of courts at all levels- from district and lower courts, high courts, till Supreme Court that stands at the apex of the judicial system. Extreme care has been taken to make sure that the courts remain independent from the influence of Executive and maintain their integrity. Supreme Court is granted the power to declare parliamentary laws at unconstitutional if it finds them so. This is balanced by granting the powers of amendment of Constitution (major portions of it) to the Parliament

ANSWER: d) Swaran Singh committee

Explanation: They were added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976-77 during the time of Emergency.. The committee suggested several changes to the Constitution, along with adding three words in the Preamble.
Swaran Singh was the chairperson of the committee, and he was awarded Padma Vibhushan award in 1992