UPSC Static Quiz – Polity : 7 April 2026

Solution: C

Provisions of the Constitution:

• The relevant Constitutional provisions stand on two legs, which are mutually supportive. On the one hand, there is the principle of Equality, which prohibits the State from discrimination against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them under Article 15(1), and guarantees “equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the State” under Article 16(1), in addition to prohibition against discrimination against any citizen on the same grounds as in Article 15(1), specifically with respect to employment or appointment under the State.
• The other leg is the special provisions, which under Article 15(4) empowers the State to “make any provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes”, and under Article 16(4) provides “for the reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens, which in the opinion of the State, is not adequately represented in the services under the State”.

Solution: B

The function of a constitution is to

• provide a set of basic rules that allow for minimal coordination amongst members of a society.
• specify who has the power to make decisions in a society. It decides how the government will be constituted.
• set some limits on what a government can impose on its citizens. These limits are fundamental in the sense that government may never trespass them.
• enable the government to fulfil the aspirations of a society and create conditions for a just society.
• ensure that a dominant group does not use its power against other less powerful people or groups. Every society is prone to this tyranny of the majority. The Constitution usually contains rules that ensure that minorities are not excluded from anything that is routinely available to the majority

A constitution does not always specify for a democracy.

Solution: A

Statement 2 is incorrect.

A preamble serves as an introduction to a document and contains its basic principles and goals. When the Indian Constitution was being drafted, the ideals behind the preamble were first laid down in the Objectives Resolution, adopted by the Constituent Assembly in 1947.

Additionally, the violation of any principle mentioned in the preamble cannot be a reason to go to court, meaning the preamble is “non-justiciable” — however, judgments of courts can cite it as an additional factor in their reasoning, given that it constitutes the spirit of the Constitution.

The 42nd Amendment to the Constitution, passed in 1976 when the Emergency was in place, replaced the words “sovereign democratic republic” with “sovereign socialist secular democratic republic”. It also changed “unity of the nation” to “unity and integrity of the nation”.

Solution: D

During the operation of a National Emergency, all Fundamental Rights except those guaranteed under Articles 20 and 21 (Protection in respect of conviction for offenses and Right to Life and Personal Liberty, respectively) can be suspended. Article 21 is considered so fundamental that it cannot be suspended even during emergencies, ensuring the basic protection of human dignity. This safeguard prevents arbitrary deprivation of life and liberty, making Article 21 one of the most significant rights in the Indian Constitution.

Solution: B

Statement 1 is incorrect.

The Fundamental Duties were incorporated in Part IV-A of the Constitution by the Constitution 42nd Amendment Act, 1976. Today, there are 11 Fundamental Duties described under Article 51-A, of which 10 were introduced by the 42nd Amendment and the 11th was added by the 86th Amendment in 2002.

These are statutory duties, not enforceable by law, but a court may take them into account while adjudicating on a matter. The idea behind their incorporation was to emphasise the obligation of the citizen in exchange for the Fundamental Rights that he or she enjoys. The concept of Fundamental Duties is taken from the Constitution of Russia.