Making of the Constitution & Salient Features: previous-year questions

Answer: (B) 395 Articles and 8 Schedules

As adopted in 1949, the Constitution had 395 Articles (in 22 Parts) and 8 Schedules. The Schedules grew to 12 only through later amendments, so 7, 6 or 4 Schedules are all wrong, and 392 or 396 Articles do not match the original text.

Answer: (B) Prem Behari Narain Raizada.

The original English Constitution was hand-written in flowing italic calligraphy by Prem Behari Narain Raizada, while its pages were decorated by artists of Santiniketan under Nandalal Bose. K. M. Munshi was a member of the Drafting Committee, and Kidwai and Katju were political leaders, not the calligrapher.

Answer: (A) 1987

Goa was separated from the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu and made the 25th State on 30 May 1987 by the Goa, Daman and Diu Reorganisation Act, 1987. The later years are wrong; no new State was created in 1988–1990.

Answer: (C) Official Languages

The Eighth Schedule lists the languages recognised by the Constitution (22 at present). Tribal-area administration is in the Fifth and Sixth Schedules, Panchayats in the Eleventh and Municipalities in the Twelfth.

Answer: (A) Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected permanent President of the Constituent Assembly on 11 December 1946 (Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha was the temporary President). Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee, Patel headed committees on Fundamental Rights and minorities, and Frank Anthony represented Anglo-Indians.

Answer: (C) Australia

The Concurrent List, along with freedom of trade and commerce and the joint sitting provision, was borrowed from the Australian Constitution. The USA gave judicial review and fundamental rights, and Japan the 'procedure established by law'; China is not a source. Same question repeat of Q57.

Answer: (B) India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.

Article 1(1) reads 'India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.' The Constitution never uses the words 'federation', 'quasi-federal' or 'unitary' — 'quasi-federal' is only K. C. Wheare's description of it.

Answer: (C) Uttarakhand

Answer as of 2023 — this may have changed since.

Uttarakhand made Sanskrit its second official language in 2010, the first State to do so. Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh use Kannada and Hindi respectively with no such status for Sanskrit. Note: Himachal Pradesh also declared Sanskrit its second official language in 2019, so (D) is correct as well. But PSC answer key is C only.

Answer: (C) Alexanderowic

The remark that the Indian Constitution strikes a good balance between extreme rigidity and too much flexibility is attributed to the jurist C. H. Alexandrowicz. K. C. Wheare is known for calling it 'quasi-federal', while Ambedkar and Pylee are not credited with this line.

Answer: (C) 3rd Schedule

The Third Schedule contains the forms of oaths or affirmations for Union and State ministers, MPs, MLAs, judges and the CAG. The Fourth Schedule allocates Rajya Sabha seats, the Fifth deals with Scheduled Areas and the Eleventh with Panchayat powers. Repeat of Q60 (worded slightly differently).

Answer: (C) Australia

The Concurrent List was borrowed from the Constitution of Australia, along with freedom of trade, commerce and intercourse and the joint sitting of the two Houses. The USA gave judicial review and the Bill of Rights, Japan the 'procedure established by law'; China is not a source. The same question repeat of Q23.

Answer: (C) Linguistic and cultural uniformity

Following the Fazl Ali (States Reorganisation) Commission, the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 redrew State boundaries mainly on linguistic lines, creating 14 States and 6 Union Territories. Administrative convenience and security were considered but were not the main basis.

Answer: (C) Third Schedule

The Third Schedule prescribes the forms of oaths and affirmations for ministers, legislators, judges and the CAG. The Fourth Schedule allocates Rajya Sabha seats, the Fifth covers Scheduled Areas and the Eleventh lists Panchayat subjects. Repeat of Q36 (worded slightly differently).

Answer: (D) 12

Answer as of 2023 — this may have changed since.

The Constitution now has 12 Schedules: eight originally, the Ninth added in 1951, the Tenth in 1985, the Eleventh in 1992 and the Twelfth in 1992. 22 is the number of languages in the Eighth Schedule and of original Parts, so it is the tempting wrong option.

No option is correct as printed — this question is disputed. WBPSC awarded the mark to all candidates: no option names the State of Arunachal Pradesh Act, 1986 / 55th Amendment, 1986 that granted statehood.

None of the options is correct: Arunachal Pradesh became a State on 20 February 1987 under the State of Arunachal Pradesh Act, 1986, read with the Constitution (55th Amendment) Act, 1986. There is no 'Constitution Act' or 'Government of India Act' of 1981 or 1987 granting statehood, so the WB PSC awarded the mark to all candidates.

Answer: (C) 22nd July, 1947

The Constituent Assembly adopted the tricolour as the National Flag on 22 July 1947. 15 August 1947 is Independence Day, 26 November 1949 the date the Constitution was adopted and 26 January 1950 the date it came into force.

Answer: (D) 395 Articles

When the Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950 it had 395 Articles in 22 Parts and 8 Schedules. The other figures do not match the original text; later amendments added Articles such as 21A or 243A without renumbering.

Answer: (C) Fundamental Rights

Fundamental Rights were modelled on the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution, not the British Constitution, which has no codified fundamental rights. The parliamentary system, rule of law and single citizenship are the main British borrowings.

Answer: (A) Russia

The idea of five-year planning was taken from the Soviet Union, where Stalin launched the first Five-Year Plan in 1928. Strictly, the plans are not in the Constitution: the Planning Commission was created by a Cabinet resolution on 15 March 1950 as an extra-constitutional, non-statutory body, and the First Plan covered 1951–56. Twelve plans were completed before NITI Aayog replaced the Commission on 1 January 2015. Also from the USSR: Fundamental Duties and the ideal of social, economic and political justice. From England: parliamentary government and rule of law. From the USA: Fundamental Rights and judicial review. From Weimar Germany: suspension of Fundamental Rights during an emergency.

Answer: (D) It is the result of an agreement among the federating units.

The Indian federation is not the result of an agreement among the States: Article 1 calls India a "Union of States", and Dr Ambedkar explained that the phrase was chosen because the federation did not arise from a compact and no State has the right to secede. It is a "holding together" federation, unlike the "coming together" federation of the USA. The other three statements are true of India: an independent judiciary, a clear division of powers through three Lists, and unequal representation of States in the Rajya Sabha (by population, unlike the US Senate's two seats for every state). K. C. Wheare therefore called India "quasi-federal".