Indian Politics Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The National Monuments Authority was set up under the Ministry of Culture. It was constituted under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010, and works in association with the Archaeological Survey of India, which is itself under the Ministry of Culture, to look after protected monuments and the prohibited and regulated areas around them. The Ministries of Home Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, and Tourism do not administer the Authority.

Answer: B

The official key is option B, B R Ambedkar. What was not confirmed: a source for the remark that Part III is the most criticised part of the Constitution, and for the name of the person who made it, could not be found in this review. The key is kept as printed. The other names given are S Radhakrishnan, Mahatma Gandhi and M N Roy, and nothing found in this review shows that the key is wrong. Part III is the Part on Fundamental Rights (Articles 12 to 35).

Answer: C

Article 56(1)(b) says that the President may be removed from office for violation of the Constitution by impeachment in the manner provided in Article 61, which is the option printed as Article 56 (b). Article 53 vests the executive power of the Union in the President, Article 54 provides for the election of the President, and Article 55 lays down the manner of that election. They do not deal with removal, so only the option based on Article 56 fits.

Answer: D

Judicial activism is the philosophy that courts can and should go beyond the applicable law and consider the broader social effects of their decisions. Judicial restraint is the opposite view, that courts should limit themselves to applying the law and defer to the legislature. Judicial review is the power of a court to examine the constitutionality of laws, and judicial philosophy is a general term and not a name for this specific approach. So the answer is judicial activism.

Answer: D

The principle of equal pay for equal work for both men and women is in Article 39(d) of the Constitution, one of the Directive Principles of State Policy. Article 39(a) is about an adequate means of livelihood, 39(b) is about the distribution of material resources and 39(c) about avoiding the concentration of wealth. The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 gave effect to the principle, and the question's word 'Act' is a loose use for an article.

Answer: A

The population census falls under Article 246, which divides the legislative powers between Parliament and the State legislatures. Entry 69 of the Union List in the Seventh Schedule gives the subject of the census to Parliament.

Article 233 deals with the appointment of district judges, Article 179 with the vacation of the offices of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of a State Assembly, and Article 128 with the attendance of retired judges at the Supreme Court. None concerns the census.

Answer: B

The President nominates 12 members to the Rajya Sabha, under Article 80(3) of the Constitution, from among persons with special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art and social service.

The Rajya Sabha has 238 elected members and 12 nominated members, so the total strength is a maximum of 250. The figures 10, 14 and 15 are not the number of nominated members.

Answer: B

The administrative expenses of a High Court, including the salaries, allowances and pensions of its officers and servants, are charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State, under Article 229(3) of the Constitution. The salaries of High Court judges themselves are charged under Article 202 on the State fund as well.

The Consolidated Fund of India bears the expenses of the Supreme Court, and not those of High Courts. The Public Account and the Reserve Bank are not the fund from which these are paid.

Answer: D

The incorrect statement is that a financial emergency is proclaimed under Article 356. Article 356 provides for the failure of the constitutional machinery in a State, the President's rule. A financial emergency is proclaimed under Article 360 if the financial stability or credit of India or part of it is threatened.

The other statements are right: the President proclaims it, the Union gets the power to direct States to follow canons of financial propriety, and the President may direct the reduction of salaries of persons serving the Union and the States, including judges.

Answer: B

The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2002 inserted Article 21A, which makes free and compulsory education a fundamental right for children aged 6 to 14 years. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, was passed to give effect to this article.

The age ranges 5-11, 7-16 and 6-17 do not appear in the article, so only 6-14 years matches the amendment.

The same amendment also changed the directive principle on early childhood in Article 45, and added a fundamental duty in Article 51A for parents and guardians to give opportunities for education to children between 6 and 14. The amendment came into force only after the 2009 Act was passed and notified in 2010.