Constitution, Social Justice and Human Rights Questions and Answers

Answer: C

Public Interest Litigation is litigation that lets a public-spirited person or organisation approach the court for the benefit of poor, needy and weaker sections who cannot reach it themselves, often with the help of NGOs and the media. It relaxes the rule of locus standi. It is not a mechanism for justice outside the court, since it works through the High Courts and the Supreme Court. Speedy justice may be a hoped-for result but is not its definition, and 'none of the above' is wrong because the third option fits.

Answer: D

The Factories Act was passed in 1948, so that pairing is correct. The other three are wrongly dated in the options. The Untouchability (Offences) Act came in 1955, not 1954, and later became the Protection of Civil Rights Act. The Dowry Prohibition Act is of 1961, not 1962. The Juvenile Justice Act, in its first form as the Juvenile Justice Act of 1986, is not 1985. Only the Factories Act pair is a correct match.

Answer: B

The objective of social legislation is to bridge the gap between current social needs and the existing laws, so that the law keeps pace with changing society. Solving social problems is too broad a claim, since a law alone does not solve problems, and making new laws or reviewing laws are means, not the objective. The keyed answer is the one stating the aim of fitting the legal framework to present needs.

Answer: C

The keyed choice is that (A) is correct and (R) is wrong. Protection under the Domestic Violence Act places a legal duty on family members and the household, so the family's responsibility toward its women does increase, and the assertion holds. The reason is not accepted, because the Act is meant to make the family safer and to strengthen it as an institution, not to weaken it. The options that call (R) correct, or both wrong, therefore do not fit.

Answer: A

Both statements are correct and the reason explains the assertion. The slogan 'all human rights for all' cannot be realised unless the right to development is also realised, because without development people lack the means to enjoy their other civil, political, economic and social rights. The right to development ensures the realisation of human rights, which is why the assertion is true. The options denying either statement, or the link between them, are wrong.

Answer: D

The correct pairing is Mental Health Act 1987, Environment Protection Act 1986, Developmental Disabilities Act 1984 and Job Training and Partnership Act 1983. The Indian Mental Health Act is of 1987, and the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986, the year after the Bhopal gas disaster. The Developmental Disabilities Act is the American law of 1984. The Job Training and Partnership Act, an American law passed in 1982, began operating in 1983, which is the only year left for it. That gives the code (4) (3) (2) (1).

Answer: A

The Industrial Disputes Act is of 1947, the Employees' Provident Fund Act of 1952, the Employees' State Insurance Act of 1948, and the Maternity Benefit Act of 1961. In the code, (i) goes with 1947, (ii) with 1952, (iii) with 1948 and (iv) with 1961, giving (4) (2) (1) (3). The options that give the ESI Act 1952 or the Maternity Benefit Act 1948 swap the years.

Answer: B

Both statements are true and the reason explains the assertion. Gender is a social construct: it describes the roles, positions and expectations a society attaches to men and women, as opposed to biological sex. A social worker who understands this can see how unequal positions create specific problems such as discrimination, violence and unequal access to resources, and so understands gender-specific issues better. That is why option B is right. Options A, C and D each call at least one statement wrong, but both statements hold in standard social work teaching.

Answer: D

Social legislation is law made to protect or improve the condition of weaker sections or to deal with social problems. The Protection of Civil Rights Act (untouchability offences), the Beggars Act (Prevention of Begging laws of the states) and the Right to Information Act, which gives citizens access to government information, are treated as social legislation under the key. The Forest Conservation Act is an environmental law concerned with the diversion of forest land, so it is the one that is not a social legislation, option D.

Answer: A

The Right to Work is not a Fundamental Right in Part III of the Constitution; it appears among the Directive Principles in Article 41. The Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32), the Right to Freedom of Religion (Articles 25 to 28) and the Right to Equality (Articles 14 to 18) are all Fundamental Rights. So the right that is not fundamental is the Right to Work, option A.