indian history and culture cst performance pt indian ... · kalaripayattu derives its name from ......

65TIMESCivil Services

www.civilservicestimes.comCurrent NEWS covered up to FEBRUARY 01, 2015

MARCH 2015, XXI Year, Issue No.03

We are extremely happy andsatisfied to inform that CSThas once again managed to

directly answer 17 out of 22 ques-tions related to Indian History andCulture. Considering the growingweightage of this section, CST has start-ed special practice session for IndianArt and Culture. We will also contin-ue to publish exclusive material on artand culture in coming editions. By andlarge one can refer two volumes of theWonder That Was India. The Volume1 is written by A L Basham and Vol-ume 2 is compiled by SAA Rizvi. Be-sides that the Gazetteer of India, Vol-ume 2, published by the PublicationDivision, could be of immense use. Wewould also try to improve the level ofthe compiled material in subsequenteditions. Thanks for your trust andsupport.Indian Art and Culture1. With reference to the famous Sat-triya dance, consider the followingstatements:1. Sattriya is a combination of music,dance and drama.2. It is a centuries-old living traditionof Vaishnavites of Assam.3. It is based on classical Ragas andTalas of devotional songs composed byTulsidas, Kabir and Mirabai.Which of the statements given aboveis /are correct?(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 2 only(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3Answer.B: Sattriya, or Sattriya Nritya,is one among eight principal classicalIndian dance traditions. Whereas someof the other traditions have been re-vived in the recent past, Sattriya hasremained a living tradition since itscreation by the Assamese Vaishnavsaint Srimanta Sankardeva, in 15th cen-tury Assam.2. With reference to India’s culture andtradition, what is ‘Kalaripayattu’?(a) It is an ancient Bhakti cult ofShaivism still prevalent in some partsof South India(b) It is an ancient style bronze andbrasswork still found in southern partof Coromandel area(c) It is an ancient form of dance-dra-

ma and a living tradition in the north-ern part of Malabar(d) It is an ancient martial art and a liv-ing tradition in some parts of SouthIndiaAnswer. D: Source CST Year Book2013-14, Page No. III 59 and ColumnNo. 2.

Kalaripayattu: Basically, it is a mar-tial dance form and perhaps the oldestmartial art practiced in the world.Kalaripayattu derives its name from"Kalari" or the arena in which the com-batants fight and "payattu" whichmeans practice in Malayalam.3. Consider the following pairs :1. Garba : Gujarat2. Mohiniattam : Odisha3. Yakshagana : KarnatakaWhich of the pairs given above is/arecorrectly matched?(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3Answer. C: Source CST Year Book2013-14, Page No. III 59 and ColumnNo. 1.Kerala has a rich tradition in the arts,both classical and folk. There are morethan 50 well known's folk dances inKerala. In addition to the classical artforms like Koodiyattom (UNESCOHuman Heritage Art), Kathakali, Ker-ala Natanam, Koothu, MohiniyaattamThullal, Padayani and Theyyam. Na-tive performing arts include koodiyat-tom (a 2000 year old Sanskrit theatretradition, officially recognised byUNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oraland Intangible Heritage of Humanity),kathakali —from katha ("story") andkali ("performance")—and its offshootKerala natanam , koothu (akin to stand-up comedy), mohiniaattam ("dance ofthe enchantress"), thullal , padayani ,and theyyam .Other forms of art aremore religious or tribal in nature.4. A community of people called Man-ganiyars is well-known for their(a) martial arts in North-East India(b) musical tradition in North-WestIndia(c) classical vocal music in South India(d) pietra dura tradition in Central In-diaAnswer. B: Source CST Year Book

2013-14, Page No. III 100 and ColumnNo. 2.The famous Maand of Rajasthan,which is a unique style of singing anda core melody, is their creation. Trueto its desert environment, the Maandspeaks of love, separation, chivalry andrevelry. Ballads are an integral part ofprofessional repertoire and DholaMaru, Moomal-Mhendra, Doongji-Jawarji, Galaleng, Jala-Boobna, Nagji-Nagwanti are the more popular ones.The Mahabhrat and the Ramayan arepopular themes for ballads and Mira-sis and Jogis of Mewat have delightfulfolk version of the former, whileHadoti has the Ramayan to Dhai kadi.5. With reference to the cultural histo-ry of India, the term ‘Panchayatan’ re-fers to(a) an assembly of village elders(b) a religious sect(c) a style of temple construction(d) an administrative functionaryAnswer. C: The Panchayatan temple,built by Nanasaheb Peshwa in 1749,completes 265 years in 2014. The his-toric temple continues to attract localsand tourists in hordes as it remains theonly place in the city that offers the tri-ple treat - a trek, a temple visit and apanoramic view of the city -- all rolledinto one. The place's historic and reli-gious significance aside, the climb of103 steps is a physical activity manyPuneites swear by.6. The national motto of India, ‘Sa-tyameva Jayate’ inscribed below theEmblem of India is taken from(a) Katha Upanishad(b) Chandogya Upanishad(c) Aitareya Upanishad(d) Mundaka UpanishadAnswer. D: Source CST April 2014,Page No. 114 and Column No. 2.The words ‘Satyameva Iayate’ from‘Mundaka Upanishad’, meaning‘Truth Alone Triumphs’, are inscribedbelow the abacus in Devanagari script.7. Every year, a monthlong ecological-ly important campaign/festival is heldduring which certain communities/tribes plant saplings of fruit-bearingtrees. Which of the following are suchcommunities/tribes?

PT Indian History and Culture Sectionwith CST performance in 2014

Indian History and Culture CST PERFORMANCE




(a) Bhutia and Lepcha(b) Gond and Korku(c) lrula and Toda(d) Sahariya and AgariyaAnswer. B: Korkus have derived theirname from the combination of theword ‘koru’ meaning man and ‘ku’which makes it plural meaning tribalmen (Russell and Hiralal, 1916). TheKorkus are a branch of the great Mun-da tribes and are placed here in the vi-cinity of the great tribe-the Gonds(Deogaonkar et al., 1990). The Korkutribe lives in small groups of huts madeof grass and wood. Every householdhas elevated stage like structure in thefront side of the house. This elevatedstage is used as a storage space of farmproduce such as cattle feed)8. With reference to ‘Changpa’ com-munity of India, consider the follow-ing statement :1. They live mainly in the State of Utt-arakhand.2. They rear the Pashmina goats thatyield a fine wool.3. They are kept in the category ofScheduled Tribes.Which of the statements given aboveis/are correct?(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only(c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3Answer. B: Source CST Year Book2013-14, Page No. III 45 and ColumnNo. 2.This dance form is peculiar to Chang-Thang and Rong areas of Ladakh re-gion. Both males and females face eachother forming rows or circles anddance leaping hand in hand forwardsand backwards reciting melodioussongs.9. Consider the following towns ofIndia:1. Bhadrachalam2. Chanderi 3. Kancheepuram4. KamalWhich of the above are famous for theproduction of traditional sarees / fab-ric?(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1, 2 and 3 (d) 1, 3 and 4Answer. B: Source CST Year Book2013-14, Page No. III 107 and ColumnNo. 1.Kanchipuram, Kanchi, or Kancheep-uram (also sometimes Conjeevaram) isthe name of a temple town. In ancienttimes it is called as kachi and kachia-mpathi. Located on the Palar River,

and known for its temples and silksarees.Bhadrachalam: This place is famous forthe Sree Seetharamachandra Swamyshrine, where the 48 forms of LordVishnu are shown.Source CST Year Book 2013-14, PageNo. III 11 and Column No. 2.Cottage industries: the elaborate Chan-deri sari, toys, pottery, decorative waxware, woodwork, and metal utensils.Source CST Year Book 2013-14, PageNo. III 66 and Box.10. Consider the following languag-es:1. Gujatati 2. Kannada3. TeluguWhich of the above has/have beendeclared as ‘Classical Language / Lan-guages’ by the Government?(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3 only(c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3Answer. C: Source CST May 2014,Page No. 126 and Column No. 3.In a significant move, the Union Cabi-net has given its approval for classify-ing Odia as a classical language. Withthis decision, Odia has become thesixth language in India to get classicalstatus. So far, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu,Kannada and Malayalam have beendeclared as classical languages. Therehas been demand for declaring Odiaas a classical language which is one ofoldest languages. It has no resemblanceto Hindi, Sanskrit, Bengali and Telu-gu. Once a language is declared classi-cal, it gets financial assistance for set-ting up a centre of excellence for thestudy of that language and also opensup an avenue for two major awards forscholars of eminence.Indian History1. The Partition of Bengal made byLord Curzon in 1905 lasted until(a) the First World War when Indiantroops were needed by the British andthe partition was ended.(b) King George V abrogated Curzon’sAct at the Royal Darbar in Delhi in 1911(c) Gandhiji launched his Civil Disobe-dience Movement(d) the Partition of India, in 1947 whenEast Bengal became East PakistanAnswer. B : Source CST Indian His-tory Special, Page No. 319Capital shifted to Delhi; Delhi Darbaron 12th December, 1911; Partition re-pealed.2. The 1929 Session of Indian, Nation-

al Congress is of significance in the his-tory of the Freedom Movement be-cause the (a) attainmentof Self-Govern-ment was declared as the objective ofthe Congress; (b) attainment of Poor-na Swaraj Was adopted as the goal ofthe Congress; (c) Non-CooperationMovement was launched; (d) decisionto participate in the Round Table Con-ference in London was taken.Answer. B : Source CST Indian His-tory Special, Page No. 448.Poorna Swaraj or Complete Indepen-dence and Civil Disobedience Move-ment was adopted; the unicolour flaghoisted; 26th January, 1930 was hoist-ed.3. With reference to the Indian histo-ry of art and culture, consider the fol-lowing pairs:Famous work of:sculpture Site1. A grand image of Buddha’s Ma-haparinirvana with numerous celestialmusicians above and the sorrowful fig-ures of his followers below : Ajanta2. A huge image of Varaha Avatar(boar incarnation) of Vishnu, as he res-cues Goddess Earth from the deep andchaotic waters, sculpted on rock :Mount Abu3. “Arjuna’s Penance” /”Descent ofGanga” sculpted on the surface of hugeboulders : MamallapuramWhich of the pairs given above is/ arecorrectly matched?(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3 only,(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3Answer. C: Source CST Indian His-tory Special, Page No. 469Features: (a) initiated new turn in therock-cut method by shaping out freestanding monolithic rathas.(b) Eight rathas have been found atMamallapuram, the city founded byhim, at the mouth of the Palar river, 32miles from Madras.(i) The smallest ratha is named afterDraupadi, it is square and all therathas, except Draupadi,exhibits thestoreyed elevation.(ii) Nakula and Sahadeva ratha is rect-angular and seems to be influenced bythe Buddhist architecture.(iii) Bhima and Ganesa rathas have anoblong plan(iv) Arjuna and Dharmaraja rathas :square shape and are crowned by adomical member called Stupi or stupi-ka.Source CST Indian History Special,





Page No. 465Ajanata Caves of 2nd B.C-7th A.D atMaharashtra at 27 Caves : BuddhistAjanta painting : " The Mother andChild", " The Dying Princess", the Gup-ta time Fresco Paintings In Ajanta cavesXIX and XXVI, are chaitya caves, andthe rest are Viharas. Cave No. X,known as the Visvakarma cave, in thiscave Buddha has seated in Pralamba-pada asana.4. The Ghadr (Ghadar) was a(a) revolutionary association of Indianswith headquarters at San Francisco.(b) nationalist organization operatingfrom Singapore(c) militant organization with head-quarters at Berlin(d) communist movement for India’sfreedom with head-quarters at Tash-kentAnswer. A: Source CST Indian His-tory Special, Page No. 362Gadar Party: Headquarter was at Yu-gantar Ashram, SanFransisco (USA);Founded by Lala Hardayal (and SohanSingh Bhakna); Sohan Singh; Bhaknawas the President; Hardayal was theGeneral Secretary.Pandit Kashi Ram was the treasurer.The old name of the Gadar Party wasHindi Association which was set up inPort Land in May 1913.5. With reference to Buddhist history,tradition and culture in India, consid-er the following pairs:Famous shrine: Location1. Tabo monastery and temple complex: Spiti Valley2. Lhotsava Lhakhang temple, Nako: Zanskar Valley3. Alchi temple complex : LadakhWhich of the pairs given above is/arecorrectly matched?(a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3Answer. C: Source CST Year Book2013-14, Page No. III 42 and ColumnNo. 2.Tabo Monastery: It is another big go-mpa for serving the population of east-ern side. It is a famous gompa next toTholing Gompa in Tibet.6. Consider the followingstatements:1. ‘Bijak’ is a composition of the teach-ings of Saint Dadu Dayal.2. The Philosophy of Pushti Marg waspropounded by Madhvacharya.Which of the statements given aboveis/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2Answer. D: Source CST Indian His-tory Special, Page No. 192(1) Bijaka: seed book, most sacred; Bi-jaka was dictated by Kabir and com-plied by his disciple Bhagawanadasa;his dohas are incorporated in Adi-Grantha.Source CST Indian History Special,Page No. 191Vallabhacharya: Suddhadvaita: Hewas son of Laksmana Bhatt, and be-longed to Kanakarva, and lived forsometime in Vrindavana and worship-per have Krishna and therefore, he isknown as Srinatha.He was a Saguna; wrote Sachitanand ;established Srinath Temple.Established Vaisnava School; his phi-losophy is known as Pustimarga; hisdisciple and son Vittalnath found theRudrasampradaya.(2) Mangala; (3) Sabada; (4) Rekhtal; (5)Basant; (6) Holi; (7) Sakhi7. What was/were the object/objectsof Queen Victoria’s Proclamation(1858)?1. To disclaim any intention to annexIndian States2. To place the Indian administrationunder the British Crown3. To regulate East India Company’strade with IndiaSelect the correct answer using the codegiven below.(a) 1 and 2 only (b) 2 only(c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3Answer. A: Source CST Indian His-tory Special, Page No. 410This Act Company changed the char-acter of British rule. The indirect Brit-ish rule became direct in which theSecretary of State directly controlledthe Governor General while he was di-rectly responsible to the British Parlia-ment. Therefore the indirect control ofBoard of Directors, Board of Controland king-in-council came to an end.8. Ibadat Khana at Fatehpur Sikri was(a) the mosque for the use of RoyalFamily(b) Akbar’s private chamber prayer(c) the hall in which Akbar held dis-cussions with scholars of various reli-gions.(d) the room in which the nobles be-longing to different religions gatheredto discuss religious affairsAnswer. C: It was built in 1575 initial-

ly opened for Sunnis but later in 1578opened to people of all the religions toascertain the truth, to find out & dis-close the principles of genuine religion.9. Which one of the following pairsdoes not form part of the six systemsof Indian Philosophy?(a) Mimamsa and Vedanta(b) Nyaya and Vaisheshika(c) Lokayata and Kapalika(d) Sankhya and YogaAnswer. C: Source CST Indian His-tory Special, Page No. 62The main schools of sutras are (1)Vaiseshika (2) Nyaya (3) Sankhya (4)Yoga (5) Purva Mimamsa and (6) Utt-ara Mimamsa or Vedanta.Generally speaking Vaiseshika (4thcentury B.C) and Nyaya (2nd centuryB.C) are regarded as the earliest andSankhya as the latest; some othersource regard Sankhya as the oldestphilosophy system.Indian orthodox philosophy is knownas Shad-darshana.Sankhya or Samkhya:

Kapila was the earliest exponent ofthis school.

But the earliest surviving text of thesystem is Sankhyakarika of Isvara-krish-na (4th century A.D).

According to this philosophy, thereare as many as 25 basic principle orTattavas (Elements). These 25 tattavasgives rise to creation. Of the 25 tatta-va, the first is prakrti and the 25th isthe Purusha.

It has three basic constituents: (1)Quality (Guna) - causing virtue (Satt-va); (2) Dullness (Tamas); and (3) Pas-sion (Rajas).Nyaya Drashan:

It was a school of logic and episte-mology; it is based on the text onNyaya-sutra of Akashpada Gautama.

It accepts all the categorization of theVaiseshika and also recognize God asthe creator but it differs from theVaiseshika darshan in that clear think-ing and logical arguments can achievesalvation.

It has three main aspects: (1) ratio-nality - to analyse the relationship be-tween cause and effect; (2) to analysecause and effect; and (3) Logic.

The greatest exponent of the philos-ophy was Prakshilaswami Vatsyayana(4th century A.D).10. Which of the following Kingdomswere associated With the life of the





Buddha?1. Avanti 2. Gandhara3. Kosala 4. MagadhaSelect the correct nswer using the codegiven below.(a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 2 and 4(c) 3 and 4 only (a) 1, 3 and 4Answer.C: Source CST Indian Histo-ry Special, Page No. 130Magadha: Gautama: Vaisya Male andKshatriya female but according toBaudhyana : Sudra Male and vaisyafemale.Source CST Indian History Special,Page No. 221Kapilvastu, a republic of Shakyas, wasthe part Koshala republic. Kapilavas-tu had twin capital — Piprahwa in Bas-ti district of UP and Lumbini in Nepal,where Gautam Buddha born in 563 BCso he was called Shakya Muni also.Anga is the eastern most mahajanapa-da; the southern most Asmaka; and onnorth-west frontier Gandhar.11. The Radcliffe Committee was ap-pointed to(a) solve the problem of minorities inIndia(b) give effect to the Independence Bill(c) delimit the boundaries between In-dia and Pakistan(d) enquire into the riots in East Ben-galAnswer. C: Source CST Indian His-tory Special, Page No. 438(ix) Arbitral Tribunal was set up whosePresident was Patrick Spencer, ex-Chief Justice of India;(x) the British troops withdrew on 28thFebruary 1948. The last contingentwas Someret Sire Lt. Infantry;(xi) Under C.Radcliffee the BritishCommission was appointed;(xii) On 11th August 1947, Jinnah waselected as the President of ConstituentAssembly of Pakistan and was giventhe title Qaid-i-Azam.12. In medieval India, the designa-tions ‘Mahattara’ and ‘Pattakila’ wereused for(a) military officers(b) village headmen(e) specialists in Vedic rituals(d) chiefs of craft guildsAnswer. B: Mahattara was a title offeudatory rulers in medieval Indiawhile Pattakila was a tenant of a pieceof land in medieval India. Both wereconsidered Village Headmen in theirrespective areas.

Model Practice Paper onIndian History and Culture

1. Consider the following statements:1. In 1784, the first direct translation ofa Sanskrit work into English, Wilkins’sBhagavad Gita, was completed2. In 1789 Charles Wilkins translatedKalidasa’s Sakuntala3. In 1792 Charles Wilkins translatedGita Govinda4. The law-book of Manu translatedinto English in the year 1794, under thetitle Institutes of Hindoo LawWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1 and 4 only2. Consider the following statements:1. Harappa is located on the left bankof the Ravi2. Mohenjo Daro is located on the rightbank of Ravi3. Kalibanga is located on the IndusRiver4. Rupar is located on the Satlaj RiverWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1 and 4 only3. Consider the following statements:1. Cotton was known to the Harappapeople2. Rice was the stable food crop ofHarappa people3. The water buffalo, known to theHarappa people4. The Harappa people knew the do-mestic fowl, though its remains are fewand it is depicted on the sealsWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 2 only b) 1 and 3 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 2 and 4 only4. With reference to RG Veda, consid-er the following statements:1. The Dasas and Dasyus, evidentlyrepresents the survivors of the Harap-pa Culture2. The Dasas are described as dark andill-favored, worshippers of the phallus,and of hostile speech3. The Dasas were rich in cattle, anddwelt in fortified places called purWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 3

5. With reference to ‘Varna’, considerthe following statements:1. The four classes’ priest, warrior,peasant and serf were existed in RgVedic period2. The Sanskrit word used for the term,Varna means ‘Caste’3. According to Rg Veda the basic unitof Aryans was Caste4. During Rg Vedic period ‘Grama’were divided on the bases of Varna orCasteWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 2 onlyc) 2 and 4 only d) 1, 2, 3 and 46. Consider the following statements:1. During the Rg Vedic time the horsewas almost as important as the cow,though mainly for military reasons2. A few hymns of the Rg Veda accord-ing to the rubric describe a divine horseDadhikara3. Goat and sheep were domesticatedby the Aryans4. The elephant is nerve mentioned inany hymns, and was rarely if ever do-mesticatedWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 1, 2 and 3 only d) 2, 3 and 4 only7. With reference to Candragupta, con-sider the following statements:1. According to Jaina tradition Candra-gupta abdicated the throne, and be-came a Jaina monk2. According to Jaina tradition Candra-gupta fasted to death, in the mannerof Jaina saints, at the great Jaina tem-ple and monastery of Sravana Belgola3. Candragupta was succeeded by hisson BindusaraWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 only d) 1, 2 and 38. With reference Asoka’s inscriptions,consider the following statements:1. Asoka’s inscriptions are the oldestsurviving Indian written documents ofany historical significance2. They consist of a series of edicts en-graved in very similar form on rocksand pillars at widely scattered points

Model Paper on INDIAN HISTORY AND CULTURE




a) 1 and 2 onlyb) 3 and 4 onlyc) All of thesed) None of these12. With reference to ancient Indianlocal administration, consider the fol-lowing statements:1. In the Maurya and Gupta periods theprovincial governor was appointeddirectly by the King2. In the Maurya and Gupta periods theprovincial governor was usually a per-son outside from the royal family3. District governor were not usuallyappointed from the center, but by theprovincial governors4. The district governor were respon-sible only for the judicial functions andnot the administrative functionsWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 onlyb) 1 and 4 onlyc) 2 and 3 onlyd) 2 and 4 only13. With reference to ‘Gopa’, consid-er the following statements:1. They are responsible for collectionof revenue and the supervision of for-ty households each2. These men kept careful note of births,deaths, income and expenditure in thefamilies under their charge3. These men kept careful notes of vis-itors received in their assigned fami-lies4. The information obtained by thegopa was passed on the town officeand permanently recordedWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 2 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2, 3 and 414. With reference to taxation systemin ancient India, consider the follow-ing statements:1. India had evolved a regular systemof taxation before the Mauryan period2. At all times the basic tax was that onland, usually called bhaga or share,which was a fixed proportion of thecrop3. The tax was usually paid in kindWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1 and 3 only

d) 1, 2 and 315. With reference to public financein ancient India, consider the follow-ing statements:1. According to the Arthasastra mer-chants travelling from place to placepaid small road tolls2. ‘Antapala’ was the collector of roadtaxes3. ‘Antapala’ is responsible for upkeepof road and its safety4. Tolls on a varying ad valorem tariffwere also levied at the city gates onincoming merchandiseWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 4 onlyb) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1, 2 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2, 3 and 416. Consider the following statements:1. The term ‘sutra’ literary meanshymns or religious verses2. The Grhya Sutra dealing with do-mestic religious ceremonies3. The Kalpa Sutras are our earliestsources of Hindu law4. The Dharma Sutras dealing with cos-mic rite and rituals to control the na-tureWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) 3 and 4 onlyd) 1, 3 and 4 only17. Consider the following statements:1. The Sutras and Sastras taken togeth-er are known as Smrti2. Smrti is very similar to the earlierVedic literature, which is Sruti3. The Manava Dharma Sastra, or law-book of Manu, is often known as theManu-Smrti4. Hundreds of verses in Manu-Smrtiare also found in the MahabharataWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) 1 and 3 onlyd) 1 and 4 only18. Consider the following statements:1. Vijnanesvara’s Mitaksara, is a com-mentary on the law-book of Ya-jnavalkya2. The Arthasastra, was written from amore secular angle, differs from theSmrtis in many particulars3. Dharmaratna, is associated with In-

all over India3. Asoka’s edicts are in the nature ofofficial pronouncements of policy, andinstructions to his officers and subjectsWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 onlyd) 1, 2 and 39. Consider the following statements:1. Asoka declared that all men were hischildren2. Asoka strongly supported the doc-trine of ahimsa (non-injury to men andanimals)3. Asoka’s edicts clearly depict that heabolished judicial torture4. Asoka inaugurated a new class ofofficial, the “Officer of Righteousness”(dharma-mahamatra), to investigatethe affairs of all the provinces, to en-courage good relations between manand man, and to ensure that the localofficial should not carried out the newpolicyWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 onlyd) 1, 2 and 4 only10. Consider the following statements:1. Asoka never mentions the Buddhistnirvana and he speaks frequently ofheaven2. The Dharma officially propagated byAsoka was true Buddhism3. Asoka’s metaphysical presupposi-tion were distinctively Buddhist4. It was in Asoka’s reign that Bud-dhism ceased to be a simple Indian sectand began its career as a world religionWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 onlyb) 1 and 4 onlyc) 2 and 3 onlyd) 2 and 4 only11. Consider the following statements:1. Nitisara is a political text of Kaman-daka2. Nitisara of Kamandaka is writtenduring the Gupta period3. Nitivakyamrta is a political text ofKamanadaka4. Nitivakyamrta of Kamanadaka iswritten during the Maurya periodWhich of the following statements arecorrect?





dian legal literatureWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) 2 and 3 onlyd) 1, 2 and 319. According to Manu1. The duty of the Brahman is to studyand teach, to sacrifice, and to give andreceive gifts2. The Ksatriya must protect the peo-ple, sacrifice, and study3. The Vaisya sacrifices and studies,and performs his chief function ofbreeding cattle, tilling earth, to pursuetrade and to lend money4. The Sudra also sacrifices and stud-ies, but his main function is to servethree higher classesWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 4 onlyc) 1, 2 and 3 onlyd) 2. 3 and 4 only20. Consider the following statements:1. Caste is the development of thou-sands of year, from the association ofmany different racial and other groupsin a single cultural system2. The origin of Caste took place formthe four classes3. The Brahman gotras, which go backto Vedic times, are basically Castes4. Gotras are endogamous, and mem-bers of the same gotra are to be foundin same caste onlyWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 1 and 4 onlyd) 2, 3 and 4 only21. With reference to Slavery in India,consider the following statements:1. Megasthenes declared that therewere no slaves in India2. The Mahabharata declares that it isa law of war that the vanquishedshould be the victor’s slave and thecaptive would normally serve his cap-tor until ransomed3. Children born of slaves normallybecome the slave of their parent’s mas-ters4. Slavery was not being recognized inthe Smrti literatureWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?

a) 1 onlyb) 4 onlyc) 2 and 3 onlyd) 1, 2 and 3 only22. With reference to Mathura School,consider the following statements:1. The early Buddha and Bodhisattvasof the Mathura school are happy fleshyfigures with little spirituality aboutthem2. The Mathura school owed much toearlier Indian tradition, it also bor-rowed from the North-West, andadopted more than one Greco-Romanmotif3. Through Mathura the style general-ly known as Gupta developed, andproduced some of the greatest Indianreligious sculptureWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1 and 3 onlyd) 1, 2 and 323. According to Arthasastra1. The sale of children into slavery isexplicitly forbidden except in direemergency2. Slaves are entitled to own and in-herit property, and earn money freelyin their spare time3. Slaves of upper classes cannot beforced to perform defiling duties4. A promise made by man in dire ne-cessity to sell himself and his familyinto slavery is not bindingSelect the correct answer using the codegiven below:a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 2 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2, 3 and 424. With reference to ‘Gotra’, consid-er the following statements:1. The original meaning of gotra is ‘aclan’2. In the Atharva Veda, the word firsttime appears with the meaning of “aclan”3. Gotra is the outcome of endogamousculture of Indian tribes4. The gotra system is a survival ofIndo-European origin which had de-veloped specially Indian featuresWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 onlyb) 2 and 4 onlyc) 1 and 4 only

d) 2 and 3 only25. Consider the following statements:1. Gotra was primarily a brahmanicinstitution2. Gotra was adopted only by the brah-mamis of exogamous clan and sudras3. All brahmans were believed to havedescended from one of the rsis, or leg-endary seers, after whom the gotraswere named4. The religious literature generallyspeaks only about two primeval gotras,that is, Kasyapa and VasisthaWhich of the statements given aboveare not correct?a) 1 and 3 onlyb) 2 and 4 onlyc) 1 and 4 onlyd) 2 and 3 only26. Consider the following statements:1. The chief importance of gotra wasin connexion with marriage2. In the Aryan tribe marriage withinthe same gotras were not forbidden3. According to ancient custom of allgotras marriage was permitted with amember of another gotra having onepravara name in common4. Intermarriages were also permittedamong all the gotras where there weretwo common names in the pravarasWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) 3 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2 and 3 only27. Consider the following statements:1. Most families of Bengal and Assamfollow the rules of Mitaksara2.The North and South Indian statesfamilies follow the rule of Dayabhaga3. Both the Mitakara and DayabhagaSchool of law maintain that the shareof daughter is more in the family thanmale members4. Both the Mitakara and DayabhagaSchool of law existed in medievaltimes, and represent codifications ofmuch earlier practicesWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 4 onlyc) 2 and 3 onlyd) None of these28. With reference to the Upanayana,consider the following statements:1. The great rite of upanayana, wasconfined to sudars only





2. The brahmans, kastriyas and vais-yas were never perform this rite3. The ideal age for the ceremony isfixed 5 years for the boys and 2 yearsfor the girls4. The rite was initiated with the intro-duction of Manu-Smrti in the societyWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 4 onlyc) 2 and 3 onlyd) None of these29. With reference to Vedangas, con-sider the following statements:1. Kalpa, is associated with the perfor-mance of sacrifice2. Siksa, is associated with correct pro-nunciations or phonetics3. Chandas, is associated with gram-mar and jyotisa4. Nirukta, is associated with meter andprosody5. Vyakarana, is associated with ety-mology and astronomyWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 2 onlyb) 3, 4 and 5 onlyc) 1, 3 and 5 onlyd) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 530. Consider the following statements:1. Varanasi, then usually called kasi,was particularly renowned for its reli-gious teachers2. Varanasi, then usually called kasi,was particularly renowned for its sec-ular studies3. Panini, the grammarian of the 4thcentury B.C. was among the famouslearned men connected with Varanasi4. Kautilya, the brahman minister ofChandragupta Maurya was among thefamous learned men connected withVaranasiWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) 3 and 4 onlyd) 2, 3 and 4 only31. With reference to Nalanda Univer-sity, consider the following statements:1. The Buddhist monastery of Nalan-da was founded during the Mauryatimes2. Nalanda confines itself to trainingof Buddhist novices only3. According to Hsuan Tsang, only stu-dents from Buddhist order who suc-

ceeded in passing a strict oral exami-nation were admitted in NalandaWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1 and 3 onlyd) None of these32. With reference to ancient marriagesystem in India, consider the follow-ing statements:1. The Smrtis recommended that whilea husband should be at least twentyand a girl should be married immedi-ately before puberty2. The general view was that the idealmarriage was one in which the bridewas one third the age of the groom3. Child marriage was based on thesacred religious literatures4. Large number of evidences indicatethat child-marriage of girls was verycommon until the late medieval peri-odWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 2 onlyb) 3 and 4 onlyc) 1 and 3 onlyd) 2 and 4 only33. With reference to ancient marriagetype in India, consider the followingstatements:1. Brahma – marriage of a duly dow-ered girl to a man of the same class2. Daiva – when a householder gives adaughter to a sacrificial priest as partof his fee3. Arsa – in which the father gives thegirl without dowry and without de-manding bride-price4. Prajapatya – in which the father salesthe girl or in other word marriage bypurchaseWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 2 onlyb) 3 and 4 onlyc) 1 and 4 onlyd) 2 and 3 only34. With reference to Gandharavatype of Marriage, consider the follow-ing statements:1. This form of marriage was often clan-destine2. This form of marriage was only per-missible for Brahmans3. Marriage by the consent of the twoparties, which might be solemnizedmerely by plighting troth

4. This form of marriage was oftenscarcely fee to the BrahmansWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 onlyb) 2 and 4 onlyc) 1 and 4 onlyd) 2 and 3 only35. With reference to Asura marriage,consider the following statements:1. In this form of marriage the bridewas bought from her father2. The Arthasastra looked it with dis-favor and with heavy criticism3. There is evidence that marriage bypurchase, as well as the orthodox mar-riage with dowry, existed even inVedic time4. There is evidence that marriage bypurchase, as well as the orthodox mar-riage was a true Aryan custom and wasonly allowed as a sop to the evil pro-pensities of manWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 onlyb) 2 and 4 onlyc) 1 and 4 onlyd) 2 and 3 only36. Consider the following statements:1. Polygamy was unknown in the timeof Rg Veda2. One Dharma Sutra definitely forbidsa man to take second wife if his first isof good character and has borne himsons3. The Arthasastra lays down variousrules which discourage wanton polyg-amy, however it encourage it if pay-ment of compensation is given to firstwifeWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) 2 and 3 onlyd) 1, 2 and 337. With reference to Yajur Veda, con-sider the following statements:1. The Yajur Veda, complied a centurybefore the Rg Veda2. The Yajur Veda contains sacrificialformulae in prose and verse to be pro-nounced by the adhvaryu3. It exists in various recensions (sam-hita), which are of two types, that is,the Black and White4. The Black samhita consists mainlyof magical spellsWhich of the statements given above





are correct?a) 1 and 4 onlyb) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1, 2 and 3 onlyd) 2, 3 and 4 only38. Consider the following statements:1. The Rg Veda is a collection of hymnsfor use at the sacrifices of the aristo-cratic Aryan cult2. The Sama Veda is most important tothe historian3. The Atharva Veda consists mainlyof magical spells and incantations inverse4. The Atharva Veda complied beforethe Sam and Yajur VedaWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 onlyb) 2 and 4 onlyc) 1, 2 and 3 onlyd) 1, 2 and 4 only39. Consider the following statements:1. The early gods of the Aryans, likethose of the Greeks, were chiefly con-nected with the sky and were predom-inantly female2. Goddess Prthvi, is highly mentionedin the Rg Veda3. Aditi, is mentioned as a mysteriousand tenuous figure4. Usas, the goddess of the dawn, towhom a number of lovely hymns wereaddressed5. Ratri, the spirit of the of the night,who has a beautiful hymn to herself6. Aranyani, appears as the Lady of theForest, a nature goddessWhich of the following statements giv-en above are correct?a) 1 and 2 onlyb) 3, 4 and 5 onlyc) 3, 4, 5 and 6 onlyd) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 640. Consider the following statements:1. Indra, fulfilled the dual function ofwar-god and weather-god2. Indra was assoiated with storm andthunder3. Like Zeus and Thor, Indra’s handbore the thunderbolt (vajra), withwhich he destroyed his enemiesWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 onlyd) 1, 2 and 341. Consider the following statements:1. Surya drove across the sky chariot,

like the Greek Zeus2. Savitr, the Stimulator, was solar god3. The most holy of all the verses of theVeda was written in the honour of Sav-itr4. Pusan was in some measure a solargod5. The main function of Pusan was thatof guardian of roads, herdsmen andstraying cattleWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 onlyb) 4 onlyc) 3 and 4 onlyd) 2 and 5 only42. With reference to the fire-godAgni, consider the following state-ments:1. He was the god of the priest, whodealt with him at the fire-sacrifice2. He was the god of the home, for hedwelt in the domestic hearth3. He was the intermediary betweengods and men, for he consumed thesacrifice and carried it to the gods4. He dwelt in the waters of heaven inthe form of lightning, and on earth inmany formsWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 2, 3 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2, 3 and 443. With reference to Varuna, consid-er the following statements:1. Of all the Aryan gods Varuna wasethically the highest2. Varuna, second only to Indra in im-portance3. Varuna was the guardian of Rta, thecosmic order, a concept which wasperhaps the highest flight of Rg Vedicthought4. Varuna is known as an AsuraWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 2, 3 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2, 3 and 444. With reference to Rudra, considerthe following statements:1. He resembled the Greek Apollo inthat he was an archer-god2. Like Indra he was associated withthe storm3. He was the remote god, dwelling inthe mountains, and was generally an

object of fear, invoked to ward off hisarrows of plague and disasterWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1 and 3 onlyd) 1, 2 and 345. Consider the following statements:1. Upali, one of the chief disciples ofBuddha, recited the Sutta Pitaka2. Ananda, one of the chief disciples ofBuddha, recited the Vinaya Pitaka3. The Sutta Pitaka and Vinaya Pitakarecited at the council of Rajagrha, Ma-gadhan capital soon after the Buddha’sdeathWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 onlyd) 1, 2 and 346. Consider the following statements:1. The second general council of Bud-dhism held at Pataliputra2. In the second general council of Bud-dhism the Order broke into to two sec-tions, that is, Sthaviravadins and Ma-hasanghikas3. In the second general council of Bud-dhism it is said that the first sessionwas added to the Sanskrit scriptures,the Theravadi of the Vinaya Pitaka4. The second council held under thepatronage of AsokaWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) 3 and 4 onlyd) 1 and 4 only47. With reference to great Buddhistholy places, consider the followingstatements:1. Lumbini Grove at Kapilavastu wherethe Buddha was born2. The Tree of Wisdom at Gaya wherethe Buddha gained enlightenment3. The Deer Park near Kusinagarawhere Buddha preached his first ser-mon4. The grove near Varanasi where Bud-dha diedWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 and 2 onlyb) 2 and 3 onlyc) 2 and 4 onlyc) 1, 2 and 3 only





48. Consider the following statements:1. The Sarvastivadins sect of Buddhismwas strong in the region of Mathuraand in Kashmir2. Under the patronage of Upali, afourth great council was held3. At the fourth great council the Sar-vastivadin doctrines were codified ina summary, the MahavibhasaWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 2 and 3 onlyd) 1, 2 and 349. Consider the following statements:1. Vardhamana Mahavira was the con-temporary of Buddha2. Jainism, the “Religion of the Con-querors” (jinas), had a history verysimilar to that Buddhism3. Under the patronage VardhamanaMahavira Jainism spread in South EastAsia, China, Japan and small Islandsof Indian Ocean4. Unlike Buddhism, there were nofundamental changes and develop-ments in Jaina doctrineWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 4 onlyb) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1 and 3 onlyd) 2 and 4 only50. With reference to Mahavira, con-sider the following statements:1. He was born about 540 B.C. and wasthe son of Siddhartha2. His mother, Trisala, was the sisterof the Licchavis chief Cetaka3. At the age of thirty, he left his homefor a life of asceticism4. He followed the practices of an as-cetic group called Nirgranthas5. The term Nirgrantha was used forthe members of the order which Ma-havira foundedWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 onlyb) 2 and 5 onlyc) 1, 2 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 551. Consider the following statements:1. Bhadrabahu was associated with theDigambaras sect2. Sthulabhadra was associated withthe Svetambaras sect3. There were huge fundamental doc-trinal differences in between the Di-

gambaras and Svetambaras sectsWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 onlyd) None of these52. With reference to Jainism, consid-er the following statements:1. Jainism had special social doctrine,that is, Acaranga2. The domestic rites of the layman,such as birth, marriage and death, werethose of the Hindus3. At one time Jainism maintained acult of stupas in the same way as Bud-dhism4. Early in the Christian era theTirthankaras were adored in templesin the form of iconsWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 onlyb) 4 onlyc) 2 and 3 onlyd) 1, 3 and 4 only53. With reference to Ajivikas sect,consider the following statements:1. It emerged at the same time as Bud-dhism and Jainism2. It is a body of ascetics who wereunder rigorous disciplines similar tothat of the Buddha3. Ajivikas sect practice complete nu-dity4. The doctrines of the founder of thesect, Gosala Maskariputra, bear a ge-neric likeness to those of his contem-porary BuddhaWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 onlyb) 2 and 4 onlyc) 1 and 4 onlyd) 2 and 3 only54. Consider the following statements:1. The Ajivikas sect has their own po-lemic literature which disclose the lifeof Gosala Maskariputra2. The Ajivikas sect was certainly athe-istic and its main feature was strictdeterminism3. The Ajivikas sect follows the usualdoctrine of karma taught that thougha man’s present condition was deter-mined by his past actions he could in-fluence his destiny, in this life and thefuture, by choosing the right course ofconductWhich of the following statements is/

are correct?a) 1 only b) 2 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 355. Consider the following statements:1. Buddha, Mahavira and Gosala werethoroughgoing atheists and material-ist and ignored the gods2. Buddha, Mahavira and Gosala de-nied the existence of supernatural be-ings3. Only Mahavira accepted the funda-mental doctrine of transmigration,whereas Buddha and Gosals rejectedthis doctrineWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 356. With reference to Stupa, considerthe following statements:1. Asoka raised stupas in the Buddha’shonour all over India2. They were large hemisphericaldomes, containing a small centralchamber3. The core of the stupa was of unburntbrick, and the outer face of burnt brick4. The stupa was crowned by an um-brella of wood or stoneWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 2, 3 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2, 3 and 457. Consider the following statements:1. The Indian stupa were much moresmaller than the Indonesian stupas2. The stupa of Amravati was largerthan that of the Sanchi stupa3. In northern India stupas grew tallerin proportion to their bases4. The Indian stupas often set on squareplatforms, which in Burma and Indo-nesia were developed into steeped pyr-amidsWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 2, 3 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2, 3 and 458. With reference to Ellora caves, con-sider the following statements:1. These caves constructed from the 5thto the 8th centuries A.D2. All the thirty-four caves of Ellora areHindu caves3. The great Kailasanatha Temple ex-cavated on the instructions of the Ras-trakuta emperor Krsna-I





Which of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 only b) 2 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 359. With reference to Elephanta Caves,consider the following statements:1. It is situated on a little Island offBombay2. These caves are built in the samestyle as those of Ajanta3. These caves are famous for theirsculpture, especially for the greatTrimurti figure of Siva4. After these no important caves wereexcavatedWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 only b) 2 onlyc) 3 and 4 only d) 2 and 4 only60. Which of the following features oftemples are associated with Gupta pe-riod?1. Pillars were usually ornate, withheavy bell-shaped capitals surmount-ed by animal motifs, and the entranc-es were often carved with mythologi-cal scenes and figures2. All the temples were small, and mosthad flat roofs3. Their masonry was held togetherwithout mortar, and was far larger andthicker than was necessary for the com-paratively small buildingsSelect the correct answer using the codegiven below:a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 only d) 1, 2 and 361. With reference to the Hindu Tem-ple, consider the following statements:1. The garbhagrha, contains the chieficon2. The shrine-room is known as man-dapa3. The antarala is the separate build-ing hall for worshipers4. The shrine-room was generally sur-mounted by a towerWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 4 only b) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1, 3 and 4 only d) 1, 2, 3 and 462. With reference to Paisaca Mar-riage, consider the following state-ments:1. This marriage was universally rep-robated2. This form of marriage, according tothe law-books, was most fitted for thewarriors3. This form of marriage strictly pro-

hibited for the lower orders4. Paisaca, can scarcely be called mar-riage at allWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 1 and 4 only d) 2 and 3 only63. With reference to widow remar-riage in ancient India, consider the fol-lowing statements:1. The Arthasastra highly restricted thewidow remarriage2. The remarriage of widows was fair-ly common in earlier times3. The custom of niyoga, permits thewidows to remarry outside their orig-inal casteWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 2 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1 and 3 only64. With reference to Sati system, con-sider the following statements:1. The first memorial to a sati is foundat Eran, near Sagar in Madhya Pradesh2. The nomads of Central Asia prac-tised this custom3. It was promoted by the humane poetBana, in the 7th century4. The 15th century traveler Nicolo deiConti states that as many as three thou-sand of the wives and concubines ofthe kings of Vijayangara were pledgedto be burnt with their lord on his deathWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 2 and 4 only d) 1 and 4 only65. With reference to Upanisads, con-sider the following statements:1. The Upanisads proclaim salvation byfaith and works rather than by knowl-edge or realization2. Their ethics are fundamentally prag-matic3. The normal values of the world, sac-rifice, benevolence, and even asceti-cism, are only good in so far as theylead the soul upwardsWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 366. Consider the following statements:1. The Vinaya Pitaka contains muchearly traditional matter2. The Vinaya Pitaka contains pro-nouncements attributed to the Buddha,laying down numerous rules for theconduct order

3. The Vinaya Pitaka is divided intofive groups or Nikaya4. The largest and most important ofthe “Three Baskets” is the Vinaya Pita-kaWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 only d) 3 and 4 only67. Consider the following statements:1. Temple building gained much fromthe patronage of the Pallava andCalukya kings in the 6th to 8th centu-ries2. The temple of Siva at Tanjuvur (Tan-jore), built by Rajaraja3. The Gangaikondacolapuram templenear Kumbakonam was built by Rajen-dra I4. Both the Siva temple of Tanjuvur andGangaikonadacolapuram temple con-tain elaborate pillared halls and beau-tiful decorationsWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 2, 3 and 4 only d) 1, 2, 3 and 468. With reference to Calukyas andHoysalas style of temple, consider thefollowing statements:1. The earliest Calukayan templesclosely resemble the Gupta2. Their temples were no longer con-structed on a rectangular plan, butwere polygonal or stellate, raised ontall solid platforms of the same shapeas buildings3. These temples give a strong feelingof flatness, for platforms and wallsalike are covered with rather narrowcarved friezes of elephants, horsemen,geese, monster, and scenes of mythol-ogy and legend4. The grotesque mask (Kirtimukha)became very common as a decorativefeature, and turned columns, often or-nately carved, were widely usedWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 2, 3 and 4 only d) 1, 2, 3 and 469. With refrence to Orissa School,consider the following statements:1. The finest Orissan temple is the Lin-garaja at Bhubanesar2. The Ligaraja temple shows the NorthIndian sikhara in its final form3. The Ligaraja temple, like most Oris-san temples, is built as a series of fourhalls – a hall of offerings, a dancing





hall, an assembly hall and a sanctuary4. The sanctuary is crowned by thegreat tower, but the other three ele-ments of the temple, leading one by oneto the shrine, are also roofed with char-acteristic towers of small size, carryingthe eye to main sikhara5. The whole temple enclosure of theLingaraja is filled with smaller shrines,built on the pattern of the great oneWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 only b) 3 and 4 onlyc) 1, 3 and 5 only d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 570. Consider the following statements:1. The third great council of Buddhismheld at Pataliputra2. The third great council of Buddhismheld under the patronage of Ananda3. The third great council of Buddhismresulted in the expulsion of many her-etics and the establishment of Sthavi-ravada school as orthodox4. At the third great council of Bud-dhism the last section was added to thePali scriptures, the Kathavatthu of theAbhidhamma Pitaka, dealing withpsychology and metaphysicWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 only b) 2 onlyc) 3 and 4 only d) 1 and 2 only71. With reference to Khajuraho Tem-ple, consider the following statements:1. A Saivite temple known as Kanda-riya-Mahadeo, is not more than 100 feethigh2. The standard type of Khajuraho tem-ple contains a shrine-room or sanctu-ary, an assembly-hall and an entranceportico3. The Khajuraho sikhara, like those ofmost Northern temples, is curvilinearWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 2 onlyc) 1and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 372. With reference to Jaina shrines ofMount Abu, consider the followingstatements:1. The style of temple is fundamental-ly not very different from that of Kha-juraho2. The temples were built on high plat-forms and usually consisted of a shrineand hall only, with an entrance porti-co3. The sikhara over the shrine, likethose of Khajuraho, was adorned witha large number of miniature towers,

and the ceilings were in the form ofcorbelled domesWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 2 onlyc) 1and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 373. With reference to Rg Veda litera-ture, consider the following state-ments:1. The Rg Veda contains 1028 hymns2. The collection is divided into ten ‘cir-cles’ (mandala) or books3. Books ii to vii are ascribed to indi-vidual families of seers, and contain theearliest hymns4. The ninth book was compiled byextracting the hymns to the god Somafrom the other parts of the Rg VedaWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 4 onlyc) 2, 3 and 4 only d) 1, 2, 3 and 474. Consider the following statements:1. “The Dream of Vasavadatta” (Svap-navasavaadatta) was written by As-vaghosa2. “Yaugnadhrarayana’s Vows”(Pratijnayaugandharayana) was writ-ten by Bhasa3. “The Recognition of Sakuntala” (Ab-hijnanasakuntala) was written by Kal-idasa4. “Malavika and Agnimitra”, a come-dy of harem intrigue, its scene set inthe Sunga periodWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 only b) 4 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1 and 4 only75. Consider the following statements:1. Sudraka, has left only one play “TheLittle Clay Cart” (Mrcchakatika)2. “The Minister’s Signet Ring”(Mudraraksasa) was written by Visa-khadatta3. “The Queen and Candra Gupta”(Devicandragupta), purporting to tellthe story of the rise to power of Can-dra Gupta II, was written by KalidasaWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1 and 3 only76. Consider the following statements:1. The ‘Ratnavali’, ‘Priyadarsika’ and‘The Joy of the Serpents’ (Nagananda)were ascribed to the great king Harsa2. “The Sport of the Drunkards” (Mat-tavilasa) was written by the PallavaKing Mahendravikramavarman

3. “The Later Deeds of Rama” (Utt-araramacarita) was the work of Bhav-abhuti, who lived at Kanyakubja in theearly 8th centuryWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 377. Consider the following statements:1. There are said to be 108 Upanisadsaltogether2. The term Upanisad means literally‘a session’, sitting at the feet of a mas-ter who imparts esoteric doctrines3. The earlier Upanisads, like the greatBrhadaranyaka and the Chandogya,are in prose and consist of a series ofshort expositions of some aspect of thenew doctrines, often in the form ofquestion and answer4. The Upanisads of somewhat latercomposition, like the Katha and theSvetasvatara, are in verse, and theircontents are more closely integratedWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 2 only b) 3 and 4 onlyc) 2, 3 and 4 only d) 1, 2, 3 and 478. With reference Puranas, considerthe following statements:1. There are eighteen chief Puranas2. The Puranas (‘Ancient Stories”) arecompendia of legends and religiousinstructions3. In their present form they are notvery ancient, none going back earlierthan the Gupta periodWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 1 and 2 onlyc) 1 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 379. With reference to Cosmogony,consider the following statements:1. Hindu cosmology in its final formwas perhaps later than the cosmologiesof the cosmologies of the Buddhistsand Jainas2. According to this system the cosmospasses through cycles within cycles forall eternity3. The basic cycle is the Kalpa, a ‘dayof Brahma’, or 4,320 million earthlyyears4. 360 such days and nights constitutea ‘year of Brahma’ and his life lasts for100 such yearsWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 only





c) 2 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2, 3 and 480. With reference to Vaisesika, con-sider the following statements:1. Vaisesika was interested rather inphysics than theology2. The earlier text of the school is thesutras of the legendary founder, Ulu-ka Kanada3. The basic tenet of Vaisesika, held incommon with Jainism and someschools of Buddhism, was that natureis atomic4. Vaisesika postulated a dualism ofmatter and soul, and declared that sal-vation depends on fully recognizingthe atomic nature of the universe, andits difference from the soulWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 2 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2, 3 and 481. With reference to Vedanta, consid-er the following statements:1. It is also called Uttara Mimamsa2. The basic text of the system is theBrahma Sutra of Kapila3. Vedanta is still a living school, andmodern theologians and mysticalteachers such as Vivakananda andAurobindo Ghose, and philosopherssuch as Radhakrishnan, are all Vedan-tists4. The doctrines of Vedanta were basedon the Upanisads, and gave logical andorganized form to their many mysti-cal speculationsWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 onlyc) 3 and 4 onlyd) 1 and 3 only82. Consider the following statements:1. At Mohenjo Daro each city had well-fortified citadel, which seems to havebeen used for both religious and gov-ernmental purposes2. The script of Indus people was to-tally unchanged throughout their his-tory3. The Indus people has contacted withthe Mesopotamia, and also adopted thetechnical advances of the more pro-gressive cultureWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 only

c) 1 and 2 onlyd) 1, 2 and 383. With reference to Harappa Cul-ture, consider the following state-ments:1. The most striking deity of the Harap-pa culture is the horned god2. Animals played a big part in the re-ligion of the Indus people3. The bull is usually depicted with asingle horn, and has sometime beenreferred to as unicorn4. Certain trees were sacred, as they areHinduism today, notably the pipalWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 3 onlyc) 2 and 4 onlyd) 1, 2, 3 and 484. With reference to Rg Veda, con-sider the following statements:1. Iron was used in India at this period2. Ayas, is the term used for iron in RgVeda3. Traces of iron has been found in theupper level of the remains of IndusCultureWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 2 onlyb) 1 and 3 onlyc) All of thesed) None of these85. With reference to Untouchable,consider the following statements:1. Below the sudras were the early rep-resentatives of the people who werelater called untouchables2. The sudras were also known as ‘pan-cama’ by the Aryans3. Buddhist literature and the earlyDharma Sutras show that several cen-turies before Christ there already ex-isted groups of people who, thoughserving the Aryan in very menial anddirty tasks, were looked on as quiteoutside the paleWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 onlyb) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1 and 3 onlyd) None of these86. With reference to Candala, consid-er the following statements:1. The Candala was not allowed to livein an Aryan town or village2. The main task of Candalas was thecarrying and cremation of corpses, and

no other means of livelihood were per-mitted to them3. According to the law-books the Can-dala should be dressed in the garmentsof the corpses he cremated, should eathis food from the broken vessels, andshould wear only iron ornaments4. By Gupta time the conditions of Can-dala were improved and they werepermitted to dwell in the main villag-esWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 only b) 2 and 4 onlyc) 1, 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2, 3 and 487. Consider the following statements:1. The earliest Indian coinage consist-ed of flat pieces of silver or bronze, ofirregular shape but fairly accurate inweight2. The earlier Indian coinage bore noinscription but a number of punch-marks3. Inscribed coins were not regularlyminted in India until the 2nd centuryB.C.4. The Satavahanas of the Deccan madecoins of lead, and various alloys areattestedWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 only b) 2 and 4 onlyc) 1, 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2, 3 and 488. With reference to ancient Indianculture, consider the following state-ments:1. The people of the Kulli Culture, inthe Makran, burnt their dead2. The people of Nal Culture, in theBrahui Hills, practiced fractional buri-al, or inhumation of the bones afterpartial disintegration by burning orexposure3. Figurines of the Goddess have beenfound in many sites, and in those ofthe Zhob Culture, to the north of Quet-ta, phallic emblems have also beenfound4. In many ancient cultures the wor-ship of Mother Goddess was associat-ed with that of the horseWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 only b) 2 and 4 onlyc) 1, 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2, 3 and 489. With reference to Kulli Culture,consider the following statements:1. The people of the Kulli culture ex-celled in making small boxes of softstone, delicately engraved with liner





patterns2. The Kulli people made contact withthe earliest Mesopotamian civilizationby sea3. The Kulli people traded with theMiddle EastWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 only d) 1, 2 and 390. With reference to the great bath ofMohenjo Daro, consider the followingstatements:1. This is an oblong bathing pool, con-structed of beautiful brickwork madewatertight with bitumen2. It could be drained by an opening inone corner and was surrounded by acloister, on to which opened a numberof small rooms3. Like the ‘tank’ of a Hindu temple, itprobably had a religious purposeWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 391. With reference to Bimbisara, con-sider the following statements:1. He was the rural of Magadha2. He conquest only two kingdoms,that is, Anga and Kasi (Varanasi)3. His capital was Rajagirha, some six-ty miles to the south-east of the mod-ern Patna4. He was disposed, imprisoned andmurdered by his son AjatasatruWhich of the statements given aboveis/are not correct?a) 1 only b) 2 onlyc) 3 and 4 only d) 2 and 4 only92. Consider the following statements:1. In the middle of the 4th century B.C.,Mahapadma Nanda was emperor ofMagadha2. The Mahapadma Nanda succeededin gaining control of Kalinga and oth-er parts of the Deccan3. In a decisive battle of GangamelaMahapadma Nanda defeated DarriusIIIWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 only d) 1, 2 and 393. Consider the following statements:1. Classical sources speaks of a youngIndian named Sandrocottus – identi-cal with the Candragupta Maurya2. Plutarch states that Sandrocottusadvised Alexander to advanced be-

yond the Beas and attack the Nandaemperor3. Both Indian and classical sourcesagree that Candragupta overthrew thelast Nanda and occupied his capital,PataliputraWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 only d) 1, 2 and 394. Consider the following statements:1. Alexander’s general Seleucus sent anambassador, Megasthenes, to raised atthe Mauryan court at Pataliputra2. According to Megasthenes Patalipu-tra was a large and fine city, surround-ed by a wooden wall3. According to Megasthenes Patalipu-tra was controlled by an administra-tive board of thirty members4. Megasthenes noticed the existenceof caste and classified the populationin eighteen endogamous groupsWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 3 only b) 2 and 4 onlyc) 1, 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2, 3 and 495. Consider the following statements:1. Candra Gupta I possessed fairlylarge domains, including the regionsof Magadha and Kosala2. The Allahabad inscription mentionthat Samudra Gupta defeated the Sa-kas3. Sakas defeated the Gupta Empireduring the period of Candra Gupta IIWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 only d) 1, 2 and 396. Consider the following statements:1. Harsa ascended the throne in 606 atthe age of sixteen years2. The poet Bana, who was patronizedby Harsa, has left a florid account ofthe events leading up to his rise to pow-er3. Hsuan Tsang visited India duringthe reign of Harsha4. Harsa’s empire was feudal in struc-ture Which of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 4 onlyc) 2 and 3 only d) 1, 2, 3 and 497. Consider the following statements:1. Bhaskaravarman, the king of remoteAssam, attended in the court of Harsa2. Bhaskaravarman, the king of remoteAssam, assisted Harsa against Sasan-

ka at the beginning of his reign3. After defeating Pulakesin II, Harsaconcurred the Deccan4. According to Hsuan Tasng, Bud-dhism was flourished at its high dur-ing the reign of HarsaWhich of the statements given aboveare correct?a) 1 and 2 only b) 3 and 4 onlyc) 1 and 3 only d) 2 and 4 only98. Consider the following statements:1. The Palas of Eastern India were thefirst to gain the ascendancy, and for awhile, in the early part of the 9th cen-tury, were the masters of Kanyakubja2. The long reign of the great kingDharmapala marks the apogee of Palapower3. It was from the Pala empire thatBuddhism was introduced into TibetWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 only d) 1, 2 and 399. Consider the following statements:1. In the Northern Deccan the Vakata-kas vanished at about the same timeas the Gupta2. In the middle of the 6th century thewest and the central Peninsula cameunder the control of the Calukya Dy-nasty, ruling from Vatapi (now calledBadami) in Mysore3. The great Calukya king, PulakesinII was the approximate contemporaryof HarsaWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 3 onlyc) 1 and 2 only d) 1, 2 and 3100. Consider the following state-ments:1. The Colas fell in the 13th century,when their territory was shared by theHoysalas of Mysore and the revivedPandya dynasty of the Maduri2. In 1336, within a few years of MalikKafur’s raids, an independent Hindukingdom was founded at Vijayanaga-ra, on the Tungabhadra River3. The kingdom of Vijyanagara, afterdesperately resisting the Bahmani sul-tans of the Northern Deccan, estab-lished its hegemony over the wholePeninsula from Krsna River south-wardsWhich of the statements given aboveis/are correct?a) 1 only b) 2 and 3 onlyc) 1 and 3 only d) 1, 2 and 3





1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.

48.

49.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

56.

57.

58.

59.

60.

61.

62.

63.

64.

65.

66.

67.

68.

69.

70.

71.

72.

73.

74.

75.

76.

77.

78.

79.

80.

CORRECT ANSWER:INCORRECT ANSWER @ 33.3 per cent:TOTAL MARKS:(After Deduction of Negative Marks)

Assess Yourself

BASED ON NEGATIVE MARKING

CST Ratings:85 and above : Excellent69-84 : Very Good55-68 : Good47-54 : Average46 and below : Below Average

81.

82.

83.

84.

85.

86.

87.

88.

89.

90.

91.

92.

93.

94.

95.

96.

97.

98.

99.

100.





Indian History and CultureAnswers with explanations

Ans 1 (d) Exp:- In 1784, the first di-rect translation of a Sanskrit work intoEnglish, Wilkins’s Bhagavad Gita, wascompleted. Wilkins followed in 1787with a translation Hitopadesa. In 1789William Jones translated Kalidasa’sSakuntala, which went into five En-glish editions in less than twenty years;this he followed by translations of theGita Govinda (1729), and the law-bookof Manu (published posthumously in1794 under the title Institutes of Hin-doo Law). Carey and Marshman pre-pared a translation of three volumes ofthe Hindu epic poem Ramayana.Ans 2 (d) Exp:- The civilization ofthe Indus is known to the archaeolo-gist as the Harappa Culture, from themodern name of the site of one of itstwo great cities, on the left bank of theRavi, in the Panjab. Mohenjo daro, thesecond city, is on the right bank of theIndus, some 250 miles from its mouth.Kalibanga, in the valley of the old Riv-er Sarasvati now almost dried up, nearthe border of India and West Pakistan.Rupar on the upper Satlaj.Ans 3 (b) Exp:- Cotton, called Sin-don in Greek, was to the best of ourknowledge first used by the Harappapeople. Rice was not one of their sta-ple crops, nor was it grown in NeolithicChina, whose main food crop was mil-let. Wild rice is known in Eastern In-dia, and it is here, in the swampy Gan-ga Valley, that it was probably firstcultivated by the Neolithic contempo-raries of the Harappa people. The wa-ter buffalo, known to the Harappa peo-ple, was a comparatively late arrivalin China, and it may have been first do-mesticated in the Gangetic Plain,though some authorities believe that itoriginated in the Philippine Islands.Perhaps the most widely appreciatedof prehistoric India’s gifts to the worldis the domestic fowl. Ornithologists areagreed that all domestic species de-scend from the wild Indian jungle fowl.The Harappa people knew the domes-tic fowl, though its remains are few andit is not depicted on the seals.Ans 4 (d) Exp:- The Dasas and Dasy-us, evidently represents the survivorsof the Harappa Culture, and kindred

Ans 7 (d) Exp:- According to Jainatradition Candragupta abdicated thethrone, and became a Jaina monk, andfasted to death, in the manner of Jainasaints, at the great Jaina temple andmonastery of the Sravana Belgola, inthe modern Mysore. Whatever the trueof this legend, he was succeeded aftera reign of twenty-four years by his sonBindusara, about whom little is knownexcept that he was in touch with Anti-ochus I, the Seleucid king of Syria.Ans 8 (d) Exp:- According to Bud-dhist sources Asoka’s usurped thethrone, killed all possible rivals, andbegan his reign as a tyrant, but this sto-ry is not borne out by Asoka’s own in-scriptions, which are the oldest surviv-ing Indian written documents of anyhistorical significance. They consist ofa series of edicts engraved in very sim-ilar form on rocks and pillars at wide-ly scattered points all over India, andform a unique monument to a greatking’s memory. The edicts are in partinspired by Achaemenid precedent,but their contents are very differentfrom the great inscriptions of Darius I,for instance, which glorify the emper-or, catalogue his conquests, and enu-merate the peoples and tribe under hissway. Asoka’s edicts are in the natureof official pronouncements of policy,and instructions to his officers and sub-jects. They contain many personaltouches, and the drafts were probablycomposed by the emperor himself.Ans 9 (c) Exp:- Asoka declared thatall men were his children, and morethan once reproved his local governorsfor their failure to apply this preceptthoroughly. He strongly supported thedoctrine of ahimsa (non-injury to menand animals), then rapidly spreadingamong religious people of all sects,banned animal sacrifices, at least in hiscapital, and regulated the slaughter ofanimals for food, completely forbid-ding the killing of certain species.Though Buddhist tradition records thathe abolished judicial torture, this is notclearly stated in his edicts. Among hispositive social services Asoka men-tions the important of communicationsby planting fruit trees along the roads

peoples of the Panjab and the North-West. The Dasas are described as darkand ill-favored, bull-lipped, snub-nosed, worshippers of the phallus, andof hostile speech. They were rich incattle, and dwelt in fortified placescalled pur, of which the Aryan war-godIndra has destroyed hundreds. Themain work of destroying the settle-ments of the Dasas had been accom-plished some time before the compo-sition of the hymns, and the great bat-tles which must then have taken placewere already misted over with legend;but the Dasas were still capable ofmassing armies of 10,000 men againstthe invaders.Ans 5 (a) Exp:- The four classes,priest (brahmana), warrior (ksatriya),peasant (vaisya) and serf (sudra), werecrystallizing throughout the period ofthe Rg Veda. They have survived to thepresent day. The Sanskrit word usedfor them, varna means “colour”, andsuggests their origin in the develop-ment of the old tribal class structurethrough contact with people of differ-ent complexion and alien culture. Theterm varna does not mean, and hasnever meant, “caste”, by which conve-nient word it is often loosely translat-ed.Ans 6 (c) Exp:- The horse was al-most as important as the cow, thoughmainly for military reasons. The chest-nut horses of the Aryans, harnessed tolight chariots, must have terrified thepeople of the Indus Valley, as the hors-es of the conquistadores terrified theAztecs and Incas. A few hymns of theRg Veda according to the rubric de-scribe a divine horse Dadhikara.Among other domestic animals theAryans knew the goat and the sheep,which provided wool, their chief tex-tile. The elephant is only mentioned inlate hymns, was rarely if ever domes-ticated. A divine bitch, Sarama, playsan important part in a legend whichcannot be fully reconstructed, but thedog did not means as much to the peo-ple of the Rg Veda as it did to a kin-dred Aryan pastoral people, the an-cient Iranians, who made it a sacredanimal.





to provide shade and food, diggingwells at intervals, and setting up rest-houses for weary travellers. He devel-oped the cultivation of medicinalherbs, which, with other drugs, weresupplied to men and animals alike. Toensure that his reforms were put intoeffect he inaugurated a new class ofofficial, the “Officers of Righteousness”(dharma-mahamatra), who, takingtheir instructions direct from the cen-tre, were ordered to investigate the af-fairs of all the provinces, to encouragegood relations between man and manand to ensure that the local officialscarried out new policy.Ans 10 (b) Exp:- It is evident that,after his change of heart if not before,Asoka’s personal religion was Bud-dhism, and some authorities believethat he actually entered the Buddhistorder. But the inscriptions show thathe was no metaphysician, and indeedhe probably had little interest in orunderstanding of the finer points ofBuddhism. Although he never men-tions the Buddhist nirvana, he speaksfrequently of heaven; and he seems tohave held the native belief that, as aresult of the growth of moralitythrough his reforms, the gods hadmanifested themselves on earth, a phe-nomenon which had not occurred formany years previously. In fact theDharma officially propagated by Aso-ka was not Buddhism at all, but a sys-tem of morals consistent with the te-nets of most of the sects of the Empireand calculated to lead to peace and fel-lowship in this world and heaven inthe next. Asoka’s metaphysical presup-positions were not distinctively Bud-dhist, but were evidently those tradi-tional in India at the time. A streak ofPuritanism in the Emperor’s characteris to be inferred from the edict banningrowdy popular fairs and allowing re-ligious gatherings only. It was in Aso-ka’s reign that Buddhism ceased to bea simple Indian sect and began its ca-reer as a world religion.Ans 11 (a) Exp:- From the Guptaperiod and the Middle Ages a numberof political texts survive, the most im-portant of which are the Nitisara (“Es-sence of Politics”) of Kamandaka, per-haps written during the Gupta period,and the Nitivakyamrta (“Never ofAphorisms on Politics”) of SomadevaSuri, a Jaina writer of the 10th century.

These repeat much that has been saidbefore, but here and there contain orig-inal ideas. Besides sources specificallydealing with political life and thought,ancient Indian literature as a whole,from the Rg Veda onwards, yieldsmuch information, and inscriptions ofone kind and another are extremelyvaluable in this connection.Ans 12 (a) Exp:- The ancient IndianKingdom was divided into provincesand these into divisions and districts,all with very variable terminology. Inthe Maurya and Gupta periods the pro-vincial governor was appointed direct-ly by the king, and was usually a mem-ber of the royal family. In later timeshis status was often hereditary and heapproximated to a vassal king. We cansee the development of this process ina series of inscriptions from WesternBengal, issued by the governors of theGupta emperors in the 5th and the 6thcenturies A.D. District governor werenot usually appointed from the centre,but by the provincial governors. Likethe District Officers of the Indian CivilServices, they combined judicial andadministrative functions.Ans 13 (d) Exp:- The system of gov-ernment envisaged by the Arthasash-tra involved a careful check on themovements and activities of all the in-habitants of the city through petty of-ficials called gopa, probably oftenworking in a part-time capacity, whowere responsible for the collection ofrevenue, and the supervision of fortyhouseholds each. These men not onlykept careful note of the births, deaths,income and expenditure in the fami-lies under their charge, but even of thevisitors they received and of any im-portant developments in the house-holds. The information obtained by thegopa was passed on the town officeand permanently recorded, and simi-lar records were kept in the villages.Ans 14 (d) Exp:- All ancient Indianauthorities on statecraft stress the im-portance of a full treasury for success-ful government, and Indian hadevolved a regular system of taxationbefore the Mauryan period. At all timesthe basic tax was that on land, usuallycalled bhaga or share, which was afixed proportion of the crop. The fig-ure generally given in the Smrti litera-ture is one sixth, but Megasthenesgives it as one quarter, while

Arthashastra suggests one quarter oreven one third for fertile lands; thereis some reason to believe that one quar-ter was the proportion generally lev-ied even in the mild reign of Asoka.The tax was usually paid in kind, andthe Jatakas refer to the royal officersmeasuring out gain on the threshingfloor for conveyance to the King’s gra-nary; but settlements similar to thoseof later times, when the tax was fixedin advance on the basis of the estimat-ed yield of the land, were also known.In the middle age especially in theSouth, many villages had commutedtheir land tax for an annual cash pay-ment.Ans 15 (d) Exp:- According to theArthashastra merchants travellingfrom place to place paid small roadtolls which collected by an officercalled antapala, who was responsiblefor the upkeep of the road and its safe-ty. If we are to believe the text thesetaxes formed a sort of insurance, for theantapala was excepted to make goodany loss suffered by the merchantsfrom thieves. It is doubtful whetherthis system as regularly adopted in lat-er times, when kingdoms were lesswell organised, but something like itmust have prevailed in the Mauryanperiod. Tolls on a varying ad valoremtariff were also levied at the city gateson incoming merchandise. TheArthashastra suggests that essentialgoods such as grain, oil, sugar, potsand cheap textiles should be taxed atone-twentieth of their value, and oth-er goods at rates varying from one fif-teenth to one fifth. Various market dueswere also levied, but the ten per centsales tax recorded by Megasthenesisnowhere mentioned in an Indiansource.Ans 16 (b) Exp:- With the passageof time the sacrificial instructions of theBrahmans became obscure, and a newgroup of texts was composed to eluci-date them. These were Srauta Sutras;the term sutra literally means ‘thread’,but it was used with a secondary mean-ing of a manual of instruction in theform of brief aphorisms; the whole ti-tle may be paraphrased as “ManualsExplaining the Scriptures”. A little lat-er were composed Grhya Sutras deal-ing with domestic religious ceremo-nies, and finally manuals of humanconduct, the Dharma Sutras. A set of





three sutras, one on each of these top-ics, attributed to the same legendarysage, was called a Kalpa Sutra. TheDharma Sutras are our earliest sourc-es for Hindu law, the most importantbeing those attributed to Gautama,Baudhayana, Vasistha and Apastam-ba. They were probably mainly com-posed between the 6th and the 2nd cen-turies B.C., but in some respects theylook back to earlier times, while theycontain later interpolations. The firstthree seem to have been written in amore westerly part of India than theearly Buddhist scriptures, with whichthey are approximately contemporary,and the Apastamba may have beencomposed in the Northern Deccan.Ans 17 (b) Exp:- The Sutras andSastras taken together are known asSmrti (“remembered”), as distinct fromthe earlier Vedic literature, which isSruti (“heard”), and which was be-lieved to have been directly revealedto its authors, and therefore of greatersanctity than the later texts. Thus theManava Dharma Sastra, or law-bookof Manu, is often known as the Manu-Smrti. The Epics and Puranas were alsolooked on as Smrti, and contain muchlegal lore. In fact hundreds of versesin Manu are also to be found in theMahabharata, and were probably notplagiarized, but inherited from a com-mon source.Ans 18 (d) Exp:- Many medievaljurists wrote lengthy commentaries onthe Smrti literature. Of these the mostimportant was Vijnanesvara, whowrote at the court of the great Calukyaemperor Vikramaditya VI. His Mitak-sara, a commentary on the law-bookof Yajnavalkya, played a very impor-tant part in forming the civil law ofmodern India. Other important juristsof the middle ages were Hemadri andJimutavahana, whose treatise on inher-itance (Dayabhaga), part of a greatcompilation called Dharmaratna, hasalso influenced later Indian law. It can-not be too strongly stressed that thewhole Smrti literature is the work ofBrahmans, who wrote from their ownpoint of view. The Arthashastra, writ-ten from a more secular angle, differsfrom the Smrtis in many particulars. Itis certain that the advice of the Smrtiswas not regularly followed in manyancient kingdoms, though it becameincreasingly authoritative with time.

The statements of the Smrtis must asfar as possible be checked by compar-ison with the Arthashastra and bypassing references to law and customin general literature, inscriptions, andthe writings of foreign travelers.Ans 19 (c) Exp:- Manu lays downthat the duty of the Brahman is to studyand teach, to sacrifice, and to give andreceive gifts; the Ksatriya must protectthe people, sacrifice, and study; theVaisya also sacrifices and studies, buthis chief function is to breed cattle, totill the earth, to pursue trade and tolend money; the Sudra’s duty is toserve the three higher classes – and “itis better”, Manu adds elsewhere, “todo one’s own duty badly than anotherwell”. This epigram, elaborated sobeautifully in the Bhagavad Gita, wasthe leading theme of most Indian so-cial thought; for each man there was aplace in society and a function to ful-fil, with its own duties and rights.Ans 20 (d) Exp:- Caste is the devel-opment of thousands of years, from theassociation of many different racial andother groups in a single cultural sys-tem. It is impossible to show its originconclusively, and we can do little morethan faintly trace its development,since early literature paid scant atten-tion to it; but it is particularly certainthat caste did not originate from thefour classes. Admittedly it developedlater than they, but this proves noth-ing. There were subdivisions in thefour classes at a very early date, butthe Brahman gotras, which go back toVedic times, are not castes, since thegotras are exogamous, and membersof the same gotra are to be found inmany castes.Ans 21 (d) Exp:- Megasthenes de-clared that there were no slave in In-dia. He was certainly wrong, but Indi-an slavery was milder than the formto which he had been used, and slavewere much less numerous than in thecivilizations of the West; hence he maynot have recognized the dasa as a salve.The word dasa originally meant amember of the peoples conquered bythe Aryans in their first invasions ofIndia. Its later connotation no doubtdeveloped from the reduction to bond-age of the many dasas captured in bat-tle, and here we find the probable ori-gin of Indian slavery. The Mahabhara-ta declares that it is a law of war that

the vanquished should be the victor’sslave, and the captive would normallyserve his captor until ransomed. Butthere were several other classes of salvein later times. Children born of slavesnormally become the slaves of theirparent’s masters. Salves might bebought, given away, or mortgaged. Afree man might sell himself and hisfamily into slavery in times of dire dis-tress. He might also be reduced to sla-very for crime or debt, but in these cas-es his servitude might be only tempo-rary. All these types of slavery are rec-ognized in the Smrti literature and else-where.Ans 22 (d) Exp:- The early Buddhaand Bodhisattvas of the Mathuraschool are happy fleshy figures withlittle spirituality about them, but laterthey developed in grace and religiousfeeling. Though the Mathura schoolowed much to earlier Indian tradition,it also borrowed from the North-West,and adopted more than one Greco-Ro-man motif. Through Mathura the stylegenerally known as Gupta developed,and produced some of the greatest In-dian religious sculpture.Ans 23 (d) Exp:- The Arthashastra,in many ways more liberal than thereligious lawbooks, lays down regula-tions appreciably milder than those wehave outlined. The sale of children intoslavery is explicitly forbidden exceptin dire emergency. Slaves are entitledto own and inherit property, and toearn money freely in their spare time.Slaves of the upper classes cannot beforced to perform defiling duties. Thechastity of slave girls is protected – themaster who rapes a slaver-girl must sether free and pay her compensation,and if she has a child by her master,even with her own consent, both moth-er and child become free. A promisemade by a man in dire necessity to sellhimself and his family into slavery isnot binding.Ans 24 (b) Exp:- The original mean-ing of gotra is “a cowshed”, or “a herdof cows”; in the Atharva Veda, theword first appears with the meaningof “a clan”, which it has retained witha special connotation. Some ancientIndo-European peoples, such as theRomans, had exogamous clans as wellas generally endogamous tribes. It maywell be that the gotra system is a sur-vival of Indo-European origin which





had developed special Indian features.Ans 25 (b) Exp:- Gotra as it existedin historical times was primarily abrahmanic institution, adopted ratherhalf-heartedly by other twice-bornclasses and hardly affecting the lowerorders. All Brahmans were believed tohave descended from one of the rsis,or legendary seers, after whom thegotras were named. The religious lit-erature generally speaks of seven oreight primeval gotras, those of Kasya-pa, Vasistha, Bhrgu, Gautama, Bharad-vaja, Atri, Visvamitra , and Agastya.The eight gotra, that of Agastya, isnamed after the sage who is said tohave taken the Vedic religion beyondthe Vindhyas, and who is a sort of pa-tron saint Dravidians. His name mayhave been added to those of the origi-nal seven as the South became progres-sively Aryanized. These primevalgotras were multiplied in later timesby the inclusion of the names of manyother ancient sages.Ans 26 (a) Exp:- Though the gotrasperhaps evolved from local units with-in the Aryan tribe they had quite losttheir tribal character by historicaltimes, and Brahmans from the furthestparts of India and of different castegroups might have same gotra. Thechief importance of gotra was in con-nexion with marriage, which was for-bidden to persons of a common gotra.The position was further complicatedby pravara. In the brahman’s dailyworship he mentioned not only thename of the founder of his gotra, butalso the names of certain other sageswho were believed to be the remoteancestors of his family. The formulagenerally contained three or fivenames, and set up a further bar to mar-riage, for same names would occur inthe pravaras of families of other gotras.According to the custom of somegotras marriage was impossible witha member of another gotra having onepravara name in common, while otherbarred intermarriage only when therewere two common names in the pra-varas. Thus matrimonial choice wasmuch restricted, especially when in theMiddle Ages the endogamous castesystem was fully established.Ans 27 (b) Exp:- In modern timethere are two great schools of familylaw, called after the legal texts onwhich they are based Mitaksara and

Dayabhaga; most families of Bengaland Assam follow the rule of Dayab-haga, while the rest of India generallyfollows Mitaksara. According to thelatter school sons and grandsons havea right in the family property even be-fore the death of the paterfamilias, whois little more than a trustee and man-ager on behalf of the family, withoutthe right to give property away so asimpoverish his dependents. Dayabha-ga maintains that sons only obtainrights over the property on the deathof the father, but even this school rec-ognizes that he is not an outright own-er, but only a steward for his descen-dants. Both schools existed in medievaltimes, and represent codifications ofmuch earlier practices.Ans 28 (d) Exp:- The great rite ofupanayana, the second birth wherebya boy became a full member of his classand of society, was confined to brah-mans, ksatriyas and vaisyas. The su-dras and lower orders could not un-dergo it, and were never allowed tohear or learn the most sacred of thescriptures. The ideal age for the cere-mony varied according to class – eightfor a brahman, eleven for a ksatryia,and twelve for a vaisya. It was a veryancient rite, going back to times beforethe Aryans divided into India and Ira-nian branches, for the Zoroastrians hada similar ceremony, a form of which isstill practiced by modern Parsis.Ans 29 (a) Exp:- Six Vedangas con-sisted of: kalpa, the performance of sac-rifice; siksa, correct pronunciations, orphonetics; chandas, meter and prosody;nirukta, etymology, the interpretationof obscure words in the Vedic texts;vyakarana, grammar; and jyotisa, as-tronomy, or the science of calendar.Ans 30 (d) Exp:- Varanasi, then usu-ally called Kasi, was particularly re-nowned for its religious teachers, butTaksasila, in the far North-West, laidmore emphasis on secular studies. TheBuddhist Jataka tales show that youngmen from all over the civilized part ofIndia sought education in this city,through which a trickle of Iranian andMesopotamian influence found its wayto India. Among the famous learnedmen connected with Taksasila werePanini, the grammarian of the 4th cen-tury B.C., Kautilya, the brahman min-ister of Chandragupta Maurya, and tra-ditionally the chief master of the sci-

ence of statecraft, and Caraka, one ofthe two great masters of Indian medi-cal science.Ans 31 (d) Exp:- The Buddhist mon-astery of Nalanda in Bihar, which,founded in Gupta times, remained themost famous teaching centre of medi-eval Buddhism until it was pillaged bythe invading Muslims. Our knowledgeof the day-to-day life of Nalanda de-pends chiefly on Hsuan Tsang, whoshows us the monastery in the 7th cen-tury as full of intellectual activity. Un-der its aged and saintly abbot, Silab-hadra, Nalanda did not confine itselfto training Buddhist novices, but alsotaught the Vedas, Hindu philosophy,logic, grammar and medicine. It wouldseem that the student population wasnot confined to the Buddhist order, butthat candidates of other faiths who suc-ceeded in passing a strict oral exami-nation were admitted. Ans 32 (a) Exp:- Though in earlytimes it was usually for girls to be ful-ly adult before marriage, the Smrtisrecommended that while a husbandshould be at least twenty a girl shouldbe married immediately before puber-ty. So philoprogenitive had Hindu bemarried orthodoxy become that it waseven declared that a father who did notgiven his daughter in marriage beforeher first menstruation incurred theguilt of one procuring abortion (a verygrave sin, worse than many kinds ofmurder) for every menstrual period inwhich she remained unmarried. Thegeneral view was that the ideal mar-riage was one in which the bride wasone third the age of the groom – thus aman of twenty-four should marry a girlof eight. The marriage of boys, wheth-er before or just after puberty, is no-where suggested, but the ideal of a rig-orous period of studentship beforemarriage is always maintained. Thechild marriage of both parties, whichbecome common in later times amongwell-to-do families, has no basis at allin sacred literature, and it is verydoubtful whether the child-marriage ofgirls was at all common until the latemedieval period.Ans 33 (a) Exp:- The text books enu-merated eight types of marriage,named after various gods and super-natural beings: (1) Brahma, marriageof duly dowered girl to a man of thesame class. (2) Daiva, when a house-





holder gives a daughter to a sacrificialpriest as a part of his fee. (3) Arsa, inwhich, in place of the dowry, there is atoken bride-price of a cow and a bull.(4) Prajapataya, in which the fathergives the girl without dowry and with-out demanding bride-price. (5)Gandharva, marriage by the consent ofthe two parties, which might be solem-nized merely by plighting troth. Thistype of marriage was often clandestine.(6) Asura, marriage by purchase, (7)Raksasa, marriage by capture. (8)Paisaca, which can scarcely be calledmarriage at all – the seduction of a girlwhile a sleep, mentally deranged, ordrunk.Ans 34 (a) Exp:- Gandharava, mar-riage by the consent of the two parties,which might be solemnized merely byplighting troth. This form of marriagewas often clandestine. Gandharavamarriage, which often might amountto no more than a liaison, was surpris-ingly respected. Some doubts existedas to whether it was possible to brah-mans, but it was certainly allowed tothe warrior class and the lower orders.It forms the basis of many romanticstories, and has given rise to one of thestock figures of later poetic convention– the abhisarika, the girl who secretlyleaves her father’s home by night tomeet her lover at the appointmenttrysting place.Ans 35 (a) Exp:- Asura marriage,in which the bride was bought from herfather, was looked on with disfavor byall the sacred texts, though theArthashastra allows it without criti-cism. There is evidence that marriageby purchase, as well as the orthodoxmarriage with dowry, existed even inVedic times, but it was not a true Ary-an custom and was only allowed as asop to evil propensities of man.Ans 36 (b) Exp:- The ordinary peo-ple of India, as of every other part ofthe world, were generally monoga-mous, though even in the time of theRg Veda polygamy was not unknown,as were many brahmans and wealthi-er members of the lower orders. In or-dinary circumstances polygamy wasencouraged by the earlier legal litera-ture. One Dharma Sutra definitely for-bids a man to take a second wife if hisfirst is of good character and has bornehim sons. Another later sources statesthat a polygamist is unfit to testify in a

court of law. The Arthashastra laysdown various rules which discouragewanton polygamy, including the pay-ment of compensation to the first wife.The ideal models of Hindu marriageare the hero Rama and his faithful wifeSita, whose mutual love was never bro-ken by the rivalry of a co-wife. How-ever, polygamous marriages are so fre-quently mentioned that we assumedthat they were fairly common amongall sections of the community whocould afford them.Ans 37 (b) Exp:- The Yajur Veda,compiled a century or two later thanthe Rg Veda, contains sacrificial formu-lae in prose and verse to be pronouncedby the adhvaryu, or priest who per-formed the manual part of the sacri-fice. It exists in various recensions(samhita), which are of two types, the‘Black’ giving the formulae with rubri-cated instructions, and the ‘White’ add-ing detailed instructions in a lengthyappendix called a Brahmana.Ans 38 (a) Exp:- The Rg Veda is acollection of hymns for use at the sac-rifices of the aristocratic Aryan cult.The three later Vedas, the Sama, Yajurand Atharva, are of somewhat differ-ent character. The Sama Veda is almostuseless to the historian, being a collec-tion of certain verses of the Rg Vedaarranged for liturgical purposes. TheAtharva Veda consists maily of magi-cal spells and incantations in verse andwas certainly compiled after the Rgand Yajur. It possesses, however, anatmosphere of simple animism andsympathetic magic, and seems to re-flect a lower cultural level than that ofthe RG Veda, deriving from the plebe-ian religion of the Aryans and contain-ing many non-Aryan elements.RIG VEDA :1. It is the earliest among the Vedas;2. It is a contemporary composition;3. It is a collection of hymns offered tovarious deities by various family ofpoets and sages;4. It has 1028 hymns of which 1017 areoriginal and 11 were added to it;5. It is divided into 10 Mandalas:(1) I has 191 Mantras and is dividedinto parts; (2) II has 113 Mantras,mainly composed by the others); (3) IIIhas 62 matras by VishwamitraKaushik, mainly composed byJamdagini Vishwamitra and Ghor(36 and 62) are composed by the

others);(4) IV : 58 Mantras : by VamdevAngiras family 55 are composed and 3are composed by Tradashyu, Ajmedhaand Purumedha;(5) V contains 87 mantras and is mainlycomposed by Atri family;(6) VI has 75 Mantras by BhardwajaAngiras;(7) VII has 104 Mantras by Vashista.Ans 39 (c) Exp:- The early gods ofthe Aryans, like those of the Greeks,were chiefly connected with the skyand were predominantly male. A fewgoddesses occur in the Rg Veda; forinstance Prthvi, a vague and rarelymentioned personification of the earth,Aditi, a mysterious and tenuous figure,the great mother of the gods, Usas, thegoddess of the dawn, to whom a num-ber of lovely hymns were addressed,Ratri, the spirit of the night, who has abeautiful hymn to herself, and Aran-yani, the Lady of the Forest, a naturegoddess of little importance who ispraised in one very hymn; none ofthese, however, played a significantpart in the cult.Ans 40 (d) Exp:- From the point ofview of the Aryan warrior the greatestgod was Indra, who fulfilled the dualfunction of war-god and weather-god.Though his name was different he hadmany of the characteristics of the GreekZeus and the German Thor. As Indratonans he rode at the head of the Ary-an host and destroyed the fortresses ofthe Dasas; as Indra pluvius he slew theevil dragon Vrta who held back thewaters, and thus he brought rain to theparched land. Indra was associatedwith storm and thunder, and like Zeusand Thor, his hand bore the thunder-bolt (vajra), with which he destroyedhis enemies. He was a rowdy amoraldeity, fond of feasting and drinking.One hymn, according to usual interpre-tation, shows us the drunken Indrabragging in his cups, though it maywell represent the feelings of a wor-shipper who has drunk liberally of thesacred drink.Ans 41 (a) Exp:- Several gods wereassociated with the sun. Surya (thecommon word for sun) drove acrossthe sky in a flaming chariot, like theGreek Helios. Savitr, the Stimulator,was another solar god, a beautifulverse in whose honour is the most holyof all the verses of the Veda. Pusan too





was in some measure a solar god, driv-ing daily across the sky, but his mainfunction was that of guardian of roads,herdsmen and straying cattle. Visnu, agod connected in part with the sacri-fice, also had solar characteristics, cov-ering the earth in three places, a traitwhich he retained in later Hinduism,when his importance greatly increased.On the fringes of the solar pantheonwas Surya, the sun-god’s daughter,who seems never to have been wor-shipped, but merely served to connecther two husbands, the Asvins (‘Horse-men’ also called Nasatyas), with thesun; these are described as drivingacross the sky in their three-wheeledchariot, but in the hymns they are notclosely associated with the natural phe-nomena.Ans 42 (d) Exp:- The fire-god, Agni(which means simply ‘fire’, and is re-lated to the Latin ignis), was the objectof much primitive mysticism and spec-ulation. He was the god of the priestwho dealt with him at the fire-sacrifice;he was also the god of the home, for hedwelt in the domestic hearth; he wasthe intermediary between gods andmen, for he consumed the sacrifice andcarried it to the gods. He dwelt in thewater of heaven in the form of light-ning, and on earth in many forms. Hewas hidden in fire-sticks, with whichthe sacrificial fire was kindled andwhich were personified as his parents.Ans 43 (d) Exp:- Varuna, secondonly to Indra in importance, was a godof a type rather different from the oth-ers. He is known as an Asura, a term,also applied to certain lesser gods,which in later Hinduism came to meana class of demons, but which was inPersia adopted by the reformer Zar-athustra in its local form as part of thetitle of the great god of light, AhuraMazda. Just as the shadowy Dyaus rep-resents the high god of the Indo-Euro-pean peoples before their separation,so Varuna may have been the high godof the Indo-Iranians before the twopeople divided, one to settle in N.W.India and the other in the Persian high-lands. The name is connected by someauthorities with the shadowy Greekheaven-god Uranus. At the time ofcompositions of the Veda, Varuna’sprestige was waning before that of In-dra, but he retained some importancefor many centuries. Varuna was the

guardian of Rta, the cosmic order, aconcept which was perhaps the high-est flight of Rg Vedic thought. Theworld takes its regular course, day fol-lows night and season succeeds seasonbecause of Rta; man must live accord-ing to Rta; in later days “non-rta” (an-rta) became one of the commonestwords for untruth and sin. Rta dependson Varuna, who was sometimes lookedon as its maker, and was thus a sort ofcreator-god. Of all the Aryan godsVaruna was ethically the highest.Ans 44 (d) Exp:- Rudra (perhapsmeaning “the Howler”), like Varuna,had a dangerous side to his character,but, unlike Varuna, was quite amoral.He resembled the Greek Apollo in thathe was an archer-god, whose arrowsbrought disease. Like Indra he was as-sociated with the storm, but he lackedIndra’s popular and genial character.He was a remote god, dwelling in themountains, and was generally an ob-ject of fear, invoked to ward off his ar-rows of plague and disaster. He had,however, a beneficent aspect, for hewas guardian of healing herbs, and assuch might give health to those whomhe capriciously favoured.Ans 45 (b) Exp:- According to thetradition a great gathering of monksmet at the Magadhan capital of Ra-jagrha soon after the Buddha’s death.At this council Upali, one of the chiefdisciples, recited the Vinaya Pitaka, orrules of the Order, as he recalled hav-ing heard the Buddha give them. An-other disciple, Ananda, who bears aposition in Buddhism similar to that ofSt. John in Christianity, recited the Sut-ta Pitaka, the great collection of theBuddha’s sermons on matters of doc-trine and ethics. Though there mayhave been a council of some sort, thestory as it stands is certainly untrue,for it is quite evident that the scripturesof Buddhism grew by a long processof development and accretion, perhapsover several centuries.Ans 46 (b) Exp:- A second generalcouncil is said to have been held atVaisali, one hundred years after theBuddha’s death. Here schism raised itshead, ostensibly over small points ofmonastic discipline, and the Orderbroke into two sections, the orthodoxSthaviravadins (Pali Threavadi) or Be-lievers in the Teaching of the Elders”,and the Mahasanghikas or “Members

of the Great Community”. The tradi-tion of the second council is as dubi-ous as that of the first, but it at leastrecords that schism began very early.The minor points of discipline onwhich the Order divided were soonfollowed by doctrinal differences ofmuch greater importance.Ans 47 (a) Exp:- With the supportof Asoka Buddhism greatly expanded,spreading throughout India and toCeylon. There is some doubt as to howfar the doctrine had developed at thistime, but at least a rudimentary canonexisted, though perhaps not yet com-mitted to writing. The great Buddhistholy places – the Lumbini Grove atKapilavastu where the Buddha wasborn, the Tree of Wisdom at Gayawhere he gained enlightenment, theDeer Park near Varanasi where hepreached his first sermon, and thegrove near Kusinagara where he died– were visited by many pilgrims, in-cluding Asoka himself.Ans 48 (d) Exp:- Another verystrong sect, the Sarvastivadins, wasstrong in the region of Mathura and inKashmir. It was in Kashmir, accordingto a traditional preserved in China,that, under the patronage of Kaniska,a fourth great council was held, atwhich the Sarvastivadin doctrineswere codified in a summary, the Ma-havibhasa. It was chiefly among theSaravastivadins, but also in the oldschism of the Mahasanghikas, that newideas developed, which were to formthe basis of the division of Buddhisminto the ‘Great’ and ‘Lesser Vehicles’(Mahayana and Hinayana).Ans 49 (a) Exp:- Among the manyunorthodox teachers who were con-temporary with the Buddha was Vard-hamana, known to his followers asMahavira (“ the Great Hero”). Jainism,the “Religion of the Conquerors” (ji-nas), which he founded, had a historyvery different from that of Buddhism.It succeeded in establishing itself firm-ly, and in some places become veryinfluential, but it never spread beyondIndia. Unlike Buddhism, there were nofundamental changes and develop-ments in Jaina doctrines. But thoughthe history of Jainism is less interest-ing than that of Buddhism, andthought it was never so important, itsurvived in the land of its birth.Ans 50 (d) Exp:- Mahavira was born





about 540 B.C. and was the son of Sid-dhartha, a chief of clan of Jnatrikas, theassociates of the Licchavis of Vaisalo;his mother, Trisala, was the sister of theLicchavis chief Cetaka, and thus, likeBuddha, he was wholly the product ofthe oligarchic martial clans which werea powerful political force at the time.Though he was educated as a prince,and married and had a daughter, hisreal interest lay in the quest for salva-tion. At the age of thirty, when his par-ents were dead, he left his home for alife of asceticism. At the first he fol-lowed the practices of an ascetic groupcalled the Nirgranthas (“free frombonds”), which had been foundedsome 200 years earlier by a certain Pars-va. The term Nirgrantha was later usedfor the members of the order whichMahavira founded, and Parsava wasremembered as the twenty-third of thetwenty-four great teachers ofTirthankaras (“Ford-makers”) of Jainafaith.Jaina Philosophy :1. They don’t believed in creator, butemphasized on the existence of theperfected souls.2. They believed in ANEKANTAVA-DA The reality has indefinite numberof aspects and attributes.3. Syadavada : also known as Saptab-handi, accepts it, no absolute and finalaffirmation of denial is possible be-cause knowledge is a relative quality.4. Derived its metaphyscial thoughtsform the Samakhya School.5. Varna: unlike Buddhism, believes inrebirth and recognises Varna.6. Believed in Jiva and Ajiva: The worldconsists of two eternal, uncreated, co-existing but independent categories. Itis the most scientific concept of Jain-ism. Jiva is conscious power, but em-barrassed with limitations of material-ism and corresponds to soul. Ajiva isunconscious like, matter, space, mo-tion, rest time. The most important as-pect which distinguishes Jiva and Aji-va is the Knowledge.Ans 51 (c) Exp:- Bhadrabahu, theelder of the community who led theemigrants, insisted on the retention ofthe rule of nudity which Mahavira hadestablished. Sthulabhadra, the leaderof the monks who remained in theNorth, allowed his followers to wearwhite garments, owing to the hard-ships and confusions of the famine.Hence arose the two sects of the Jain-as, the Digambaras (“Space-clad”, i.e.

naked), and the Svetambaras (“White-clad”). The schism did not become fi-nal until the 1st century A.D., and therewere never any fundamental doctrinaldifferences; later most monks of thenaked sect took to wearing robes inpublic, but the division has persisteddown to the present day.Ans 52 (a) Exp:- Jainism had nospecial social doctrines. The domesticrites of the layman, such as birth, mar-riage and death, were those of the Hin-dus. At one time Jainism maintained acult of stupas in the same way as Bud-dhism, but this has not survived, andearly in the Christian era theTirthankaras were adored in templesin the form of icons. By the MiddleAges this worship approximated tothat of the Hindus, with offerings offlowers, incense, lamps and so on. Aswith Buddhism, the chief gods of theHindus found their way into Jaina tem-ples in subordinate positions, andthough there was no real compromisewith theism the sect easily fitted intothe Hindu order, its members formingdistinct castes.Ans 53 (a) Exp:- A third unortho-dox sect which emerged at the sametime as Buddhism and Jainism was thatof the Ajivikas, a body of ascetics whowere under a rigorous discipline simi-lar to that the Jainas, and who alsopracticed complete nudity. The doc-trines of the founder of the sect, Gosa-la Maskariputra, bears a generic like-ness to those of his contemporary andformer friend Mahavira. Like Mahavi-ra, he looked back to earlier teachersand ascetic groups, whose doctrines herefurbished and developed. Accordingto both Buddhist and Jaina tradition hewas of humble birth; he died a year orso before the Buddha, about 487 B.C.,after a fierce altercation with Mahavi-ra in the city of Sravasti.Ans 54 (b) Exp:- No scriptures ofthe Ajivikas have come down to us,and the little we know about them hasto be reconstructed from the polemicliterature of Buddhism and Jainism.The sect was certainly atheistic, and itsmain feature was strict determinism.The usual doctrine of karma taughtthat though a man’s present conditionwas determined by his past actions hecould influence his destiny, in this lifeand the future, by choosing the rightcourse of conduct. This the Ajivikas

denied. The whole universe was con-ditioned and determined to the small-est detail by an impersonal cosmicprinciple, Niyati, or destiny. It wasimpossible to influence the course oftransmigration in any way.Ans 55 (d) Exp:- Buddha, Mahavi-ra and Gosala, and many lesser teach-ers of their period ignored the gods, butthey were not thoroughgoing atheistsand materialist. All admitted the exist-ence of supernatural beings of strictlylimited powers, and all accepted thefundamental doctrine of transmigra-tion, though they interpreted its me-chanics individually. Some thinkers,however, rejected all immaterial cate-gories completely, and their influencemay have been wider than appearsfrom the religious texts of the period.Ans 56 (d) Exp:- The stupa beganas an earthen burial mound, which wasrevered by the local population, and wehave seen that the cult of stupas wastaken up by Buddhism, and that Aso-ka raised stupas in Buddha’s honoursall over India. Only one stupa, in Ne-pal, survives in the form in which greatemperor left it, but excavations of ex-isting stupas have shown the charac-ter of the earlier ones. There were largehemispherical domes, containing asmall central chamber, in which therelics of the Buddha were placed in acasket, often beautifully carved in crys-tal. The core of the stupa was of un-burnt bricks, and the outer face of burntbrick, covered with a thick layer ofplaster. The stupa was crowned by anumbrella of wood or stone, and wassurrounded by wooden fence enclos-ing a path for ceremonial clockwise cir-cumambulation (pradaksina), whichwas the chief form of reverence paidto the relics within it.Ans 57 (c) Exp:- In India stupa ar-chitecture became more and more or-nate. The Stupa of Amravati, which inits final form was completed c. A.D.200, was larger than that of Sanchi, andit was adorned with carved panels(some of which can be seen in the Brit-ish Museum) telling the story of the lifeof the Buddha. Meanwhile in North-ern India stupas grew taller in propor-tion to their bases. They were often seton square platforms, which in Burmaand Indonesia were developed intostepped pyramids, the largest of whichis the enormous stupa of Borobodur,





in Java, built in the 8th century A.D.Pinnacles became higher, and devel-oped towards the springing forms ofthe of the present day temples of Bur-ma and Siam.Ans 58 (b) Exp:- Ellora near Auran-gabad – here are no less than thirty-fourcaves, constructed from the 5th to the8th centuries A.D., most of them Hin-du but some Buddhist and Jaina. Thecrowning achievement of Ellora is thegreat Kailasanatha Temple, excavatedon the instructions of the Rastrakutaemperor Krsna I. with this the conceptof the cave temple was transcended, forthe king was not satisfied with a merehollow in the rock. The entire rock facewas cut away and a splendid templewas carved like a statue from the hill-side, complete with shrine room, hall,gateway, votive pillars, lesser shrinesand cloisters, the whole adorned withdivine figures and scenes large andsmall of a grace and strength rarelyseen again in Indian art. The groundplan of Kailasanatha is of about thesame size as the Parthenon, and it ishalf as high again.Ans 59 (b) Exp:- The latest cave-tem-ples of importance are those of Ele-phanta, a beautiful little island off Bom-bay. These, in the same style as thoseof Ellora, are famous for their sculp-ture, especially for the great Trimutrifigure of Siva. After these no importantcaves were excavated. Indians had longknown the art of building in stone. TheKailasanatha Temple, carved in exactimitation of masonry, showed the dis-satisfaction with the older cave form.The great period of medieval templebuilding had begun.Ans 60 (d) Exp:- Gupta period: Pil-lars were usually ornate, with heavybell-shaped capitals surmounted byanimal motifs, and the entrances wereoften carved with mythological scenesand figures. All Gupta temples weresmall and most had flat roofs. Theirmasonry was held together withoutmortar, and was far larger and thickerthan was necessary for the compara-tively small buildings. Evidently thebuilders had not yet fully masteredtheir technique, and were still think-ing in terms of cave. The finest Guptatemples, that of Deogarh near Jhansi,probably of the 6th century, marks agreat advance. Here iron dowels wereused to hold the masonry together, and

a small tower rose above the sanctum.The portal veranda was continued allround the building, making a coveredwalk.Ans 61 (a) Exp:- The standard typeof Hindu temple, which has persistedfrom the 6th century to the present day,was not fundamentally different fromthat of the ancient Greeks. The heart ofthe temple was a small dark shrine-room (garbhagrha), containing thechief icon. This opened on a hall forworshipers (mandapa), originally aseparate building, but usually joinedto the shrine-room by a vestibule (ant-arala). The hall was approached by aporch (ardhamandapa). The shrine-room was generally surrounded by atower, while smaller towers rose fromother parts of the building. The wholewas set in a rectangular courtyard,which might contain lesser shrines andwas often placed on a raised platform.Ans 62 (c) Exp:- Paisaca, which canscarcely be called marriage at all – theseduction of a girl while asleep, men-tally deranged, or drunk. Paisaca mar-riage was universally reprobated. Thisform of marriage, according to the law-books, was not fitted for the higherclasses, and could only be allowed onsufferance to the lower orders.Ans 63 (b) Exp:- In general a wid-ow could not remarry. By medievaltimes this rule was applied so strictlyin the upper classes that it includedeven girls widowed in childhood,whose marriages had not been con-summated. Moreover, the custom ofniyoga, which gave the childless wid-ow a chance to conceive a son by herbrother-in-law, passed into desuetudein the early centuries of the Christianera. All evidence shows, however, thatthe remarriage of widows was fairlycommon in earlier times. TheArthashastra admits its possibility. Inthe famous old story of Nala and Dam-ayanti, the hero, who has long beenparted from his wife, is reunited withher by subterfuge of her announcementthat she presumes his death and plansto hold a second svayamvara.Ans 64 (b) Exp:- The first memorialto a sati is found at Eran, near Sagar inMadhya Pradesh, where a brief inscrip-tion engraved on a pillar in A.D. 510records. It is known that the nomadsof Central Asia practiced this custom,and it may have received some stimu-

lus from their invasions. In any case,from this time onwards it became morecommon, and there are numerous sati-stones all over India, commemoratingthe many faithful wives who followedtheir slain lords in death. Criticisms ofthe custom were not unknown. It wascondemned by the humane poet Bana,in the 7th century, and by the tantricsects, which even declared that wom-an burning herself on her husband’spyre went straight to hell. But somemedieval writers roundly declare thatthe sati, by her self-immolation, ex-punges both her own and her hus-band’s sins, and that the two enjoy to-gether 35 million years of bliss in heav-en. The living cremation of the sati wasalways in theory voluntary, but, if weare to judge from later analogy, socialand family pressure may have made itvirtually obligatory on some high-castewidows, especially those of the war-rior class. The 15th century travellerNicolo dei Conti states that as many asthree thousand of the wives and con-cubines of the kings of Vijayangarawere pledged to be burnt with theirlord on his death.Ans 65 (c) Exp:- In general the Up-anisads proclaim salvation by knowl-edge or realization rather than by faithor workers. Their ethics are fundamen-tally pragmatic. Good and evil are re-solved in the all-pervading Brahman,and are relative terms only. From thepoint of view of the seeker after truth,that is good with leads him to the real-ization of Brahman, and evil the re-verse. Thus anything which discourag-es the meditative life is ultimately bad,and among the most serious of theseobstacles are selfish desires. In morethan one context it is said that the uni-verse came into existence through aprimeval desire of the World Soul; toattain bliss the hermit must, so tospeak, restore the state of things beforecreation. The normal values of theworld, sacrifice, benevolence, and evenasceticism, are only good in so far asthey lead the soul upwards.Ans 66 (c) Exp:- The Vinaya Pitakacontains pronouncements attributed tothe Buddha, laying down numerousrules for the conduct order. With eachrule the circumstances which led theBuddha to propound it are given, andthus the Vinaya much early tradition-al matter. The largest and most impor-





tant of the “Three Baskets” is the SuttaPitaka, which is divided into fivegroups (Nikaya).Ans 67 (d) Exp:- Temple buildinggained much from the patronage of thePallava and Calukya kings in the 6thto 8th centuries. Important early tem-ples of the former dynasty are to befound at Mamallapuram and Kanci,while Calukyas left temple remains attheir capital Badami and at the nearbysite of Aihole, both in Mysore. Thesestyles show the gradual emancipationof the architect from the techniques ofcarpentry and cave architecture. Theapogee of the Pallava style was reachedin the Shore Temple at Mamallapuramand the Kailasanatha Temple of Kan-ci, built early in the 8th century. Thelatter has a pyramidal tower formed oftwo courses of small barrel vaults, sur-mounted by a solid cupola suggestinga Buddhist stupa. The style of the Pal-lavas was developed further under theCola dynasty (10-12th centuries); theirfinest products are the temples of Sivaat Tanjuvur (Tanjore), built by Rajara-ja the Great and the temple built by hissuccessor, Rajendra I, at his new capi-tal of Gangaikondacolapuram, nearKumbakonam. The former was proba-bly the largest temple built in India upto that time. Both these temples con-tain elaborate pillared halls and beau-tiful decoration.Ans 68 (d) Exp:- The earliestCalukayan temples closely resemblethe Gupta. By the 8th century they haddeveloped individual features, includ-ing the wide overhanging eaves whichbecame characteristic of the medievaltemples of the Central Deccan. The lat-er Calukyas and Hoysalas (11th -14thcenturies) developed a more elaboratestyle. Their temples were no longerconstructed on a rectangular plan, butwere polygonal or stellate, raised ontall solid platforms of the same shapeas buildings. These temples give astrong feeling of flatness, for platformsand walls alike are covered with rath-er narrow carved friezes of elephants,horsemen, geese, monster, and scenesof mythology and legend. The gro-tesque mask (Kirtimukha) became verycommon as a decorative feature, andturned columns, often ornately carved,were widely used. The largest andmost famous temples of this style, atHalebid (Dorasamudra, the Hoysala

capital) and Belur, have no towers, andit is thought that they were not com-pleted.Ans 69 (d) Exp:- The finest Orissantemple is the Lingaraja at Bhubanesar,which shows the North Indian sikharain its final form – a tower which be-gins to curve inwards at about onethird of its height, with rounded topcrowned by a flat stone disc (amalaka)and a finial (kalasa). The upwardsweep of this graceful curving toweris emphasized by deep vertical inlets,but its solidity and firm basis on earthare very evident. The Ligaraja temple,like most Orissan temples, is built as aseries of four halls – a hall of offerings,a dancing hall, an assembly hall and asanctuary. The sanctuary is crownedby the great tower, but the other threeelements of the temple, leading one byone to the shrine, are also roofed withcharacteristic towers of small size, car-rying the eye to main sikhara. Thewhole temple enclosure of the Linga-raja is filled with smaller shrines, builton the pattern of the great one.Ans 70 (b) Exp:- The third greatcouncil, held at Patliputra under thepatronage of Asoka, which resulted inthe expulsion of many heretics and theestablishment of the Sthaviravadaschool as orthodox. At this council it issaid that the last section was added tothe Pali scriptures, the Kathavatthu ofthe Abhidhamma Pitaka, dealing withpsychology and metaphysic. In factmay of the works of this part of thecanon are of later composition, and thedetails of the account of the council aresuspect, but the record shows that bythis time widespread difference haddeveloped within the Order.Ans 71 (d) Exp:- Under the Candel-la kings of Bundelkhand a great schoolof architecture flourished in the 10thand 11th centuries, the chief work ofwhich is a beautiful group of templesat Khajuaraho, about 100 miles south-east of Jhansi. These temples are builton a rather different plan from thoseof Orissa, ad are not very large; the fin-est, a Saivite temple known as Kanda-riya-Mahadeo, was built about A.D.1000, and is not more than 100 feethigh. The standard type of Khajurahotemple contains a shrine-room or sanc-tuary, an assembly-hall and an en-trance portico. Whereas in Orissantemple these elements were conceived

rather as separate entities joined to-gether by vestibules, the Khajurahoarchitects treated them as a whole, andthought each part has its own roof theyare not structurally separate. The Kha-juraho sikhara, like those of mostNorthern temples, is curvilinear.Ans 72 (c) Exp:- The most famousbuilding of Gujarat school are the love-ly Jaina shrine of Mount Abu, the styleof which is fundamentally not verydifferent from the Khajuraho. The tem-ples were built on high platforms andusually consisted of a shrine and hallonly, without an entrance portico. Thesikhara over the shrine, like those ofKhajuraho, was adorned with a largenumber of miniature towers, and theceilings were in the form of corbelleddomes. Perhaps through the influenceof Muslim architectural styles, theseceilings were carved so as to give theimpression of a true dome, the steps ofthe corbelling being skillfully con-cealed by the sculptor, and the flatcrossbeams, supported on pillars, of-ten being adorned with large bracketsmeeting at the centre, which gave anarch-like effect, though the true archwas never employed.Ans 73 (d) Exp:- The 1028 hymns ofRg Veda are the work of many authorsand shows great variations of style andmerit. Though their composition mayhave covered several centuries, eventhe earliest of these poems is the prod-uct of long tradition, composed accord-ing to a strict metrical scheme and asettled literary convention. The collec-tion is divided into ten ‘circles’ (man-dala) or books. Of these, books ii to viiare ascribed to individual families ofseers, and contain the earliest hymns;books I, viii and x are later, especiallypart x, while the ninth book was com-plied by extracting the hymns to theSoma from other parts of the Rg Veda.The hymns contain many repetitionsand the majority has a general same-ness of outlook.Ans 74 (a) Exp:- The earlier knowndramas to have survived are fragmentsof plays by Asvaghosa, preserved inmanuscripts found in the desert sandsof Central Asia. The oldest completeplay are probably those attributed toBhasa, which seem to be earlier thanthose of Kalidasa, though there is nocomplete unanimity of experts on thispoint. Bhasa’s thirteen surviving plays





include several works of great merit,notably “The Dream of Vasavadatta”(Svapnavasavaadatta) and “Yaug-nadhrarayana’s Vows” (Pratijna-yaugandharayana). Bhasa also wrote anumber of short dramas based on epicstories in simple and vigorous style. Asin English literature so in Sanskrit, thegreatest poet was also the greatest dra-matist. Three plays of Kalidasa havesurvived: “Malavika and Agnimitra”,a comedy of harem intrigue, its sceneset in the Sunga period; “Urvasi Wonby Valour” (Vikramaorvasi), telling theancient story of the love of Pururavasand Urvasi; and the “The Recognitionof Sakuntala” (Abhijnanasakuntala).At all times the last has been reckonedKalidasa’s masterpiece, and merits spe-cial consideration.Ans 75 (b) Exp:- Sudraka, probablyKalidasa’s approximate contemporary,has left only one play “The Little ClayCart” (Mrcchakatika). Visakhadattawas the dramatist of politics. His onlycomplete surviving play, “The Minis-ter’s Signet Ring” (Mudraraksasa),deals with the schemes of the wilyCanakya to foil the plots of Raksasa,the minister of the last of the Nanadas,and to place Candragupta Mauryafirmly on the throne. Another play ofVisakhadatta, “The Queen and Can-dra Gupta” (Devicandragupta), pur-porting to tell the story of the rise topower of Candra Gupta II, exists onlyin fragments.Ans 76 (d) Exp:- Three plays areascribed to the great king Harsa,though they may be the work of a‘ghost writer’. They are‘Ratnavali’,‘Priyadarsika’ and ‘The Joy of the Ser-pents’ (Nagananda). The first two,named after their heroines, are charm-ing harem comedies, while the last is aplay of religious purport, telling ofprince Jimutavahana, who gives hisown body to put a stop to the sacrificeof snakes to the divine Garuda. WithHarsa we may link his royal contem-porary, the Pallava King Mahendra-vikramavarman, who has left a one-actplay “The Sport of the Drunkards”(Mattavilasa). Second only to Kalidasain the esteem of the critics was Bhav-abhuti, who lived at Kanyakubja in theearly 8th century. Three of his playsurvive – “Malati and Madhava”, “TheDeeds of the Great Hero” (Mahavira-carita), and “The Later Deeds of Rama”

(Uttararamacarita).Ans 77 (d) Exp:- The term Upanisadmeans literally ‘a session’, sitting at thefeet of a master who imparts esotericdoctrines. There are said to be 108 Up-anisads altogether, but many of theseare late sectarian workers of little im-portance. The earlier Upanisads, likethe great Brhadaranyaka and the Chan-dogya, are in prose and consist of aseries of short expositions of some as-pect of the new doctrines, often in theform of question and answer. The Up-anisads of somewhat later composi-tion, like the Katha and the Svetasvat-ara, are in verse, and their contents aremore closely integrated.Ans 78 (d) Exp:- The Puranas (‘An-cient Stories”) are compendia of leg-ends and religious instructions. Thereare eighteen chief Puranas, of whichperhaps the most important are theVayu, Visnu, Agni, Bhavisya andBhagavata Puranas. In their presentform they are not very ancient, nonegoing back earlier than the Gupta pe-riod and all containing interpolations,but most of their material is very oldindeed.Ans 79 (d) Exp:- Hindu cosmologyin its final form was perhaps later thanthe cosmologies of the cosmologies ofthe Buddhists and Jainas. According tothis system the cosmos passes throughcycles within cycles for all eternity. Thebasic cycle is the Kalpa, a ‘day of Brah-ma’, or 4,320 million earthly years. Hisnight is of equal length. 360 such daysand nights constitute a ‘year of Brah-ma’ and his life lasts for 100 such years.The largest cycle is therefore311,040,000 million years long, afterwhich the whole universe returns tothe ineffable world-spirit, until anoth-er creator god is evolved.Ans 80 (d) Exp:- Vaisesika (‘theschool of Individual Characteristics’)was complementary to Nyaya, thoughperhaps older, and in medieval timesthe two merged into what was virtual-ly a single school. While Nyaya spe-cialized in logic, Vaisesika was inter-ested rather in physics than theology.The earlier text of the school is thesutras of the legendary founder, Ulu-ka Kanada, which had numerous ex-ponents and commentators, the great-est of whom was Prasastapada of the5th century. The basic tenet of Vaisesi-ka, held in common with Jainism and

some schools of Buddhism, was thatnature is atomic. The atoms are distinctfrom the soul, of which they are instru-ment. Vaisesika postulated a dualismof matter and soul, and declared thatsalvation depends on fully recognizingthe atomic nature of the universe, andits difference from the soul.Ans 81 (b) Exp:- Vedanta (‘the endof the Veda’), also called Uttara Mi-mamsa, is the most important of thesix systems, and in its may sub-schoolsit has produced the characteristics fea-tures of modern intellectual Hinduism.The basic text of the system is the Brah-ma Sutra of Badarayana, written earlyin the Christian era, which have beencommented on by many scholars of allages, down to the present day. Vedan-ta is still a living school, and modernteachers such as Vivakananda andAurobindo Ghose, and philosopherssuch as Radhakrishnan, are all Vedan-tists. The doctrines of Vedanta werebased on the Upanisads, and gave log-ical organized form to their many mys-tical speculations.Ans 82 (c) Exp:- At Mohenjo Daroeach city had well-fortified citadel,which seems to have been used forboth religious and governmental pur-poses. Probably the most striking fea-tures of the culture was its intense con-servatism. At Mohenjo Daro nine stra-ta of buildings have been revealed. Asthe level of the earth rose from the pe-riodic flooding of the Indus new hous-es would be built almost exactly on thesites of the old, with only minor varia-tions in ground plan; for nearly a mil-lennium at least, the street plan of thecities remained the same. The script ofIndus people was totally unchangedthroughout their history. There is nodoubt that they had contact with Me-sopotamia, but they showed no incli-nation to adopt the technical advancesof the more progressive culture.Ans 83 (d) Exp:- The most strikingdeity of the Harappa culture is thehorned god of the seals. He is depict-ed on tree specimens, in two seated ona stool or small dais, and in the thirdon the ground; in all three his postureis on well known to later Indian holyman, with the legal drawn up close tothe body and the two heels touching, aposition quite impossible to the West-erner without much practice. Animalsplayed a big part in the religion of the





Indus people. The bull is usually de-picted with a single horn, and hassometime been referred to as unicorn,though there is little doubt that the art-ist was trying to portray a normal bull,whose second horn was concealed bythe first. Certain trees were sacred, asthey are Hinduism today, notably thepipal, which is specially honoured byBuddhists as the species under whichthe Buddha found enlightenment.Ans 84 (d) Exp:- There is no reasonto believe that iron was used in Indiaat this period. Ayas, one of the termsfor metal in Rg Veda, came to meaniron at a later date, and is related tothe German word Eisen and the En-glish iron; but it is also akin to the latinaes, meaning bronze, and it certainlymeans this metal or copper in the RgVeda. No trace of iron has been foundin the upper levels of the remains ofthe Indus Culture, and at this periodiron implements were rare, even in theadvance civilizations of Mesopotamia.Ans 85 (c) Exp:- Below the sudraswere the early representatives of thepeople who were later called untouch-ables, outcastes, depressed classes, orscheduled castes. Buddhist literatureand the early Dharma Sutras show thatseveral centuries before Christ therealready existed groups of people who,though serving the Aryan in very me-nial and dirty tasks, were looked on asquite outside the pale. Sometime theywere called the ‘fifth class’ (pancama),but most authorities rejected this term,as if to insist that they were to be ex-cluded from the Aryan social order al-together.Ans 86 (a) Exp:- The candala, a termwhich came to be used loosely formany types of untouchable. The Can-dala was not allowed to live in an Ary-an town or village, but had to dwell inspecial quarters outside the bound-aries. Though some candalas had oth-er means of livelihood, in theory theirmain task was the carrying and crema-tion of corpses, and they also servedas executioners of criminals. Accord-ing to the law-books the Candalashould be dressed in the garments ofthe corpses he cremated, should eat hisfood from the broken vessels, andshould wear only iron ornaments. Noman of higher class might have any butthe most distant relations with a can-dala, on pain of losing his religious

purity and falling to the candala’s lev-el. By the Gupta times candalas hadbecome so strictly untouchable that,like lepers in medieval Europe, theywere forced to strike a wooden clap-per on entering a town, to warn theAryans of their polluting approach.Ans 87 (d) Exp:- The earliest Indiancoinage consisted of flat pieces of sil-ver or bronze, of irregular shape butfairly accurate in weight. They bore noinscription but a number of punch-marks, but which probably includedthe emblems of the Kings who mintedthe coins, and control marks of localofficials and merchants. Inscribed coinswere not regularly minted in Indiauntil the 2nd century B.C., and thoughliterary evidence suggests that goldcoinage may have existed earlier theoldest surviving gold coins, other thanone or two very rare specimens, arethose of Vima Kadphises of the 1st cen-tury A.D. As well as the three usualmetals, coins of nickel were minted bysome of the Greco-Bactrian kings,while the Satavahanas of the Deccanmade coins of lead, and various alloysare attested.Ans 88 (c) Exp:- The people of theKulli Culture, in the Makran, burnttheir dead while, the people of NalCulture, in the Brahui Hills, practicedfractional burial, or inhumation of thebones after partial disintegration byburning or exposure. Their religionwas of the type practiced by other ear-ly agricultural communities in theMediterranean region and the MiddleEast, cantering round fertility rites andthe worship of a Mother Goddess. Fig-urines of the Goddess have been foundin many sites, and in those of the ZhobCulture, to the north of Quetta, phallicemblems have also been found. Inmany ancient cultures the worship ofMother Goddess was associated withthat of the bull, and these were no ex-ception. Bull figurines have been dis-covered, and the bull forms a favou-rite motif for the decoration of the pot-tery of Kulli and Rana Ghundai, oneof the most important of the Zhob sites.Ans 89 (d) Exp:- The people of theKulli culture excelled in making smallboxes of soft stone, delicately engravedwith liner patterns. Such boxes havebeen occasionally found in early Me-sopotamian sites, and we may assumethat they were exported by the Kulli

people, perhaps filled with the unguentor perfume of some kind. At Susa andelsewhere have been found a few piec-es of painted pottery which are evi-dently imitated from the wares of theKulli people, who obviously tradedwith the Middle East. Otherwise thereis little evidence of contact. No certain-ly identifiable Mesopotamian remainshave been found in Baluchistan, andthere is no trace of objects from theKulli Culture along the overland route.It seems that the Kulli people madecontact with the earliest Mesopotami-an civilization by sea.Ans 90 (d) Exp:- The most strikingof the few large building is the greatbath in the citadel area of MohenjoDaro. This is an oblong bathing pool39 x 23 feet in areas and 8 feet deep,constructed of beautiful brickworkmade watertight with bitumen. It couldbe drained by an opening in one cor-ner and was surrounded by a cloister,on to which opened a number of smallrooms. Like the ‘tank’ of a Hindu tem-ple, it probably had a religious pur-pose, and the cells may have been thehomes of priests. The special attentionpaid by the people of the Harappa cul-ture to cleanliness is hardly due to thefact that they had notions of hygienein advance of those of other civiliza-tions of their time, but indicates that,like the later Hindus, they had a strongbelief in the purificatory effects of wa-ter from a ritual point of view.Ans 91 (b) Exp:- Bimbisara of Ma-gahdha generally seems to have beena man of peace, and to have kept ongood terms with the king of far-offGandhara and the upper Indus. Hisone conquest was that of the little king-dom of Anga, on borders of the mod-ern Bengal. Campa, the capital city ofAnga, was already of considerablecommercial importance, for it was ariver port from which ships would saildown the Ganga and coast to SouthIndia, returning with jewels and spic-es which were already in demand inthe North. Although Anga was Bim-bisara’s only conquest, he seems alsoto have gained control of part at leastof the district of Kasi (Varansai), as thedowry of his chief queen, who was thesister of Prasenajit of Kosala. His capi-tal was Rajagirha, some sixty miles tothe south-east of the modern Patna.Bimbisara was deposed, imprisoned





and murdered about 494 B.C., - someseven years before the death of Bud-dha – by his son, Ajatasatru.Ans 92 (c) Exp:- In the middle ofthe 4th century B.C., Mahapadma Nan-da was emperor of Magadha. He wasan unpopular upstart, but, as far as canbe gathered from the few references tohim, he was an energetic and ambitiousking, who succeeded in gaining con-trol of Kalinga (the modern Orissa andthe northern coastal strip of AndhraPradesh), and perhaps of other partsof Deccan. His death seems to havebeen followed by a disputed succes-sion, which coincided of the timesemerged the greatest and most pow-erful of India’s many empires.Ans 93 (d) Exp:- Classical sourcesspeaks of a young Indian named San-drocottus – identical with the Candra-gupta Maurya of India sources – whosided with the Greeks. Plutarch statesthat Sandrocottus advised Alexanderto advanced beyond the Beas and at-tack the Nanda emperor, who was sounpopular that his people would risein support of an invader. The Latin his-torian Justin adds that later Sandrocot-tus offended Alexander by his boldnessof speech, and conqueror ordered thathe should be put to death; but he es-caped, and after many adventures suc-ceeded in expelling the Greek garrisonsand gaining the throne of India. BothIndian and classical sources agree thatCandragupta overthrew the last Nan-da and occupied his capital, Patalipu-tra; the latter add that after Alexander’sretreat Candragupta subdued theNorth-West, driving out the Greek gar-risons.Ans 94 (c) Exp:- Alexander’s gen-eral Seleucus sent an ambassador, Me-gasthenes, to raised at the Mauryancourt at Pataliputra, and the envoywrote a detailed account of India whichbecame the standard textbook of thesubject for later classical writers. Thecapital was a large and fine city, sur-rounded by a wooden wall; it was con-trolled by an administrative board ofthirty members, who regulated in de-tail the whole social and economic lifeof the people. Megasthenes noticed theexistence of caste, though his classifi-cation of the population in seven en-dogamous groups is certainly errone-ous.Ans 95 (a) Exp:- Candra Gupta I

possessed fairly large domains, includ-ing the regions of Magadha and Kosa-la. Under his successor, Samudra Gup-ta, Patliputra once more became thecenter of a great empire. Samudra’spower reached from Assam to the bor-ders of the Punjab. He aimed at theestablishment of a closely knit empireof the Mauryan type, for in his greatAllahabad inscription he is said to have“violently uprooted” no less tha ninekings of North India, and to have an-nexed their kingdoms to his own. Sam-udra Gupta’s main efforts was in thedirection of the west, where the Sakashad ruled for over 200 years and theland was enriched by the lucrativewestern trade. Sakas actually succeed-ed in shaking the Gupta Empire, andforced a weak king, Rama Gupta, toconclude a dishonorable peace. It wasCandra Gupta II, the son of Samudraand younger brother of the shadowyRama Gupta,, who finally defeated theSakas.Ans 96 (d) Exp:- Harsa ascendedthe throne in 606 at the age of sixteen,and in the forty-one years of his reignhe succeeded in partially restoring theglories of the Guptas. The poet Bana,who was patronized by Harsa, has lefta florid account of the events leadingup to his rise to power, while in thelatter part of his reign India was visit-ed by another Chinese pilgrim, HusanTsang, who wrote a very valuable de-scription of India, which, unlike theaccount of Megasthense, has survivedintact. Although Harsa gained controlof most of Northern India, from Gu-jarat to Bengal, his empire was feudalin structure.Ans 97 (a) Exp:- Bhaskaravarman,the king of remote Assam, attended inthe court of Harsa. It would seem thatBhaskaravarman assisted Harsaagainst Sasanka at the beginning of hisreign, and the two kings were lifelongfriends. Only in the Deccan Harsacould make no progress. Here he at-tacked the Chalukya King Pulakesin II,but was thoroughly defeated, andcould never again pass the Narmada.Husan Tsang shows that Buddhismwas definitely declining in India at thistime, although in the latter part of hisreign Harsa fell increasingly under itsinfluence.Ans 98 (d) Exp:- The Palas of East-ern India were the first to gain the as-

cendancy, and for a while, in the earlypart of the 9th century, were the mas-ters of Kanyakubja. The long reign ofthe great king Dharmapala marks theapogee of Pala power; by the time ofhis death control of Kanyakubja waslost, but his successor, Devapala, wasstill a very important king and was indiplomatic contact with the Sailendrakings of Sumatra. The Pala kings arechiefly notable for their patronage ofBuddhism, which, in a rather corruptform, flourished in their dominionsduring the three centuries of their rule.It was from the Pala empire that Bud-dhism was introduced into Tibet,where, combined with many nativebeliefs, it survives to the present day.Ans 99 (d) Exp:- In the NorthernDeccan the Vakatakas vanished atabout the same time as the Gupta, andin the middle of the 6th century thewest and the central Peninsula cameunder the control of the Calukya Dy-nasty, ruling from Vatapi (now calledBadami) in Mysore. Its greatest kingPulakesin II was the approximate con-temporary of Harsa, whom he success-fully resisted, only to be defeated at theend of his reign by Narasimhavarman,the Pallava king of Kanci (kan-chipuram). The Pallavas, who had beenruling since the 4th century, were greattemple builders, and seem to havemuch encouraged the growth of Ary-an institutions in the South.Ans 100 (d) Exp:- The Colas fell inthe 13th century, when their territorywas shared by the Hoysalas of Mysoreand the revived Pandya dynasty of theMaduri. Now Deccan was soon to feelthe force of Islam, which was alreadythe master of North India. In the reignof the able sultan of Delhi, Ala-ud-dinKhalji, a series of brilliant raids led bythe eunuch general Malik Kafur, a con-verted Hindu, crushed the DeccanKingdoms, and for a time a Muslimsultanate was setup even in Madurai,in extreme south. The Dravidians werenot finally subjugated, however. In1336, within a few years of Malik Kaf-ur’s raids, an independent Hindu king-dom was founded at Vijayanagara, onthe Tungabhadra River. This kingdom,after desperately resisting the Bahmanisultans of the Northern Deccan, estab-lished its hegemony over the wholePeninsula from Krsna River south-wards.





Questions: 1, 91-93Federal System; 6,24, 28, 51, 75 Supreme Court; 83, 85High Court; 12, 60 Panchayat Raj; 87UTs; 95 UPSC; 3, 63 FC; 5, 61, 64, 74Making of the Constitution; 2, 13 Elec-tions; 4, 8-10, 17 Salient Features of theConstitution; 7, 18-20 Preamble of theConstitution; 11, 38, 88 PM; 14 NDC;15 State Legislature; 16, 22, 84 Histor-ical Background; 21, 94 Centre-StateRelations; 23, 40, 86 Special Provisionsfor SCs, STs and Others; 25, 48, 82, 89-90 Amendment of the Constitution; 26Central Council of Ministers; 37 AIV(Oath by the Constitutional and oth-er Authorities); 29-36, 39, 49, 50, 52, 100Parliament; 41-47, 53-59, 66-71, 76, 78FRs; 77, 79, 80 DPSP; 81 FDs; 96, 97Emergency Provisions; 98 Special Sta-tus of J & K; 27, 62, 99 President; 72AII (Subjects of Union, State andConcurrent Lists); 73 AVII (Minis-tries/Departments of the Central Gov-ernment); 65 VP.1. Which of the following determinesthat the Indian Constitution is federal?(1) Single Constitution(2) Independent Judiciary(3) Vesting of residuary powers withthe Centre(4) Integrated Audit Machinery(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 only(c) 3 & 4 (d) 4 only2. Which of the following electoral sys-tems have been adopted for variouselections in India?(1) System of direct election on the ba-sis of adult suffrage(2) System of proportional representa-tion by means of single transferablevote(3) List system of proportional repre-sentation(4) Cumulative system of indirect elec-tions(a) 1 & 2 (b) 1 & 3(c) 1, 2 & 3 (d) 2, 3 & 43. Who among the following are ap-pointed by the President?(1) The Chairman, FC(2) The Dy. Chairman, PC(3) The CM of Delhi NCT(4) The CAG(a) 1 only (b) 2 & 4(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) 1 & 44. The basic feature theory of the Con-stitution of India implies that

(1) certain features of the Constitutionare so essential to it that they can’t beabrogated(2) fundamental rights can’t beabridged or taken away(3) the Constitution can’t be amendedexcept in accordance with procedureprescribed in Art. 368(4) the preamble of the Constitutioncan’t be amended for it is not part ofthe Constitution & at the same timerepresents its real spiritWhich of the above statements are cor-rect?(a) 1 only (b) 2 & 3(c) 1 & 4 (d) 2, 3 & 45. Which of the following were theparts of critics regarding the Constitu-ent Assembly?(1) A non-representative body(2) A non-sovereign body(3) Time consuming(4) Dominated by the Princely States(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 3 (d) 2, 3 & 46. Which of the following features arecorrect with respect to the SC?(1) Federal Court(2) The highest court of appeal(3) The guarantor of the fundamentalrights of the citizens(4) The guardian of the Constitution(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 4(c) 2, 3 & 4 (d) All7. Which of the following statementsis/are false?(1) The Constitution of India wasadopted on January 26, 1950.(2) The words Socialist and Integritywere added to the Preamble by 42ndConstitutional Amendment(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None8. 2nd Schedule considers the provi-sions relating to the emoluments, al-lowances, privileges of(1) The VP(2) The Governors of the States(3) The Chairman of NHRC(4) The Chairman & the members ofUPSC(5) The Judges of the HCsWhich of the above statements are cor-rect?(a) 1 & 5 (b) 2, 4 & 5(c) 1, 2 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 39. 3rd Schedule contains forms of

Oaths or Affirmations for(1) The candidates for election to theParliament(2) The Members of State Legislature(3) The State Ministers(4) The Judges of the HC(a) 1, 2 & 3 (b) 2 & 4(c) All (d) 1 & 310. Which of the following featureswere taken from the Government ofIndia Act, 1935?(1) Federal scheme(2) Judiciary(3) Emergency provisions(4) Public Service Commission(5) Bicameralism(a) 1, 2 & 4 (b) 1, 2 & 5(c) 1 & 3 (d) 1, 2, 3 & 411. Which of the following is/aren’texplicitly stated in the Constitution butfollowed as a convention?(1) The Finance Minister is to be a mem-ber of the Lower House(2) The PM has to resign if he losesmajority in the Lower House(3) All the parts of India are to be rep-resented in the Council of Ministers(4) Chairman of Council of State willpreside joint sitting in the absence ofthe Speaker(a) None (b) 2 only(c) 3 & 4 (d) 1 & 312. Which of the following is incorrectin respect of the Rural Local Govern-ment in India?(1) According to the Indian Constitu-tion, local government isn’t indepen-dent tier in the federal system(2) 33% in the local bodies are reservedfor the women(3) Local government finances are tobe provided by the State Finance Com-mission(4) Elections to the local bodies are tobe determined by a State Election Com-mission(a) 1 only (b) 2 & 4(c) 3 only (d) None13. Which of the following statementsis/are correct with respect to com-mencement of Election process?(1) The recommendation for electionsis made by the government & notifica-tion for election is issued by the EC(2) The recommendation for electionsis made by the EC & notification forelection is issued by the Home Minis-

Model Practice Paper on Indian PolityIndian Polity Model PAPER




try at the Centre & the Home Depart-ments in the States(3) The recommendation for electionsis made by the EC & notification forelection is issued by the President &the Governors of the States(4) Both the exercises of making rec-ommendation for elections & that ofissuing a notification in respect of it aredone by the EC(a) 1 only (b) 2 & 4(c) 3 only (d) 1 & 414. Which of the following is/are ex-tra-constitutional & extra-legaldecide(s) for securing co-operation &co-ordination between the Sates in In-dia?(1) Zonal Councils(2) NDC(3) The Inter-State Council(4) The Governor’s Conference(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2 only(c) 2 & 4 (d) 4 only15. Who among the following have theright to vote in the elections to both theLok Sabha & Rajya Sabha?(1) Elected members of the LowerHouse of the Parliament(2) Elected members of the UpperHouse of the Parliament(3) Elected members of the UpperHouse of the State Legislature(4) Elected members of the LowerHouse of the State Legislature(a) 1 only (b) 1 & 4(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) 4 only16. In the interim government formedin 1946 the Vice-President of he Exec-utive Council was(1) Jawaharlal Nehru(2) Dr. S. Radhakrishnan(3) C. Rajagopalachari(4) Dr. Rajendra Prasad(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(d) 1 & 3 (d) 2 & 417. Which of the following featureswere borrowed from the US Constitu-tion?(1) Judiciary(2) Method of election of the President(3) Removal of SC & HC judges(4) Post of Vice-President(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2 & 4(c) 3 & 4 (d) 1 & 418. Which of the following statementsis/are correct?(1) Being the Sovereign State, India caneither acquire a foreign territory orcede a part of its territory in favour ofa foreign state.

(2) The Indian brand of Socialism is astate socialism.(3) Secular state wasn’t expressedlymentioned in the Constitution.(4) Indian democracy is a type of di-rect democracy.(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2 & 4(c) 3 & 4 (d) 1 & 319. Consider the following statements:(1) A Republic State means all publicoffices being opened to every citizenwithout any discrimination.(2) Distributive Justice means combi-nation of social justice & political jus-tice.(3) The Liberty conceived by the Pre-amble isn’t qualified.(4) Abolition of titles is a type of civicequality.Which of the above is/are correctlystated?(a) All (b) 1 & 3(c) 1 & 4 (d) 2 & 320. Consider the following statementswith respect to the Preamble:(1) It is neither a source of power tolegislature nor a prohibition upon thepowers of legislature.(2) It is non-justiciable.Which of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None21. Agricultural income tax is as-signed to the State government by(1) The Finance Commission(2) NDC(3) The State Legislature(4) The ConstitutionWhich of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 4(c) 3 only (d) 4 onlyAssertion (A) & Reason (R) PatternAnswer the following question by us-ing the codes given below:(a) Both A & R are true and R is thecorrect explanation of A.(b) Both A & R are true but R isn’t cor-rect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.22. Assertion (A): The British sover-eignty continued to exist in free India.Reason (R): The British sovereign ap-pointed the last Governor General ofFree India.23. Assertion (A): The word ‘minori-ty’ isn’t defined in the Constitution.Reason (R): The Minorities Commis-sion isn’t a constitutional body.24. Assertion (A): Willful disobedi-

ence or non-compliance of Court or-ders & use of derogatory languageabout judicial behaviour amounts toContempt of Court.Reason (R): Judicial activism can’t bepracticed without arming the judicia-ry with punitive powers to punish con-temptuous behaviour.(a) Both A & R are true and R is thecorrect explanation of A.(b) Both A & R are true but R isn’t cor-rect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.25. Assertion (A): The reservation of33% seats for women in Parliament &State legislature doesn’t require consti-tutional amendment.Reason (R): Political parties contestingelections can allocate 33% seats theycontest to women candidates withoutany constitutional amendment.(a) Both A & R are true and R is thecorrect explanation of A.(b) Both A & R are true but R isn’t cor-rect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.26. Assertion (A): The Council of Min-isters in the Union of India is collec-tively responsible both to both the LokSabha & the Rajya Sabha.Reason (R): The Members of the boththe Lok Sabha & the Rajya Sabha areeligible to the Ministers of the UnionGovernment.(a) Both A & R are true and R is thecorrect explanation of A.(b) Both A & R are true but R isn’t cor-rect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.27. Assertion (A): Equality before lawisn’t applicable to the President.Reason (R): The President enjoys spe-cial privileges under the Constitution.(a) Both A & R are true and R is thecorrect explanation of A.(b) Both A & R are true but R isn’t cor-rect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.28. Assertion (A): The SC enjoys thepower of Judicial Review.Reason (R): The SC is obliged to en-force the laws enacted by the Parlia-ment without going into their consti-tutionality.(a) Both A & R are true and R is thecorrect explanation of A.

Indian Polity Model PAPER




(b) Both A & R are true but R isn’t cor-rect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.29. Assertion (A): The Committee onPublic Undertakings was set up undera revolution of the Parliament & con-sists of members from both Lok Sabha& Rajya Sabha.Reason (R): It examines reports & ac-counts of the Public Undertakings.(a) Both A & R are true and R is thecorrect explanation of A.(b) Both A & R are true but R isn’t cor-rect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.30. Assertion (A): A Public Corpora-tion is accountable to the Parliamentof India.Reason (R): The Parliament of India isthe custodian of public finance.(a) Both A & R are true and R is thecorrect explanation of A.(b) Both A & R are true but R isn’t cor-rect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.31. Assertion (A): Cabinet Secretaryacts as a buffer between ministers &the civil servants.Reason (R): He is head of the civil ser-vice.32. Assertion (A): Budget is a secretdocument & shouldn’t be leaked outbefore being presented to the Parlia-ment. Reason (R): India had adoptedthe parliamentary form of government.(a) Both A & R are true and R is thecorrect explanation of A.(b) Both A & R are true but R isn’t cor-rect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.33. Assertion (A): No expenditure canbe incurred without the approval of theParliament.Reason (R): Our democratic govern-ment, like that of Britain, is based onthe concept of sovereignty of the Par-liament.(a) Both A & R are true and R is thecorrect explanation of A.(b) Both A & R are true but R isn’t cor-rect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.34. Assertion (A): The Rajya Sabha hasless power in financial matters.Reason (R): The Lok Sabha alone votes

the demands for grants.35. Assertion (A): The expenditure‘charged’ on the Consolidated Fund ofIndia isn’t subject to the vote of Parlia-ment.Reason (R): It is in the nature of oblig-atory payment.36. Assertion (A): The Constitution ofIndia has authorized the Parliament tocreate a Contingency Fund of India.Reason (R): The Contingency Fundenables the government to meet anyunforeseen expenditure.37. Which of the following matches ofFunctionaries are correctly matchedwith Oaths/Affirmations?(1) President – Faith & allegiance to theConstitution(2) SC judge – Upholding the Consti-tution & the law(3) MP – Faithful discharge of duties(4) Union Ministers – Secrecy of Infor-mationWhich of the above statements are cor-rect?(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2 & 3(c) 3 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 438. If the PM belonged to the UpperHouse of the Parliament(1) he won’t able to vote in his favourin the event of no-confidence motion(2) he won’t be able to speak on thebudget in the Lower House(3) he can make statements only in theUpper House(4) he was to become a member of theLower House within 6 months afterbeing sworn in as the PMWhich of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 only (b) All(c) 2 & 3 (d) 1, 2 & 439. Economic Survey in India is pub-lished officially, every year by the(1) RBI(2) Planning Commission if India(3) Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India(4) Ministry of Industries, Govt. of In-diaWhich of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 only (b) 3 & 4(c) 3 only (d) 1, 2 & 340. The Constitution of India recog-nizes(1) only religious minorities(2) only linguistic minorities(3) religious & linguistic minorities(4) religious, linguistic & ethnic minor-itiesWhich of the above is correct?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only

(c) 3 only (d) 4 only41. Consider the following featuresregarding the Fundamental Rights:(1) When the rights that are availableagainst the State’s action only are vio-lated by the private individuals, thereare no constitutional remedies but onlyordinary legal remedies.(2) They are neither sacrosanct nor eter-nal.(3) They can be suspended during allthe 3 emergencies only.(4) They may be both either directlyenforced or enforced by a law made bythe Parliament or state legislature.Which of the above statements are cor-rect?(a) 1, 3 & 4 (b) 1 & 2(c) 2 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 442. Under Article 12, ‘the State’ in-cludes(1) Government & Parliament of India(2) Government & Legislatures of theStates(3) All Local Authorities(4) Statutory Authorities(5) Non-statutory Authorities(a) 1, 2, 3 & 4 (b) 1 & 2(c) 1, 2 & 3 (d) All43. Under Article 13, ‘the Law’ in-cludes(1) Permanent Laws (2) Ordinances(3) Resolutions (4) Customs(a) 1 & 2 (b) 1, 2 & 3(c) All (d) 1 only44. Consider the following provisionsregarding Article 14:(1) The State shan’t deny to any citizenequality before the law or the equalprotection of law within the territoryof India.(2) It includes legal persons.(3) The concept of ‘equality before law’is of British origin.(4) The concept of ‘equal protection oflaw’ is of American origin.Which of the above are correct?(a) 1, 2 & 4 (b) 2, 3 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 3 (d) 1, 3 & 445. Consider the following statementswith respect to Article 14:(1) It doesn’t apply where equals &unequals are treated differently.(2) It forbids class legislations but per-mits reasonable classification of per-sons, objects & transactions.(3) ‘Equality before Law’ is a negativeconcept.(4) ‘Equal protection of Law’ is a posi-tive concept.





Which of the above are correctly stat-ed?(a) All (b) 1 & 2(c) 3 & 4 (d) 2, 3 & 446. The Rule of equality before lawisn’t applicable to(1) The Governor(2) The PM(3) The Foreign sovereigns(4) There Ambassadors(5) CJI(a) 1, 2 & 5 (b) 1 & 2(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) 1, 2, 3 & 447. Consider the below statements re-garding Article 15:(1) Access to shops, public restaurants,hotels & places of public entertainmentcan’t be discriminated by both the stateas well as by private individuals.(2) The State is permitted to make anyspecial provision for women & chil-dren.Which of the above statements is/areright?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) None (d) Both48. An amendment to the Constitutionof India can be initiated by the(1) Lok Sabha(2) Rajya Sabha(3) The President(4) State LegislaturesWhich of the following is correct?(a) 1 & 2 (b) 1, 2 & 3(c) 1, 2 & 4 (d) 1 only49. The Ordinary Bills includes whichof the following?(1) Original bills(2) Amending bills(3) Consolidating bills(4) Expiring lawsWhich of the above is/are correct?(a) All (b) 1, 2 & 3(c) 2, 3 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 450. The Parliament can make any lawfor the whole or any part of India forimplementing International treaties(1) with the consent of the all states(2) with the consent of the majority ofthe states(3) with the consent of the States con-cerned(4) without the consent of any stateWhich of the above is/are correct?(a) 3 only (b) 1 only(c) 2 & 3 (d) 4 only51. The SC tenders advice to the Pres-ident on a matter of law or fact(1) on its own initiative(2) only if he seeks such advice

(3) only if the matters relates to the FRs(4) only if the issue poses a threat tothe Unity & integrity of the countryWhich of the above is/are correct?(a) All (b) 2 only(c) 2 & 4 (d) 1 & 452. In what way does the Indian Par-liament exercise control over the ad-ministration?(1) Through Parliamentary Commit-tees(2) Through Consultative Committeesof various ministries(3) By making the administrators sendperiodic reports(4) By compelling the executive to is-sue writs(a) 1 only (b) 1, 2 & 3(b) 3 & 4 (d) 2 only53. Consider the following statementswith regarding ‘Untouchability’:(1) The Constitution hasn’t defined theterm ‘Untouchability’(2) It doesn’t cover social boycott of afew individuals from religious servic-es.(3) A person convicted of the offenceof ‘untouchability’ is disqualified forthe election to the Parliament or statelegislature.(4) It is also available against privateindividuals.Which of the above are correct?(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2, 3 & 4(c) 1 & 4 (d) All54. Consider the following statementswith respect to the ‘Abolition of theTitles’ under Article 18:(1) It prohibits the State from confer-ring any title (except a military or aca-demic) on any citizen only.(2) It prohibits a citizen of India fromaccepting ant title from any foreigncountry.(3) A foreigner holding any office ofprofit or trust under the State can’t ac-cept any title from any Foreign Stateexcept its own country without theconsent of the President.(4) No citizen or foreigner holding anyoffice of profit or trust under the Stateis to accept any present, emolument oroffice from or under any Foreign Statewithout the consent of the Govt. of In-dia.Which of the above are untrue?(a) 1 only (b) 2 & 3(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) 1 & 255. Read the following statements re-garding the ‘Right to Freedom’:

(1) Originally, there were 7 rights un-der Article 19.(2) They are protected against not onlystate action but also private individu-als.(3) They are available to citizens of In-dia only.(4) The State can’t impose ‘reasonable’restrictions on the enjoyment of theserights except on the grounds men-tioned in the Article 19 itself.Which of the above correct?(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 4(c) 3 & 4 (d) 1, 3 & 456. Consider the following statementsregarding ‘Freedom of Association’:(1) It also covers the negative right ofnot to form or join an association orunion.(2) The right to obtain recognition ofthe association is a FR.(3) Trade unions have no guaranteedright to effective bargaining(4) It doesn’t include right to strike &right to lock-out.Which of the following are correct?(a) 1, 3 & 4 (b) 2 & 3(c) 1 & 3 (d) 2, 3 & 457. Consider the below statementswith respect to ‘Freedom of Move-ment’:(1) It can’t be restricted save on thegrounds of the interest of general pub-lic only.(2) It has 2 dimensions, namely inter-nal & external.(3) Article 19 covers only internalmovement i.e. right to move inside thecountry.(4) Article 21 covers external move-ment i.e. right to move outside thecountry.Which of the following is/ are incor-rect?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) 2 & 3 (d) 4 only58. Consider the below statements re-garding ‘Protection in respect of con-viction for Offences’:(1) A civil liability or a tax can be im-posed retroactively.(2) It prohibits only conviction or sen-tence under the ex-post-facto criminallaw & not the trial thereof.(3) It can’t be claimed under the pre-ventive detention.(4) The protection of ‘double jeopardy’is also available in proceedings beforeadministrative authorities.Which of the above is/are correct?





(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 3(c) 1, 2 & 3 (d) 3 & 459. The protection against self-incrim-ination doesn’t extend to(1) compulsory production of materialobjects.(2) compulsion to give blood specimen.(3) compulsory exhibition of body.(4) civil proceedings.Which of the above statements are cor-rect?(a) 1, 2 & 3 (b) 3 & 4(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) All60. In which of the following areasdoes the State Government NOT havecontrol over its local bodies?(1) Citizens’ Grievances(2) Financial(3) Legislation(4) Personnel matters(a) 1 only (b) 1 & 2(c) 3 & 4 (d) None61. The members of the ConstituentAssembly which drafted the Constitu-tion of India were(1) nominated by the British Parliament(2) nominated by the Governor Gener-al(3) elected by the legislative assembliesof various provinces(4) elected by the INC & MLWhich of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2 only(c) 3 & 4 (d) 4 only62. With reference to the Indian Poli-ty, which of the following statementsis/are correct?(1) PC is accountable to the Parliament.(2) President can make ordinances onlywhen either House of the parliamentisn’t in session.(3) The minimum age prescribed forthe appointment as a Judge of the SCis 35 years(4) NDC is constituted of Union Fi-nance Minister as the Chairman & theCMs of all the States.(a) All (b) 2 only(c) 1 & 2 (d) 2, 3 & 463. The function(s) of the FC is/are(1) to allow the withdrawal of moneyout of the Consolidated Fund of India.(2) to allocate between the States theshares of proceeds of taxes.(3) to consider the applications forgrants-in-aid from States.(4) to supervise & report on whetherthe Union & State governments arelevying taxes in accordance with thebudgetary provisions.

Which of these statements is/are cor-rect?(a) 1 only (b) 2 & 3(c) 3 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 464. Which of the following statement/s is/are correct?(1) The Constituent Assembly of Indiawas elected by the Provincial Assem-blies in the year 1946.(2) Jawaharlal Nehru, M A Jinnah &Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel were mem-bers of the Constituent Assembly ofIndia.(3) The 1st Session of the ConstituentAssembly of India was held in Janu-ary, 1947.(4) The Constitution of India wasadopted on 26th January, 1950.(a) 1 only (b) 2 & 4(c) 1 & 3 (d) All65. The resolution for removing the VPof India can be moved in the(1) Lok Sabha alone(2) Either House of the parliament(3) Joint sitting of the Parliament(4) Rajya Sabha aloneWhich of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 & 2 (b) 3 & 4(c) 2 & 3 (d) 4 only66. Consider the following statements:(1) Punitive detention is to punish aperson for an offence committed byhim after trial & conviction in a court.(2) Preventive detention means deten-tion of a person without trial & con-viction by a court.Which of the above is/are incorrect?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) None (d) Both67. Consider the following statements:(1) The Parliament has exclusive au-thority to make law of preventive de-tentions.(2) The protection against arrest & de-tention is available to both the citizensas well as aliens.Which of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None68. Which of the following are correctwith respect to ‘Right against Exploi-tation’?(1) It is available to both the citizens &aliens.(2) It protects the individual not onlyagainst the State but also against pri-vate persons.(3) Working for less than minimumwage is also comes under the exploita-tion.

(4) The State can impose compulsoryservice for public purposes withoutpayment.(a) 1 & 4 (b) 1, 2 & 3(c) All (d) 1 & 269. Which of the following is/are cor-rect with respect to ‘Freedom from Tax-ation for Promotion of a Religion’?(1) The State can spend the public mon-ey for the promotion of all religions.(2) It doesn’t prohibit levying a fee.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) None (d) Both70. Which of the below statements is/are untrue about ‘Protection of Inter-est of Minorities’?(1) Its scope is not limited to the mi-norities only.(2) The political speeches made for theconservation of the language of a sec-tion of the citizens doesn’t amount tocorrupt practice under the Represen-tation of the People Act, 1951.(a) Both (b) None(c) 1 only (d) 2 only71. Which of the below statements aretrue with respect to ‘Right of Minori-ties to establish & administer Educa-tional Institutions?(1) It is confined to only minorities &doesn’t extend to any section of citi-zens.(2) The term ‘Minority’ hasn’t definedanywhere in the Constitution.(3) The Minority institutions that seekrecognition as well as aid from the Stateare subject to the regulatory power ofthe State for administration.(4) The Minority institutions that seekonly recognition but not aid from theState aren’t subject to the regulatorypower of the State for administration.(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2, 3 & 4(c) All (d) 2 only72. With reference to the Constitutionof India, which of the following is/aren’t correctly matched?(1) Forests – Concurrent List(2) Stock Exchange – Concurrent List(3) Post Office Savings Bank – UnionList(4) Public Health – State List(a) None (b) 2 only(c) 3 & 4 (d) 4 only73. Which of the following parts is/are correctly matched?(1) Department of Women & ChildDevelopment – Ministry of Health &Family Welfare(2) Department of Official Language –





Ministry of Human Resources devel-opment(3) Department of Drinking Water –Ministry of Water Resources(4) Department of Animal Husbandry,Dairying & Fisheries – Ministry of Ag-riculture(a) 2 & 3 (b) 3 & 4(c) 1 & 4 (d) 4 only74. Who among the below was/werethe Chairperson/s of the Union Con-stitution Committee of the ConstituentAssembly?(1) Dr. B R Ambedkar(2) J B Kripalani (3) J Nehru(4) Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar(a) 1 & 4 (b) 2 & 3(c) 3 only (d) 1 only75. Consider the following statements:(1) The Parliament can’t enlarge thejurisdiction of the SC of India as its ju-risdiction is limited to that conferredby the Constitution.(2) The officers & servants of the SC &HCs are appointed by the concernedChief Justice & the administrative ex-penses are charge on the ConsolidatedFund of India.Which of the statements given belowis/are correct?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) None (d) Both76. Read the following statementswith respect to working of Writs:(1) Mandamus can’t be issued againstHC judge.(2) Prohibition can be issued againstexecutive but not legislative bodies.(3) Certiorari is available against ad-ministrative authorities.(4) Quo-Warranto can be sought by anyinterested person.Which of the above are correctly stat-ed?(a) 3 & 4 (b) 2 & 3(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) 1 & 377. Which of the following is/are in-correct regarding DPSP?(1) The term ‘State’ in Part III dealingwith the FRs has the same meaningwith the same used in the Part IV deal-ing with the DPSP.(2) They resemble the ‘Instrument ofInstructions’ enumerated in the Gov-ernment of India Act of 1935.(3) They are fundamental in the gover-nance of the country.(4) They help the courts in examining& determining the constitutional valid-ity of a law.

(a) 1, 2 & 3 (b) 1 & 3(c) 1 only (d) None78. Which of the below statements is/are correct?(1) The power to make laws under Ar-ticle 33 is conferred only on Parliament& any such law made by the parlia-ment can’t be challenged in any courton the ground of contravention of anyof the FRs.(2) The term ‘Martial Law’ hasn’t beendefined anywhere in the Constitution.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) None (d) Both79. Study the statements regarding theDPSP:(1) When PM gets a bill (which violatesthe DPSP) passed by the Parliament,the President may reject the bill on theground that these principles are fun-damental to the governance of thecountry.(2) The ministry has no right to ignoreDPSP.Which of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) Both (b) 1 only(c) 2 only (d) None80. Consider the following statements:(1) Claims of SCs & STs to services(2) Instruction in the Mother tongue(3) Development of Hindi LanguageWhich of the above is/are not coveredby DPSP?(a) 1 only (b) 1 & 3(c) 2 only (d) All81. Consider the following statementsregarding Fundamental Duties:(1) Cherishing noble ideals of freedomstruggle is a moral duty while respect-ing the National Flag is civic duty.(2) They essentially contain just a cod-ification of tasks integral to the east-ern way of life.(3) They aren’t extended to aliens.(4) The Union government is free toenforce them by suitable notifications.Which of the above is/are untrue?(a) 2 only (b) 1, 2 & 4(c) 3 & 4 (d) 2 & 482. Consider the following statementsregarding the Procedure for Amend-ment of the Constitution:(1) It can’t be initiated by the state leg-islatures.(2) It can be introduced only by theMinister.(3) It doesn’t require prior permissionof the President.(4) It must be passed in each House by

absolute majority.(5) There is no provision for joint-sit-ting.(6) The President can’t use veto pow-ers for them.Which of the above are true?(a) 1, 2, 3 & 5 (b) 2, 4, 5 & 6(c) 1, 3, 5 & 6 (d) All83. Consider the following statements:(1) A person who has held office as apermanent judge of a HC can’t pleador act in any court or before any au-thority in India except the SC only.(2) A person isn’t qualified for appoint-ment as a judge of HC in India unlesshe has for at least 5 years held a judi-cial office in the territory of IndiaWhich of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) None (d) Both84. Consider the following statements:(1) Robert Clive was the 1st Governor-General of Bengal.(2) Warren Hastings was the 1st Gov-ernor-General of India.(3) Lord Canning was the 1st Viceroyof India.(4) C. Rajgopalachari was the last Gov-ernor-General of British India.Which of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 & 2 (b) 3 & 4(c) 3 only (d) 2 & 485. Consider the following statements:(1) The mode of removal of a HC judgeis same as that of removal of a judge ofthe SC.(2) After retirement from the office, apermanent judge of HC can’t plead oract in any court or before any authori-ty in India.Which of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None86. Read the following statements:(1) National Commission for BackwardClasses (NCBCs) is a permanent Con-stitutional body(2) NCBCs consist of 5 members (in-cluding chairman) nominated by thePresident for the term of 3 years.(3) NCBCs consider inclusions in &exclusion from the lists of castes noti-fied as backward for the purpose of jobreservation.(4) The NCSCs (National Commissionfor Scheduled Castes) is also requiredto discharge similar functions with re-gard to the OBCs as it does with re-spect to SCs.Which of the above correct?





(a) 1 & 3 (b) 3 & 4(c) 1 & 4 (d) 2 & 387. Read the following statements:(1) The Governor of Punjab is concur-rently serves as the administrator ofChandigarh.(2) The Governor of Kerala is concur-rently serves as the administrator ofLakshadweep.Which of the above is/are untrue?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None88. With reference to Union Govern-ment, consider the following state-ment:(1) The Ministries/Departments of theGovernment of India are created by thePM on the advice of the cabinet secre-tary.(2) Each of Ministries is assigned to aMinister by the President of India onthe advice of the PM.Which of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None89. Which of he following provisionscan be amended by simple majority ofthe Parliament?(1) Admission or establishment of newstates(2) Abolition or creation of legislativecouncils in states(3) DPSP(4) Number of puisne judges in the SC(5) FDsWhich of the above are correctly stat-ed?(a) 1 & 2 (b) 3 & 5(c) 1, 2 & 4 (d) 2, 3 & 490. Which of he following provisionscan be amended by special majority ofthe Parliament?(1) DPSP (2) FRs(3) SC & HCs (4) FDs(5) Any matter in the 7th Schedule(a) 1, 2, 4 & 5 (b) 1, 3, 4 & 5(c) 1 & 3 (d) 1, 2 & 491. Which of the following statementsis/are wrong?(1) The term ‘federation’ is no whereused in the Constitution.(2) The Indian federation isn’t result ofan agreement among the states.(3) The states have no right to secedefrom the federation.(4) The Indian Federal System is basedon the ‘Canadian model’.(a) None (b) 1 only(c) 1 & 4 (d) 2 & 3

92. Which of the below features are ofthe ‘Federal features of the Constitu-tion’?(1) Dual Polity(2) Written Constitution(3) Integrated Audit Machinery(4) Bicameralism(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 3 (d) 1, 2 & 493. Which of the following are the‘Unitary features of the Constitution?(1) Rigid Constitution(2) Emergency Provisions(3) All-India Services(4) Integrated Election Machinery(a) 1, 2 & 4 (b) 3 & 4(c) 1 & 4 (d) 2, 3 & 494. Which of the following statementsis/are correct?(1) The President can make regulationfor peace, progress & good govern-ment of the 2 UTs only-the Andaman& Nicobar Islands & Lakshadweep.(2) The President also repeals oramends any act of Parliament in rela-tion to all the UTs.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None95. Which of the following statementsis incorrect?(1) The Chairman & members of a StatePublic Service Commission (SPSC),though appointed by the governor ofthe state, can be removed by the Pres-ident.(2) The Parliament can establish a JointState Public service Commission (JSP-SC) for 2 or more states on the requestof the state legislatures.(3) The Union Public Service Commis-sion (UPSC) can serve the needs of astate on the request of the state gover-nor & with the approval of the Presi-dent.(4) The JSPSC assists the states in fram-ing & operating schemes of joint re-cruitment for any services for whichcandidates possessing special qualifi-cations are required.(a) None (b) 1 & 3(d) 2 & 4 (d) 4 only96. Read the following statements:(1) The Parliament can make laws onthe subjects enumerated in the StateList as State Legislature is suspendedautomatically during National Emer-gency.(2) Every resolution of the Parliamentapproving the proclamation or its con-tinuance must be passed by a special

majority.Which of the above statement/s is/arecorrect?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None97. Which of the following statementsregarding the Financial Emergency is/are correct?(1) Its proclamation needs Parliamentsanction with simple majority.(2) It can be in being for time unlimit-ed.(3) Repeated parliamentary approvalisn’t required for its continuation.(4) Its proclamation may be revoked bythe President at anytime.(a) 1, 2, & 3 (b) 2, 3 & 4(c) All (d) 3 & 498. Which of the following featuresregarding Special Status of J & K is/are correct?(1) The Residuary Power in all mattersbelongs to the State & not to the Union.(2) Right to Property is still the Funda-mental Right in the State.(3) DPSP & FDs aren’t applicable to theState.(4) A National Emergency can’t be de-clared without the sanction of StateLegislature.(a) 1, 2 & 3 (b) 2 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 4 (d) 2 & 399. Which of the following statementsis/are correct with respect to Impeach-ment of the President?(1) The Constitution doesn’t define theterm ‘Violation of the Constitution’which is the sole ground for Impeach-ment.(2) The Impeachment charges can beinitiated by the Lower House only.(3) The Impeachment charges shouldbe signed by 33% members of theHouse that framed the charges.(4) The President has the right to ap-pear & to be represented at investiga-tion.(a) 1 & 2 (b) 3 & 4(c) 1 & 3 (d) 1 & 4100. Which of the following bills re-quire prior recommendation or permis-sion of the President?(1) Finance bill-I(2) A bill for the alteration of bound-aries of states(3) Money bill(4) The Constitutional Amendment bill(5) Finance bill-II(a) 1, 2 & 3 (b) All(c) 1, 2, 3 & 4 (d) 2, 3 & 4





1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.

48.

49.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

56.

57.

58.

59.

60.

61.

62.

63.

64.

65.

66.

67.

68.

69.

70.

71.

72.

73.

74.

75.

76.

77.

78.

79.

80.


Assess Yourself



81.

82.

83.

84.

85.

86.

87.

88.

89.

90.

91.

92.

93.

94.

95.

96.

97.

98.

99.

100.





Indian Polity: Answers with explanations1. (b): The Federal characteristics ofthe Indian Constitution are as under:(a) Dual Polity; (b) Written Constitu-tion; (c) Division of Powers; (d) Su-premacy of the Constitution; (e) RigidConstitution; (f) Independent Judicia-ry; (g) BicameralismThe Unitary features of the Indian Con-stitution include: (a) Single Constitu-tion; (b) Vesting of residuary powerswith the Centre; and (c) IntegratedAudit Machinery2. (a): In India, Election are held main-ly by following 2 ways: (1) System ofdirect election on the basis of adultsuffrage – Lok Sabha election, VidhanSabha election, Local Bodies election;and (2) System of proportional repre-sentation by means of single transfer-able vote – The President’s election,The Vice-President’s election, RajyaSabha election3. (c): The following functionaries areappointed by the President: (1) TheChairman, FC – Under Article 280(2) The CM of Delhi NCT – Under 69thConstitutional Amendment, 1991(3) The CAG – Under Article 148The Dy. Chairman, PC is appointed bythe Union Government for fixed peri-od with status of Cabinet Minister.4. (a): The basic feature theory of theConstitution of India implies thatCertain features of the Constitution areso essential to it that they can’t be ab-rogated as per SC judgements. Fundamental rights can be abridgedor taken away – The Parliament cancurtail or abridge FRs by amendingConstitution under article 368 as perruling of the SC.The Constitution can be amended ex-cept in accordance with procedure pre-scribed in Art. 368 – The Parliament canamend the Constitution 3 ways: (i)Amendment by simple majority of theParliament; (ii) Amendment by specialmajority of the Parliament and (iii)Amendment by special majority of theParliament and the ratification of halfof the State Legislatures.The preamble of the Constitution canbe amended for it is not part of theConstitution & at the same time repre-sents its real spirit – Parliament canamend the Preamble subject to the termthat such amendment won’t affect ‘the

(9) CAG10. (d): Features were taken from theGovernment of India Act, 1935:(1) Federal scheme(2) Judiciary(3) Emergency provisions(4) Public Service Commission(5) Establishment of the RBI(6) Establishment of Federal Public Ser-vice Commission(7) Establishment of Provincial PublicService Commission(8) Establishment of Joint Public Ser-vice Commission(9) Establishment of a Federal Court11. (b): Following isn’t explicitly stat-ed in the Constitution but followed asa convention: The PM has to resign ifhe loses majority in the Lower House.12. (a): The Rural Local Governmentin India:(a) According to the Indian Constitu-tion, local government is independenttier in the federal system.(b) 33% in the local bodies are reservedfor the women.(c) Local government finances are to beprovided by the State Finance Com-mission.(d) Elections to the local bodies are tobe determined by a State Election Com-mission.(e) Reservation of seats for SCs & STsin the Panchayats at all the 3 levels.(f) 21 years to be the minimum age forcontesting elections to the Panchayats.(g) Direct elections to all seats in thePanchayats.(h) Fixing tenure of 5 years for the Pan-chayats at all levels and holding freshelections within 6 months in the eventof supersession of any Panchayat.13. (a): Commencement of Electionprocess:The recommendation for elections ismade by the government & notificationfor election is issued by the EC.14. (c): The extra-constitutional &extra-legal decide(s) for securing co-operation & co-ordination between theSates in India: (1) NDC; (2) The Gover-nor’s Conference; Zonal Councils –Statutory body headed by the UnionHome Minister; The Inter-State Coun-cil – Constitutional body under Arti-cle 263 headed by the PM15. (d): Elected members of the Low-

basic structure’ of the Constitution.5. (c): Critics regarding the Constitu-ent Assembly:(1) A non-representative body(2) A non-sovereign body(3) Time consuming(4) Dominated by the Congress(5) Lawyer-Politician Domination(6) Dominated by the HindusOut of 389 seats of the Constituent As-sembly 93 were allotted to the Prince-ly States but they weren’t participatedin the Making of the Constitution.6. (d): The features with respect to theSC:(1) Federal Court(2) The highest court of appeal(3) The guarantor of the fundamentalrights of the citizens(4) The guardian of the Constitution7. (a): The Constitution of India wasadopted on November 26, 1949 whichis celebrated as ‘Law Day’ while it wascome into effect from January 26, 1950which is celebrated as ‘Republic Day’.(2) The words Socialist, Secular & In-tegrity were added to the Preamble by42nd Constitutional Amendment8. (b): 2nd Schedule considers the pro-visions relating to the emoluments, al-lowances, privileges of (1) The Presi-dent; (2) The Governors of the States;(3) The Speaker and Dy. Speaker of theLok Sabha; (4) The Chairman and Dy.Chairman of the Rajya Sabha; (5) TheSpeaker and Dy. Speaker of the Legis-lative Assembly in the States; (6) TheChairman and Dy. Chairman of theLegislative Council; (7) The SC Judges(8) The HC Judges; (9) CAG; (10) ECI;(11) UPSC.The VP doesn’t get any salary work-ing as the VP but as working as theChairman of the Council of Statewhereas the Chairman – NHRC is de-termined by the Central Government.9. (c): 3rd Schedule contains forms ofOaths or Affirmations for (1) The can-didates for election to the Parliament(2) The Members of State Legislature(3) The State Ministers(4) The Judges of the HC(5) The Union Minister(6) The MP(7) The SC Judges(8) The candidates for election to theState Legislature





(5) It can be amended subject to thebasic features of the Constitution.(6) It is integral part of the Constitu-tion.21. (d): Agricultural income tax is as-signed to the State government by theConstitution enumerated in the StateList.22. (d): The British sovereignty didn’tcontinue to exist in free India and it wasended in India from August 15, 1947.The British sovereign appointed C.Rajgopalachari as the last GovernorGeneral of Free India under the IndianIndependence Act, 1947.23. (b): The word ‘minority’ isn’t de-fined in the Constitution. 2 minoritiesare namely religious minorities and lin-guistic minorities are referred to theConstitution.The Minorities Commission isn’t a con-stitutional body but statutory bodyunder the National Commission forMinorities Act, 1992 which came intoeffect from 1993.24. (b): Willful disobedience or non-compliance of Court orders & use ofderogatory language about judicialbehaviour amounts to Contempt ofCourt. It is civil Contempt of Court. Butfair and innocent critics don’t amountto the same.Judicial activism can’t be practicedwithout arming the judiciary with pu-nitive powers to punish contemptuousbehaviour. SC can punish for Con-tempt of Court for all the HCs; Subor-dinate Courts and Tribunals workingin the whole country.25. (d): The reservation of 33% seatsfor women in Parliament & State leg-islature requires constitutional amend-ment. The Parliament can amend theConstitution by Simple Majority forthis purpose.Reason (R): Political parties contestingelections can allocate 33% seats theycontest to women candidates withoutany constitutional amendment. Forthis, no such Constitutional Amend-ment is required.26. (d): The Council of Ministers inthe Union of India is collectively re-sponsible to the Lok Sabha only. Theyfollow the principle of Collective Re-sponsibility means Cabinet decisionscan’t be objected by the Ministers.The Members of the both the Lok Sab-ha & the Rajya Sabha are eligible to theMinisters of the Union Government.

27. (a): Equality before law isn’t ap-plicable to the President. Under Arti-cle 361 the President and the Gover-nor both are exempted from the Equal-ity before Law.The President enjoys special privileg-es under the Constitution as under:(i) He isn’t answerable to any courtabout his functioning of duties.(ii) No criminal proceedings can becarried out or started against him dur-ing his tenure.(iii) Civil proceedings against him canbe initiated only after giving 2 months’notice28. (c): The SC enjoys the power ofJudicial Review.The SC isn’t obliged to enforce the lawsenacted by the Parliament without go-ing into their constitutionality. If lawsare against the basic features of theConstitution then SC will declare themas null and void.29. (b): Krishna Menon Committeerecommended setting up of Commit-tee on Public Undertakings. It was setup under a revolution of the Parlia-ment in 1964 & consists of membersfrom both Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha. Itconsists of 22 members (15 ! Lok Sab-ha and 7 ! Rajya Sabha). Chairman isfrom Lok Sabha. It examines reports &accounts of the Public Undertakings.30. (d): A Public Corporation is ac-countable to the Parliament of India. Ita form of public enterprise developedin the 2nd half of 20th century. It iswholly owned by the State. It is ordi-narily not subject to budget. It enjoysfunctional autonomy.The Parliament of India is the custodi-an of public finance.31. (a): Cabinet Secretary acts as abuffer between ministers & the civilservants. Its office was come into ef-fect from 1950. N R Pillai was India’s1st Cabinet Secretary. He is given topplace among the Civil Servants in theofficial warrant of precedence. He isthe senior most Civil Servant in India.He doesn’t enjoy fixed tenure of office.He is the chief coordinator of the Cen-tral Administration without any super-visory function over ministries/de-partments.He is head of the civil service.32. (a): Budget is a secret document& shouldn’t be leaked out before be-ing presented to the Parliament. It isbetter way known as ‘Annual Finan-

er House of the State Legislature havethe right to vote in the elections to boththe Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha.Elected members of the Lower Houseof the Parliament - can’t vote in theRajya Sabha electionElected members of the Upper Houseof the Parliament - can’t vote in theRajya Sabha electionElected members of the Upper Houseof the State Legislature - can’t vote inthe Rajya Sabha election16. (a): In the interim governmentformed in 1946 the Vice-President ofhe Executive Council was JawaharlalNehru. All the members of the InterimGovernment were from the ExecutiveCouncil of Viceroy who is head of thesame.17. (c): Features were borrowed fromthe US Constitution:(1) Removal of SC & HC judges(2) Post of Vice-President(3) The FRs(4) Independence of Judiciary(5) Judicial Review(6) Impeachment of the PresidentJudiciary – Government of India Act,1935Method of election of the President –Irish Constitution18. (d): (1) Being the Sovereign State,India can either acquire a foreign terri-tory or cede a part of its territory infavour of a foreign state.(2) The Indian brand of Socialism is aDemocratic Socialism.(3) Secular state wasn’t expressedlymentioned in the Constitution.(4) Indian democracy is a type of Indi-rect Democracy of Parliamentary type.19. (c): (1) A Republic State means allpublic offices being opened to everycitizen without any discrimination.(2) Distributive Justice means combi-nation of social justice & economic jus-tice.(3) The Liberty conceived by the Pre-amble isn’t absolute but qualified.(4) Abolition of titles is a type of civicequality.20. (c): Preamble:(1) It is neither a source of power tolegislature nor a prohibition upon thepowers of legislature.(2) It is non-justiciable.(3) It constitutes the basic philosophyand fundamental values namely polit-ical, moral and religious.(4) It is the soul of the Constitution.





cial Statement’ under Article 112 of theConstitution. It is a statement whichcovers both revenues and expendituresestimates. It also consist ways andmeans to raise the revenue, economicand financial policy of the coming yearand details of the actual receipts andexpenditure of the current year andgrounds for any deficit or surplus inthat year.India had adopted the parliamentaryform of government.33. (c): No expenditure can be in-curred without the approval of the Par-liament by means of AppropriationAct.Our democratic government, like thatof Britain, isn’t based on the conceptof sovereignty of the Parliament butsovereignty of the Constitution.34. (a): The Rajya Sabha has less pow-er in financial matters. Money Bill canonly be introduced in the Lok Sabha.Rajya Sabha neither amends nor rejectsit but can only suggests amendmentswhich are subject to accept by Lok Sab-ha. Speaker certifies it as Money Billand there is no provision for Joint-sit-ting in the case of Money Bill.The Lok Sabha alone votes the de-mands for grants. Rajya Sabha can onlydiscuss the Budget but can’t vote onthe demands for grants which is doneby Lok Sabha only.35. (a): The expenditure ‘charged’ onthe Consolidated Fund of India isn’tsubject to the vote of Parliament. It can be discussed only by the Parlia-ment without voting. It consists emol-uments, and allowances of the presi-dent, the speaker, the Chairman, SCJudges, the CAG, ECI, UPSC etc.It is in the nature of obligatory pay-ment. Parliament is powered do de-clare any other expenditure as‘charged’ expenditure.36. (a): Contingency Fund of Indiawas created by the parliament of Indiaon the authorization of Constitution ofIndia, enacted by the Parliamentthrough the Contingency Fund of In-dia Act, 1950. It was created to meetthe advances of any unforeseen acci-dental situation by President. FinanceSecretary is held it on behalf of thePresident. Like PAI, it doesn’t requirethe sanction of the Parliament but anexecutive action.37. (c): The correctly matched withOaths/affirmations:

(1) President – Upholding the Consti-tution & the law(2) SC judge – Faith & allegiance to theConstitution(3) MP – Faithful discharge of duties(4) Union Ministers – Secrecy of Infor-mation38. (a): If the PM belonged to theUpper House of the Parliament hewon’t able to vote in his favour in theevent of no-confidence motion thoughhe may present in the Motion.39. (c): Economic Survey in India ispublished officially, every year by theMinistry of Finance, Govt. of India.40. (c): The Constitution of India rec-ognizes religious & linguistic minori-ties.41. (b): Fundamental Rights:(1) When the rights that are availableagainst the State’s action only are vio-lated by the private individuals, thereare no constitutional remedies but onlyordinary legal remedies.(2) They are neither sacrosanct nor eter-nal.(3) They can be suspended during theNational Emergency only and that toExternal emergency only whereas dur-ing Constitutional Emergency and Fi-nancial Emergency the FRs are not af-fected.(4) They may be both either directlyenforced or enforced by a law made bythe Parliament only and not by StateLegislature.42. (d): Under Article 12, ‘the State’includes(1) Government & Parliament of India(2) Government & Legislatures of theStates(3) All Local Authorities(4) Statutory Authorities(5) Non-statutory Authorities(6) Private body/agency working as aninstrument of the State43. (c): Under Article 13, ‘the Law’includes(1) Permanent Laws(2) Ordinances(3) Resolutions(4) CustomsAny of the above can be challenged inthe courts if they violate a Fundamen-tal Right and can be declared null andvoid by the SC under Article 26 or bythe HC under Article 226.44. (b): Provisions regarding Article14:(1) The State shall not deny to any per-

son (citizens and foreigners) equalitybefore the law or the equal protectionof law within the territory of India. TheConstitution prohibits class legislationbut sanctions reasonable classificationof persons, objects and transactions bymeans of the law. Such law must befree from any arbitrariness, artificiali-ty or evasion.(2) It includes legal persons.(3) The concept of ‘equality before law’is of British origin.(4) The concept of ‘equal protection oflaw’ is of American origin.45. (a): Correct statements with re-spect to Article 14:(1) It doesn’t apply where equals &unequals are treated differently.(2) It forbids class legislations but per-mits reasonable classification of per-sons, objects & transactions.(3) ‘Equality before Law’ is a negativeconcept. It is British concept.(4) ‘Equal protection of Law’ is a posi-tive concept. It is American concept.46. (c): The Rule of equality beforelaw isn’t applicable to(1) The Governor(2) The Foreign sovereigns(3) There Ambassadors(4) The President(5) The Diplomats(6) The UNO & its Agencies47. (b): Statements regarding Article15:(1) Access to shops, public restaurants,hotels & places of public entertainmentcan’t be discriminated by the State onlybut private individuals can discrimi-nated on the said grounds. Whereas theuse of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roadand places of public resort maintainedwholly or partly by the State funds ordedicated to use of general public can’tbe discriminated both by the State aswell as private individuals.(2) The State is permitted to make anyspecial provision for women & chil-dren, SCs, ST, SEBCs.48. (a): Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabhahas the authority to initiate An amend-ment to the Constitution of India andthat too with the President’s prior rec-ommendation. A minister or privatemember can introduce it and it mustbe passed in each House by a specialmajority. If passed it has to be ratifiedby the half of the states with simplemajority. The President can neither re-ject nor suspend it but only can ratify





it. Joint-sitting isn’t available for it.49. (a): The Ordinary Bills includesthe following bills:(1) Original bills – to embody new pro-posals, ideas or policies(2) Amending bills – to modify, amendor revise existing Acts(3) Consolidating bills – to consolidateexisting law on a particular subject(4) Expiring laws (Continuance) bills –to continue an expiring Act(5) Bills to replace ordinances issuedby the President50. (d): The Parliament can make anylaw for the whole or any part of Indiafor implementing International treatieswithout the consent of any state.51. (b): Constitution of India autho-rizes President to seek for the adviceof SC under article 143. SC can renderits advice on two situations: (i) A ques-tion related to public significance, inthis case SC is free to tender advice and(ii) Pre-constitutional dispute, treaty,covenant, engagement, sanad or othersimilar instruments, in this case SC isbound to tender advice. SC gives itsadvice only when it’s asked for it. Theadvice given by SC is not bound onPresident, he can either accept or re-ject the advice tendered.52. (a): The Indian Parliament canexercise control over the administra-tion through Parliamentary Commit-tees. It has following features: (i) It isappointed or elected by the House orthe Speaker/Chairman nominates; (ii)Speaker/Chairman works as a direc-tor; (iii) It presents its report to theHouse or to the Speaker/Chairman;and (iv) It has a secretariat providedby the Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha.53. (d): ‘Untouchability’:(1) The term “Untouchability” is notdefined anywhere in Constitution, noteven in Untouchability (Offences) Act,1976.(2) It doesn’t cover social boycott of afew individuals from religious servic-es.(3) A person convicted of the offenceof ‘untouchability’ is disqualified forthe election to the Parliament or statelegislature.(4) It is also available against privateindividuals.However, it doesn’t cover social boy-cott, religious exclusion etc. As per SCverdict it is the State’s responsibility totake essential steps ensuring the pro-

tection of this right.54. (c): ‘Abolition of the Titles’ underArticle 18: Except military and academ-ic titles, this article prevents the statefrom giving any title to any citizen ora foreigner. No citizen of India is al-lowed to accept any title from any for-eign country. No person of any foreigncountry holding any office of profit ortrust under any state, is not entitled totake any title from any country, evenfrom his own country without Presi-dent’s permission. Not even the titles,but also presents, emoluments or of-fices, can’t be accepted by citizen orforeigner holding any office of profitor trust under state, from or under anyforeign state without President’s per-mission or consent.55. (d): ‘Right to Freedom’:(1) Originally, under article 19, therewere 7 rights. 44th constitutionalamendment act, 1978 repealed the rightto property.(2) This right does not protect againstan individual but a state i.e. they areprotected against state action only andnot against private individuals.(3) Only citizens and shareholders havethis right. Foreigners and legal personslike companies or corporations are outof its purview.(4) Except article 19, state can’t put rea-sonable restriction.56. (a): ‘Freedom of Association’:(1) It also covers the negative right ofnot to form or join an association orunion.(2) The right to obtain recognition ofthe association is not a FR.(3) Trade unions have no guaranteedright to effective bargaining(4) It doesn’t include right to strike &right to lock-out.As per SC verdict to strike, to bargainor to declare lock-out isn’t come intothe ‘Freedom of Association’ hencesuch actions are illicit and can be con-trolled by subsequent industrial stat-ues.57. (a): ‘Freedom of Movement’:(1) It can’t be restricted save on thegrounds of the interest of general pub-lic and the protection of interests of anyST.(2) It has 2 dimensions, namely inter-nal & external.(3) Article 19 covers only internalmovement i.e. right to move inside thecountry.

(4) Article 21 covers external move-ment i.e. right to move outside thecountry.The restriction imposed on the move-ment by the State on prostitutes or pa-tients of contagious diseases is not con-sidered as violation of FR as per Courtruling as it is for the interest of themass.58. (c): ‘Protection in respect of con-viction for Offences’: Retrospectiveimposition of tax or civil liability. Un-der ex-post-facto criminal law, onlyconviction or sentence is prohibitedand not trial. In proceedings of admin-istrative authorities, protection of dou-ble jeopardy is not available. Doublejeopardy can be imposed by the depart-mental or administrative authoritiesagainst their employees because thesedepartments are not of judicial nature.They are available only in proceedingsbefore a court of law.59. (d): The protection against self-incrimination doesn’t extend to man-datory production of material objects,exhibition of body, production of bloodspecimen. It extends only to criminalproceedings and not to civil proceed-ings. It is extended to not only oral ev-idence but also to documentary evi-dence.60. (a): The State Government doesn’thave control over its local bodies inCitizens’ Grievances.61. (b): Under the Cabinet Missionplan, Constituent Assembly wasformed in 1946 which drafted Consti-tution of India. The members of con-stituent assembly were nominated byGovernor General. There were 389members, 296 represented the BritishIndia and 93 members were from thePrincely States. Out of 296 members,292 were from Governor’s Provincesand 4 were from Chief Commission-er’s Provinces. In the end, PrincelyStates stayed away from the constitu-ent assembly.62. (b): (a) PC is not accountable tothe Parliament.(b) President can make ordinances onlywhen either House of the parliamentisn’t in session. Since a bill requires tobe passed from both the Houses.(c) The minimum age isn’t prescribedfor the appointment as a Judge of theSC but only superannuation age ismentioned i.e. 65 years.(d) NDC is constituted of Union Home





Minister as the Chairman & the CMsof all the States.63. (b): Allocation of shares of pro-ceeds of taxes between states, consid-eration of applications for grants-in-aidfrom states, supplementing the re-sources of local bodies from consoli-dated fund of states on the recommen-dations made by the state FC and rec-ommendation of other matters referredby President are the functions of fi-nance commission.64. (a): (a) The Constituent Assemblyof India was elected by the ProvincialAssemblies in the year 1946.(b) Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vall-abhbhai Patel were members of theConstituent Assembly of India butboth M A Jinnah and M Gandhi didn’tparticipated in the making of the Con-stitution.(c) 9th December, 1946 was The 1st Ses-sion of the Constituent Assembly ofIndia.(d) 26th November, 1949 was the dayof adoption of The Constitution of In-dia but came into effect from 26th Jan-uary, 1950.65. (d): The resolution for removingthe VP of India can be moved in theRajya Sabha alone by absolute majori-ty and agreed by the Lok Sabha. How-ever, 14 days’ notice has been givenbefore initiating such resolution. TheConstitution doesn’t provide anyground for his removal.66. (c): (1) Punitive detention is topunish a person for an offence commit-ted by him after trial & conviction in acourt.(2) Preventive detention means deten-tion of a person without trial & con-viction by a court.The Rights under Article 22 aren’t ap-plied to Aliens or against Preventivedetention but only to Punitive deten-tion. Both the Parliament & State Leg-islature can make statues on preven-tive detention for various reasons likesecurity of a State, the Maintenance ofpublic order and the maintenance ofsupplies and services essential to thepeople.67. (b): (1) The Parliament hasn’t ex-clusive authority to make law of pre-ventive detentions for reasons otherthan matters related to defence, foreignaffairs and security of India.(2) The protection against arrest & de-tention is available to both the citizens

as well as aliens. However, the safe-guard conferred by the 1st part of Ar-ticle 22 doesn’t cover aliens as well aspersons detained or arrested under apreventive detention law.68. (c): ‘Right against Exploitation’:(1) Given to both the citizens & aliens.(2) Provides an individual not onlyagainst the State but also against pri-vate persons.(3) People work below minimum wag-es is also considered under exploita-tion.(4) Imposition of mandatory servicesfor public purposes without paymentby states.69. (a): ‘Freedom from Taxation forPromotion of a Religion’:(1) The State can’t spend the publicmoney for the promotion of all reli-gions. It can’t discriminate or favourmajor religion over minor religion.(2) It doesn’t prohibit levying a fee. TheConstitution prohibits the State to com-pel a person to pay any tax for the pro-motion or maintenance of any particu-lar religion or sect.70. (b): ‘Protection of Interest of Mi-norities’:(1) According to SC ruling in Sectionof Citizens, it said that article 29 is notlimited to minorities only. It extendsto majorities also.(2) Under Representation of PeopleAct, 1951, it is mentioned that The po-litical speeches made for the conserva-tion of the language of a section of thecitizens doesn’t amount to corruptpractice i.e. If any person makes prom-ises to conserve the particular languagethen it isn’t subject to the corrupt prac-tice under the Representation of thePeople Act, 1951.71. (c): ‘Right of Minorities to estab-lish & administer Educational Institu-tions:(1) This right is exclusively for minor-ities and does not extend to any sec-tion of citizens. Minorities, here, in-clude both religious and linguistic mi-norities.(2) The term ‘Minority’ hasn’t definedanywhere in the Constitution.(3) The regulatory powers of the mi-nority institutions like curriculum pre-scription, employment of teaching staffetc that seek recognition as well as aidfrom the State are subject to the Statefor administration. (4) The State recognized but not aided

minority institutions are not subject tothe regulatory power of the state foradministration. They are not autono-mous completely but some generallaws are to be followed like contractlaws, labour law, industrial law, taxlaw, economic regulation etc for theiroperation.72. (b): The Correct Match:(a) Forests – Concurrent List(b) Stock Exchange – Union List(c) Post Office Savings Bank – UnionList(d) Public Health – State List73. (d): The Correct Match:(a) Department of Women & ChildDevelopment – Ministry of Women &Child Development(b) Department of Official Language –Ministry of Home Affairs(c) Department of Drinking Water –Ministry of Rural Development(d) Department of Animal Husband-ry, Dairying & Fisheries – Ministry ofAgriculture74. (c): The Chairman of the UnionConstitution Committee of the Constit-uent Assembly was J Nehru. He wasalso the Chairman of Union PowersCommittee, Union Constitution Com-mittee and States Committee.(a) Dr. B R Ambedkar – Chairman,Drafting Committee(b) J B Kripalani – Chairman, Funda-mental Rights Sub-Committee(c) Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar –Chairman, Credential Committee andSpecial Committee to examine theDraft Constitution.75. (b): (1) The Parliament can enlargethe jurisdiction of the SC of India butcan’t curtail the same.(2) The officers & servants of the SC &HCs are appointed by the concernedChief Justice & the administrative ex-penses are charged on the Consolidat-ed Fund of India and State respective-ly. However, the Pensions of the HCjudges are charged on the Consolidat-ed Fund of India.76. (a): Writs:(1) Mandamus can’t be issued againstfew personalities like President or Gov-ernor, CJHC, against a private individ-ual, to compel departmental instruc-tions that are not included in statutoryforce and in discretionary duties (notcompulsory duties).(2) Prohibition can be issued againstlower judicial and quasi-judicial bod-





ies by higher judicial bodies to preventthem to act beyond its powers and notagainst executive, legislative bodies,administrative bodies and private in-dividuals or bodies.(3) Certiorari is available against ad-ministrative authorities, and not legis-lative and private bodies, if the rightsof the individuals are affected. Certio-rari is a curative and a preventive mea-sure which is issued against lower ju-dicial authorities by higher.(4) Quo-Warranto can be sought by anyinterested person not essentially ag-grieved one.77. (d): DPSP:(1) The term ‘State’ in Part III dealingwith the FRs has the same meaningwith the same used in the Part IV deal-ing with the DPSP.(2) They resemble the ‘Instrument ofInstructions’ enumerated in the Gov-ernment of India Act of 1935.(3) They are fundamental in the gover-nance of the country.(4) They help the courts in examining& determining the constitutional valid-ity of a law.(5) They are non-justiciable.(6) They are categorized onto 3: Social-istic principles, Gandhian principlesand Liberal-Intellectual principles.(7) They were sourced from the IrishConstitution.78. (d): (1) The term ‘Martial Law’hasn’t been defined anywhere in theConstitution, but is mentioned in arti-cle 33. Article 33 avails power to par-liament to make laws on it and suchlaws can’t be called in court on the rea-son of contravention of any of the FRs.(2) It affects only FRs but not Centre-State relationship.79. (a): DPSP:(1) When PM gets a bill (which violatesthe DPSP) passed by the Parliament,the President may reject the bill on theground that these principles are fun-damental to the governance of thecountry.(2) The ministry has no right to ignoreDPSP and if ignored then, govt haveto answer before electorate at electiontime.80. (d): DPSP doesn’t cover belowprovisions which are covered by someother Directives contained in otherparts of the Constitution as under:(1) Claims of SCs & STs to services –Article 335; Part - XVI

(2) Instruction in the Mother tongue -Article 350A; Part - XVII(3) Development of Hindi Language -Article 351; Part - XVII81. (d): Fundamental Duties:(1) Cherishing noble ideals of freedomstruggle is a moral duty while respect-ing the National Flag is civic duty.(2) They essentially contain just a cod-ification of tasks integral to the Indianway of life.(3) They aren’t extended to aliens.(4) The Parliament is free to enforcethem by suitable notifications.(5) Like DPSP, they aren’t justiciable.82. (c): The Procedure for Amend-ment of the Constitution:(1) It can’t be initiated by the state leg-islatures but by either House of theParliament.(2) It can be introduced not only by theMinister but also by the Private mem-ber.(3) It doesn’t require prior permissionof the President.(4) It must be passed in each House byspecial majority.(5) There is no provision for joint-sit-ting.(6) The President can’t use veto pow-ers for them i.e. he can neither returnit nor rejects it but can only ratify it.(7) It requires ratification of the atleasthalf State Legislatures if seeks toamend the Federal provisions of theConstitution.83. (c): (1) A permanent judge of HCcan’t plead or act in any court or be-fore any authority in India except theSC and other HC to ensure non-par-tiality and non-favouritism.(2) To be a judge of HC in India, he hasat least 10 years held a judicial officein the territory of India or he has beenHC advocate for at least 10 years.84. (c): (1) Robert Clive was the 1stGovernor of Bengal.(2) William Bentick was the 1st Gover-nor-General of India under the Char-ter Act of 1833 whereas Warren Hast-ings was the 1st Governor-General ofBengal under Regulating Act of 1773.(3) Lord Canning was the 1st Viceroyof India under Government of IndiaAct of 1858.(4) Lord Mount Batten was the lastGovernor-General of British Indiawhereas C. Rajgopalachari was the 1stand last Governor-General of Indepen-dent India.

85. (a): (1) A HC judge can be re-moved from his office in the same man-ner as a judge of SC. A permanentjudge of HC can’t plead or act in anycourt or before any authority in Indiaexcept the SC and other HC to ensurenon-partiality and non-favouritism.(2) To be a judge of HC in India, he hasat least 10 years held a judicial officein the territory of India or he has beenHC advocate for at least 10 years.86. (b): (1) In 1993, a permanent stat-utory body came into effect i.e. Nation-al Commission for Backward Classes(NCBCs).(2) Including the chairman there are 5members in NCBC which are nominat-ed by the Central Government for theterm of 3 years.(3) NCBCs consider inclusions in &exclusion from the lists of castes noti-fied as backward for the purpose of jobreservation.(4) The NCSCs (National Commissionfor Scheduled Castes) discharges samefunctions, as with respect to SCs, withOBCs also.87. (b): (1) The Governor of Punjab isconcurrently serves as the administra-tor of Chandigarh which comes underPunjab & Haryana HC jurisdiction.(2) Lakshadweep has a separate Ad-ministrator. However, it comes underKerala HC jurisdiction.88. (b): (1) The Ministries/Depart-ments of the Government of India arecreated by the PM as per requirementbut total strength of Minister shouldn’tbe more than 15% of the total strengththe Lok Sabha as per 91st Constitution-al Amendment Act, 2003.(2) Each of Ministries is assigned to aMinister by the President of India onthe advice of the PM under Article 75.89. (c): The provisions can be amend-ed by simple majority of the Parlia-ment:(1) Admission or establishment of newstates(2) Abolition or creation of legislativecouncils in states(3) Number of puisne judges in the SCDPSP – Special majority of the Parlia-mentFDs – Special majority of the Parlia-ment90. (d): The provisions can be amend-ed by special majority of the Parlia-ment:(1) DPSP; (2) FRs; (3) FDs





SC & HCs – Special majority of theParliament & Consent of the States bySimple majority (at least 50%)Any matter in the Lists of 7th Sched-ule - Special majority of the Parliament& Consent of the States by Simple ma-jority (at least 50%)91. (a): (1) The federal system of In-dia is based on the grounds of widesize of country and socio-cultural di-versity. However, The term ‘federa-tion’ is no where used in the Constitu-tion. The efficient governance andstrengthening national unity and zon-al autonomy are served by this system.(2) The Indian federation isn’t result ofan agreement among the states. Hence,they will remain intact as a country.(3) The states have no right to secedefrom the federation like Americanstates which can free to secede from theUSA.(4) The Indian Federal System is basedon the ‘Canadian model’. In such mod-el Centre is stronger than its states inmatter of power and authority.92. (d): The ‘Federal features of theConstitution’: (1) Dual Polity(2) Written Constitution(3) Bicameralism(4) Division of Powers(5) Supremacy of the Constitution(6) Rigid Constitution(7) Independent JudiciaryIntegrated Audit Machinery is 1 of theUnitary features of the Constitution.93. (d): The ‘Unitary features of theConstitution:(1) Strong Centre(2) Single Constitution(3) Single Citizenship(4) Emergency Provisions(5) Non-indestructible States(6) All-India Services(7) Flexibility of the Constitution(8) No equality of the State Represen-tation(9) Integrated Election Machinery(10) Integrated Judiciary(11) Integrated Audit Machinery(12) Parliamentary Authority overState List(13) Governor’s Appointment(14) Veto over State BillsRigid Constitution is 1 of the Federalfeatures of the Constitution.94. (d): (1) Andaman & Nicobar Is-lands, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Na-gar Haveli and Daman & Diu are 4 UTson which President can make regula-

tion for peace, progress & good gov-ernment.(2) The President also repeals oramends any act of Parliament in rela-tion to only these 4 UTs and not all theUTs.95. (d): (a) SPSC is a Constitutionalbody under Articles 315-323 in PartXIV. The Chairman & members areappointed by the governor of the stateand are removed by the President.(b) Joint State Public service Commis-sion (JSPSC), a statutory body, is es-tablished for 2 or more states on therequest of the state legislatures by par-liament.(c) The Union Public Service Commis-sion (UPSC) can serve the needs of astate on the request of the state gover-nor & with the approval of the Presi-dent.(d) States are assisted by The UPSC inframing & operating schemes of jointrecruitment for any services for whichcandidates possessing special qualifi-cations are required if requested by 2or more states to do so.96. (b): (1) State Legislature is notsuspended during National Emergen-cy, but parliament is empowered tomake laws on the state list subjects.Parliament has the overriding powerson the both the State List as well asConcurrent List on which State Legis-lature can make laws.(2) Every resolution of the Parliamentapproving the proclamation or its con-tinuance must be passed by a specialmajority. For the disapproval of Na-tional Emergency, a resolution onlyneeds simple majority of Lok Sabhaonly.97. (c): The Financial Emergency:(1) Article 360 enable president to pro-claim Financial Emergency if the finan-cial stability or credit of India or anypart of its territory is under threat. Itneeds parliamentary proclamationwith simple majority.(2) Once this emergency is approvedby either of house of parliament, thereis no fixed tenure for it i.e. it can be inbeing for time unlimited.(3) The time given to both the housesto give approval is 2 months from thedate of its issue.(4) There is no provision for the parlia-mentary approval of both the housesfor its discontinuation. The power torevoke this proclamation remains with

President only i.e. President can revokeit anytime.98. (d): Special Status of J & K:(1) The Residuary Power in all mattersbelongs to the State other than matterslike terrorist acts, issues relating to sov-ereignty & integrity of nation, issuesrelated to National Insignia i.e. Nation-al Flag, National Anthem and the Con-stitution of India.(2) Right to Property is still the Funda-mental Right in the State.(3) DPSP & FDs aren’t applicable to theState.(4) A National Emergency can’t be de-clared without the sanction of StateLegislature only on internal ground i.e.internal disturbance but it is at par withother states of the country on the issu-ing a National Emergency on the ex-ternal grounds i.e. war or external ag-gression. No such sanction is requiredfrom State Legislature of J & K to de-clare National Emergency on externalgrounds.99. (d): Impeachment of the President:(1) The Constitution doesn’t define theterm ‘Violation of the Constitution’which is the sole ground for Impeach-ment.(2) The Impeachment charges can beinitiated by either the Lower House orUpper House by giving 14 days’ no-tice to the President.(3) The Impeachment charges shouldbe signed by 25% members of theHouse that framed the charges.(4) The President has the right to ap-pear & to be represented at investiga-tion. The impeachment is a quasi-judi-cial in nature involved all the membersof the Parliament i.e. elected and nom-inated. However, States don’t partici-pate in the same though they take partin his election on the other side nomi-nated members participate in his im-peachment though they don’t take partin his election.100. (a): The bills require prior rec-ommendation or permission of thePresident:(1) Finance bill-I(2) A bill for the alteration of bound-aries of states(3) Money billThe Constitutional Amendment bill -No such requirement is needed.Finance bill-II – Recommendation isrequired before passing but not beforeintroducing the bill.





Questions: 1-6, 56, 57, 92 President; 7VP; 8, 9, 58, 75 Central Council of Min-isters; 10-13, 15-28, 33-45, 52, 66, 72-74,77, 78, 87, 91, 99 Parliament; 14, 96Supreme Court; 29 Citizenship; 30, 71High Court; 31 FDs; 32 PM; 46, 49, 69,97 CAG; 47; Inter-State Relations; 48,81, 86 PC; 50, 55 Parliamentary Sys-tem; 51AVII (Ministries/Departmentof the Central Government); 53 StateLegislature; 54 Scheduled & TribalAreas; 59, 84 FC; 60 Tribunals; 61 Sub-ordinate Courts; 62, 70 EmergencyProvisions; 63, 67 Urban Local Gov-ernments; 93-95, 98 Rural Local Gov-ernments; 64, 76 Governor; 65, 89 StateCouncil of Ministers; 68, 79, 80, 90UPSC; 82 Salient Features of the Con-stitution; 83 CM; 85 Historical Back-ground; 88, 100 Public Services.1. In which of the following bills thePresident can use his ‘Pocket Veto’?(1) Finance Bill-I(2) Money Bill(3) Constitutional Amendment Bill(4) State Bill(5) Finance Bill-II(a) 5 only (b) 4 & 3(c) 1, 4 & 5 (d) 1, 2, 4 & 52. Which of the following statementsis/are correct with respect to ‘AbsoluteVeto’power of the President?(1) It can’t be used against governmentbills.(2) It can be used with Money bills.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None3. Which of the following statementsregarding ‘Ordinance-Making’ powerof the President are correct?(1) It isn’t discretionary power of thePresident.(2) It can’t be ‘retroactive’.(3) It may modify or repeal any act ofthe Parliament.(4) It can alter or amend a tax law.(5) It can’t be issued to amend the Con-stitution.(a) 1 & 5 (b) 2, 3 & 5(c) 1, 3, 4 & 5 (d) 1, 2 & 54. Which of the following statementsregarding ‘Pardoning’ power of thePresident are incorrect?(1) It is a judicial power.(2) It is judiciary dependent.(3) It isn’t subject to judicial review.(4) It is the discretionary power.

(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 3(c) 1 & 4 (d) 2, 3 & 45. Which of the following statementsis/are correct?(1) The President has no constitutionalbut situational discretion.(2) The Governor has no situational butconstitutional discretion.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None6. Which of the following features aresame for both the President & the Vice-President?(1) Minimum Age requirement(2) Election mode(3) Electoral college(4) Removal process(a) 1 & 3 (b) 1 & 2(c) 3 & 4 (d) 1 only7. Which of the following provisionsregarding powers & functions of theVP is/are correct?(1) He acts as a President on groundsof absence & illness.(2) He discharges the functions of thePresident on the grounds of resigna-tion, removal & death.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) None (d) both8. Which of the following statementsis/are incorrect?(1) The Council of Ministers ceases tohold office after the dissolution of theLok Sabha.(2) A minister who is a member of 1House of the Parliament can partici-pate in the proceedings of the otherHouse without voting.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) None (d) Both9. Who among the following was/were Dy. PM before served as the PM?(1) Babu Jagjivan Ram(2) Morarji Desai(3) Chaudhary Charan Singh(4) Guljarilal Nanda(a) 2, 3 & 4 (b) 2 & 3(c) 2 only (d) 1 & 410. Which of the following statementsare correct of the President with respectto the organization of Parliament?(1) He isn’t a Member of the parlia-ment.(2) He isn’t a part of the Parliament.(3) He doesn’t sit in the Parliament.(4) He enjoys all the privileges enjoyedby the Members of the Parliament.

(a) 1, 2 & 4 (b) 1, 2 & 3(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) 1 & 311. The correct statements about 0-hour include:(1) It is the 1st hour of every sitting inthe both Houses of the Parliament.(2) It is mentioned in the Rules of Busi-ness of both Houses of the Parliament.(3) During this time, the matters areraised without any prior notice.(4) It is the time immediately follow-ing the Question Hour in both theHouses of the Parliament.(5) It is an Indian innovation in parlia-mentary procedure since 1964.(a) 2, 3 & 4 (b) 3 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 5 (d) 2, 3 & 512. Which of the following are correctin respect of the Calling AttentionMotion?(1) It is a device of calling a attentionof a minister to a matter of urgent pub-lic importance.(2) Its main purpose is to seek author-itative statement from the minister.(3) It doesn’t involve any censureagainst government.(4) It is an Indian innovation in parlia-mentary procedure since 1952.(5) It isn’t mentioned in the Rules ofBusiness & procedure.(a) 2, 3 & 4 (b) 3 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 5 (d) 1, 2 & 313. Which of the following statementsare correct with respect to Adjourn-ment Motion?(1) It is an extra ordinary procedurewhich sets aside the normal businessof the House.(2) Its main object id to draw attentionof the House to a recent matter of ur-gent public importance.(3) The Rajya Sabha can make use of it.(4) It must be supported at least by 50members for introduction.(5) It involves an element of censureagainst the government.(a) 1, 2, 4 & 5 (b) 2, 3 & 5(c) 2, 3 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 414. Which of the following is incorrectabout the difference between the writjurisdictions of the SC & HCs in India?(1) The SC can issue writs not only forthe purpose of enforcement of FRs butalso for any other purpose, whereas theHCs can issue writs only for the pur-pose for of enforcement of FRs.

Model Practice Paper on Indian PolityIndian Polity Model PAPER




(2) The HCs can issue writ of Injunc-tion, whereas the SC can’t issue thesame.(3) The SC can issue writs only in thecase of appeal, whereas the HCs canissue writs only when the party direct-ly approaches it.(4) The HCs can issue writs not for thepurpose of enforcement of FRs but alsofor any other purpose, whereas the SCcan issue writs only for the purpose forof enforcement of FRs.(a) 1 & 2 (b) 1, 2 & 3(c) 2 & 3 (d) 4 only15. Which of the following statementsare incorrect regarding ‘unstarredquestion’?(1) It is distinguished by an asteriskmark.(2) Answer to such a question is givenorally.(3) Answer to such a question is notfollowed by supplementary question.(4) It doesn’t carry an asterisk mark.(5) Answer to such a question is givenin a written form.(a) 2 & 3 (b) 3, 4 & 5(c) 1 & 2 (d) 2, 3 & 416. Which of the following statementsis correct?(1) Disqualification of the MP exceptunder 10th Schedule is decided by theEC.(2) Disqualification of the MP under10th Schedule is decided by the Speak-er/Chairman.(3) Disqualification of the MP exceptunder 10th Schedule is subject to judi-cial review.(4) Disqualification of the MP under10th Schedule isn’t subject to judicialreview.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) 1, 2 & 4 - (d) 1, 2 & 317. Which of the following statementsis/are correct?(1) The Speaker takes an oath admin-istered by the President.(2) The Protem Speaker doesn’t take anoath.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) None (d) Both18. Which of the following statementsis/are correct with respect to ‘Whip’?(1) The office of the ‘Whip’ is not men-tioned in the Constitution but only inthe Rules of the House.(2) Both the parties, ruling & opposi-tion, have their own Whips in the Par-liament.

(3) He is an assistant floor leader.(4) He has all the powers & privilegesof a Minister of the State.(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2 & 4(c) 3 & 4 (d) 2 & 319. Consider the following items:(1) Summoning (2) Adjournment(3) Prorogation (4) Dissolution(5) Quorum(6) Language in the ParliamentWhich of the above are under theSpeaker?(a) 1 & 5 (b) 3 & 4(c) 2, 5 & 6 (d) 5 & 620. Consider the following statementswith respect to the ‘Closure Motion’:(1) It can be moved by any member ofthe House.(2) If it is approved, voting is held onthe matter.(3) There are 4 kinds of it namely Sim-ple closure, closure by compartments,Kangaroo closure & Guillotine closure.(4) In Guillotine closure the interven-ing clauses are skipped over & takenas passed.Which of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 321. Consider the following statementswith respect to the ‘Privilege Motion’:(1) It is concerned with the breach ofparliamentary privileges by a minister.(2) Its purpose is to maintain the codeof conduct.Which of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None22. Which of the following motionscan be entertained by the ruling partyonly?(1) Adjournment Motion(2) Censure Motion(3) Confidence Motion(4) Non-Confidence Motion(a) 1 & 2 (b) 3 only(c) 3 & 4 (d) 1 only23. Which of the following statementsare correct?(1) The failure in passing the ‘Motionof Thanks’ amounts to the defeat of thegovernment.(2) No debate is allowed on ‘Point ofOrder’.(3) ‘Short Duration Discussion’ neitherinvolves a formal motion nor voting.(4) ‘Special Mention’ is unique featureof the Lok Sabha.(a) All (b) 1, 2 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 3 (d) 2, 3 & 4

24. Consider the following features of‘Resolution’:(1) A member who has moved a reso-lution or amendment to a resolutioncan’t withdraw the same without theleave of the House.(2) There are 3 kinds of resolutions:Private Member’s Resolution, Govern-ment Resolution & Statutory Resolu-tion.(3) All resolutions aren’t required to bevoted upon.(4) All resolutions are substantive mo-tions.Which of the above statements are cor-rect?(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 4(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 425. Which of the following statementsare correct regarding ‘Money Bills’?(1) It can be introduced only by a min-ister.(2) Rajya Sabha can’t make recommen-dations.(3) The President’s decision regardingwhether it is a money bill or not is fi-nal.(4) The President can ratify or reject it.(a) 1 & 3 (b) 1, 2 & 3(c) 3 & 4 (d) 1 & 426. The correct statements about Pub-lic Account of India (PAI) are(1) It is the fund to which all publicmoneys received by or on behalf of thegovernment are credited.(2) No legislative appropriation is re-quired for payments from the PAI.(3) Legislative appropriation is re-quired for payments from the PAI.(4) All public moneys, other than thosecredited to the Consolidated Fund ofIndia, received by or on behalf of thegovernment are credited to the PAI.(5) It is operated by an executive ac-tion.(a) 1, 2 & 5 (b) 1, 3 & 5(c) 2, 4 & 5 (d) 2 & 427. Which of the following statementsare incorrect?(1) Appropriation Bill can’t be amend-ed while the Finance Bill can be amend-ed.(2) Finance Bill can’t be amended whilethe Appropriation Bill can be amend-ed.(3) Same procedure governs both theAppropriation Bill & the Finance Bill.(4) Appropriation Bill & the FinanceBill are governed by different proce-dures.





(5) Appropriation Bill can’t be rejectedby the Rajya Sabha while the FinanceBill can be rejected by it.(a) 2 & 4 (b) 2, 4 & 5(c) 1 & 3 (d) 1, 3 & 528. Which of the following are correct-ly matched?(1) Token Cut Motion – Amount of thedemand is to be reduced by Rs. 100.(2) Economy Cut Motion – Amount ofthe demand is to be reduced to Rs. 1(3) Policy Cut Motion - Amount of thedemand is to be reduced by a speci-fied amount.(4) Plan Cut Motion - Amount of thedemand is to be reduced by Rs. 1(a) 1 only (b) 1, 2 & 4(c) 2 & 3 (d) None29. Consider the below statements:(1) Loss of citizenship by Renunciationcan’t be registered during war.(2) Loss of citizenship by Terminationcan be withheld during the war.(3) Loss of citizenship by Deprivationdoesn’t apply to the scholars abroad.(4) The State can discriminate on theground of residence.Which of the above are correct?(a) 1, 3 & 4 (b) 1, 2 & 3(c) 3 & 4 (d) 2 & 330. When the Chief Justice of a HighCourt acts in an administrative capac-ity, he is subject to(1) the writ jurisdiction of any of theother judges of the(2) special control exercised by the CJI(3) discretionary powers of the Gover-nor of the state(4) special powers provided to the CMin thisWhich of the above is/are true?(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2 only (c) 3 & 4 (d) 3 only31. No one can be compelled to singthe National Anthem since(1) It will be violative of the Right tofreedom of speech & expression.(2) It will be violative of the Rights tofreedom of conscience & practice &propagation of religion.(3) It is 1 of the Fundamental Duties.(4) There is no provision obliging any-one to sing the National Anthem.44Which of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) All (d) 1, 2 & 432. Which 1 of the following state-ments is correct?The PM of India

(1) is free to choose his ministers onlyfrom among those who are membersof either House of the Parliament.(2) can choose his cabinet colleagueafter due counseling by the Presidentof India in this regard.(3) has full discretion in the choice ofpersons who are to serve as ministersin his cabinet.(4) has only limited powers in thechoice of his cabinet colleagues due tothe discretionary power vested withthe President of India.Which of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) 1 & 2 (b) 1 & 4 (c) 3 only (d) 2 only33. Which of the following is/are cor-rect?(1) The President shan’t be member ofeither Houses of Parliament.(2) The Parliament shan’t consist of thePresident & 2 Houses.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) None (d) Both34. Consider the following statementsregarding Finance Bills-I:(1) It contains features of both moneybill as well as ordinary bill.(2) It can’t be introduced in the RajyaSabha.(3) It can be introduced only on the rec-ommendation of the President.(4) It can’t be rejected by the Rajya Sab-ha.Which of the following is/are correct?(a) All (b) 1, 2 & 4(c) 2 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 335. Which of the following statementsare correct with respect to FinanceBills-II?(1) It contains provisions involvingexpenditure from the ConsolidatedFund of India & matters mentioned inthe Article 110.(2) It can be introduced in either Houseof the Parliament.(3) Its introduction doesn’t require pri-or approval of the president.(4) Joint-sitting can be held to solve anyimpasse. (a) All (b) 1, 3 & 4(c) 2, 3 & 4 (d) 1 & 236. Which of the following bills can’tavail Joint-sitting?(1) Finance Bills-I(2) Money Bills(3) Constitutional Amendment Bills(4) Finance Bills-II(a) 2 only (b) 2 & 3

(c) 1, 2 & 3 (d) All37. Which of the following statementsare correct regarding ‘Joint-sitting’?(1) A person determined by the Presi-dent presides over joint-sitting if all the3 i.e. Speaker, Dy. Speaker & Dy. Chair-man is absent.(2) The quorum to constitute joint-sit-ting is 10% of the Parliament.(3) New amendments to the bill can’tbe proposed.(4) It is governed by the Rules of Pro-cedure of both the Houses.(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2 & 3(c) 3 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 438. Read the following constitutionalprovisions about ‘Budget’:(1) Parliament can reduce or abolish atax but can’t increase it(2) The Rajya Sabha has no power tovote on demands for grants.(3) No demand for a grant shall bemade except on the recommendationof the President.(4) No money shall be withdrawn fromthe Consolidated Fund of India exceptunder appropriation made by law.Which of the above statements are cor-rect?(a) 1, 2 & 3 (b) 2, 3 & 4(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) All39. In which of the following ways theCouncil of ministers can be removedfrom the office?(1) By not passing the motion of thankson the President’s inaugural address.(2) By rejecting a money bill(3) By passing a censure motion or anadjournment motion(4) By defeating the government onvital issue(5) By passing a cut motion(a) All (b) 1, 2 & 4(c) 2, 4 & 5 (d) 1, 2, 4 & 540. In which of the following mattersthe Lok Sabha doesn’t have edge overthe Rajya Sabha?(1) Financial Bills-I(2) Financial Bills-II(3) Money Bills(4) Constitutional Amendment Bills(5) Ordinances(6) Selection of the PM(7) A resolution for discontinuance ofthe National Emergency(a) 4, 5 & 7 (b) 2, 4, 5 & 6(c) 4, 5, 6 & 7 (d) 4 & 541. Which of the following statementsregarding the power of the Rajya Sab-ha are correctly stated?





(1) It can’t introduce Financial Bills-I& II.(2) It can’t recommend any amendmentto the Money Bills.(3) It can never win over joint-sitting.(4) It can’t vote on the demands forgrants.(5) It can’t pass the resolution of revo-cation of the National Emergency.(6) It can’t remove nor criticize theCouncil of Ministers.(a) 1, 3 & 4 (b) 1, 2 & 5(c) 4 & 5 (d) 2, 5 & 642. Which of the following statementsare correct regarding Public AccountCommittee (PAC)?(1) It consists of members of both theHouses of the Parliament.(2) The chairman is from the Lok Sab-ha only.(3) It examines public expenditure fromthe point of view of economy, pru-dence, wisdom & propriety.(4) It is assisted by the CAG.(5) It was set-up under the provisionsof the Government of India Act 1909.(a) 1, 2, 3 & 5 (b) 1, 2 & 5(c) 1, 2 & 3 (d) 1, 3 & 443. Which of the following statementsare correct regarding Estimate Com-mittee (EC)?(1) It was set-up in 1921.(2) It consists of 30 members (20 fromthe Lok Sabha & 10 from the Rajya Sab-ha).(3) All parties get due representationin it.(4) The Chairman is from Lok Sabhaonly.(5) It isn’t incumbent on the commit-tee to examine the entire estimates ofany 1 year.(a) 1, 3, 4 & 5 (b) 1, 2 & 4(c) All (d) 2, 3 & 544. Which of the following statementsare correct regarding Committee onPublic Undertakings (CPU)?(1) It was set-up in 1964 on the recom-mendation of John Mathai.(2) It consists of members only from theLok Sabha.(3) The chairman is from oppositionparty.(4) It examines the reports the CAG onpublic undertakings.(5) It doesn’t examine & investigatematters of day-to-day administration.(a) 1, 2 & 4 (b) 4 & 5(c) 1, 2 & 5 (d) 1, 3 & 445. Consider the following statements

with respect to Committees:(1) Dy. Speaker chairs ‘Committee onPrivate Members’ Bills & Resolutions’.(2) Speaker chairs ‘General PurposeCommittee’.Which of the above is/are correctlystated?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None46. The accounts of the Union & theStates shall be kept in such form asprescribed by(1) Finance Minister in consultationwith CAG.(2) CAG with the approval of PlanningCommission.(3) CAG with the approval of the Pres-ident.(4) The President in consultation withCAG.Which of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) 1 & 4 (b) 2 only(c) 3 & 4 (d) 4 only47. Which of the following enjoy theconstitutional status?(1) Finance Commission(2) Planning Commission(3) Zonal Councils(4) Inter-State Council(5) Election Commission(6) NDC(a) 1, 3 & 5 (b) 1, 4 & 5(c) 1, 2, 5 & 6 (d) 1, 3, 5 & 648. Discretionary grants are given tostates by the Centre on the recommen-dation of(1) Finance Commission(2) NDC (3) Finance Ministry(4) Planning CommissionWhich of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) 2 & 4 (b) 1 & 4(c) 1 & 3 (d) 4 only49. Which of the following aren’t cor-rect about CAG?(1) He is appointed by the Presidentfor a period of 5 years.(2) His salary & service conditions aredetermined by the President.(3) He shall vacate office on attainingthe age of 60 years.(4) He can be removed by the Presidenton his own.(5) He is responsible for maintainingthe accounts of the Central & the StateGovernments.(a) 1, 4 & 5 (b) 2, 3 & 5(c) All (d) 3, 4 & 550. The features of Parliamentary sys-

tem are:(1) Political Heterogeneity(2) Collective responsibility(3) A written Constitution(4) Presence of de jure & de facto exec-utives(5) Double Membership(a) 2, 3 & 4 (b) 1, 2 & 4(c) 2, 4 & 5 (d) 1, 2, 4 & 551. Which of the following aren’t thedepartments of the Finance Ministry?(1) Department of Expenditure(2) Department of Economic Affairs(3) Department of Banking(4) Department of Revenue(5) Department of Budget(a) 2 & 3 (b) 3 & 4(c) 3 & 5 (d) 2 & 552. Which of the following statementsis/are correct?(1) The President doesn’t enjoy parlia-mentary privileges though being itsintegral part of the Parliament.(2) The Attorney General enjoys par-liamentary privileges though not be-ing its integral part of the Parliament.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None53. Which of the following statementsare correct?(1) The Governor nominates 1/6thmembers to the Legislative Council(LC).(2) A person to be elected to the LCmust be an elector for an assembly con-stituency in the concerned state.(3) A person to be nominated to the LCmust be a resident in the concernedstate(4) The Chairman of the LC is a mem-ber of it.(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2, 3 & 4(c) 1 & 4 (d) All54. Consider the following statementswith respect to the ‘Scheduled Areas’:(1) The Scheduled Areas are treateddifferently from the other areas in thecountry.(2) The President is empowered to de-clare an area to be a Scheduled Area.(3) Each state having Scheduled Areashas to establish a tribes advisory coun-cil to advise on welfare & advancementof the STs.(4) The President is empowered to di-rect that any particular act of Parlia-ment or the state legislature doesn’tapply to a Scheduled Area or applywith specified modifications & excep-tions.





Which of the above are untrue?(a) 4 only (b) 2 & 3(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) 1 & 2Answer the following questions byusing the codes given below:(a) Both A & R are true & R is the cor-rect explanation of A.(b) Both A & R are true & R isn’t thecorrect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.55. Assertion (A): India has adoptedthe parliamentary form of government.Reason (R): The President is the titu-lar head of the state while the councilof ministers headed by the PM is thereal executive authority.56. Assertion (A): A person whoholds, or who has held, office as Presi-dent shan’t be eligible for re-electionof that office.Reason (R): No person shall be eligi-ble for election as the President unlesshe is qualified for election as a mem-ber of the House of People.57. Assertion (A): All doubts & dis-putes arising out of or in connectionwith the election of the President or VPshall be inquired into & decided by theSC whose decision shall be final.Reason (R): The Parliament may, bylaw, regulate any matter relating to orconnected with the election of the Pres-ident or the VP.58. Assertion (A): There shall be theCouncil of Ministers with the PM at thehead to aid & advice the President whoshall, in the exercise of his functions,act in accordance with such advice.Reason (R): The question whether any,and if so what advice was tendered byministers to the President shan’t be in-quired into any court.59. The UPSC derives its functionsfrom which of the following sources?(1) Constitution(2) Parliamentary laws(3) Executive rules & orders(4) Conventions(a) 1, 2 & 3 (b) 1 & 4(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) All60. Which of the following statementsrelated to the CAT are correct?(1) It is a Constitutional body.(2) Its members are drawn from admin-istrative background only.(3) It isn’t bound by the procedure pre-scribed in the code of civil procedure.(4) Its jurisdiction covers the membersof All India Services as well as Central

Services & Central Government posts.(5) It was set-up in 1985.(a) 2, 3 & 5 (b) 1 & 4(c) 3, 4 & 5 (d) 2 & 361. The District & Sessions judgeworks directly under the court of(1) District Collector(2) Governor of the state(3) Law Minister of the state(4) HC of the stateWhich of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) 2 & 4 (b) 3 only(c) 1 & 2 (d) 4 only62. In the event of declaration of con-stitutional emergency in the state, thePresident can(1) Assume to himself all the functionsof the state government including theHC.(2) Declare that the powers of the statelegislature shall be exercisable underthe authority of the Governor.(3) Assume to himself all the functionsof the state government except the HC.(4) Declare that the powers of the statelegislature shall be exercisable underthe authority of the Parliament.Of the above, the correct statementsare:(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2 & 3(c) 3 & 4 (d) 1 & 463. The correct statements about can-tonment boards are(1) This system of municipal adminis-tration is a British legacy in our coun-try.(2) They are setup under the resolu-tions passed by the Ministry of De-fence.(3) The Ministry of Defence exercisesdirect administrative control overthem.(4) It consists of elected members only.(5) The executive officer of the boardis appointed by the President of theboard.(a) 1, 3 & 5 (b) 2, 3 & 4(c) 1 & 3 (d) 3, 4 & 564. The Governor of a state(1) Possesses executive, legislative &judicial powers analogous to the Pres-ident.(2) Has to act & advice of the councilof ministers always.(3) Has the power to appoint & removethe members of the SPSC.(4) Haas the power to allocate businessof the government among the variousministers.

(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2, 3 & 4(c) 1 & 4 (d) 1, 3 & 465. The Constitution says that the statecouncil of ministers holds office dur-ing the pleasure of the Governor. Thewords “during the pleasure of the Gov-ernor” in reality means:(1) Pleasure of the President(2) Pleasure of the PM(3) Pleasure of the CM(4) Pleasure of the Legislative Assem-blyWhich of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) 3 only (b) 1 only(c) 2 only (d) 4 only66. The functions of Estimate Commit-tee include:(1) To suggest alternative policies inorder to bring out efficiency & econo-my in administration.(2) To see that the expenditure con-forms to the authority that governs it.(3) To examine whether the money iswell laid out within the limits of thepolicy implied in the estimates.(4) To suggest the form in which esti-mates shall be presented to the Parlia-ment.Which of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 & 2 (b) 1, 3 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 4 (d) All67. Consider the following statementsabout the Municipal Corporations:(1) They are established in the statesby the acts of the concerned state leg-islatures.(2) They are established in the UTs byan order of the Chief Administrator.(3) They work under the control & su-pervision of the state governments.(4) Their deliberative functions are sep-arated from the executive functions.Which of the above is/are correct?(a) 1 & 3 (b) 1, 3 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 3 (d) All68. Under which of the following con-ditions, the UPSC can serve the needsof a state?(1) When requested by the President.(2) When requested by the Governor.(3) With the approval of the Parlia-ment.(4) With the approval of the President.(5) With the approval of the concernedstate legislature.(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 5(c) 2 & 4 (d) 1 & 569. Which of the following audit/s is/are discretionary & not obligatory on





the part of CAG?(1) Audit of Accountancy(2) Audit of Authority(3) Audit of Appropriation(4) Audit of ProprietyWhich of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 4(c) 3 only (d) 4 only70. Which of the below will be the con-sequences of the proclamation of Fi-nancial Emergency by the President?(1) The President can give directionsto the states to observe the principlesof financial propriety.(2) The President can reduce the sala-ries & allowances of government em-ployees excluding the judges of the SC& the HCs.(3) All money bills & other financialbills passed by a state legislature canbe reserved for the consideration of thePresident.(4) The Parliament can authorize thePresident to sanction expenditure fromthe Consolidated Fund of the State.(a) 1, 2 & 3 (b) All(c) 1 & 3 (d) 1, 3 & 471. If any question arises as to the ageof a judge of a HC, the question shallbe decided by the President after theconsultation with(1) The Chief Justice of concerned HC(2) The Governor of the concerned state(3) The Attorney General of India(4) CJIWhich of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) 1 & 4 (b) 2 & 4 (c) 3 & 4 (d) 4 only72. Which of the following pairs areincorrectly matched?(1) Vote on account – To allow enoughtime for legislative scrutiny & discus-sion of the budget.(2) Charged items – Not submitted tothe Parliament.(3) Vote of credit – Blank cheque givento the executive.(4) Excess grant – Submitted directlyto the Lok Sabha for its approval(a) 1 & 3 (b) 1, 2 & 4(c) 2 & 4 (d) All73. Which of the following are thefunctions of the PAC (Public AccountCommittee) of the Parliament?(1) To examine, in the light of theCAG’s report, the accounts showingthe appropriation of sums granted bythe Parliament.

(2) To examine in the light of the CAG’sreport, the statements of accounts ofstate corporations, trading & manufac-turing projects except of those allottedto the committee on public undertak-ings.(3) To examine the statement of ac-counts of autonomous & semi-auton-omous bodies, the audit of which isconducted by the CAG.(4) To examine if any money has beenspent on any service during a financialyear in excess of the amount grantedby house of people of that purpose.(a) 1, 2 & 4 (b) All(c) 1, 2 & 3 (d) 1, 3 & 474. Which of the following categoriesof bills require prior consent of thePresident before their introduction?(1) Bills to recognize the states(2) Bills affecting taxes in which thestates are interested(3) State bills imposing restriction oftrade(4) Bills involving expenditure from theConsolidated Fund of India(a) 1, 2 & 4 (b) All(c) 2, 3 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 375. Which of the following are the pro-visions of Article 75 of the Constitu-tion?(1) Ministers shall be appointed by thePresident on the advice of the PM.(2) The Council of Ministers shall becollectively responsible to the Houseof the People.(3) The question whether any, and ifso what, advice was tendered by theministers to the President shan’t be in-quired into in any court.(4) The salaries & allowances of theministers shall be determined by theParliament.(a) 1, 2 & 3 (b) 1, 2 & 4(c) All (d) 2 & 476. Which of the following statementswith respect to the Governor are incor-rect?(1) He submits his resignation letter tothe Chief Justice of the State.(2) He should have completed 35 yearsof age.(3) His emoluments, allowances &privileges are determined by the Pres-ident.(4) No criminal proceeding can be ini-tiated against him during his tenure.(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2, 3 & 4(c) 1, 3 & 4 (d) 2 & 477. Which of the following can be

moved by Private Member of the Par-liament?(1) Closure Motion(2) Calling Attention Motion(3) Privilege Motion(4) Statutory Resolution(a) 1, 2 & 4 (b) 2, 3 & 4(c) All (d) 2 & 478. Which of the below statement arecorrect with regard to the expenditurecharged upon he Consolidated Fundof India?(1) It is subject to vote of Parliament.(2) It is subject to the discussion in Par-liament.(3) It is subject to vote of Lok Sabhaonly.(4) It isn’t subject to vote of parliament.(a) 1 & 2 (b) 2 & 3(c) 2 & 4 (d) 1 & 479. Which of the following mattersaren’t the concerns of the UPSC?(1) Classification of services(2) Promotion(3) Training(4) Disciplinary matters(5) Talent hunting(a) 2, 4 & 5 (b) 1, 3 & 4(c) 1 & 3 (d) 1 & 480. Which of the following are correctwith regard to the function of theUPSC?(1) To conduct the examinations forappointments to the service of theUnion.(2) To assist states, if required, in fram-ing & operating schemes for which can-didates possessing special qualifica-tions are required.(3) To advise the Union & state gov-ernments on all matters relating tomethods of recruitment to civil servic-es & for civil posts.(4) To present, annually, to the Presi-dent a report as to the work done by it.(a) 1, 2 & 3 (b) 1, 3 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 4 (d) AllAnswer the following questions byusing the codes given below:(a) Both A & R are true & R is the cor-rect explanation of A.(b) Both A & R are true & R isn’t thecorrect explanation of A.(c) A is true but R is false.(d) A is false but R is true.81. Assertion (A): Planning Commis-sion is neither a constitutional body nora statutory.Reason (R): It is established by an ex-ecutive resolution of the Union Cabi-





net.82. Assertion (A): The Constitution ofIndia is quasi-federal.Reason (R): It has given more powerto the Central Government than to thestate governments.83. Assertion (A): The CM can dismissa minister of the state government.Reason (R): The CM is the head of thestate council of ministers.84. Assertion (A): The President de-termines the qualifications of theChairman & members of the FinanceCommission.Reason (R): The Chairman & membersof the Finance Commission are ap-pointed by the President.85. Assertion (A): Under the Govern-ment of India Act of 1935, the Residu-ary powers were vested in the CentralLegislature.Reason (R): The Government of IndiaAct of 1935 divided the subjects into 3lists viz. the federal, provincial & con-current.86. Assertion (A): The PMO influenc-es the formulation of plans.Reason (R): The PM is the chairman othe Planning Commission.87. Assertion (A): The principle of therule of lapse leads to ‘rush of expendi-ture’ towards the end of a financialyear. Reason (R): The unspent votedexpenditure would lapse by the end ofthe financial year.88. Assertion (A): The members of All-India Services work in the Central Gov-ernment, state governments & unionterritories.Reason (R): They are selected & re-cruited on the basis of All-India com-petitive examinations conducted byUPSC.89. Assertion (A): A minister at thestate level continues in office till heenjoys the confidence of the CM.Reason (R): The CM can ask him toresign or advise the Governor to dis-miss him in case of difference of opin-ion.90. Assertion (A): The number ofmembers of the UPSC is determinedby the President.Reason (R): The members of the UPSCare appointed by the President.91. Assertion (A): The Estimate Com-mittee has been described as a ‘contin-uous economy committee’.Reason (R): It is a means of legislativecontrol over the administration.

92. Assertion (A): The President canbe impeached for the violation of theConstitution.Reason (R): The Constitution laysdown the procedure for impeachmentof the President.93. Which of the following is/are in-correct for the Local Government?(1) A constitutional obligation for theVillage Panchayats to function as unitsof self-government.(2) The Constitution places the subjectof local self-government as the respon-sibility of the States.(3) A constitutional obligation for theStates to constitute Finance Commis-sion to ensure financial viability of theMunicipalities.(4) A constitutional obligation for theMunicipalities to carry out schemesrelated to public distribution system.Which of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) 1 & 3 (b) 2 & 4(c) None (d) 4 only94. A new Panchayat constituted uponthe dissolution of a Panchayat beforethe expiration of its term shall contin-ue(1) for the next 5 years from the date ofits 1st meeting & no longer.(2) for the remainder of the period forwhich the dissolved Panchayat wouldhave continued had it not been so dis-solved.(3) till it enjoys the pleasure of the Gov-ernor.(4) till State Legislative Assembly al-lows it to continue.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) 3 & 4 (d) 4 only95. Consider the following statementswith regard to important features ofthe 73rd Constitutional Amendment:(1) Direct elections of members at alllevels.(2) Mandatory provision for holdingelections.(3) Direct election of the Chairpersonat the village level.(4) Indirect election of the Chairpersonat the intermediate & at the district lev-el.Which of the following statements iscorrect?(a) 1, 2 & 3 (b) 2, 3 & 4(c) 1, 2 & 4 (d) 1, 3 & 496. Consider the following statements:The purpose of judicial control overadministration is

(1) to control the policy & expenditureof the government.(2) to ensure legality of official acts &thereby to safeguard the rights of thecitizens.(3) to bring all officials under the con-trol of the people.(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) 2 & 3 (d) 3 only97. Which 1 of the following opportu-nities is provided by the AppropriationBill to the legislature?(1) To discuss the policy & other mat-ters related to the expenditure of vari-ous ministries.(2) To change the amount of demandsof various ministries.(3) To reallocate the grants of variousministries.(4) To vary the amount of expenditurecharged upon the Consolidated Fundof India.Which of the above statements is/arecorrect?(a) 1 only (b) 2 & 3(c) 2 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 398. Which of the following are includ-ed in the 11th Schedule?(1) Fisheries(2) Minor forest produce(3) Libraries (4) Road & Bridges(5) Cattle ponds(a) 1, 2 & 5 (b) 2, 3 & 5(c) 1, 2 & 4 (d) 1, 2 & 399. Consider the following statements:(1) The Council of Ministers of a Statein India is collectively as well as indi-vidually responsible to the LegislativeAssembly of the State.(2) The Governor of a State has thepower to appoint the Members of theState Public Service Commission aswell as the State HC Judges.Which of the statements given aboveis/are correct?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None100. Consider the following state-ments:(1) The Council of Ministers is classi-fied into different ranks.(2) A member of 1 House of the Parlia-ment who has been chosen as a UnionMinister doesn’t have the right to votein the House of which he isn’t a mem-ber.Which of the statements given aboveis/are correct?(a) 1 only (b) 2 only(c) Both (d) None





1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

39.

40.

41.

42.

43.

44.

45.

46.

47.

48.

49.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

56.

57.

58.

59.

60.

61.

62.

63.

64.

65.

66.

67.

68.

69.

70.

71.

72.

73.

74.

75.

76.

77.

78.

79.

80.


Assess Yourself



81.

82.

83.

84.

85.

86.

87.

88.

89.

90.

91.

92.

93.

94.

95.

96.

97.

98.

99.

100.





1. (d): The President can use his ‘Pock-et Veto’ in the following bills:(1) Finance Bill-I; (2) Money Bill; (3)State Bill; and (4) Finance Bill-IIConstitutional Amendment Bill – 24thConstitutional Amendment Act, 1971says that The President can neither re-turn nor reject but only can ratify it i.e.giving assent to the constitutionalamendments is obligatory to President.Joint sitting is not a solution i.e. thereis no provision of Joint-sitting for it.2. (b): ‘Absolute Veto’ (when presi-dent with holds his assent to a billpassed by parliament) power of thePresident:(1) It can be used against governmentbills when Cabinet resigns and newformed Cabinet advises the Presidentnot to give his assent to it.(2) It can be used with Money bills. ThePresident can’t use Suspensive veto forthem i.e. he can’t return the bill but hecan either ratify or reject it.3. (c): The ‘Ordinance-Making’ pow-er of the President:(1) It isn’t discretionary power of thePresident. As he can promulgate ordi-nances under Article 123 during 1 orboth the Houses of the Parliament is/are not in the session as a bill is re-quired to be passed from the both theHouses of the Parliament.(2) It can be ‘retroactive’. It may comeinto effect from earlier date from thedate of its promulgating.(3) It may modify or repeal any act ofthe Parliament.(4) It can alter or amend a tax law.(5) It can’t be issued to amend the Con-stitution.(6) It can stay live for maximum peri-od of 6 months (during Parliament re-cess) and 6 weeks (during Parliamentsession).(7) It can be challenged on the groundof malafide.(8) It can be withdrawn at any time onthe advice of the Council of Ministerspresided by the PM.(9) It can also be used to declare Emer-gency.4. (d): ‘Pardoning’ power of the Pres-ident:(1) It is a judicial power. He can ap-point CJI, SC Judges and HC Judges;He can seek advice from the SC when-

ever he thinks and He can grant par-don, reprieve, respite and remission ofpunishment or suspend, remit or com-mute the sentence.(2) It is judiciary independent. Judicia-ry is not interfering into its function-ing.(3) It is subject to judicial review if thePresident’s decision seems to be arbi-trary, irrational, malafide or discrimi-natory.(4) It is not the discretionary power. Asall other cases, the President is need tofollow the advice tendered by theCouncil of Ministers in this regardhence it is discretionary power of theCouncil of Ministers headed by the PMbut not the President who just conveywhat is told to him.5. (a): (1) President has discretions in(i) when no party has a clear majorityin Lok Sabha then, he appoints PM onhis own (ii) when the PM is dismissedsuddenly and there is no successorthen, Appointment of the PM is hisown (iii) Dismissal of the Council ofMinisters when it fail to prove the con-fidence of the Lok Sabha; (iv) Dissolu-tion of the Lok Sabha if the Council ofMinisters has lost its majority. But,these discretions are situational andnot constitutional.(2) The Governor has both situational& constitutional discretion. The situa-tional discretion of Governor is sameas that of President in his respectivestate assemblies.Situational discretion: (i) Appointmentof the CM when no party got a clearmajority in the State Legislative As-sembly; (ii) Appointment of the CMwhen no obvious successor is availableduring sudden demise of the CM; (iii)Dismissal of the Council of Ministerswhen it fail to prove the confidence ofthe State Legislative Assembly; (iv)Dissolution of State Legislative Assem-bly if the Council of Ministers has lostits majority.Constitutional discretion: (i) Reserva-tion of a bill for the recommendationof the President; (ii) Recommendationfor the imposition of the Constitution-al Emergency in the State; (iii) Work-ing as administrator of adjoining UTas additional charge; (iv) Determina-tion of the amount payable to Govern-

ment of States of Tribal Areas (Assam,Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram); (v)Seeking information from the CM ofthe administrative and legislative is-sues of the State; (vi) To perform spe-cial duties for some states as per thePresident’s directions.6. (b): The features that are same forboth the President & the Vice-Presi-dent:(1) Minimum Age requirement - 35years(2) Election mode – a system of pro-portional representation by means ofthe single transferable vote and secretballot voting.(3) Electoral college – Elected MPs andelected MLAs for the President whileboth elected and nominated MPs forthe VP.(4) Removal process – Impeachmentfor the President that can be initiatedby either House of the Parliament byat least 25% members by giving 14days’ notice to the President while re-moval procedure for the VP initiatedby the Rajya Sabha only with absolutemajority and to be agreed by Lok Sab-ha with simple majority by giving 14days’ notice to the VP.7. (c): The powers & functions of theVP:(1) He acts as a President on groundsof resignation, removal & death of thePresident.(2) He discharges the functions of thePresident on the grounds of absence &illness of the President.8. (a): (1) The Council of Ministerscontinues to hold office after the dis-solution of the Lok Sabha. As per rul-ing of the SC the President can’t exer-cise the executive power without theaid and advice of the Council of Min-isters as it would be violative of Arti-cle 74.(2) A minister who is a member of 1House of the Parliament can partici-pate in the proceedings of the otherHouse without voting.9. (b): Following persons served asDy. PM before served as the PM:(1) Morarji Desai. He served as Dy. PMduring Indira Gandhi’ Ministry.(2) Chaudhary Charan Singh. Heserved as Dy. PM during Morarji De-sai’s Ministry.

Indian Polity: Answers with explanationsIndian Polity Model PAPER




Babu Jagjivan Ram. He served as Dy.PM during Chaudhary Charan Singh’sMinistry but couldn’t serve as PM.Guljarilal Nanda. He served as actingPM twice in 1964 (due to demise of thethen PM J Nehru) and in 1966 (due todemise of the then PM L B Shastri)10. (d): The President with respect tothe organization of Parliament:(1) He isn’t a Member of the Parlia-ment.(2) He is a part of the Parliament. LokSabha & Rajya Sabha are other parts ofthe Parliament.(3) He doesn’t sit in the Parliament. Hesits in his residential-cum-office Rash-trapati Bhavan.(4) He doesn’t enjoy all the privilegesenjoyed by the Members of the Parlia-ment. AGI enjoy all the privileges en-joyed by the Members of the Parlia-ment.11. (b): 0-hour include:(1) It is the time gap between the ques-tion hour and the agenda (business ofthe house).(2) It is not mentioned in the Rules ofBusiness of both Houses of the Parlia-ment.(3) During this time, the members ofthe house have an opportunity to takeup the matters without any prior no-tice.(4) Question Hour is followed by thezero-hour in both the houses.(5) Indian parliament innovated thisand since 1962, it is being used in par-liamentary procedures.12. (d): The Calling Attention Motion:(1) It is an asset to call the minister’sattention to an urgent matter of publicimportance.(2) Its main purpose is to seek author-itative statement from the minister.(3) It doesn’t involve any censureagainst government.(4) Indian parliament innovated thisand since 1954, it’s being used in par-liamentary procedures.(5) Rules of Business & procedure, un-like zero-hour, have a mention of it.13. (a): Adjournment Motion:(1) It is an extra ordinary procedure todraw house’s attention to an urgentpublic importance matter.(2) It halts the normal business of thehouse, supported by at least 50 mem-bers.(3) The Rajya Sabha can’t make use ofit because it involves a censure against

govt.(4) The time prescribed for this discus-sion is 2 hour 30 minutes.14. (b): The writ jurisdictions of theSC & HCs in India:(1) The HCs can issue writs not onlyfor the purpose of enforcement of FRsbut also for any other purpose, where-as the SC can issue writs only for thepurpose for of enforcement of FRs.(2) Both the SC & the HCs can issuewrit of Injunction.(3) Both the SC & the HCs can issuewrits directly.(4) The writ jurisdiction of the HCs iswider than that of SC.15. (c): ‘Unstarred Question’:(1) Answer to such a question is notfollowed by supplementary question.(2) It doesn’t carry an asterisk mark.(3) Answer to such a question is givenin a written form.‘Below 2 characteristics are related to‘Starred Questions’:(1) It is distinguished by an asteriskmark.(2) Answer to such a question is givenorally.16. (b): (a) Disqualification of the MPexcept under 10th Schedule is decidedby the President after discussed withECI.(b) Disqualification of the MP under10th Schedule is decided by the Speak-er/Chairman.(c) Disqualification of the MP exceptunder 10th Schedule isn’t subject tojudicial review.(d) Disqualification of the MP under10th Schedule is subject to judicial re-view.17. (c): (1) The Protem Speaker takesan oath administered by the President.He is the senior most member of theLos Sabha selected for 2 main issues:(i) to administer oath to the new mem-bers and (ii) to enable the House to electthe new Speaker. His office is tempo-rary in nature and existed for few daysi.e. the new Speaker gets elected.(2) The Speaker doesn’t take an oathnor subscribe any separate affirmation.18. (d): ‘Whip’:(1) The office of the ‘Whip’ is neithermentioned in the Constitution nor inthe Rules of the House nor in a Parlia-mentary Statute.(2) Both the parties, ruling & opposi-tion, have their own Whips in the Par-liament.

(3) He is an assistant floor leader.(4) He has not all the powers & privi-leges of a Minister of the State.19. (c): The Speaker has jurisdictionover below:(1) Adjournment – Suspension thework in a sitting for a specified timei.e. hours, days, weeks.(2) Quorum – Minimum strength ofmembers of the House to carry out itsbusiness.(3) Language in the Parliament – Per-mission to a member to address in his/her mother tongue.(4) Adjournment Sine Die - It suspendsthe work in a sitting for an unspecifiedtime.The President has jurisdiction over be-low:(1) Summoning – Calling of eachHouse periodically to meet.(2) Prorogation – Discontinuation ofsession.(3) Dissolution – Destruction of theLower House.20. (d): The ‘Closure Motion’:(1) It is a motion to cut short the de-bate which can be introduced by anymember of the House.(2) Voting is done only when the mat-ter is approved by the house.(3) There are 4 kinds of it namely Sim-ple closure, closure by compartments,Kangaroo closure & Guillotine closure.(4) In Kangaroo closure the interven-ing clauses are skipped over & takenas passed while in Guillotine closurethe undiscussed clauses of a bill or aresolution are also put to vote alongwith the discussed ones due to short-age of time.21. (a): The ‘Privilege Motion’:(1) It is concerned with the breach ofparliamentary privileges by a minister.(2) Its purpose is to censure the con-cerned minister.(3) It is moved by a member of theHouse when a breach of the privilegeof the House is done by the Minister.22. (b): Confidence Motion can beentertained by the ruling party only toshow they enjoy majority of the peo-ple in the Lower House. If it fails toprove its majority then that particularministry has to resign.(1) Adjournment Motion – It is an ex-tra ordinary procedure to draw house’sattention to an urgent public impor-tance matter. It halts the normal busi-ness of the house, supported by at least





50 members. The Rajya Sabha can’tmake use of it because it involves acensure against govt. The time pre-scribed for this discussion is 2 hour 30minutes.(2) Censure Motion – It is an instru-ment which can be used against an in-dividual, a group or whole COMs tocensure them for specific policies andactions. This has to give a reason forits adoption in Lok Sabha. COM needto resign, if it is passed.(3) Non-Confidence Motion – It ismoved only against entire COM. It isused to ascertain whether the COMenjoys the confidence of the Lok Sab-ha or not. It needs support of 50 mem-bers to be admitted in Lok Sabha, un-like Censure Motion, it does not needto give any reason to Lok Sabha for itsadoption. Lok Sabha has to resign, if itis passed.23. (c): (1) Motion of Thanks-ThePresident addresses the 1st session ofevery fiscal year and the 1st sessionafter each general election to give theoutlines of the policies and pro-grammes of the Government, in yes-teryear and coming year. Such addressis discussed in both the Houses of theParliament and put to vote. This mo-tion need to be passed to allow govt toenjoy the majority. If this motion, failsto pass then, the government losses theconfidence and amounts to defeat.(2) Point of Order-No debate is allowedin it. It can be raised by any member todraw the attention that the proceedingsviolate normal rules and regulation. Itis mainly raised by the Opposition tocheck the Government. It is significantdevice which halts the proceedingsbefore the House.(3) ‘Short Duration Discussion’ neitherinvolves a formal motion nor voting.It is also called ‘2-hour discussion’ be-cause its time validity is 2 hours. It canbe raised for a matter of urgent publicimportance. The Speaker can allow 2days in a week for them.(4) ‘Special Mention’ is unique featureof the Rajya Sabha. It is tantamount to‘Notice (Mention) Under Rule 377’ ofthe Lok Sabha. It can be used for suchissues that can’t be raised by any otherway or in other motion.24. (d): ‘Resolution’:(1) Any resolution can’t be withdrawnfrom the house without leave of thehouse, by the member who moved it.

(2) There are 3 kinds of resolutions:Private Member’s Resolution, Govern-ment Resolution & Statutory Resolu-tion.(3) All resolutions are required to bevoted upon. All resolutions are mo-tions but not vice versa.(4) All resolutions are substantive mo-tions.(5) To draw the attention of the houseon an issue of urgent public impor-tance, it is moved.25. (d): ‘Money Bills’:(1) It can be introduced only by a min-ister in Lok Sabha and that too afterthe recommendation of the President.(2) Rajya Sabha can make recommen-dations but is subject to Lok Sabha toaccept or reject them.(3) The Speaker’s decision regardingwhether it is a money bill or not is fi-nal.(4) The President can ratify or reject itbut can’t return it.26. (c): Public Account of India (PAI):(1) No legislative appropriation is re-quired for payments from the PAI. Itis operated by an executive action.(2) All public moneys, other than thosecredited to the Consolidated Fund ofIndia, received by or on behalf of thegovernment are credited to the PAI.27. (b): (1) Appropriation Bill can’t beamended while the Finance Bill can beamended.(2) Same procedure governs both theAppropriation Bill & the Finance Bill.(3) Both Appropriation Bill & the Fi-nance Bill can’t be rejected by the Ra-jya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha can sug-gest recommendations only to the Fi-nance Bill which is subject to the LokSabha to accept them or reject themwhereas in case of Appropriation Billno amendment can be proposed by theRajya Sabha.28. (a): The correct Match:(1) Token Cut Motion – Amount of thedemand is to be reduced by Rs. 100.(2) Policy Cut Motion – Amount of thedemand is to be reduced to Rs. 1(3) Economy Cut Motion - Amount ofthe demand is to be reduced by a spec-ified amount.29. (c): (1) Loss of citizenship by Re-nunciation can be registered duringwar but its registration shall be with-held by the Central Government.(2) Loss of citizenship by Terminationcan’t be applied during the war.

(3) Loss of citizenship by Deprivationdoesn’t apply to the scholars abroad.(4) The State can discriminate on theground of residence.30. (b): When the Chief Justice of aHigh Court acts in an administrativecapacity, he is subject to special con-trol exercised by the CJI.31. (d): No one can be compelled tosing the National Anthem since(1) It will be violative of the Right tofreedom of speech & expression.(2) It will be violative of the Rights tofreedom of conscience & practice &propagation of religion.(3) It is not 1 of the Fundamental Du-ties but to respect National Anthem is1 of the FDs.(4) There is no provision obliging any-one to sing the National Anthem. Cab-inet Secretary acts as a buffer between32. (c): The PM of India has full dis-cretion in the choice of persons who areto serve as ministers in his cabinet. Hecan recommend members from eitherHouse to be appointed as Ministers. Heis authorized to allocated and reshuf-fle various portfolios among the Min-isters. He works as friend, philosopher,guide and director of the Council ofMinisters. He resigns then the entireCouncil of Ministers stands dissolved.33. (a): (1) The President shan’t bemember of either Houses of parlia-ment.(2) The Parliament shall consist of thePresident & 2 Houses. Hence the Pres-ident is an integral part of the Parlia-ment.34. (d): Finance Bills-I:(1) It contains features of both moneybill as well as ordinary bill.(2) It can’t be introduced in the RajyaSabha.(3) It can be introduced only in LokSabha and on the recommendation ofthe President.(4) It can be rejected by the Rajya Sab-ha.(5) There is a provision of Joint-sittingfor them.35. (c): Finance Bills-II:(1) It contains provisions involvingexpenditure from the ConsolidatedFund of India & but doesn’t involvematters mentioned in the Article 110.(2) It can be introduced in either Houseof the Parliament.(3) Its introduction doesn’t require pri-or approval of the president but before





passing the bill.(4) Joint-sitting can be held to solve anyimpasse.(5) The president can ratify, return orreject the bill.36. (b): Bills can’t avail Joint-sitting:(1) Money Bills – Lok Sabha has over-riding power on them. The Presidentcan only ratify or reject but can’t returnfor reconsideration.(2) Constitutional Amendment Bills –The President can only ratify but canneither return nor reject them.Finance Bills-I & Finance Bills-II bothavail the Joint-sitting.37. (a): ‘Joint-sitting’:(1) A person determined by the Presi-dent presides over joint-sitting if all the3 i.e. Speaker, Dy. Speaker & Dy. Chair-man is absent.(2) The quorum to constitute joint-sit-ting is 10% of the Parliament.(3) New amendments to the bill can beproposed in 2 situations: (i) Theamendments which are don’t agreedby both the Houses and (ii) The amend-ments that emerge due to delay of pass-ing the bill.(4) It is governed by the Rules of Pro-cedure of Lok Sabha.38. (d): ‘Budget’:(1) Parliament can reduce or abolish atax but can’t increase it(2) The Rajya Sabha has no power tovote on demands for grants. It is ex-clusive privilege of the Lok Sabha butthe Rajya Sabha can discuss the bud-get.(3) No demand for a grant shall bemade except on the recommendationof the President.(4) No money shall be withdrawn fromthe Consolidated Fund of India exceptunder appropriation made by law.39. (d): Following ways the Councilof ministers can be removed from theoffice:(1) By not passing the motion of thankson the President’s inaugural address.(2) By rejecting a money bill(3) By defeating the government onvital issue(4) By passing a cut motion(5) By passing No-confidence MotionBy passing a censure motion or an ad-journment motion the Council of Min-isters needn’t resign from the office.40. (b): The Lok Sabha doesn’t haveedge over the Rajya Sabha:(1) Financial Bills-II

(2) Constitutional Amendment Bills(3) Ordinances(4) Selection of the PMThe Lok Sabha does have edge over theRajya Sabha:(1) Financial Bills-I – can be introducedin the Lok Sabha only with prior rec-ommendation of the President.(2) Money Bills – can be introduced inthe Lok Sabha only and Rajya Sabhacan’t reject it and Joint-sitting is notheld for them.(3) A resolution for discontinuance ofthe National Emergency – Lok Sabhaonly can pass a resolution with simplemajority for discontinuance of the NE.41. (c): The power of the Rajya Sab-ha:(1) It can’t introduce only FinancialBills-I & but can introduce Finance Bill-II.(2) It can recommend any amendmentto the Money Bills but it depends onthe Lok Sabha whether to considerthem or not.(3) It can win over joint-sitting if rul-ing party is minority in the Rajya Sab-ha and all over strength of the rulingparty is less than other parties includ-ing the Opposition.(4) It can’t vote on the demands forgrants but only discuss the budget.(5) It can’t pass the resolution of revo-cation of the National Emergencywhich can be done only by the LokSabha by simple majority.(6) It can’t remove but criticize theCouncil of Ministers and activities ofthe Government.42. (d): Public Account Committee(PAC):(1) It consists of members of both theHouses of the Parliament 15 from LokSabha and 7 Rajya Sabha.(2) The chairman is from the Opposi-tion only by speaker, which may beeither from the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sab-ha.(3) It examines public expenditure fromthe point of view of economy, pru-dence, wisdom & propriety.(4) It is assisted by the CAG.(5) It was influenced from the Govern-ment of India Act, 1919 and set up in1921.43. (a): Estimate Committee (EC):(1) It was set-up in 1921.(2) It consists of 30 members all fromthe Lok Sabha.(3) All parties get due representation

in it.(4) The Chairman is from Lok Sabhaonly.(5) It isn’t incumbent on the commit-tee to examine the entire estimates ofany 1 year.44. (b): Committee on Public Under-takings (PUC):(1) It was set-up in 1964 on the recom-mendation of Krishna Menon Commit-tee.(2) It consists of members of the LokSabha (22 members) & the Rajya Sab-ha (7 members).(3) The chairman is from Lok Sabhaonly either may be from ruling partyor opposition party or any other par-ty.(4) It examines the reports the CAG onpublic undertakings.(5) It doesn’t examine & investigatematters of day-to-day administration.45. (c): Committees:(1) Dy. Speaker chairs ‘Committee onPrivate Members’ Bills & Resolutions’.It deals with classification, allocationof time and resolutions related to theprivate members’ bills. It is made of 15members including Chairman. RajyaSabha doesn’t possess such committeebut similar function is carried out bythe committee known as ‘the businessadvisory committee’.(2) Speaker chairs ‘General PurposeCommittee’. It counsels on such mat-ters that aren’t covered under any oth-er parliamentary committee. It ispresent in either House of the Parlia-ment with the respective presiding of-ficer as its ex-officio Chairman. Chair-man of the Committee also nominatessome members.46. (d): The accounts of the Union &the States shall be kept in such form asprescribed by the President in consul-tation with CAG. Under Article 148 ofthe Constitution, he acts as the head ofthe Indian Audit and Account Depart-ment. He guards the public money andcontrols the whole financial system ofthe country at centre as well as at state.47. (b): Following enjoy the constitu-tional status:(1) Finance Commission – Under Arti-cle 280 of the Constitution(2) Inter-State Council – Under Article263 of the Constitution(3) Election Commission – Under Ar-ticle 324 of the ConstitutionPlanning Commission – Extra-consti-





tutional & Extra-statutory bodyZonal Councils – Statutory body un-der States Reorganization Act, 1956NDC - Extra-constitutional & Extra-statutory body48. (d): Discretionary grants are giv-en to states by the Centre on the rec-ommendation of Planning Commis-sion.49. (c): CAG:(1) He is appointed by the Presidentfor a period of 6 years or upto 65 yearsof age, whichever is earlier.(2) His salary & service conditions aredetermined by the Parliament.(3) He shall vacate office on attainingthe age of 65 years.(4) He can be removed by the Presidentsame way as SC judge.(5) He is responsible for maintainingthe accounts of the State Governmentsonly while CGA (Controller General ofAccount) maintains the accounts of GoIsince 1976 when auditing was separat-ed from accounting.50. (c): The features of Parliamenta-ry system are:(1) Political Homogeneity(2) Collective Responsibility(3) Presence of de jure & de facto exec-utives(4) Double Membership(5) Fusion of Power(6) Leadership of the PM(7) Majority Party Rule(8) Dissolution of Lower House(9) Secrecy51. (c): Following aren’t the depart-ments of the Finance Ministry:Department of Banking and Depart-ment of BudgetIt contains following departments:(1) Department of Expenditure(2) Department of Economic Affairs(3) Department of Revenue(4) Department of Disinvestment(5) Department of Financial Services52. (c): (1) The President doesn’t en-joy parliamentary privileges thoughbeing its integral part of the Parlia-ment.(2) The Attorney General enjoys par-liamentary privileges though not be-ing its integral part of the Parliament.53. (d): (1) The Governor nominates1/6th members to the LegislativeCouncil (LC) while 5/6th are elected.(2) A person to be elected to the LCmust be an elector for an assembly con-stituency in the concerned state.

(3) A person to be nominated to the LCmust be a resident in the concernedstate.(4) The Chairman of the LC is a mem-ber of it.54. (a): The ‘Scheduled Areas’:(1) The Scheduled Areas are treateddifferently from the other areas in thecountry.(2) The President is empowered to de-clare an area to be a Scheduled Area.(3) Each state having Scheduled Areashas to establish a tribes advisory coun-cil to advise on welfare & advancementof the STs.(4) The Governor is empowered to di-rect that any particular act of Parlia-ment or the state legislature doesn’tapply to a Scheduled Area or applywith specified modifications & excep-tions.55. (a): India has adopted the parlia-mentary form of government. This sys-tem is based on ‘Westminster Model’of Government and is followed vari-ous countries like Japan, Canada, Brit-ain, inter alia.The President is the titular head of thestate while the council of ministersheaded by the PM is the real executiveauthority. In this system the executiveis responsible to the legislature of itsfunctions. The President is the head ofthe State whereas as the PM is the Headof the Government. The President hasto work as per aid and advice of theCouncil of Ministers headed by the PM.56. (d): A person who holds, or whohas held, office as President shall beeligible for re-election of that office.Indian Constitution doesn’t bar anyperson regarding the number of presi-dential term.No person shall be eligible for electionas the President unless he is qualifiedfor election as a member of the Houseof People. He must be 35 years of ageand should not hold any office of prof-it. He should be Indian Citizen but notessentially by birth likewise for USAPresident. He must subscribe his nom-ination by at least 50 electors as pro-posers and same as the seconders.57. (b): All doubts & disputes arisingout of or in connection with the elec-tion of the President or VP shall be in-quired into & decided by the SC whosedecision shall be final.The Parliament may, by law, regulateany matter relating to or connected with

the election of the President or the VP.58. (b): There shall be the Council ofMinisters with the PM at the head toaid & advice the President who shall,in the exercise of his functions, act inaccordance with such advice. India hasadopted the Parliamentary system ofthe Government in which the Presidenthas to follow the advice of the Councilof Ministers headed by the PM who isresponsible to the Legislature for theiracts and policies.The question whether any, and if sowhat advice was tendered by ministersto the President shan’t be inquired intoany court. Under Article 74, they areprivileged to conduct their functionswithout being inquired into in anyCourt including the SC.59. (d): The UPSC derives its func-tions from the following sources:(1) Constitution(2) Parliamentary laws(3) Executive rules & orders(4) ConventionsThe UPSC is Constitutional & directo-ry body whose advice isn’t bound tothe Government but an individualMinistry/Department is bound to fol-low the advice tendered by the same.60. (c): CAT:(1) In the pursuance of the Article 323A,parliament passed Administrative Tri-bunals Act, 1985 which authorizedUnion Govt to enacted CAT and SAT,statutory bodies.(2) President appoints its memberswhich are drawn from administrative& judicial background. The totalstrength of body is 66 (Chairman, 16Vice-Chairmen and 49 members).(3) Principles of natural justice are fol-lowed in its approach which makes itsflexible. It isn’t bound by the procedureprescribed in the code of civil proce-dure.(4) Except the members of defence ser-vice, SC officers and servants and thesecretariat staff of the parliament, itsjurisdiction covers the members of AllIndia Services as well as Central Ser-vices & Central Government posts.(6) The orders of CAT, SAT and JATscan be challenged in both the HCs andin the SC but 1 can’t side line the HCto approach the SC directly for judicialremedy.61. (d): The District & Sessions judgeworks directly under the court of HCof the state. HC controls various as-





pects like posting, promotion, leave,inferior post to the district judge etc.62. (c): In the event of declaration ofconstitutional emergency in the state,the President can:(1) Assume to himself all the functionsof the state government except the HC.(2) Declare that the powers of the statelegislature shall be exercisable underthe authority of the Parliament.(3) He may also take all essential ac-tions including the suspension of theConstitutional provisions of any bodyor authority existed in the State.63. (c): The correct statements aboutcantonment boards are(1) Madras Municipal Corporation es-tablished in 1687 was the 1st suchMunicipal administration in the coun-try is the legacy of British.(2) They are setup under the provisionsof the Cantonments Act, 2006, a statu-tory body which works under the ad-ministrative control of the DefenceMinistry.(3) The Ministry of Defence exercisesdirect administrative control overthem.(4) It consists of both elected & nomi-nated members. The elected membershave fixed tenure of 5 years whereasnominated members serve the boardtill their service tenure to that board.(5) President appoints The executiveofficer of the board, who is a centralcadre service man. Committee worksunder him and implements resolutionsand decisions taken by him.64. (c): The Governor of a state(1) Possesses executive, legislative &judicial powers analogous to the Pres-ident.(2) Has to act & advice of the councilof ministers mostly but in some con-stitutional provisions he acts as per hisdiscretion.(3) Has the power to appoint but notto remove the members of the SPSCwhich is endowed on the President.(4) Has the power to allocate businessof the government among the variousministers.(5) Has the power to appoint SEC,SHRC – Chairman and Members butcan’t remove them which can be exer-cised by the President.65. (d): The Constitution says that thestate council of ministers holds officeduring the pleasure of the Governor.The words “during the pleasure of the

Governor” in reality means: Pleasureof the Legislative Assembly. UnderArticle 164, the Council of Ministers iscollectively responsible to the Legisla-tive Assembly of the State. The Gover-nor may not oblige the Council of Min-isters that has lost the confidence of theLegislative Assembly of the State.66. (b): The functions of EstimateCommittee include:(1) To suggest alternative policies inorder to bring out efficiency & econo-my in administration.(2) To report what economies, admin-istrative reform, efficiency, improve-ments consistent with the policy under-lying the estimates may be affected.(3) To examine whether the money iswell laid out within the limits of thepolicy implied in the estimates.(4) To suggest the form in which esti-mates shall be presented to the Parlia-ment.67. (b): The Municipal Corporations:(1) They are established in the statesby the acts of the concerned state leg-islatures.(2) They are established in the UTs byan act of the Parliament.(3) They work under the control & su-pervision of the state governments.(4) Their deliberative functions are sep-arated from the executive functions.(5) It has 3 authorities: the council, thestanding committee and the commis-sioner.(6) Mayor heads the council; the stand-ing committee is headed by Chairmanwhile the Municipal Commissioner ischief executive authority appointed bythe State Government and is the IAS.68. (c): the UPSC can serve the needsof a state when requested by the Gov-ernor with the approval of the Presi-dent.69. (d): Following audit is discretion-ary & not obligatory on the part ofCAG:Audit of Propriety – By means of au-diting this he can check the expendi-ture of the Government in terms ofwisdom, faithfulness and economy andcomment on the wastefulness and ex-travagance of such expenditure.70. (c): The consequences of the proc-lamation of Financial Emergency bythe President:(1) Directions can be given to the statesto observe the principles of financialpropriety by President.

(2) The President can reduce the sala-ries & allowances of government em-ployees including the judges of the SC& the HCs.(3) All money bills & other financialbills passed by a state legislature canbe reserved for the consideration of thePresident.(4) The Centre acquires full controlover the States in financial matters.71. (d): If any question arises as to theage of a judge of a HC, the questionshall be decided by the President afterthe consultation with CJI and it can’tbe challenged.72. (c): The correct match:(1) Vote on account – To allow enoughtime for legislative scrutiny & discus-sion of the budget.(2) Charged items – Submitted to theParliament just to discuss but not tovote.(3) Vote of credit – Blank cheque givento the executive.(4) Excess grant – Submitted indirect-ly to the Lok Sabha for its approval and1st submitted to the PAC for its ap-proval.73. (b): The functions of the PAC(Public Account Committee) of theParliament: It consists of 22 membersfrom both the Houses i.e. 15 Lok Sab-ha and 7 Rajya Sabha. Its chairman isfrom the Opposition appointed by theSpeaker. The CAG is its friend, philos-opher and guide.(1) To examine, in the light of theCAG’s report, the accounts showingthe appropriation of sums granted bythe Parliament.(2) To examine in the light of the CAG’sreport, the statements of accounts ofstate corporations, trading & manufac-turing projects except of those allottedto the committee on public undertak-ings.(3) CAG conducts the audit of the state-ment of accounts of autonomous &semi-autonomous bodies.(4) It examines the money spent on anyservice during a financial year in ex-cess of the amount granted by houseof people of that purpose.(5) To consider the report of the CAGof an audit of any receipts or to exam-ine the accounts of stores and stocks.(6) To examine the appropriation ac-counts and the finance accounts of theCentral Government and any otheraccounts arranged before the Lok Sab-





ha74. (b): The bills require prior consentof the President before their introduc-tion:(1) Bills to recognize the states(2) Bills affecting taxes in which thestates are interested(3) State bills imposing restriction oftrade(4) Bills involving expenditure from theConsolidated Fund of India(5) Money Bills(6) Finance Bills-I75. (c): The provisions of Article 75of the Constitution:(1) Ministers shall be appointed by thePresident on the advice of the PM.(2) The Council of Ministers shall becollectively responsible to the Houseof the People.(3) The question whether any, and ifso what, advice was tendered by theministers to the President shan’t be in-quired into in any court.(4) The salaries & allowances of theministers shall be determined by theParliament.76. (a): The Governor:(1) He submits his resignation letter tothe President whereas the Chief Justiceof the State administers an oath to him.(2) He should have completed 35 yearsof age.(3) His emoluments, allowances &privileges are determined by the Par-liament & charged on the Consolidat-ed Fund of State.(4) No criminal proceeding can be ini-tiated against him during his tenure.77. (c): Following can be moved byPrivate Member of the Parliament:(1) Closure Motion(2) Calling Attention Motion(3) Privilege Motion(4) Statutory Resolution78. (c): The expenditure chargedupon he Consolidated Fund of India:(1) It is subject to the discussion in Par-liament.(2) It isn’t subject to vote of parliament.79. (c): Following matters aren’t theconcerns of the UPSC but the Depart-ment of Personnel & Training:(1) Classification of services(2) Training(3) Pay & Service Conditions(4) Cadre ManagementFollowing matters are concerns of theUPSC:(1) Disciplinary matters

(2) Talent hunting(3) Promotion80. (c): The function of the UPSC:(1) To conduct the examinations forappointments to the service of theUnion.(2) To assist states, if required, in fram-ing & operating schemes for which can-didates possessing special qualifica-tions are required.(3) To advise the Personnel Manage-ment regarding promotion, transfer,deputation, disciplinary matters, reim-bursement claim, pension etc.(4) To present, annually, to the Presi-dent a report as to the work done by it.DPSP doesn’t cover below provisionswhich are covered by some other Di-rectives contained in other parts of the81. (a): Planning Commission is nei-ther a constitutional body nor a statu-tory. It was established in March 1950by an executive resolution of the GoI.It is the apex organ of planning for so-cial and economic development.It is established by an executive reso-lution of the Union Cabinet.82. (a): The Constitution of India isquasi-federal. But Indian Federationisn’t outcome of an agreement by thestates and also no state can secede fromthe federation.It has given more power to the CentralGovernment than to the state govern-ments. The matters like single Citizen-ship, flexibility of the Constitution, in-tegrated judiciary, appointment ofstate Governors by the Centre, All-In-dia Services, Emergency provisions etcare unitary rather than federal in char-acter.83. (d): The CM can’t dismiss a min-ister but advice the Governor to dis-miss a minister of the state governmentif he is against his decision or opinion.The CM is the head of the state councilof ministers. He is de facto executiveof the State.84. (d): The Parliament determinesthe qualifications of the Chairman &members of the Finance Commission.Accordingly, the Chairman should beexperienced person of public affairswhile out of 4 members 1 should be HCjudge or equivalent, 2nd should be spe-cialized in finance and accounts of theGovernment, 3rd should be specializedin financial and administrative mattersand 4th should be economist.The Chairman & members of the Fi-

nance Commission are appointed bythe President. They hold office for pe-riod as mentioned by the President.They aren’t barred for reappointment.85. (d): The residuary powers, apartfrom the three lists viz. federal, provin-cial and concurrent, are vested in Vice-roy by the GOI Act, 1935. Federal Listwas for Centre consisting 59 items; Pro-vincial List was for Provinces consist-ing 54 items and Concurrent List forboth i.e. Centre & Provinces consisting36 items. However, such federationnever came into being due to non-par-ticipating of the Princely States.86. (a): The PMO is a staff agencywhich influences the formulation ofplans, meant for providing secretariathelp and vital advice to the PM. Thisoffice replaced Secretary to the Gover-nor- General (known as Prime Minis-ter’s Secretariat) came into being in1947. Like Planning Commission,headed by PM, is an extra-constitution-al body enjoying the status of a depart-ment of the GoI under the Allocationof Business Rules, 1961, which plays asignificant role in decision making pro-cess at the top level in GOI. It has noattached and sub-ordinate office underit. It is headed by PM, politically andthe Principal Secretary, administrative-ly.87. (a): The principle of the rule oflapse leads to ‘rush of expenditure’ to-wards the end of a financial year. TheBudget is valid for 1 year only hencegrants money allocated to the Govern-ment wouldn’t be carry forward fornext year and it would lapse if notspent in that particular year.The unspent voted expenditure wouldlapse by the end of the financial year.Due to this, there is heavy rush to spentall the grants before completing the fi-nancial year i.e. March 31 which isknown as ‘March Rush’.88. (b): The members of All-India Ser-vices work in the Central Government,state governments & union territories.These services are controlled jointly byUnion and State govt. immediate con-trol to states and ultimate control toUnion. Union govt practices disciplin-ary actions. Presently, there are 3 All-India Services: (i) IAS (Indian Admin-istrative Service); (ii) IPS (Indian Po-lice Service) and (iii) IFS (Indian For-est Service). The Union Governmentmakes rules of regulation for recruit-





ment and service conditions in consul-tation with the State Governments.They are selected & recruited on thebasis of All-India competitive exami-nations conducted by UPSC.89. (a): Article 164 states that COMsis collectively responsible to State Leg-islative Assembly and individually toGovernor. A minister can’t be removedat any time as far as Council of Minis-ters enjoys the confidence of the Legis-lative Assembly, but not on the discre-tion of Governor. He can remove aminister only on the advice of the CMas he enjoys the confidence of CM. TheCM can ask him to resign or advise theGovernor to dismiss him in case of dif-ference of opinion.90. (b): President is authorized to de-termine the number and appoint themembers of the UPSC by the constitu-tion. Generally, it possesses 9-11 mem-bers including the Chairman. There isno qualification for being a member ofUPSC except one that is 50% membersshould be ex-employees of Union orState Government with minimum 10years experiences. Members hold theoffice for 6 years or until they attainthe age of 65 years, whichever is earli-er. They can resign from the office byaddressing the President.91. (b): The Estimate Committee hasbeen described as a ‘continuous econ-omy committee’. It is examining thebudget and advising ‘economies’ inpublic expenditure from time to time,throughout the fiscal and report to theHouse as its examination proceeds.However, it is not limited to examinethe entire estimates of 1 particular year.It is a means of legislative control overthe administration. The demands forgrants are finally voted despite the factthat the committee has made no report.92. (b): The term “Violation of theConstitution” has not been definedanywhere in constitution. Impeach-ment is a process through which pres-ident can be removed from his office,defined under article 61. Impeachmentis quasi-judicial procedure i.e. it hasboth nominated and elected members.Impeachment process can be initiatedby Both the Houses signed by at least25% members. If this process is passedby the special majority by both thehouses then the President is im-peached. However, President is givena 14 days’ advance notice and He has

the right to appear and to representhimself at such investigation.93. (d): The Local Government:(a) A constitutional obligation for theVillage Panchayats to function as unitsof self-government.(b) The Constitution places the subjectof local self-government as the respon-sibility of the States.(c) A constitutional obligation for theStates to constitute Finance Commis-sion to ensure financial viability of theMunicipalities.(d) A constitutional obligation for thePanchayats to carry out schemes relat-ed to public distribution system.94. (b): A new Panchayat constitutedupon the dissolution of a Panchayatbefore the expiration of its term shallcontinue for the remainder of the peri-od for which the dissolved Panchayatwould have continued had it not beenso dissolved. Normal term for Pan-chayats is 5 years. It can be dissolvedbefore 5 years and the fresh electionsto constitute a panchayat shall be com-pleted before the expiry of a period of6 months from the date of its dissolu-tion.95. (c): Important features of the 73rdConstitutional Amendment:(1) Members are directly elected at alllevels.(2) Holding elections is an obligatoryprovision.(3) Organization of the Gram Sabha.(4) Chairperson at intermediate anddistrict level are indirect.(5) Establishment of panchayats at thevillage, intermediate and district lev-els.(6) 21 years is a legal age to contest elec-tions for panchayats.(7) Reservation of seats for SCs and STsin panchayats at all the 3 levels.(8) Reservation of 33% seats for wom-en in panchayats at all the 3 levels.(9) Establishment of SEC.(10) Establishment of SFC.96. (b): The purpose of judicial con-trol over administration is to ensurelegality of official acts & thereby tosafeguard the rights of the citizens. Italso implies the right of an aggrievedcitizen to challenge the wrongful actsof administrators in a court of lawthrough this, courts keep the adminis-trative acts within the limits of law.97. (a): The Appropriation Bill to thelegislature allows only to discuss the

policy & other matters related to theexpenditure of various ministries, boththe houses are not entitled to proposeamendments to it. It is introduced toprovide for the appropriation out of theConsolidated Fund of India all moneyrequired to meet: (i) the grants votedby the Lok Sabha and (ii) the expendi-ture charged on the Consolidated Fundof India. It becomes the AppropriationAct once get assented by the President.It authorizes the payment from theConsolidated Fund of India.98. (d): Following are included in the11th Schedule: (1) Fisheries; (2) Minorforest produce; (3) LibrariesRoad & Bridges – 12th ScheduleCattle ponds – 12th Schedule99. (d): (1) The Council of Ministersof a State in India is collectively respon-sible to the Legislative Assembly of theState whereas individually responsibleto the Governor.(2) The Governor of a State has thepower to appoint the Members of theState Public Service Commissionwhereas the State HC Judges are ap-pointed by the President after consult-ing the Governor, CJI and CJHC con-cerned.100. (c): (1) The Council of Ministersis classified into different ranks. Cabi-net Ministers, Ministers of State andDeputy Ministers are main 3 ranks ofthe Council of Ministers. They differamong them in their respective ranks,emoluments and political significance.At the top of all 3 Ministers stands thePM-supreme governing authority inthe country.The Cabinet Ministers head the impor-tant Ministries of the Union Govern-ment like Home, Defence, Finance,External Affairs etc. The Ministers ofState can either be given independentcharge of the Ministries/Departmentsor can be attached to Cabinet Minis-ters. Deputy Ministers aren’t given in-dependent charge of Ministries/De-partments. They aren’t members of theCabinet and don’t attend the CabinetMeetings.(2) A member of 1 House of the Parlia-ment who has been chosen as a UnionMinister doesn’t have the right to votein the House of which he isn’t a mem-ber. He can participate in the proceed-ings the House in which is not mem-ber, he can speak during proceedingsbut can’t vote.


indian history and culture cst performance pt indian ... · kalaripayattu derives its name from ......

Documents