Polity – Fill in the Blank – GK Questions

Q: The concept of Directive Principles was borrowed from the Constitution of ______.

Ireland – DPSP were inspired by the Irish Constitution (1937), which itself borrowed from the Spanish Constitution. The Irish concept of 'Directive Principles of Social Policy' aimed to guide the State in achieving socio-economic goals. India adapted this to its own developmental needs.

Q: Article 33 empowers ______ to restrict or abrogate Fundamental Rights of members of armed forces, police, and intelligence agencies.

Parliament – Article 33 allows Parliament to determine by law the extent to which Fundamental Rights may be restricted or abrogated for members of armed forces, paramilitary forces, police forces, and intelligence agencies to ensure proper discharge of duties and maintenance of discipline. This is a unique limitation on FRs.

Q: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar described Article ______ as the 'heart and soul' of the Indian Constitution.

32 – Article 32 gives citizens the right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights. Dr. Ambedkar called it the 'heart and soul' because without remedies, rights are meaningless. The Supreme Court can issue five writs: Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Certiorari, and Quo Warranto.

Q: Article 28 prohibits religious instruction in educational institutions wholly maintained out of ______ funds.

State – Article 28 has three clauses: (1) No religious instruction in State-funded educational institutions, (2) Institutions established under endowment/trust may impart religious instruction, (3) No person attending State-recognized or State-aided institutions shall be required to attend religious instruction without consent (if minor, guardian's consent).

Q: Article 25 guarantees freedom of conscience and free profession, practice, and propagation of religion, subject to public order, morality, and ______.

health – Article 25(1) guarantees religious freedom to all persons (citizens and foreigners) subject to public order, morality, and health. Article 25(2) allows the State to regulate secular activities associated with religious practice and provide for social welfare and reform (e.g., opening Hindu temples to all classes).

Q: Article 22 of the Constitution provides safeguards against arrest and detention, except in cases of ______ detention.

preventive – Article 22 provides two sets of safeguards: (1) For persons arrested under ordinary law (right to be informed, consult lawyer, produced before magistrate within 24 hours), and (2) For preventive detention cases, which have separate safeguards. Preventive detention is detention without trial to prevent future offences.

Q: Article 20(3) of the Constitution provides that no person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a ______ against himself.

witness – Article 20(3) guarantees the right against self-incrimination: 'No person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.' This is based on the principle 'nemo tenetur seipsum accusare'. It applies only to criminal proceedings and not to civil cases or departmental inquiries.

Q: Article 18 of the Indian Constitution abolishes titles except military and ______ distinctions.

academic – Article 18 abolishes titles but makes two exceptions: (1) Military and academic distinctions may be conferred by the State, and (2) Citizens of India cannot accept titles from foreign states without Presidential consent. Awards like Bharat Ratna, Padma awards are not titles as per Supreme Court (Balaji Raghavan case, 1996).

Q: Article 15 prohibits discrimination by the State on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or ______.

place of birth – Article 15(1) prohibits discrimination on five grounds: religion, race, caste, sex, and place of birth. However, Article 15(3) allows the State to make special provisions for women and children, and Article 15(4) & (5) for socially and educationally backward classes, SCs, and STs.

Q: Article 13 declares that laws inconsistent with or in derogation of Fundamental Rights shall be void, establishing the Supreme Court's power of ______ to examine constitutionality of legislation and executive action.

judicial review – Judicial review foundation: (a) Article 13(2): State shall not make any law that takes away or abridges Fundamental Rights; any law made in contravention shall be void, (b) Judicial review power: Courts examine whether legislation/executive action violates FRs; if yes, declare it void/inoperative, (c) Evolution: (i) Early cases: Narrow review of legislative competence, (ii) Post-Maneka Gandhi: Expanded to procedural fairness, proportionality, (iii) Basic structure doctrine (Kesavananda): Review of constitutional amendments themselves, (d) Balance: Courts don't substitute policy wisdom; check for constitutional compliance, rationality, non-arbitrariness. Illustrates constitutional supremacy: Fundamental Rights protected against legislative/executive excess through independent judicial review. Foundation of rights enforcement architecture.

Free practice for SSC, UPSC, Banking & Railway exams. No login required.

polity medium fill in the blank dpsp - constitutional borrowing constitutional borrowing question common in upsc and ssc cgl

The concept of Directive Principles was borrowed from the Constitution of ______.

USA
UK
Ireland
Canada

polity hard fill in the blank fundamental rights - application to armed forces special provision question for upsc, ssc, and defence exams

Article 33 empowers ______ to restrict or abrogate Fundamental Rights of members of armed forces, police, and intelligence agencies.

Supreme Court
Parliament
President
Union Cabinet

polity easy fill in the blank fundamental rights - right to constitutional remedies iconic quote frequently asked in all government exams

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar described Article ______ as the 'heart and soul' of the Indian Constitution.

polity medium fill in the blank fundamental rights - religious instruction in educational institutions important for education policy questions in upsc and ssc

Article 28 prohibits religious instruction in educational institutions wholly maintained out of ______ funds.

private
State
foreign
trust

polity medium fill in the blank fundamental rights - freedom of religion important for upsc prelims, ssc cgl, and state psc exams

Article 25 guarantees freedom of conscience and free profession, practice, and propagation of religion, subject to public order, morality, and ______.

health
education
economic policy
national security

polity medium fill in the blank fundamental rights - protection against arrest and detention procedural safeguard question for upsc, ssc, and railway exams

Article 22 of the Constitution provides safeguards against arrest and detention, except in cases of ______ detention.

criminal
civil
preventive
judicial

polity hard fill in the blank fundamental rights - protection in respect of conviction advanced concept for upsc mains, judiciary, and law entrance exams

Article 20(3) of the Constitution provides that no person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a ______ against himself.

judge
witness
lawyer
investigator

polity medium fill in the blank fundamental rights - abolition of titles conceptual question for upsc and ssc cgl advanced level

Article 18 of the Indian Constitution abolishes titles except military and ______ distinctions.

academic
civilian
sports
cultural

polity easy fill in the blank fundamental rights - prohibition of discrimination core question for ssc mts, railway group d, and ibps exams

Article 15 prohibits discrimination by the State on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or ______.

place of birth
education
occupation
income

polity medium fill in the blank rights expansion - article 13 judicial review judicial review fundamentals frequently asked in upsc and judiciary exams

Article 13 declares that laws inconsistent with or in derogation of Fundamental Rights shall be void, establishing the Supreme Court's power of ______ to examine constitutionality of legislation and executive action.

legislative review
judicial review
executive oversight
parliamentary scrutiny

polity easy fill in the blank rights expansion - article 32 writ jurisdiction article 32 fundamentals frequently asked in ssc, railway, and banking exams

Article 32, described by Dr. Ambedkar as the 'heart and soul' of the Constitution, empowers the Supreme Court to issue writs for enforcement of Fundamental Rights, making the right to constitutional remedies itself a ______ Right.

Legal
Constitutional
Fundamental
Natural

polity medium fill in the blank rights expansion - article 21 procedural due process procedural due process evolution frequently asked in upsc and judiciary exams

In Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978), the Supreme Court held that the procedure established by law under Article 21 must be fair, just, and reasonable, importing the concept of ______ due process from American constitutional law.

substantive
procedural
economic
political

polity medium fill in the blank rights expansion - article 14 equality evolution equality jurisprudence evolution frequently asked in upsc and ssc exams

The Supreme Court has evolved Article 14 (equality before law) from formal equality (treating likes alike) to substantive equality (addressing historical disadvantages through affirmative action) through cases like ______ (1992) upholding OBC reservations with creamy layer exclusion.

Kesavananda Bharati
Indra Sawhney
Minerva Mills
SR Bommai

polity hard fill in the blank rights expansion - continuing mandamus judicial enforcement mechanism critical for upsc mains and judiciary exams

The Supreme Court has evolved the concept of 'continuing mandamus' to monitor implementation of rights-based directions in public interest cases by keeping the writ petition ______ and issuing periodic directions to executive agencies.

closed
pending
dismissed
transferred

polity hard fill in the blank rights expansion - proportionality test application proportionality test application critical for upsc mains and judiciary exams

The proportionality test, increasingly applied by Indian courts to evaluate rights restrictions, requires examining: legitimate aim, rational connection, necessity (least restrictive alternative), and ______ of benefits versus harms.

secrecy
balancing
deference
absolutism

polity hard fill in the blank rights expansion - technology and rights digital rights and technology governance critical for upsc mains and current affairs exams

Technology enables rights expansion (e.g., digital access to services, online grievance redressal) but also poses challenges like digital divide, surveillance risks, and algorithmic bias, requiring constitutional safeguards based on principles of ______, accountability, and non-discrimination.

profit
transparency
secrecy
centralization

polity hard fill in the blank rights expansion - climate justice environmental rights and climate justice critical for upsc mains and judiciary exams

Indian courts have begun hearing 'climate litigation' cases where citizens invoke Fundamental Rights (Articles 14, 19, 21) to challenge government policies alleged to inadequately address climate change, recognizing right to a healthy environment as part of Article ______.

polity medium fill in the blank rights expansion - public interest litigation pil and access to justice frequently asked in upsc and ssc exams

Public Interest Litigation (PIL), pioneered in India through S.P. Gupta case (1981), relaxed the rule of ______ to allow public-spirited persons to file petitions for enforcement of rights of marginalized groups unable to approach courts themselves.

stare decisis
locus standi
natural justice
separation of powers

polity medium fill in the blank digital rights - data protection framework data privacy legislation critical for upsc prelims and current affairs exams