Indian Polity and Governance: RAS Prelims MCQs
944 RAS Prelims practice MCQs on Indian polity and governance are on this page, in 12 chapters. They cover the framing of the Constitution, the Preamble, Fundamental Rights, the Directive Principles, the Union executive, Parliament and the judiciary, Union-State relations, emergency provisions, local government, constitutional bodies, public policy and the vigilance and accountability institutions. Each question has an answer and an explanation.
Practice questions based on the RPSC RAS Prelims syllabus. They follow the exam pattern but are not past-paper questions.
Showing 101–110 of 944 questions
Browse Indian Polity and Governance chapters
Explanation
The concept of Fundamental Rights in the Indian Constitution was heavily influenced by the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution. While the British tradition emphasizes parliamentary sovereignty, the Indian framers chose the American model of a written constitution where specific rights are judicially enforceable against the legislative and executive branches.Explanation
Article 12 provides a broad definition of State to include the executive and legislative organs of the Union and States, all local authorities, and other statutory or non-statutory authorities. Private entities are typically excluded unless they perform public functions or are under deep and pervasive state control, functioning as state instrumentalities.Assertion (A): Article 13 declares that all laws that are inconsistent with or in derogation of any of the fundamental rights shall be void.
Reason (R): Article 13 expressly provides for the doctrine of judicial review to protect fundamental rights.
Explanation
Article 13 of the Constitution provides the foundation for judicial review by declaring laws inconsistent with fundamental rights as void. This article ensures the supremacy of Part III. Since courts are empowered to test the validity of laws against these rights, it expressly provides the doctrine of judicial review to maintain constitutional sanctity.Explanation
The concept of equality before the law is derived from the British constitutional tradition and the Rule of Law. It represents a negative concept, implying the absence of special privileges and the equal subjection of all classes to the ordinary law. In contrast, the equal protection of laws is of American origin.Explanation
Article 15(1) forbids discrimination by the State on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. Descent, residence and language are not in this list.| Article | Provision |
|---|---|
| A. Article 14 | i. Equality of opportunity in public employment |
| B. Article 15 | ii. Abolition of untouchability |
| C. Article 16 | iii. Equality before law |
| D. Article 17 | iv. Prohibition of discrimination |
Explanation
This matching exercise aligns constitutional provisions with their respective articles. Article 14 ensures equality before the law, while Article 15 prohibits discrimination. Article 16 provides equality of opportunity in public employment for all citizens. Finally, Article 17 abolishes the practice of untouchability and forbids its implementation in any form within the Indian society.Statement I: Article 16 guarantees equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters relating to employment under the State.
Statement II: The State is prohibited from making any provision for the reservation of appointments in favour of any backward class of citizens.
Which of the following is correct?
Explanation
Article 16 guarantees equality of opportunity in public employment, so Statement I is correct. It allows the State to reserve posts for backward classes not adequately represented (Article 16(4)), so Statement II is incorrect.I. They are available to both citizens and foreigners.
II. They can be suspended during an emergency declared on the grounds of armed rebellion.
III. They are subject to reasonable restrictions by the State.
Which of the above statement(s) is/are correct?
Explanation
Fundamental Rights under Article 19 are exclusive to Indian citizens and are not available to foreigners. They can only be suspended during an emergency declared on grounds of war or external aggression, not armed rebellion. However, all these freedoms are subject to reasonable restrictions imposed by the State on specific grounds like public order.Explanation
Article 21 has been interpreted broadly by the Supreme Court through various landmark judgments. The right to life and personal liberty now encompasses numerous aspects of human dignity, including the right to a speedy trial, protection against solitary confinement, and the right to privacy, which was affirmed in the historic Puttaswamy case as an intrinsic right.Answer key for these questions
| Q | Correct answer |
|---|---|
| 101 | (b) Part III |
| 102 | (a) United States |
| 103 | (c) Private bodies performing no public function |
| 104 | (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. |
| 105 | (c) British origin |
| 106 | (b) Religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth |
| 107 | (a) A-iii, B-iv, C-i, D-ii |
| 108 | (c) Statement I is correct but Statement II is incorrect |
| 109 | (c) III only |
| 110 | (d) All of the above |
Key facts from Indian Polity and Governance
- The RPSC syllabus lists the Indian Constitution, the political system and governance, with public policy, vigilance and accountability bodies as part of the paper.
- Article-number questions are the commonest: for example Article 356 for President’s Rule, Article 324 for the Election Commission and Article 243K for the State Election Commission.
- Statement and assertion-reason questions test exceptions, so learn each provision with its limits.
- Questions on bodies ask for appointing authority, removing authority, tenure and the body to which the report goes.
- The Rajasthan-specific part of polity is on a separate page, with its own 8 chapters.
Frequently asked questions
How many RAS Prelims practice MCQs are there on Indian Polity and Governance?
This page has 944 practice MCQs on Indian Polity and Governance. Each has the correct answer, and most have an explanation.
Which chapters does the Indian polity set cover?
Twelve chapters: framing of the Constitution, Preamble and citizenship; Fundamental Rights; DPSP and Fundamental Duties; Union executive; Parliament; Union judiciary; Union-State relations; emergency provisions; local government; constitutional and statutory bodies; public policy and citizen charter; and vigilance and accountability.
Is polity part of the RAS Prelims syllabus?
Yes. The RPSC syllabus for General Knowledge includes the Indian Constitution, political system and governance, together with the political and administrative system of Rajasthan, which is covered on the separate Rajasthan polity page.
How should I revise polity for RAS Prelims?
Make a table of articles, bodies and amendments. Attempt each chapter, read the explanation for every miss and note the article number and the exception. Repeat the chapter after a few days, as polity facts are easy to confuse.