"How to Crack Polity for Prelims" — Practice

Question 1

Approximately how many questions does Polity & Governance contribute to UPSC Prelims GS Paper I?
(a) 18–22 (b) 5–8 (c) 30–35 (d) 2–4

Accepted Answer

(a) 18–22.

Polity is the single biggest block in GS1, contributing roughly a fifth of the paper's 100 questions.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a constitutional body?
(a) NITI Aayog (b) Election Commission of India (c) Union Public Service Commission (d) Comptroller and Auditor General

Accepted Answer

(a) NITI Aayog.

NITI Aayog was created by an executive/Cabinet resolution in 2015, making it extra-constitutional. The Election Commission, UPSC and CAG are all constitutional bodies, established directly by provisions of the Constitution.

Question 3

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) derives its powers from:
(a) the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 (statutory) (b) a direct constitutional provision (c) an executive resolution only (d) the Indian Penal Code

Accepted Answer

(a) the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 (statutory).

The CBI is a statutory body, not a constitutional one — a common UPSC distractor pairs it with genuinely constitutional investigative/oversight bodies like the CAG.

Question 4

The Basic Structure Doctrine, which limits Parliament's power to amend the Constitution, originates from:
(a) the Kesavananda Bharati case, 1973 (b) Article 368 explicitly (c) the 42nd Amendment (d) the Preamble's text

Accepted Answer

(a) the Kesavananda Bharati case, 1973.

The doctrine is a judicial innovation by the Supreme Court, not a textual constitutional provision — Article 368 (the amendment procedure) does not itself list a 'basic structure' limitation.

Question 5

Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs) are:
(a) non-justiciable but fundamental in governance (b) fully enforceable by courts (c) identical in legal force to Fundamental Rights (d) applicable only to Union territories

Accepted Answer

(a) non-justiciable but fundamental in governance.

Article 37 states DPSPs cannot be enforced by any court but are nevertheless fundamental in the governance of the country — several major laws trace their origin to specific DPSP articles.

Question 6

Which of the following is removed from office in the same manner as a Supreme Court judge?
(a) Chief Election Commissioner (b) any Election Commissioner other than the CEC (c) Attorney General for India (d) Chairman of NITI Aayog

Accepted Answer

(a) Chief Election Commissioner.

The CEC can be removed only through the same process as a Supreme Court judge (address by Parliament with special majority on grounds of proven misbehaviour or incapacity); other Election Commissioners are removed on the CEC's recommendation, a materially easier process.

Question 7

Which Article of the Constitution deals with the imposition of President's Rule in a state?
(a) Article 356 (b) Article 352 (c) Article 360 (d) Article 368

Accepted Answer

(a) Article 356.

Article 352 covers National Emergency, Article 356 covers President's Rule (State Emergency), and Article 360 covers Financial Emergency — three distinct provisions UPSC frequently tests against each other.

Question 8

In a UPSC statement-based question asking 'how many of the above statements are correct,' the most reliable approach is to:
(a) independently verify the truth value of each statement before counting (b) eliminate the option that looks most complicated (c) assume the middle statement is always correct (d) select the option with the highest count if unsure

Accepted Answer

(a) independently verify the truth value of each statement before counting.

This format cannot be solved by elimination the way direct-recall MCQs can — each statement must be individually assessed as true or false, since the correct answer depends on the exact count of true statements.

Practice — "How to Crack Polity for Prelims"

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