Civics Polity

Constitutional Amendments

599 Questions

Constitutional amendments questions evaluate knowledge of the historical adoption of the Indian Constitution and its subsequent modifications. Key themes include specific amendment acts, the insertion of new articles, and changes to the Preamble. Mastery of this topic is essential for general awareness sections in UPSC and state civil services exams.

Major amendment actsFundamental rights amendmentsConstitution adoptionPreamble amendmentsNew article insertions

Constitutional Amendments Questions

Multiple choice

Consider the following:1. Delhi

  1. J&K
  2. Meghalaya
  3. Mizoram
  4. Nagaland The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act is not applicable to which of the above states?

  1. Only 2

  2. Only 3, 4 and 5

  3. Only 2, 3, 4 and 5

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

73rd Amendment act does not apply to the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram and certain other areas such as schedule areas of 9 states of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh and tribal areas in the 4 states Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura.

Multiple choice

The Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act was passed by

  1. Rajiv Gandhi Government

  2. V. P. Singh Government

  3. Narasimha Rao Government

  4. Chander Shekhar Government
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act, passed in 1992 by the Narasimha Rao government, came into force on April 24, 1993. It was meant to provide constitutional sanction to establish "democracy at the grassroots level as it is at the state level or national level".

Multiple choice

Arrange the following events in the correct chronological order in relation to the demand for State reorganisation in post-independence India.

  1. J. V. P. Committee appointed
  2. Jaipur session of Congress held
  3. S. K. Dhar Commission appointed
  4. State Reorganisation Commission formulated

  1. 2, 3, 1, 4

  2. 4, 2, 3, 1

  3. 3, 2, 1, 4

  4. 2, 3, 4, 1
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

After independence, the demand for State reorganisation on linguistic basis was raised from different regions. To make an exhaustive study of the problem, the Government of India took the following initiatives:

1. S. K. Dhar Commission was appointed in 1947.

2. Jaipur session of the Congress was held in 1948.
3. J. V. P. Committee was appointed in 1948. 4. State Reorganisation Commission was formulated in 1953.

Multiple choice

Which of the following can be inferred from the passage? I. As per the Supreme Court judgments, only social circumstances can be taken as a determinant of backwardness. II. The constitution stipulates that an amendment should not alter its basic structure. III. Under certain circumstances amendment might be allowed to change the basic structure of the constitution.

Directions: Read the following passage and then answer the question that follows:

PASSAGE – I

By setting up a Group of Ministers (GoM) to study the possibilities of a Constitution Amendment Bill to provide for job reservation to the forward castes on economic grounds, the Union Government has set the ball rolling for yet another controversy on the concept of quotas. The Prime Minister's commitment came in response to a resolution orchestrated by the Chief Minister recommending statutory changes to reserve 14 per cent of Government jobs for the poor among the forward castes. The Chief Minister's shrewd move put immense pressure on parties and groups across the political spectrum. A campaign on the same issue by the Social Justice Front has been in full swing for some time; it gained strength after Jats were included in the list of Other Backward Classes a couple of years ago.

In a State where the forward castes continue to play a significant role in determining election outcomes, CM's move set the terms of the discourse. The high level of unemployment is a general problem, but it is particularly severe among people belonging to the forward castes. The proportion of educated unemployed should, after all, be higher among the forward castes than among castes kept out of the education system over the years. Political parties across the spectrum can hardly afford to gloss over this reality in a context where the Government continues to be seen as the provider of jobs. Add to this the sense of power that comes with Government jobs in most parts of India and one can understand the desperation in the quest for such opportunities.

A constitutional amendment, however, is not as simple as it is made out to be. A proposal to include the poor among the forward castes in the reservation bracket was made by the Congress party in the context of implementing the Mandal Commission's recommendation. The Narasimha Rao Government's proposal to reserve 10 per cent of Government jobs for the poor among the forward castes was struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1992. Article 15 (4) of the Constitution, inserted by the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951, is very specific. The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes aside, it sanctions special provisions for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes. Article 16 (4) sanctions reservation in Government jobs for any backward class of citizens, which, in the opinion of the State, is not adequately represented in the services under the State. Article 340 relates to the appointment of a Commission to investigate the conditions of backward classes. What is established by a series of Supreme Court judgments is that only social and educational circumstances can be taken as determinants of backwardness. The proposal now is to amend the Constitution, but amendments are subject to judicial review and need to avoid falling foul of the `basic structure' doctrine propounded and refined by the Supreme Court. A consensus among political parties might turn out to be a necessary but insufficient condition for making reservation for the poor among the forward castes a feasible proposition.

 

  1. II only

  2. I only

  3. Both I and II

  4. Neither of these

  5. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

'Statement I' and III are wrong. It is mentioned in the last paragraph that, 'social and educational circumstances can be taken as determinants of backwardness'. 'Statement II' is correct. It can be inferred from the last paragraph. Answer: (1)

Multiple choice

Identify the correct statement(s):

  1. The word 'cabinet' was inserted in Art 352 of the Indian Constitution in 1978 by the 42nd Amendment Act.
  2. In 1952, Minister of State was given the new designation of 'Minister of Cabinet Rank', but in 1957, the earlier designation was restored.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 & 2

  4. Neither of the two
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

This is an interpretation based question.

Statement 1 is wrong: It was the 44th Amendment, not the 42nd that inserted the word 'cabinet' in our Constitution. Statement 2 is correct.
Multiple choice

The Constitutional 9th Amendment Act that provided for transferring an Indian territory to a foreign state was passed against the

  1. Keshvanada case judgement

  2. Minnerva Mills case judgement

  3. Golaknath Case judgement

  4. Berubari case judgement
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The 9th Constitutional Amendment Act (1960) was enacted to give effect to the Indo-Pak agreement transferring Berubari Union territory to Pakistan (as per the Berubari Union Agreement of 1958). The Berubari Union case (1960) dealt with this territorial transfer. The Golaknath case (1967), Keshavananda Bharati case (1973), and Minerva Mills case (1980) were all decided AFTER the 9th Amendment was passed, so the amendment could not have been passed against them. The question asks which case it was passed 'against' - the chronological context points to the Berubari case.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is incorrect?

  1. The Constitution of India is the lengthiest of all the written constitutions of the world.

  2. The 42nd Amendment Act (1978) is also known as ‘Mini Constitution’.

  3. Originally, the Constitution of India contained a Preamble, 395 Articles and 8 Schedules.

  4. Part IV of the Indian Constitution has been described as a ‘novel feature’ of the Constitution.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The 42nd Amendment Act was passed in 1976. Part IV of the Indian Constitution deals with the DPSPs.

Multiple choice

Which of the following words was/were added to the Indian Constitution by 42nd Amendment?

  1. Federal
  2. Democratic
  3. Socialist
  4. Secular

  1. Only 1 and 3

  2. Only 4

  3. Only 3 and 4

  4. Only 2, 3 and 4
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The 42nd Amendment changed the description of India from a "sovereign democratic republic" to a "sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic" and also changed the words "unity of the nation" to "unity and integrity of the nation".

Multiple choice

The Constitution of India was adopted by the

  1. People of India

  2. Governor General

  3. British Parliament

  4. Constituent Assembly
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Republic is governed in terms of the Constitution of India which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26th November, 1949 and came into force on 26th January, 1950. 

Multiple choice

Which of the following amendments to the Indian constitution made it mandatory for the President of India to receive the approval of the Cabinet in written before issuing any proclamation of emergency?

  1. 39th Amendment

  2. 42nd Amendment

  3. 44th Amendment

  4. 24th Amendment
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

As a result of the 44th amendment of the constitution, it is no more possible to declare national emergency on the grounds of internal disturbances. Instead it can be declared on the grounds of armed rebellion. The proclamation of a war emergency cannot be made by the president unless the Union cabinet gives him in written that such proclamation should be made.

Multiple choice

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. The Constitution of India was adopted by the people of India on 26th January, 1950.
  2. On the day the Constitution came into effect, India ceased to be a dominion of the British crown.

  1. Only 1

  2. Only 2

  3. Both 1 and 2

  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 1 is wrong: The Constitution of India was adopted by the people of India on 26th November, 1949 and it came into effect on 26th January, 1950. Statement 2 is correct: The Constitution of India proclaimed India to be a sovereign, democratic republic. Hence, India ceased to be a dominion of the British crown from the day the Constitution came into effect.