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NEXUS / 2021 / GS1
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UPSC 2021: Nexus 91—100

Preamble, Titles, Tribal Tongues & Global Recognitions. [Set A]

Question 91

Constitutional Economics

Under the Indian Constitution, concentration of wealth violates

  • (a) the Right to Equality
  • (b) the Directive Principles of State Policy
  • (c) the Right to Freedom
  • (d) the Concept of Welfare

Official Verdict: (b) the Directive Principles of State Policy

The Core Concept: The Indian Constitution specifically addresses economic inequality in Part IV. Article 39(c) explicitly directs the State to ensure that "the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment." Thus, unchecked monopolies and hoarding of wealth directly violate the socialist ethos woven into the Directive Principles of State Policy.

Tethered to: REALM 50: Economic & Social DPSP

WEALTH Public Violates DPSP Art 39(c)
Fundamental Right DEED Art 300A Legal Right Available to ANY PERSON (Not just citizens)

Question 92

Constitutional Rights

What is the position of the Right to Property in India?

  • (a) Legal right available to citizens only
  • (b) Legal right available to any person
  • (c) Fundamental Right available to citizens only
  • (d) Neither Fundamental Right nor legal right

Official Verdict: (b) Legal right available to any person

The Core Concept: The 44th Constitutional Amendment Act (1978) abolished the Right to Property as a Fundamental Right (repealing Article 31 and Article 19(1)(f)). It was downgraded to a mere constitutional/legal right under the new Article 300A, which states: "No person shall be deprived of his property save by authority of law." Notice the phrasing: it protects "any person" (including foreigners or corporations), not exclusively "citizens."

Tethered to: REALM 47: Rights Outside Part III

Question 93

The Preamble

What was the exact constitutional status of India on 26th January, 1950?

  • (a) A Democratic Republic
  • (b) A Sovereign Democratic Republic
  • (c) A Sovereign Secular Democratic Republic
  • (d) A Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic

Official Verdict: (b) A Sovereign Democratic Republic

The Core Concept: The original text of the Preamble, as enacted and adopted on November 26, 1949, and brought into force on January 26, 1950, resolved to constitute India into a "Sovereign Democratic Republic." It was only decades later, during the Emergency in 1976 via the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, that the words "Socialist" and "Secular" were retroactively inserted into the Preamble.

Tethered to: REALM 11: Preamble

SOVEREIGN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC SOCIALIST (Added 1976) SECULAR (Added 1976) January 26, 1950 Status
STATE POWER CONSTITUTIONAL LIMITS

Question 94

Political Theory

Constitutional government means

  • (a) a representative government of a nation with federal structure
  • (b) a government whose Head enjoys nominal powers
  • (c) a government whose Head enjoys real powers
  • (d) a government limited by the terms of the Constitution

Official Verdict: (d) a government limited by the terms of the Constitution

The Core Concept: The absolute bedrock definition of "Constitutionalism" in political science is limited government. While constitutions often set up federal structures or specify whether a Head of State has real or nominal powers, their paramount philosophical purpose is to place hard, binding constraints on the power of the sovereign state, ensuring it cannot trample upon the fundamental liberties of its citizens.

Tethered to: REALM 01: Meaning, Nature & Importance

Question 95

Linguistic Diversity

With reference to India, the terms 'Halbi, Ho and Kui' pertain to

  • (a) dance forms of Northwest India
  • (b) musical instruments
  • (c) pre-historic cave paintings
  • (d) tribal languages

Official Verdict: (d) tribal languages

The Core Concept: These are indigenous tongues spoken by vulnerable tribal communities in Central and Eastern India. Halbi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken extensively in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. Ho is an Austroasiatic (Munda) language spoken primarily in Jharkhand and Odisha. Kui is a Dravidian language spoken by the Khond tribes of Odisha. Recognizing and preserving these languages is a major mandate of linguistic conservation.

Tethered to: REALM 12: Tribal Diversity

HALBI Chhattisgarh HO Jharkhand KUI Odisha (Khond)
Art 18 Title? ❌ (Balaji Raghavan case) Suspended Once? ❌ (1978 & 1993) Max 5/Year? ❌ Max 3/Year ✅

Question 96

National Honours

Consider the following statements in respect of Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards:

  1. Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are titles under the Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India.
  2. Padma Awards, which were instituted in the year 1954, were suspended only once.
  3. The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of five in a particular year.

Which of the above statements are not correct?

Official Verdict: (d) 1, 2 and 3

The Core Concept: Every statement is false. In Balaji Raghavan v. Union of India (1995), the Supreme Court ruled that National Awards are not "titles" under Article 18(1), as they cannot be used as prefixes/suffixes to names (1 is false). The awards have been suspended twice (during the Morarji Desai government in 1978-79, and during constitutional litigation in 1993-97) (2 is false). The statutes of the Bharat Ratna strictly limit the maximum number of recipients to three in any given year, not five (3 is false).

Tethered to: REALM 101: Awards & Honours

Question 97

Urban Forestry

Consider the following statements:

  • Statement 1: The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the Arbor Day Foundation have recently recognized Hyderabad as 2020 Tree City of the World.
  • Statement 2: Hyderabad was selected for the recognition for a year following its commitment to grow and maintain the urban forests.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Official Verdict: (d) Statement 1 is not correct but Statement 2 is correct

The Core Concept: Hyderabad was indeed the only Indian city recognized as a 2020 "Tree City of the World" for its Haritha Haram initiative (making Statement 2 true). However, the organizing bodies behind this global designation are the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Arbor Day Foundation. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has nothing to do with forestry; it deals with microfinance in least developed countries (making Statement 1 false).

Tethered to: REALM 246: Urban Forestry

HYDERABAD Arbor Day Found. UN FAO ✅ UNCDF ❌
LAUREUS Woods (2000) ✅ Federer (Max) ✅ Formula 1 Tennis wins most ❌

Question 98

Sports Awards

Consider the following statements in respect of the Laureus World Sports Award which was instituted in the year 2000:

  1. American golfer Tiger Woods was the first winner of this award.
  2. The award was received mostly by 'Formula One' players so far.
  3. Roger Federer received this award maximum number of times compared to others.

Which of the above statements are correct?

Official Verdict: (c) 1 and 3 only

The Core Concept: In the inaugural year 2000, Tiger Woods won the Sportsman of the Year (1 is true). The award has historically been dominated by Tennis players (Djokovic, Nadal, Federer), not Formula One drivers (2 is false). Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer holds the record for the most Laureus Sportsman of the Year awards, winning it five times (3 is true).

Tethered to: REALM 101: Awards & Honours

Question 99

Sports Current Affairs

Consider the following statements in respect of the 32nd Summer Olympics:

  1. The official motto for this Olympics is 'A New World'.
  2. Sport Climbing, Surfing, Skateboarding, Karate and Baseball are included in this Olympics.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Official Verdict: (b) 2 only

The Core Concept: The 32nd Summer Olympics were the Tokyo 2020 games (held in 2021). The official motto of the Tokyo Games was "United by Emotion". The phrase "A New World" was the motto for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics (Statement 1 is false). To attract younger audiences, the IOC officially added four completely new sports to the Tokyo roster: Surfing, Sport Climbing, Skateboarding, and Karate, while Baseball/Softball returned (Statement 2 is true).

Tethered to: REALM 101: Awards & Honours

'A New World' (Rio) United by Emotion ✅ New Urban Sports Added (2)
TEAM WINS PCT (%) ENG 11 ❌ 61.4% NZ 7 70.0% ✅ IND 12 72.2% ✅ Ranked by Points % (PCT)

Question 100

Sports Logistics

Consider the following statements in respect of the ICC World Test Championship:

  1. The finalists were decided by the number of matches they won.
  2. New Zealand was ranked ahead of England because it won more matches than England.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

Official Verdict: (d) Neither 1 nor 2

The Core Concept: Because the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted international touring schedules, teams ended up playing a vastly unequal number of series. To keep the league fair, the ICC changed the rules midway: finalists were determined not by raw matches won, but by the Percentage of Points won (PCT) out of the total points contested (1 is false). Consequently, England actually won 11 matches (more than New Zealand's 7), but because England played far more series and lost more, their PCT (61.4%) was lower than New Zealand's (70.0%). Thus, New Zealand made the finals over England despite fewer raw wins (2 is false).

Tethered to: REALM 260: Ethics in Sports