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#1. Which of the following is not a unitary feature of Indian federalism?
Option a is incorrect. The governor is appointed by the President who holds office during the pleasure of the President. The Centre exercises control over the states through the governor. This shows the unitary bias in Indian federalism.
Option b is incorrect. All India service officers are appointed by the centre and the centre also holds the power to dismiss them from services. But these officers for most part of their service works in the states. With states having very little power to control these officers it more oft en acts as a tension area in centre-state relations. It also reflects unitary bias of Indian Federalism.
Option c is correct. The Constitution provides that there shall be uniformity in the scale of representation of different states as well as parity between the states as a whole and the Union at the election of the President. Thus, election of President does not show any unitary bias.
Option d is incorrect. The Constitution stipulates three types of emergencies–national, state and financial. The Emergency provisions convert the federal structure into a unitary one and the states go into the total control of the Centre. Thus it reflects unitary bias of Indian Federalism.
#2. Which among the following is a Federal Feature of the Indian Constitution?
Statement a is incorrect. States being not indestructible is the unitary feature of the constitution.
Statement b is incorrect. No equality of state representation in Rajya Sabha is the unitary feature of the constitution. The states are given representation in the Rajya Sabha on the basis of population. Hence, the membership varies from 1 to 31.
Statement c is correct. Bicameralism is the federal feature of the constitution.
Statement d is incorrect. Integrated Audit Machinery is the unitary feature of the constitution.
#3. On which of the following subjects, both the Parliament and State legislature can ordinarily make laws?
1. Drugs
2. Management of disasters
3. Public Health
4. Education
5. Labour welfare
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Both the Parliament and state legislature can make laws with respect to any of the matters enumerated in the Concurrent List. This list has at present 52 subjects (originally 47 subjects). Subjects 1, 4 and 5 are correct. Concurrent List includes matters like electricity, labour welfare, economic and social planning, drugs and poisons, newspapers, education, and administration of justice.
Subject 2 is incorrect. Management of disasters is currently not included in any list of 7th schedule. So, only Parliament can make laws on such matter.
Subject 3 is incorrect. Public health is a part of state list and only state legislature have right to make laws on such subjects.
#4. The Constitution of India follows the Principle of Integrated Judiciary, which means
Option a is correct: Integrated judiciary means that a single system of courts enforces both the Central laws as well as the State laws. The Indian Constitution has established an integrated judicial system with the Supreme Court at the top and the state high courts below it. This single system of courts enforces both the Central laws as well as the state laws.
In US, there is a double system of courts whereby the federal laws are enforced by the federal judiciary and the state laws by the state judiciary.
#5. A country’s government is called a true federal government if it has a/an:
Option a is incorrect. When distribution of power is tilted in favour of Centre than State, then it cannot be called as a true federal government. Federalism is about more and more decentralisation of power. When power is tilted towards the centre then it can be called a Quasifederal state but not true federal state.
Option b is incorrect. A unitary government is one in which all the powers are vested in the national government. The regional governments, if at all exist, derive their authority from the national government.
Option c is incorrect. Modern democratic governments are classified into parliamentary and presidential on the basis of nature of relations between the executive and the legislative organs of the government. The parliamentary system of government is the one in which the executive is responsible to the legislature for its policies and acts. In such a case, the government may or may not be truly federal.
#6. Which one of the following is not a feature of Indian federalism?
Federalism is a system of government in which entities such as states or provinces share power with a national government.
Statement a is correct. The Constitution establishes an independent judiciary headed by the Supreme Court to settle the disputes between the Centre and the states or between the states.
Statement b is correct. Indian Constitution establishes a dual polity consisting the Union at the Centre and the states at the periphery. Powers have been clearly divided between the Centre and the States under Schedule 7 of the Constitution.
Statement c is correct. States are given representation in the Rajya Sabha on the basis of population. Hence, the membership varies from 1 to 31.
Statement d is incorrect. Unlike the United States of America, there has been no agreement between the federating units in India viz. Union and the states.
#7. Which of the following pertains to the centralizing tendency of Indian Constitution?
1. The Union List contains more subjects than the State List.
2. The Centre has overriding authority over the Concurrent List.
3. Residuary powers are vested in the Centre.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Statement 1 is correct. The division of powers is in favour of the Centre and highly inequitable from the federal angle. The Union List contains more subjects than the State List. The Union List consists of 98 subjects (originally 97), and the State List 59 subjects (originally 66).
Statement 2 is correct. Both the Centre and the states can make laws on the subjects of the concurrent list, but in case of a conflict, the Central law prevails. The Centre has overriding authority over the Concurrent List.
Statement 3 is correct. The residuary subjects (i.e., which are not mentioned in any of the three lists) are given to the Centre. Thus, the Constitution has made the Centre strong.
#8. With reference to the idea of a federation, which of the statements given below is/are correct?
1. Parliamentary supremacy is a necessary feature of a federal government.
2. A federation essentially means that it is an indestructible union of states.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Statement 1 is incorrect. Parliamentary supremacy is not a necessary feature of a federal government. In a federal government, the Constitution is always supreme. In United Kingdom, the parliament is supreme but it has a unitary government. On the other hand, in United states, which has a presidential system, a federal system of government exists.
Statement 2 is correct. A federal state is a fusion of several states into a single State in regard to matters related to common interests. Both the federal and state governments draw their authority from the Constitution. In such a federation, a component state has no right to secede from the federation at its will. This feature distinguishes a federation from a confederation.
#9. Consider the following statements:
1. Under Indian federal system, the State governments are subordinate to the Central Government.
2. The term ‘Union’ for Indian federal system has been taken from the Russian Constitution.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 is incorrect. Under Indian federal system, the State governments are not subordinate to the Central Government. In Bommai case (1994), the Supreme Court laid down that the Constitution is federal and characterised federalism as its ‘basic feature’. It said “the states have an independent constitutional existence. They are not satellites or agents of the Centre. Within the sphere allotted to them, the states are supreme.”.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The Indian federal system is based on the Canadian model.
#10. The concept of asymmetric federalism has been adopted by the Indian Constitution. Which of the following best reflects the application of asymmetric federalism in India?
Asymmetric federalism is found in a federation in which different constituent states possess different powers. One state has considerably more independence than the other states, though they have the same constitutional status. Example- Most of Northeast states enjoy special powers especially for the tribal areas in some states where centre has almost no role regarding administration.
#11. Which of the following provisions make the Indian Federalism as quasi-federal and not completely federal in nature?
1. Division of Powers
2. Integrated Election Machinery
3. Bicameralism
4. All India Services
Select the correct answer from the code given below.
Statement 1 is incorrect. Division of Powers – The division of Powers reflects federal and not quasi federal nature of Indian federalism.
Statement 2 is correct. Integrated Election Machinery – The Election Commission conducts elections not only to the Central legislature but also to the State legislatures. But this body is constituted by the President and the states have no say in this matter.
Statement 3 is incorrect. Bicameralism – It is one of the seven characteristics of Federalism. Upper House or Council of States represents interest of state at the Parliament level. Hence, Bicameralism does not reflect quasi federal nature.
Statement 4 is correct. All India Services – In India, the Centre and the states have their separate public services. But, in addition, there are all-India services (IAS, IPS, and IFS) which are common to both the Centre and the states. The members of these services are recruited and trained by the Centre which also possess ultimate control over them. Thus, these services violate the principle of federalism under the Constitution and refl ect quasi federal nature.
#12. Which of the following concepts is/are associated with federalism?
1. An institutional mechanism to accommodate two sets of polities.
2. An independent judiciary to settle disputes.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
Statement 1 is correct. Federalism is an institutional mechanism to accommodate two sets of polities—one at the regional level and the other at the national level.
Statement 2 is correct. To prevent conflicts between the Centre and the State, there is an independent judiciary to settle disputes. The judiciary has the powers to resolve disputes between the central government and the States on legal matters about the division of power.
#13. Which of the following statements are correct with reference to federalism in India?
1. The Constitution provides for bifurcation of legislative, executive, financial and judicial power between Centre and States.
2. Indian model of federalism is based on the principle of “Coming together”, unlike US model of “holding together”.
3. The Constitution provides that the official documents should use the term ‘Central Government’ and not ‘Union Government’.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Federalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between a central authority and various constituent units of the country.
Statement 1 is incorrect – The Constitution of India, being federal in structure, divides all powers (legislative, executive and financial) between the Centre and the states. However, there is no division of judicial power as the Constitution has established an integrated judicial system to enforce both the Central laws as well as state laws.
Statement 2 is incorrect – US Model of federalism is called as coming together as all the states have come together to form a federation. However, when a large country, like India, chooses to divide its authority between the member states and the central government, it is regarded as holding together federalism. In this case, power is shared among various social groups to accommodate a huge diversity. Here the central government is more powerful than the state government. Different constituents of the federation may have unequal powers.
Statement 3 is incorrect – In common parlance, the terms “union government” and “central government” are used interchangeably in India. The constitution, however, has no reference to the Central Government or Union Government. However, Article 300 of the Constitution says that the Government of India can be sued in the name of Union of India.
#14. With reference to ‘asymmetric federalism’, consider the following statements:
1. It is a condition where one state possess more power than the other.
2. Article 371 of the Constitution of India provides for asymmetric federalism.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 is correct. Asymmetric federalism is found in a federation in which different constituent states possess different powers. Under this one or more of the substates has considerably more autonomy than the other substates, although they have the same constitutional status. Unlike the constitutional symmetry of American federalism, Indian federalism has been constitutionally asymmetric.
Statement 2 is correct. Asymmetric federalism is provided in India by introducing the Article 371 concerning NorthEast. Despite this unitary bias of the Indian Constitution, there are important constitutionally embedded differences between the legal status and prerogatives of different subunits within the same federation. To meet the specific needs and requirements of some sub-units, asymmetric federalism was always part of the original design to have a unique relationship with them or to give them special status. Under Article 371A, the privilege of special status was also accorded to the North-Eastern State of Nagaland.
#15. With reference to the federalism in India and USA, which of the following is/are correct?
1. India follows a single citizenship while USA has dual citizenship.
2. Both in India and the USA, the residuary powers to make laws lies with the Union legislature.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Statement 1 is correct. As per the constitution of India, the people of India of a single citizenship, that is, they are just the citizen of India but in the case of USA, the people of USA have dual citizenships of both the country as well as the states in which they are born.
Statement 2 is incorrect. In the US constitution, residuary powers lie with the individual state. Thus, the US Constitution says, “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States are reserved to the States”. But in the Indian Constitution the power to make laws with respect to residuary subjects (i.e., the matters which are not enumerated in any of the three lists) is vested in the Parliament
#16. Which of the following federal principles are not found in Indian federation?
1. Bifurcation of the judiciary between the Federal and State Governments
2. Equality of representation of the states in the upper house of the Federal Legislature
3. The Union cannot be destroyed by any state seceding from the Union at its will
4. Federal Government can redraw the map of the Indian Union by forming new States
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
#17. The Constitution of India is federal in character because:
#18. Assertion (A):Article 1 of the Constitution of India describes India as a Union of States rather than a federal state.
Reason (R): Indian federation is not the result of an agreement by the units; and the component units have no freedom to secede from it.
Codes:
#19. In the Constitution of India, the term ‘Federal’:
#20. When can the Parliament legislate on a subject in the state list?
#21. The quotation, “The Indian Constitution establishes, indeed, a system of government which is at the most quasi-federal, a unitary State with subsidiary federal features rather than the federal State with unitary features” is attributed to:
#22. What does the term “Federation” imply?
#23. Assertion (A):India is a Union of States and not a Federal State.
Reason (R): In the Indian Constitution, the Centre is given emergency powers which can convert the Federal State into a Unitary State.
Codes:
#24. The best form of federalism suited for countries like India is:
#25. Under the Indian Constitution, the residuary powers are vested in the:
#26. The structure of the Indian Constitution is:
#27. Indian Federation closely resembles:
#28. Assertion (A):K.C. Wheare calls Indian Constitution a quasi-federal Constitution.
Reason (R): There are three lists (Union, State and Concurrent) in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India dividing powers between the Centre and the state and giving residuary powers to the central government.
Codes:
#29. Parliament has power to legislate with respect to a matter in the State list provided it is in the:

#30. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the codes given below: