UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — SC to hear suo motu case on Central Secretariat Library

Q1. With reference to the writ jurisdiction of constitutional courts in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Supreme Court can issue writs for the enforcement of Fundamental Rights only when the aggrieved person has personally approached it.
  2. A High Court's writ power extends to 'any other purpose' besides the enforcement of Fundamental Rights, whereas the Supreme Court's power under Article 32 is tied to the rights in Part III.
  3. Parliament may by law empower courts other than the Supreme Court to exercise, within local limits, the writ powers that Article 32 gives the Supreme Court.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. With reference to Article 32 and Article 142 of the Constitution of India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Because Article 32 is placed in Part III, the right to move the Supreme Court to enforce Fundamental Rights is itself a Fundamental Right.
  2. Article 142 empowers the Supreme Court to pass orders for doing complete justice only in a cause or matter pending before it.
  3. Article 142 also gives the Supreme Court power, subject to any law made by Parliament, to order the attendance of any person and the production of documents.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q3. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The Supreme Court can take up a matter of public importance on its own motion even when no petition has been filed before it.
  2. Article 32(1) vests the guaranteed right to move the Supreme Court in the Court itself, and this is the constitutional source of its suo motu power.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, as worded, expressly guarantees citizens a 'right to information'.
  2. Article 19(2) allows the State to impose reasonable restrictions on the freedom of speech and expression in the interests of, among other grounds, public order and the security of the State.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. A group of researchers, some of them foreign nationals, argue before a court that losing access to a large public reference library violates their constitutional rights under Article 21. In this context, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Article 21A, as worded, guarantees free and compulsory education to persons of every age group, so it directly covers adult researchers.
  2. The foreign nationals in the group cannot invoke Article 21 because it protects citizens alone.
  3. Any right of access to knowledge under Article 21 has to rest on judicial interpretation, since the text of the Article does not mention such a right.
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. With reference to Article 49 and Article 51A(f) of the Constitution of India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Article 49 places an obligation on the State, whereas Article 51A(f) places a duty on every citizen.
  2. The protection under Article 49 covers every object of historic interest, whether or not it has been declared to be of national importance.
  3. Article 51A(f) entered the Constitution through a later amendment, whereas Article 49 was part of the Constitution as originally adopted.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q7. A petition asks a court to stop the relocation of a century-old government library and relies solely on Article 49 of the Constitution. Which one of the following correctly describes the legal status of the provision relied upon?

  • A. It is enforceable by courts once Parliament declares any object of national importance
  • B. It is not enforceable by any court, and the State need not apply it in making laws
  • C. It is not enforceable by any court, but the State must apply it in making laws
  • D. It is enforceable by courts, because it is listed among the Fundamental Duties

Q8. Consider the following facts: The Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act, 1954 defines 'public library' as the National Library at Calcutta and any three other libraries that the Central Government may specify by notification, and requires publishers to deliver copies of books to these libraries at their own expense. In 1955, the Connemara Public Library, Chennai, and the State Central Library, Mumbai, were designated as depositories under the Act. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. The list of depository libraries other than the National Library can be changed by executive notification without amending the Act.
  2. The depository status of the Connemara Public Library comes from a government notification rather than from the text of the Act itself.
  3. A library becomes a depository under the Act because of its age and the size of its collection.
  4. Publishers' obligation towards the three notified libraries is voluntary, because those libraries are not named in the Act.
  • A. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only