UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — The DAILY QUIZ

Q1. With reference to Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Unlike the Fifth Amendment's due process guarantee, which restrains the federal government, the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment restrains the action of state governments.
  2. The Equal Protection Clause forbids a state from denying to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
  3. The Citizenship Clause confers citizenship only on persons naturalized in the United States and not on those born there.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which established the Citizenship, Due Process and Equal Protection guarantees, was ratified and entered into force in which one of the following years?

  • A. 1865
  • B. 1866
  • C. 1868
  • D. 1870

Q3. The power to enforce the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment by appropriate legislation is vested exclusively in which one of the following?

  • A. The President of the United States
  • B. The Congress of the United States
  • C. The Supreme Court of the United States
  • D. The legislatures of the several States

Q4. With reference to the Reconstruction Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery throughout the United States.
  2. The Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.
  3. The Fifteenth Amendment guaranteed every adult citizen, without exception, the right to vote.
  4. The Reconstruction Amendments were adopted in the aftermath of the American Civil War.
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 only

Q5. The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment directly nullified the Dred Scott v. Sandford ruling. How many years elapsed between the Dred Scott decision and the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment?

  • A. 3 years
  • B. 9 years
  • C. 11 years
  • D. 13 years

Q6. With reference to the Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) decision, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Supreme Court held that African Americans could not be citizens of the United States.
  2. The Court struck down the Missouri Compromise as unconstitutional.
  3. The majority opinion was delivered by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney.
  4. The decision was handed down in 1868, the same year the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified.
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q7. Under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, the disability that bars a person who has engaged in insurrection or rebellion from holding office may be removed by which one of the following?

  • A. A two-thirds vote of each House of Congress
  • B. A pardon granted by the President
  • C. A simple majority of the Supreme Court
  • D. A three-fourths vote of the state legislatures

Q8. Under the Constitution of India, Article 21 provides that no person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty except according to which one of the following?

  • A. Due process of law
  • B. Procedure established by law
  • C. Equal protection of the laws
  • D. Substantive due process

Q9. Consider the following pairings of provisions of the Indian Constitution with their subject matter. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Article 14 — equality before the law and equal protection of the laws
  2. Article 21 — protection of life and personal liberty
  3. Articles 5 to 11 — provisions relating to citizenship
  4. Article 19 — abolition of untouchability
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q10. With reference to landmark applications of the Fourteenth Amendment, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. In Gitlow v. New York (1925), the Supreme Court used the Due Process Clause to begin applying Bill of Rights protections against the states, a process known as selective incorporation.
  2. In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Court relied on the Equal Protection Clause to strike down racial segregation in public schools.
  3. Unlike Brown v. Board of Education, Gitlow v. New York resulted in the Supreme Court overturning the defendant's conviction.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3