UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — A new governance model for Ladakh

Q1. With reference to the special provisions in the Article 371 series of the Constitution of India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Under Article 371-J, the development of the Hyderabad–Karnataka region is entrusted to the elected State Council of Ministers alone, and the Governor has no role in it.
  2. Under Article 371-J, the President may enable the Governor to provide reservation in State government posts in the Hyderabad–Karnataka region for persons from that region.
  3. The Article 371 series works by carving autonomous districts with their own councils out of the State, on the pattern of the Sixth Schedule.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. An Act of Parliament on the ownership and transfer of land does not apply to Nagaland unless the Nagaland Legislative Assembly so decides by a resolution.
  2. The tribal areas of Nagaland are administered as autonomous districts under the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution.
  • 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

Q3. With reference to a Bill in Parliament for forming a new State or altering the boundaries of an existing State, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Such a Bill can be introduced in either House of Parliament only on the recommendation of the President.
  2. If the legislature of the affected State opposes the Bill when it is referred to it, Parliament cannot proceed with the Bill.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. Both 1 and 2
  • D. Neither 1 nor 2

Q4. Consider the following facts about the Constitution of India: Parliament may form a new State by separating territory from any State or by uniting two or more States. A Bill for this purpose must be referred by the President to the affected State legislature for its views, but Parliament is not bound by those views. The Union may also create and dissolve Union Territories. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. The existing boundaries, and even the continued existence, of an individual State are not constitutionally guaranteed against Parliament.
  2. Any change in a State's boundaries must be ratified by the legislatures of at least half of the States, since it alters the federal structure.
  3. Since the Union can create and dissolve them, Union Territories necessarily have no representation in Parliament.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q5. Consider the following assertion: Neither Sixth Schedule status nor an Article 371-type special provision for Ladakh, as a Union Territory, would have a direct precedent in the Constitution of India. Which of the statements given below support/supports the above assertion?

  1. The Sixth Schedule currently applies only to tribal areas within the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
  2. Article 239A enables Parliament to create, by law, a legislature for certain Union Territories.
  3. The special provisions made so far in the Article 371 series are each framed for a particular State.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q6. With reference to the constituent units of India under the Constitution, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A territory acquired by India becomes part of the territory of India only after Parliament admits it as a new State.
  2. Union Territories are administered by the Union through an administrator appointed by the President, and they have more limited powers than States.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. Both 1 and 2
  • D. Neither 1 nor 2

Q7. Consider the following facts: Ladakh has been a Union Territory without a legislature since the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. Local groups have demanded Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh. The Union Government has proposed inserting a new Article 371-K into the Constitution to give Ladakh a directly elected legislative body instead. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. The Union Government's proposal is meant to fill the absence of an elected legislature in Ladakh.
  2. The proposal, once adopted, would by itself make Ladakh a State of the Indian Union.
  3. Because it inserts a new article into the Constitution, the proposal would need the procedure for amending the Constitution rather than an ordinary law.
  4. The local demand shows that Ladakh's tribal areas are already covered by the Sixth Schedule.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 2 and 4 only