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UPSC CSE Prelims 2020 · GS Paper I · Question 7 · Making of the Constitution, Preamble & features

परिभाषा से, संवैधानिक सरकार का अर्थ है

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2020, General Studies Paper I, Question 7 — Making of the Constitution, Preamble & features.

परिभाषा से, संवैधानिक सरकार का अर्थ है

Read this question in English

A constitutional government by definition is a

(a) government by legislature · (b) popular government · (c) multi-party government · (d) limited government

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (d) सीमित सरकार

The defining idea of constitutionalism is that government power is bounded: a constitution sets limits that the government may not cross, chiefly through rights of citizens and a division of powers. A government bound by such limits is a limited government, whatever its form.

  • ✓ (d) A constitution lays down limits on what a government can impose on its citizens, and those limits cannot be trespassed; that is what makes a government 'constitutional'.
  • ✗ (b) A popular (elected or well-liked) government can still act without limits; popularity is not what defines constitutional government.
  • ✗ (a) Rule by the legislature describes where power sits, not whether it is limited; a legislature too is bound by the constitution.

Remember · Constitutionalism = limited government: the constitution restrains every organ of the State, mainly through fundamental rights and separation of powers.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work, Ch 1 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

Cite this question: UPSC CSE Prelims 2020, Q7 — minimalistias.com/pyqs/prelims/2020/q7

Timed · 30 minutes Take Polity & governance · Set 4 as a test This question is in it — with UPSC's marking and an instant score. Start the set Or the whole 2020 paper →

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