Which one of the following best defines the term 'State'?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) A community of persons permanently occupying a definite territory independent of external control and possessing an organized government
A State in political science has four essentials: people, a definite territory, a government, and sovereignty (freedom from outside control). Option (a) is the only one that names all four.
- ✓ (a) It has the community of persons (population), permanent occupation of a definite territory, an organised government and independence from external control (sovereignty).
- ✗ (b) It never mentions freedom from outside control, and it adds functions (protecting natural rights, sustenance) that are duties of a good State, not part of what makes a State.
- ✗ (c) Living together for a long time with a shared culture describes a nation or community. It leaves out sovereignty.
- ✗ (d) Adding an executive answerable to a central authority and an independent judiciary describes a particular form of government, not the basic definition of a State. Sovereignty is missing here too.
Remember · State = population + definite territory + government + sovereignty. The government can change; the State continues.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 7 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Ch 6 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 7 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 2), Chapter 6 “So, a state has four features — a defined territory, a permanent population, a government, and sovereignty.”
- Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (1933), Article 1, League of Nations / UN Treaty Series ↗ “The State as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications : (a) a permanent population ; (b) a defined territory ; (c) government ; and (d) capacity to enter into relations with the other States.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·