Prelims 2025 · Q52
MediumConsider the following pairs:
| State | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| I. | Arunachal Pradesh | The capital is named after a fort, and the State has two National Parks |
| II. | Nagaland | The State came into existence on the basis of a Constitutional Amendment Act |
| III. | Tripura | Initially a Part ‘C’ State, it became a centrally administered territory with the reorganization of States in 1956 and later attained the status of a full-fledged State |
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) All the three
UPSC's official answer: (c) · the answer UPSC accepted, and the one that counts in the exam
Also defensible: (b)
- Pairs I and III are plainly right: Itanagar is named after Ita Fort and Arunachal has two National Parks (Namdapha and Mouling); Tripura went from Part C State to Union Territory in 1956 and to full statehood in 1972.
- Pair II says Nagaland 'came into existence on the basis of a Constitutional Amendment Act'. The State was in fact formed by an ordinary law under Article 3, the State of Nagaland Act, 1962: 'An Act to provide for the formation of the State of Nagaland and for matters connected therewith'.
- The Constitution (Thirteenth Amendment) Act, 1962 did something else: it inserted Article 371A's special provisions for the new State, and its own Statement of Objects says 'A separate Bill for the formation of the new State relatable to article 3 is also being introduced'. On this strict reading pair II is wrong and the answer is (b).
- UPSC's key links Nagaland's creation to the Thirteenth Amendment, passed in the same session to give effect to the 16-point agreement and commonly listed as the amendment that made Nagaland a State, so it counts all three: (c).
UPSC's key counts pair II, linking Nagaland's statehood to the Thirteenth Amendment; strictly, the State was formed by the State of Nagaland Act under Article 3, which gives (b). In the exam, treat Nagaland's statehood as resting on the Thirteenth Amendment, as UPSC does.
- The State of Nagaland Act, 1962 (Act 27 of 1962), long title (Telangana High Court copy) ↗“An Act to provide for the formation of the State of Nagaland and for matters connected therewith.”
- The Constitution (Thirteenth Amendment) Act, 1962: Statement of Objects and Reasons (Legislative Department) ↗“A separate Bill for the formation of the new State relatable to article 3 is also being introduced.”
- The Constitution (Thirteenth Amendment) Act, 1962: Statement of Objects and Reasons, why the amendment was needed ↗“As these matters are peculiar to the proposed new State of Nagaland, provision with respect thereto has to be made in the Constitution itself.”
This box is Minimalist IAS's analysis, with its sources; it does not change UPSC's answer.
UPSC's key counts all three pairs as correct. Itanagar is named after Ita Fort and Arunachal has two National Parks; Nagaland's statehood rests on the Constitution (Thirteenth Amendment) Act, 1962, which gave the new State its special provisions; and Tripura went from a Part C State to a Union Territory in 1956 and a full State in 1972.
- ✓ I Itanagar takes its name from Ita Fort ('the fort of bricks'). Arunachal's two National Parks are Namdapha (1972) and Mouling (1986).
- ✓ II Nagaland became a State on 1 December 1963. The Constitution (Thirteenth Amendment) Act, 1962 was passed with the State of Nagaland Act, 1962 to give effect to the 16-point agreement with the Naga People's Convention, inserting Article 371A for the new State; UPSC treats this amendment as the basis on which the State came into being.
- ✓ III Tripura was a Part C State after 1950, became a Union Territory with the reorganisation of States in 1956, and became a full State on 21 January 1972 through the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971.
Remember · Itanagar = Ita Fort; Nagaland statehood 1963 (Art. 371A via 13th Amendment); Tripura: Part C State, then UT in 1956, then State on 21 January 1972.
Sources
- Arunachal Tourism (Government of Arunachal Pradesh): Itanagar ↗ · reference work “Itafort, ‘the fort of bricks’ from which the State capital derives its name, is situated in the heart of the Itanagar.”
- Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh: Mouling National Park ↗ “It was the second national park to be created in the state, after Namdapha National Park in 1972.”
- The Constitution (Thirteenth Amendment) Act, 1962: Statement of Objects and Reasons (Legislative Department) ↗ “As these matters are peculiar to the proposed new State of Nagaland, provision with respect thereto has to be made in the Constitution itself. … A separate Bill for the formation of the new State relatable to article 3 is also being introduced.”
- Government of Tripura, Education Department: State Profile ↗ “Initially, a part 'C' state, it became a centrally administered territory with the reorganisation of states in 1956. In 1972, Tripura attained the status of a full-fledged state.”
- The State of Nagaland Act, 1962 (Act 27 of 1962), long title and section 3 (Telangana High Court copy) ↗ “An Act to provide for the formation of the State of Nagaland and for matters connected therewith.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·