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Politics in India since Independence

Class 12 · Polity

Real UPSC Prelims questions from 2016–2026, linked to this book. Try each one first, then open the answer. 2026 answers follow UPSC's provisional answer key.

A question can draw on more than one chapter, so the chapter counts add up to more than 4.

Ch 2 · Era of One-party Dominance

Prelims 2024 · Q73

Consider the following pairs:

Party : Its Leader

  1. 1.Bharatiya Jana Sangh : Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee
  2. 2.Socialist Party : C. Rajagopalachari
  3. 3.Congress for Democracy : Jagjivan Ram
  4. 4.Swatantra Party : Acharya Narendra Dev

How many of the above are correctly matched?

  1. (a)Only one
  2. (b)Only two
  3. (c)Only three
  4. (d)All four
Show answer

UPSC's answer: (b)

NCERT answers it: Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 2 (Era of One-party Dominance); Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 6 (The Crisis of Democratic Order).

Politics in India since Independence: Shyama Prasad Mukherjee founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (ch 2), and Jagjivan Ram led the Congress for Democracy (ch 6). But Acharya Narendra Dev led the Socialist Party (ch 2). So pairs 1 and 3 only: (b).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2024), question 73 ↗

Ch 3 · Politics of Planned Development

Prelims 2021 · Q91

Under the Indian Constitution, concentration of wealth violates

  1. (a)the Right to Equality
  2. (b)the Directive Principles of State Policy
  3. (c)the Right to Freedom
  4. (d)the Concept of Welfare
Show answer

UPSC's answer: (b)

NCERT answers it: Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 3 (Politics of Planned Development).

Politics in India since Independence (ch 3) quotes the Directive Principles: the economic system should not result in the concentration of wealth. So (b).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2021), question 91 ↗

Ch 7 · Regional Aspirations

Prelims 2025 · Q78

Who among the following was the founder of the 'Self-Respect Movement'?

  1. (a)'Periyar' E. V. Ramaswamy Naicker
  2. (b)Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
  3. (c)Bhaskarrao Jadhav
  4. (d)Dinkarrao Javalkar
Show answer

UPSC's answer: (a)

NCERT answers it: Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 7 (Regional Aspirations).

Politics in India since Independence (ch 7): E.V. Ramasami Naicker ('Periyar') started the Self-Respect Movement in 1925. So (a).

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2025), question 78 ↗

Prelims 2026 · Q57

Consider the following statements about the provisions pertaining to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in India:

  1. 1.Provisions regarding the administration of the Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram are given in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
  2. 2.Some tribes of India are entitled to exemption from paying Income Tax on certain incomes.
  3. 3.The Constitution of India provides for reservation of seats in Panchayats for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.

Which one of the following conclusions based on the above statements is correct?

  1. (a)There are two correct statements, that include statement 2.
  2. (b)There are two correct statements, that are statements 1 and 3.
  3. (c)There is only one correct statement.
  4. (d)All three statements are correct.
Show answer

UPSC's provisional answer: (a)

NCERT answers it: Class 12 Social Change and Development in India, Ch 3 (The Constitution and Social Change); Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 7 (Regional Aspirations).

The one fact NCERT doesn't give: Under India's income-tax law, members of Scheduled Tribes living in specified north-eastern areas pay no income tax on income from those areas.

Class 12 Social Change and Development in India, ch 3: 17 per cent of local-body seats are reserved for SC and ST women (3). Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, ch 7 links the Sixth Schedule to the North-East, so 1 is false. With the fact, 2 is true. Answer (a).

Beyond NCERT: the Constitution's Fifth Schedule expressly leaves out Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram; their tribal areas come under the Sixth Schedule instead. Source: Constitution of India, Fifth Schedule, para 1 (text on tribal.nic.in, Ministry of Tribal Affairs)

Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2026), question 57 ↗

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