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🏋️ SESSION 01 — Polity + History Sectional Quiz

Type: Prelims sectional · Questions: 50 · Time: 60 minutes · Marking: +2 correct, −0.66 wrong Environment: timer on, phone off, OMR sheet, no pauses. Score honestly, then analyze for 90 minutes.

POLITY (Q1–25)

  1. The Constitution was adopted on: (a) 15 Aug 1947 (b) 26 Nov 1949 (c) 26 Jan 1950 (d) 2 Oct 1950
  2. Fundamental Rights are contained in Part: (a) II (b) III (c) IV (d) V
  3. The idea of DPSP was borrowed from: (a) USA (b) Ireland (c) UK (d) Canada
  4. Who is the guardian of the Constitution? (a) President (b) Parliament (c) Supreme Court (d) PM
  5. The Rajya Sabha's maximum strength is: (a) 238 (b) 245 (c) 250 (d) 552
  6. A money bill can be introduced only in: (a) Rajya Sabha (b) Lok Sabha (c) Either House (d) Joint sitting
  7. The basic structure doctrine emerged in: (a) Golaknath (b) Kesavananda Bharati (c) Minerva Mills (d) Maneka Gandhi
  8. Article 32 is a: (a) DPSP (b) Fundamental Right (c) Fundamental Duty (d) Ordinary law
  9. Which is a constitutional body? (a) NITI Aayog (b) CBI (c) Election Commission (d) Lokpal
  10. The Vice-President is the ex-officio Chairman of: (a) Lok Sabha (b) Rajya Sabha (c) NITI Aayog (d) FC
  11. The 42nd Amendment is called the: (a) Mini-Constitution (b) People's Amendment (c) Federal Amendment (d) Judicial Amendment
  12. Anti-defection law is in Schedule: (a) 9 (b) 10 (c) 11 (d) 12
  13. President's Rule is under Article: (a) 352 (b) 356 (c) 360 (d) 365
  14. The writ to produce a detained person is: (a) Mandamus (b) Habeas Corpus (c) Certiorari (d) Quo Warranto
  15. Fundamental Duties were added by the ___ Amendment: (a) 42nd (b) 44th (c) 52nd (d) 61st
  16. The Finance Commission is under Article: (a) 280 (b) 324 (c) 148 (d) 76
  17. Panchayati Raj was constitutionalized by the ___ Amendment: (a) 42nd (b) 73rd (c) 74th (d) 86th
  18. Which is NOT a Fundamental Right now? (a) Equality (b) Right to Property (c) Freedom (d) Constitutional Remedies
  19. The Speaker is elected by: (a) The President (b) Lok Sabha members (c) The PM (d) Both Houses
  20. Money bill certification is done by: (a) President (b) Speaker (c) FM (d) RBI
  21. Right to Education is Article: (a) 21 (b) 21A (c) 45 (d) 19
  22. The Attorney General is appointed under Article: (a) 76 (b) 148 (c) 324 (d) 280
  23. Which body conducts elections? (a) Parliament (b) Election Commission (c) Supreme Court (d) President
  24. The Preamble was amended by the ___ Amendment: (a) 1st (b) 42nd (c) 44th (d) 52nd
  25. Financial Emergency is under Article: (a) 352 (b) 356 (c) 360 (d) 365

HISTORY (Q26–50)

  1. The Indus Great Bath is at: (a) Harappa (b) Mohenjo-daro (c) Lothal (d) Kalibangan
  2. Buddha attained enlightenment at: (a) Lumbini (b) Bodh Gaya (c) Sarnath (d) Kushinagar
  3. The Kalinga War was fought by: (a) Chandragupta (b) Bindusara (c) Ashoka (d) Samudragupta
  4. The Gupta age is called the: (a) Dark Age (b) Golden Age (c) Iron Age (d) Bronze Age
  5. Sangam literature is in: (a) Sanskrit (b) Prakrit (c) Tamil (d) Pali
  6. Din-i-Ilahi was propounded by: (a) Babur (b) Akbar (c) Aurangzeb (d) Shah Jahan
  7. The Battle of Plassey was in: (a) 1757 (b) 1764 (c) 1857 (d) 1526
  8. The Drain of Wealth theory is by: (a) R.C. Dutt (b) Dadabhai Naoroji (c) Ranade (d) Gokhale
  9. The 1857 revolt began at: (a) Delhi (b) Meerut (c) Kanpur (d) Lucknow
  10. The INC was founded in: (a) 1857 (b) 1885 (c) 1905 (d) 1919
  11. Champaran Satyagraha (1917) related to: (a) Salt (b) Indigo (c) Textiles (d) Land tax
  12. Non-Cooperation was withdrawn after: (a) Jallianwala Bagh (b) Chauri Chaura (c) Dandi (d) Simon Commission
  13. Purna Swaraj was declared at: (a) Calcutta (b) Lahore 1929 (c) Karachi (d) Lucknow
  14. The Dandi March was in: (a) 1920 (b) 1930 (c) 1942 (d) 1947
  15. Quit India was launched in: (a) 1930 (b) 1935 (c) 1942 (d) 1945
  16. Bhagat Singh belonged to: (a) INA (b) HSRA (c) Ghadar Party (d) Anushilan Samiti
  17. Sulh-i-kul is associated with: (a) Babur (b) Akbar (c) Aurangzeb (d) Jahangir
  18. Ashokan edicts are in the ___ script: (a) Devanagari (b) Brahmi (c) Persian (d) Tamil
  19. Krishnadevaraya ruled: (a) Bahmani (b) Vijayanagara (c) Mughal (d) Maratha
  20. Shivaji's council of ministers was: (a) Navaratna (b) Ashtapradhan (c) Mansabdari (d) Diwan
  21. The Simon Commission was boycotted because: (a) It recommended partition (b) It had no Indian members (c) It imposed salt tax (d) It abolished legislatures
  22. The Permanent Settlement (1793) was introduced by: (a) Wellesley (b) Cornwallis (c) Dalhousie (d) Curzon
  23. Fa-Hien visited during: (a) Ashoka (b) Chandragupta II (c) Harsha (d) Kanishka
  24. The Poona Pact (1932) was between: (a) Gandhi & Jinnah (b) Gandhi & Ambedkar (c) Nehru & Jinnah (d) Gandhi & Irwin
  25. Kanishka patronized the ___ Buddhist Council: (a) First (b) Second (c) Third (d) Fourth

✅ ANSWER KEY

1.b 2.b 3.b 4.c 5.c 6.b 7.b 8.b 9.c 10.b 11.a 12.b 13.b 14.b 15.a 16.a 17.b 18.b 19.b 20.b 21.b 22.a 23.b 24.b 25.c 26.b 27.b 28.c 29.b 30.c 31.b 32.a 33.b 34.b 35.b 36.b 37.b 38.b 39.b 40.c 41.b 42.b 43.b 44.b 45.b 46.b 47.b 48.b 49.b 50.d

SCORING RUBRIC

 Score = (Correct×2) − (Wrong×0.66) = ____ /100
 Benchmark: 60+ excellent · 45–60 good · <45 revise this section fully

Tag every question (✅🍀❌⬜) and copy errors to your Error Notebook.

🧠 CONCEPTS TESTED — Topic Explainer

Polity concepts behind Q1–25

  • Constitution making: Constituent Assembly first met 9 Dec 1946; Objectives Resolution moved by Nehru; adopted 26 Nov 1949, enforced 26 Jan 1950. Drafting Committee chaired by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.
  • Structure: Fundamental Rights = Part III; DPSP = Part IV (borrowed from Ireland); Fundamental Duties = Part IVA (added by 42nd Amendment on Swaran Singh Committee's advice).
  • Parliament: Rajya Sabha max 250 (238 elected + 12 nominated), a permanent house (1/3 retire every 2 years). Money bills originate only in Lok Sabha and the Speaker's certification is final.
  • Judiciary: The Supreme Court is the guardian of the Constitution. Basic structure doctrine came from Kesavananda Bharati (1973) — Parliament may amend but not destroy the core.
  • Art 32 is unique: it is itself a Fundamental Right, called by Ambedkar the "heart and soul" of the Constitution.
  • Body types (perennial trap): Constitutional = Election Commission (Art 324), CAG (148), UPSC (315), Finance Commission (280), Attorney General (76). NOT constitutional = NITI Aayog, CBI, Lokpal, NHRC.
  • Key amendments: 42nd ("mini-Constitution"), 44th (Right to Property → legal right, Art 300A), 52nd (anti-defection, 10th Schedule), 73rd (Panchayats), 86th (RTE, Art 21A). The Preamble has been amended only once — by the 42nd.
  • Emergencies: 352 National · 356 President's Rule · 360 Financial (never used).
  • Writs: Habeas Corpus (produce the body) · Mandamus (command a duty) · Prohibition (stop a lower court) · Certiorari (quash/transfer) · Quo Warranto (by what authority).

History concepts behind Q26–50

  • IVC: Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro (not Harappa); dockyard at Lothal; no iron (Bronze Age).
  • Buddhism: birth Lumbini → enlightenment Bodh Gaya → first sermon Sarnath → death Kushinagar. 4th Council under Kanishka (Hinayana/Mahayana split).
  • Mauryas/Guptas: Ashoka fought Kalinga → Dhamma; edicts in Brahmi (deciphered by James Prinsep, 1837). Gupta era = "Golden Age"; Fa-Hien visited under Chandragupta II.
  • South: Sangam literature is Tamil; Vijayanagara ruled by Krishnadevaraya (Hampi, Amuktamalyada).
  • Mughals/Marathas: Akbar's sulh-i-kul (universal tolerance) and Din-i-Ilahi; Shivaji's council = Ashtapradhan.
  • Colonial economy: Permanent Settlement 1793 = Cornwallis (zamindari, Bengal); Drain of Wealth = Dadabhai Naoroji.
  • Freedom struggle spine: INC 1885 → Bengal Partition/Swadeshi 1905 → Lucknow Pact 1916 → NCM 1920 (withdrawn after Chauri Chaura) → Simon boycott 1928 (no Indian members) → Purna Swaraj, Lahore 1929 → Dandi 1930 → Poona Pact 1932 (Gandhi–Ambedkar) → Quit India 1942. Revolutionaries: Bhagat Singh → HSRA.

📝 PER-QUESTION EXPLANATIONS

Polity 1. (b) Adopted 26 Nov 1949; enforced 26 Jan 1950 — don't confuse the two dates. 2. (b) FRs are in Part III (Art 12–35). 3. (b) DPSP idea taken from the Irish Constitution. 4. (c) The Supreme Court interprets and guards the Constitution. 5. (c) Maximum RS strength is 250; current actual is 245. 6. (b) Money bills can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha (Art 110). 7. (b) Kesavananda Bharati (1973) established basic structure. 8. (b) Art 32 is itself a Fundamental Right — the remedy for all other FRs. 9. (c) EC is constitutional (Art 324); NITI/CBI/Lokpal are not. 10. (b) Vice-President is ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. 11. (a) 42nd Amendment (1976) is nicknamed the "mini-Constitution." 12. (b) Anti-defection provisions sit in the 10th Schedule. 13. (b) Art 356 = failure of constitutional machinery in a state. 14. (b) Habeas corpus literally means "to have the body." 15. (a) Fundamental Duties added by the 42nd Amendment. 16. (a) Finance Commission is constituted under Art 280. 17. (b) 73rd Amendment (1992) constitutionalized Panchayati Raj. 18. (b) Right to Property was removed as an FR by the 44th Amendment. 19. (b) The Speaker is elected by Lok Sabha members from among themselves. 20. (b) The Speaker certifies a bill as a money bill; the decision is final. 21. (b) RTE inserted as Art 21A by the 86th Amendment. 22. (a) Attorney General is appointed under Art 76. 23. (b) The Election Commission conducts elections (Art 324). 24. (b) The Preamble's only amendment was the 42nd (added Socialist, Secular, Integrity). 25. (c) Financial Emergency is Art 360 — never invoked to date.

History 26. (b) The Great Bath was excavated at Mohenjo-daro. 27. (b) Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya; Sarnath was the first sermon. 28. (c) Ashoka fought the Kalinga War (~261 BCE), which changed him. 29. (b) The Gupta period is conventionally called the Golden Age. 30. (c) Sangam literature is in Tamil. 31. (b) Din-i-Ilahi was propounded by Akbar (~1582). 32. (a) Plassey 1757 (Buxar was 1764 — the decisive one). 33. (b) Dadabhai Naoroji, in Poverty and Un-British Rule in India. 34. (b) The revolt began at Meerut (10 May 1857), then moved to Delhi. 35. (b) INC founded 1885 by A.O. Hume; first president W.C. Bonnerjee. 36. (b) Champaran concerned indigo cultivators — Gandhi's first satyagraha in India. 37. (b) Chauri Chaura violence (1922) led Gandhi to withdraw the NCM. 38. (b) Purna Swaraj was resolved at the Lahore session, Dec 1929. 39. (b) The Dandi/Salt March began 12 March 1930. 40. (c) Quit India launched August 1942 ("Do or Die"). 41. (b) Bhagat Singh belonged to the HSRA. 42. (b) Sulh-i-kul (peace with all) was Akbar's policy. 43. (b) Ashokan edicts are mostly in Brahmi script. 44. (b) Krishnadevaraya was the greatest Vijayanagara ruler. 45. (b) Shivaji's eight-minister council was the Ashtapradhan. 46. (b) Simon Commission was boycotted because it had no Indian members. 47. (b) Cornwallis introduced the Permanent Settlement in 1793. 48. (b) Fa-Hien (Chinese pilgrim) visited during Chandragupta II's reign. 49. (b) The Poona Pact (1932) was between Gandhi and Ambedkar on depressed-class representation. 50. (d) Kanishka convened the Fourth Buddhist Council.

If any answer conflicts with your books, verify in ../../NOTES/01-Polity-Notes.md and ../../NOTES/03-History-Notes.md. Building the verification reflex is itself Rank-1 training.

Self-generated study material modelled on the UPSC pattern · Always verify at upsc.gov.in