Constitution Basics — Set 6

Correct Answer: D. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

• **Dr. B.R. Ambedkar** = Father of the Indian Constitution; chaired the Drafting Committee (set up August 29, 1947) and played the most pivotal role in framing the document. • **Drafting Committee** — had 7 members; Ambedkar worked day and night drafting, revising, and defending the Constitution; Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the Assembly President who signed it. • 💡 Option A (Jawaharlal Nehru) is wrong because Nehru moved the Objective Resolution and was Prime Minister, but he is not called the Father of the Constitution; Option B (Mahatma Gandhi) is wrong because Gandhi was not a member of the Constituent Assembly and did not directly participate in drafting; Option C (Sardar Patel) is wrong because Patel chaired the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights and oversaw states' integration, not the drafting process.

Correct Answer: C. 2 years, 11 months, 18 days

• **2 years, 11 months, 18 days** = the exact time taken to frame the Indian Constitution (December 9, 1946 to November 26, 1949). • **11 Sessions** — the Constituent Assembly held 11 sessions; total sittings were 166 days; the Assembly spent ₹63,96,729 on framing the Constitution. • 💡 Option A (3 years exactly) is wrong because the exact period was 2 years, 11 months, 18 days — slightly less than 3 years; Option B (2 years, 10 months, 8 days) is wrong because this is an incorrect duration that does not match the actual dates; Option D (3 years, 1 month, 10 days) is wrong because this exceeds the actual time and does not match the December 1946 to November 1949 period.

Correct Answer: C. November 26, 1949

• **November 26, 1949** = the date the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution; now celebrated as Constitution Day (Samvidhan Divas) since 2015. • **Adopted vs Enforced** — adopted on November 26, 1949; came into full force on January 26, 1950 (Republic Day); certain articles like citizenship and elections came into force on November 26, 1949 itself. • 💡 Option A (January 26, 1950) is wrong because that is Republic Day when the Constitution came into force, not when it was adopted; Option B (August 15, 1947) is wrong because that is Independence Day — the Constitution was still being drafted at that time; Option D (January 24, 1950) is wrong because that is the date members signed the final copy of the Constitution, two days before it came into force.

Correct Answer: D. January 26, 1950

• **January 26, 1950** = the Constitution of India came into full force on this date, celebrated as Republic Day. • **Purna Swaraj (1930)** — January 26 was chosen to honor the Purna Swaraj (complete independence) resolution passed by the INC on January 26, 1930 at Lahore session under Nehru's presidency. • 💡 Option A (November 26, 1949) is wrong because that is the date the Constitution was adopted, not when it came into force; Option B (August 15, 1947) is wrong because that is Independence Day — the Constitution was not yet in existence then; Option C (January 30, 1948) is wrong because that is the date of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, unrelated to the Constitution's enforcement.

Correct Answer: C. 8 Schedules

• **8 Schedules originally** = the original Constitution (1950) had 8 Schedules; four more were added later — 9th (1951), 10th (1985), 11th (1992), 12th (1992). • **Current: 12 Schedules** — 9th = land reform laws (1st Amendment, 1951); 10th = Anti-Defection (52nd Amendment, 1985); 11th = Panchayats (73rd Amendment, 1992); 12th = Municipalities (74th Amendment, 1992). • 💡 Option A (9 Schedules) is wrong because 9 was not the original number — 8 were original and 9th was added by the 1st Amendment in 1951; Option B (10 Schedules) is wrong because while there were 10 schedules after the 52nd Amendment (1985), the original count was 8; Option D (12 Schedules) is wrong because 12 is the current total after all amendments, not the original count.

Correct Answer: A. 395 Articles

• **395 Articles originally** = the original Indian Constitution had 395 articles; the last numbered article is still 395, with new articles inserted as sub-clauses like 21A, 51A, 300A. • **22 Parts, 8 Schedules** — original Constitution: 395 articles, 22 parts, 8 schedules; current: more than 470 articles (with insertions), 25 parts, 12 schedules. • 💡 Option B (448 Articles) is wrong because 448 is sometimes cited as the current effective count including inserted articles, but the original was 395; Option C (400 Articles) is wrong because the original Constitution had exactly 395 articles, not 400; Option D (370 Articles) is wrong because 370 is an article number (now abrogated provision on J&K), not the original article count.

Correct Answer: C. B.N. Rau

• **B.N. Rau** = Constitutional Advisor to the Constituent Assembly; prepared the initial draft of the Constitution that was then refined by the Drafting Committee. • **Advisory Role** — Rau traveled to USA, Ireland, Canada, and UK to study constitutions; his initial draft had over 240 clauses which formed the basis for Ambedkar's Drafting Committee work. • 💡 Option A (K.M. Munshi) is wrong because Munshi was a member of the Drafting Committee, not its advisor; Option B (B.R. Ambedkar) is wrong because Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee — a different role from Constitutional Advisor; Option D (Sardar Patel) is wrong because Patel chaired the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights and Minorities, not the role of Constitutional Advisor.

Correct Answer: B. USA

• **USA (Bill of Rights)** = source for the concept of Fundamental Rights in Part III (Articles 12–35) of the Indian Constitution. • **Justiciable Rights** — unlike DPSP, Fundamental Rights are justiciable (enforceable by courts); Article 32 gives the right to move the Supreme Court directly for their enforcement. • 💡 Option A (France) is wrong because France contributed Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity to the Preamble, not the concept of Fundamental Rights as a justiciable category; Option C (Russia) is wrong because Russia/USSR contributed the concept of Five Year Plans and inspiration for Fundamental Duties; Option D (UK) is wrong because the UK contributed the Parliamentary System, Rule of Law, and Single Citizenship, not Fundamental Rights.

Correct Answer: C. UK (Britain)

• **UK (Westminster Model)** = source for India's Parliamentary System of government, where the executive (Council of Ministers) is collectively responsible to the legislature (Lok Sabha). • **Key Features from UK** — Parliamentary system, Rule of Law, Speaker's role, single citizenship, and the law-making procedure also draw from British practice. • 💡 Option A (Canada) is wrong because Canada contributed 'Federation with strong Centre' and residuary powers to the Centre, not the parliamentary system as such; Option B (Australia) is wrong because Australia contributed the Concurrent List and Joint Sitting of Parliament; Option D (USA) is wrong because the USA has a Presidential System where the executive is independent of the legislature — India did not adopt this.

Correct Answer: D. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

• **Dr. B.R. Ambedkar** = Chairman of the Drafting Committee, set up on August 29, 1947, entrusted with preparing the final draft of the Constitution. • **August 29, 1947** — the Drafting Committee was set up on this date; it had 7 members; Dr. Ambedkar's mastery of constitutional law made him the dominant force in the drafting. • 💡 Option A (Dr. Rajendra Prasad) is wrong because Dr. Prasad was the President of the Constituent Assembly, not the Chairman of the Drafting Committee; Option B (Jawaharlal Nehru) is wrong because Nehru chaired the Union Powers Committee and Union Constitution Committee, not the Drafting Committee; Option C (Sardar Patel) is wrong because Patel chaired the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights and Minorities, not the Drafting Committee.