Fill in the blank using words contained in the Preamble to the Constitution of India: We, ______, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens....

The correct answer is B, President. A bill passed by both Houses of Parliament becomes an Act only when the President gives assent to it, as laid down in Article 111. The President has three choices: give assent, withhold assent, or return the bill (if it is not a Money Bill) to Parliament for reconsideration. If both Houses pass the returned bill again, with or without changes, the President has to give assent. The Constitution fixes no time limit, so this delaying power is often called a 'pocket veto'. For state bills the Governor plays the same role under Article 200. A is wrong because the Law Minister only pilots bills; a minister's approval cannot turn a bill into law. C is wrong because the Supreme Court can strike down a law later but does not approve it before it is made. D is wrong because the Prime Minister heads the government but the formal assent is the President's. Exam tip: Parliament passes, the President assents (Article 111); the Governor assents for states (Article 200).

The correct answer is D, Part IV. The Directive Principles of State Policy are placed in Part IV of the Constitution, from Article 36 to Article 51. They are instructions to the government to build a welfare state, such as equal pay for equal work, free legal aid, village panchayats, a uniform civil code and protection of the environment. The idea was borrowed from the Constitution of Ireland, which in turn took it from Spain. Unlike Fundamental Rights they cannot be enforced in a court, but Article 37 makes them fundamental in the governance of the country. A is wrong because Part II, Articles 5 to 11, deals with citizenship. B is wrong because Part III, Articles 12 to 35, contains the Fundamental Rights. C is wrong because Part I, Articles 1 to 4, deals with the Union and its territory. Exam tip: Part III = Fundamental Rights (12 to 35), Part IV = Directive Principles (36 to 51), Part IVA = Fundamental Duties (51A).

The correct answer is D, Article 72. This Article gives the President the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment, and to suspend, remit or commute a sentence. It applies in three cases: punishment by a court martial, an offence against a law made by the Union, and every sentence of death. The President alone can pardon a death sentence; the Governor, whose similar power is in Article 161, cannot. The five words to remember are pardon (wipes out the conviction), commutation (lighter kind of punishment), remission (shorter period), respite (lesser sentence for a special reason such as pregnancy) and reprieve (temporary stay). A is wrong because Article 55 describes the manner of electing the President. B is wrong because Article 81 gives the composition of the Lok Sabha. C is wrong because Article 63 says there shall be a Vice-President of India. Exam tip: pardon power is 72 for the President and 161 for the Governor; only the President can pardon a death sentence or a court-martial sentence.

The correct answer is A, Articles 74 and 75. These two Articles create the Council of Ministers that actually runs the Union government. Article 74 says there shall be a Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advise the President, and the President acts on that advice. Article 75 says the Prime Minister is appointed by the President, the other ministers are appointed on the Prime Minister's advice, the Council is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha, and its size cannot exceed 15 per cent of the Lok Sabha strength, a limit added by the 91st Amendment in 2003. The matching Articles for the states are 163 and 164. B is wrong because Article 71 is about disputes in presidential elections and Article 72 about the President's power of pardon. C is wrong because Articles 79 and 80 deal with the constitution of Parliament and the composition of the Rajya Sabha. D is wrong because Article 76 creates the Attorney-General and Article 77 covers the conduct of government business. Exam tip: Centre 74-75, states 163-164; collective responsibility is to the Lok Sabha.

The correct answer is C, Article 84. This is the Article that lists who is qualified to be a member of Parliament. Under Article 84 a person must be a citizen of India, must take an oath before a person authorised by the Election Commission, and must be at least 30 years old for the Rajya Sabha or 25 years old for the Lok Sabha. Parliament can add other qualifications by law, which it did through the Representation of the People Act, 1951. Remember the pair: qualifications are in Article 84, disqualifications are in Article 102. A is wrong because Article 105 deals with the powers and privileges of the Houses and their members. B is wrong because Article 85 covers the sessions of Parliament, prorogation and dissolution. D is wrong because Article 80 gives the composition of the Rajya Sabha. Exam tip: 84 for qualification, 102 for disqualification, 25 years for the Lok Sabha and 30 years for the Rajya Sabha.