Which one of the following Commissions is related to Article 338A?

The correct answer is B, parliamentary. India follows the parliamentary system, taken from Britain, in which the real executive is responsible to the legislature. The President is the nominal head of state, while the Council of Ministers led by the Prime Minister exercises real power and stays in office only while it holds the confidence of the Lok Sabha. Ministers are drawn from Parliament, the government falls if a no-confidence motion is passed, and the Prime Minister can advise the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. A is wrong because the Constitution is federal in structure with unitary features, which describes the division of powers between the centre and the states, not the form of government. C is wrong because India is a republic, so the head of state is elected and not a hereditary monarch. D is wrong because in a presidential system the executive is separate from and not answerable to the legislature, as in the United States. Exam tip: separate the two ideas - federal with a unitary bias describes the structure, parliamentary describes the government.

The correct answer is D, Irish. The Directive Principles of State Policy, in Part IV of the Constitution from Articles 36 to 51, were taken from the Constitution of Ireland, which had in turn drawn the idea from Spain. They set out goals for the state in making law and policy, such as equal pay for equal work, a living wage, free and compulsory education for children, village panchayats and the protection of monuments. They are not enforceable in a court, which is how they differ from the Fundamental Rights, but Article 37 calls them fundamental in the governance of the country. A is wrong because the idea of a single citizenship came from Britain, not Norway, which lent nothing of note. B is wrong because Australia gave the concurrent list, freedom of trade and commerce and the joint sitting. C is wrong because Spain is only the earlier source for Ireland, not the direct one for India. Exam tip: remember the chain - the Directive Principles reached India from Ireland, and the method of electing the President also comes from there.

The correct answer is C, Sarkaria commission. The Sarkaria Commission said the Governor should be a detached figure chosen without regard to party, and ideally someone who has not taken an active part in politics in the recent past or belonged to the ruling party at the centre. It was set up in 1983 under Justice R S Sarkaria to review centre-state relations and reported in 1988. It also advised that the Chief Minister of the state be consulted before a Governor is appointed, that Article 356 be used only as a last resort, and that the Inter-State Council be set up, which was done in 1990. A is wrong because the Fazal Ali Commission of 1953 was the States Reorganisation Commission on state boundaries. B is wrong because the Rajamannar Committee of 1969 was appointed by Tamil Nadu, not by the Union. D is wrong because the Mandal Commission of 1979 dealt with reservation for backward classes. Exam tip: tie the names - Sarkaria 1983 for centre-state relations, Punchhi 2007 for the same subject later.

The correct answer is D, Pranab Mukherjee. The Constitution (100th Amendment) Act was passed in 2015 and received the President's assent on 31 May 2015, when Pranab Mukherjee held the office; he was President from 2012 to 2017. The amendment gave effect to the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh, under which the two countries exchanged enclaves and adverse possessions, and it altered the First Schedule entries for Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Tripura. People living in the transferred enclaves were allowed to choose their citizenship. Option A is wrong because Ram Nath Kovind became President only in 2017, two years later. Option B is wrong because Pratibha Patil's term ran from 2007 to 2012, before this amendment. Option C is wrong because A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was President from 2002 to 2007. Exam tip: the 100th Amendment of 2015 settled the India-Bangladesh land boundary and changed the First Schedule.

The correct answer is B, 1 July 1987. The amendment of 1986 changed the rule of citizenship by birth with effect from 1 July 1987: a person born in India on or after that date is a citizen by birth only if one of the parents was an Indian citizen at the time of the birth. Option A is wrong because for births from 26 January 1950 to 30 June 1987 the place of birth alone was enough and the nationality of the parents was irrelevant. Option C is wrong because 3 December 2004 marks the next and stricter stage, under which a person born in India is a citizen only if both parents are citizens, or one is a citizen and the other is not an illegal migrant. Option D is wrong because 31 December 2014 is the cut-off date of entry under the amendment of 2019 and has nothing to do with citizenship by birth.