SSC Examination key terms

Basic freedoms guaranteed to citizens by Part III of the Indian Constitution, enforceable in court through writs. They cover equality, speech, life, religion, and constitutional remedies.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Indian Constitution directing the State toward social and economic welfare. They are not directly enforceable in courts but guide lawmaking and policy.

The opening statement of the Indian Constitution declaring the source of authority as the people and listing ideals such as justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.

A formal application asking a High Court or the Supreme Court to order a public authority to act or refrain from acting. Common writs include habeas corpus, mandamus, and certiorari.

The legal right of a person to bring a case before a court because they are affected by the matter. Public interest litigation relaxes this requirement for matters affecting the public.

A case filed by any person or group on behalf of those unable to approach the courts themselves, addressing issues of general public concern rather than private grievance.

The formal process of changing the Constitution, governed by Article 368. Some provisions need a special majority of Parliament, and federal provisions also need state ratification.

The principle that Parliament cannot amend the Constitution in a way that destroys its essential features, such as supremacy of the Constitution, secularism, or judicial review.

The power of courts to examine laws and executive actions and declare them invalid if they violate the Constitution or exceed legal authority.

Provisions in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution under which legislators lose membership for voluntarily giving up their party or voting against the party whip.

A bill dealing only with taxation, borrowing, or the Consolidated Fund, certified as such by the Speaker and introduced only in the Lok Sabha with the President's recommendation.

The account holding all government revenues and receipts, from which money can be withdrawn only by law passed by Parliament. It funds salaries, debt, and major expenditure.

A fund placed at the disposal of the President to meet unforeseen expenditure pending parliamentary approval. It is later recouped from the Consolidated Fund.

The first hour of a parliamentary sitting in which members ask questions of ministers, who answer on behalf of the government. It is a key tool of legislative accountability.

The period immediately after Question Hour when members may raise urgent matters without prior notice. It is an Indian parliamentary convention and not mentioned in the rules of procedure.

A motion moved in the Lok Sabha to draw attention to an urgent matter of public importance, requiring the House to adjourn for the day. It needs the support of 50 members.

A motion moved by opposition members in the Lok Sabha expressing lack of confidence in the Council of Ministers. If passed, the government must resign.

A temporary law promulgated by the President when Parliament is not in session, which must be approved by Parliament within six weeks of its reassembly.

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind, while a proportion states that two ratios are equal. Problems often require finding an unknown term in a proportion.

A fraction or ratio expressed as a part per hundred. It is used to compare quantities and to compute increase, decrease, profit, loss, and interest.

Interest calculated only on the original principal for the whole period, using the formula principal times rate times time divided by one hundred.

Interest calculated on the principal plus previously earned interest, so the amount grows each period. It is found by subtracting the principal from the compounded amount.

A technique in which the value of one unit is found first and then multiplied to obtain the value of the required number of units.

A class of problems where the rate of work of persons or machines is combined to find the time needed to finish a task, or the work done in a given time.

Problems involving pipes filling a tank and leaks or outlet pipes emptying it. Inlet rates are added and outlet rates subtracted to find the net filling time.

The speed of one moving object as observed from another. It is the sum of speeds when moving in opposite directions and the difference when moving in the same direction.

Total distance travelled divided by total time taken. It is not the arithmetic mean of the speeds unless equal distances are covered at each speed.

Problems based on the relation that distance equals speed multiplied by time. They involve finding one of the three quantities when the other two are known.

A form of reasoning in which conclusions are drawn from two or more given statements treated as true. Questions ask which conclusion logically follows from the premises.

Puzzle questions that describe family links through statements or symbols, requiring the candidate to identify how two persons are related.

A reasoning puzzle in which people or objects must be placed in a line or around a table using clues about who sits next to, opposite, or between whom.

A reasoning task requiring identification of the pattern in a sequence of numbers, letters, or figures and selection of the next or missing element.

Questions in which words or numbers are converted into a code by a fixed rule, and the candidate must apply the same rule to decode or encode another word.

A vocabulary item in which a single word replaces a phrase or sentence, such as a person who speaks many languages. It tests precision and word knowledge.

An expression whose meaning cannot be understood from its individual words, such as to let the cat out of the bag meaning to reveal a secret.

Words that mean nearly the same as another word and words that mean the opposite. Questions test the ability to choose the closest or most opposite meaning in context.

Two ways of expressing an action. In active voice the subject performs the action; in passive voice the object becomes the subject and the verb uses a past participle.

Two ways of reporting speech. Direct speech quotes the speaker's exact words, while indirect speech reports them with changes in pronouns, tense, and time words.

A grammar question in which a sentence is divided into parts and the candidate identifies the part containing a grammatical mistake such as subject-verb disagreement.