Social Science and General Awareness - Constitution, Geography and Current Context
This domain tests citizenship knowledge and general awareness: the Constitution of India, rights and duties, the machinery of government, Indian and Uttar Pradesh geography, the freedom movement, and current affairs of national and state importance.
Core facts to hold firmly
- The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950; it was adopted on 26 November 1949.
- Fundamental Rights are in Part III (Articles 12–35). The Right to Property was removed as a fundamental right by the 44th Amendment Act, 1978, and became a legal right under Article 300A.
- Fundamental Duties are in Article 51A, inserted by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee.
- Words socialist, secular and integrity were added to the Preamble by the 42nd Amendment.
- Panchayati Raj was given constitutional status by the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992, with three tiers: Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad.
- Uttar Pradesh came into being as a state on 24 January 1950, with Lucknow as its capital.
Worked example
“The Right to Property was removed from the list of Fundamental Rights by which amendment?” Reasoning: the 42nd Amendment (1976) is associated with Fundamental Duties and Preamble words, so it is the decoy. The removal was done by the 44th Amendment Act, 1978, which placed property under Article 300A as a constitutional legal right. Matching the amendment number to its purpose prevents the swap.
Traps that cost marks
- Exchanging the 42nd and 44th Amendments.
- Counting Fundamental Duties as ten - an eleventh was added by the 86th Amendment, 2002.
- Confusing the Rajya Sabha’s special powers with those of the Lok Sabha.
- Mixing up states’ formation dates with the Republic Day date.
- Answering current-affairs questions from memory without checking the year.