UPSC CSE Prelims
Fundamental Duties Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Detailed Explanation:

All three pairs are correctly matched.

• Article 50 (DPSP) directs the State to separate the judiciary from the executive.

• Article 51A(f) (Fundamental Duties) asks citizens to value and preserve India's composite cultural heritage.

• Article 24 (Fundamental Rights) prohibits employment of children below 14 years in factories, mines, and hazardous occupations.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — Neither 1 nor 2

Fundamental Duties, enshrined in Article 51A (Part IV-A) of the Constitution, are non-justiciable and the Constitution does not provide any legislative process for their enforcement. They are moral and civic obligations, not correlative to legal duties which carry specific penalties under statutory law.

❌ Statement 1 – Incorrect: The Constitution does not provide any legislative process to enforce Fundamental Duties; they are non-justiciable and enforcement mechanisms, if any, are created through separate statutes outside the constitutional framework.

❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: Fundamental Duties are not correlative to legal duties; they are moral and civic principles without direct legal enforceability, unlike legal duties which are specific obligations with defined penalties under law.

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 1 — Rights are correlative with Duties.

In the Indian constitutional framework, Rights and Duties are interdependent and complementary to each other. While Fundamental Rights (Part III) protect individual freedoms and liberties, Fundamental Duties (Article 51A) emphasize the moral and civic responsibilities of citizens toward the nation, society, and fellow citizens. Rights cannot be exercised in a vacuum; they must be balanced with corresponding duties to ensure social harmony and collective welfare. For instance, the Right to Freedom of Speech is balanced by the duty to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood among all people of India.

Evaluation of Options:
✅ Option 1 – Correct: Rights and Duties are correlative and interdependent, as recognized in the Indian Constitution where both Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties coexist to balance individual freedoms with social responsibilities.
❌ Option 2 – Incorrect: Rights are not independent of society and duties; they exist within a social framework and must be exercised responsibly with awareness of corresponding duties toward others.
❌ Option 3 – Incorrect: Both Rights and Duties are important for personality development; duties ensure that individual advancement does not come at the cost of social welfare and harmony.
❌ Option 4 – Incorrect: Both Rights and Duties are essential for state stability; rights ensure legitimacy and consent of citizens, while duties ensure responsible citizenship.

Detailed Explanation:

The provision "To uphold and protect the Sovereignty, Unity and Integrity of India" is enshrined in Article 51A(c) of the Constitution.

This is one of the 11 Fundamental Duties added by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976 on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee.

Detailed Explanation:

✅ Statement 1 – Correct: Article 51A(f) mandates preserving the rich heritage of our composite culture as a Fundamental Duty.

❌ Statement 2 – Incorrect: Protecting weaker sections from social injustice is a Directive Principle under Article 46, not a Fundamental Duty.

✅ Statement 3 – Correct: Article 51A(h) requires developing scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry and reform.

✅ Statement 4 – Correct: Article 51A(j) mandates striving towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity.