UPSC Prelims 2014 · CSAT

Question 51: Reading Comprehension

“Liberty, therefore, is never real unless the Government can be called to account when it invades rights.”

Which one of the following is the best justification of the above statement ?

aIn the realisation that the government can be brought to book in a court of law

bIn identifying a man as a political unit in a way which distinguishes him from other citizens

cIn a decentralized society wherein the basic needs of men can find satisfaction

dIn the understanding that liberty and restraints are complementary

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).

The statement makes liberty depend on being able to hold the state answerable when it oversteps on people's rights. That means liberty is not the absence of all restraint: rights need limits on the state, and answerability is one such limit. Liberty and restraint therefore go together, each making the other meaningful. Court action is only one way of making the state answerable, so it is narrower than the principle.

Why each option is right or wrong

(a) Court action is one means of accountability, narrower than the principle that liberty depends on restraints.
(b) Singling out a person as a political unit has no link to holding government accountable.
(c) Meeting basic needs in a decentralized society is a different matter from accountability for rights.
(d) Right. Liberty is real only where restraints, including accountability of government, go with it.

Worth knowing: Option (a) is a close rival, since courts are a common way of holding government to account; the key prefers the broader idea in (d).

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2014, General Studies Paper II (CSAT), Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.