2017 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2017 · GS Paper I

Question 8: Polity and Governance

Which one of the following statements is correct ?

aRights are claims of the State against the citizens.
bRights are privileges which are incorporated in the Constitution of a State.
cRights are claims of the citizens against the State.
dRights are privileges of a few citizens against the many.

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).

Rights are claims of individuals, as members of society, that the State must recognise and protect. They are therefore claims of citizens against the State, and the State is bound to respect them. They are not claims of the State against citizens, which would be duties or powers, and they are not special privileges of a few, since a right is available to all alike. A right need not be written in a Constitution to exist as a claim, though constitutional rights are enforceable.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Wrong: claims of the State against citizens are powers or duties, not rights.
  • (b) Wrong: rights are not mere privileges, and they exist as claims even beyond what a Constitution lists.
  • (c) Right: a right is a claim of the citizen that the State must respect and protect.
  • (d) Wrong: privileges of a few contradict the equal availability of rights.

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

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2017, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.