2021 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2021 · GS Paper I

Question 96: Polity and Governance

Consider the following statements in respect of Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards :

  1. 1.Bharat Ratna and Padma Awards are titles under the Article 18(1) of the Constitution of India.
  2. 2.Padma Awards, which were instituted in the year 1954, were suspended only once.
  3. 3.The number of Bharat Ratna Awards is restricted to a maximum of five in a particular year.

Which of the above statements are not correct?

a1 and 2 only
b2 and 3 only
c1 and 3 only
d1, 2 and 3

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).

The question asks which statements are not correct, and all three are wrong. The Supreme Court held in 1995 that the Bharat Ratna and Padma awards are not titles within Article 18(1), which bars the State from conferring titles. The Padma awards, instituted in 1954, were suspended twice, in the late 1970s and again in the 1990s, not once. Bharat Ratna is restricted to a maximum of three in a year, not five.

  • 1. Not correct: the awards are not titles under Article 18(1).
  • 2. Not correct: the Padma awards were suspended twice, not once.
  • 3. Not correct: Bharat Ratna is limited to three in a year, not five.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (c) goes: it leaves 2 out.

    What you needed to know: Not correct: the Padma awards were suspended twice, not once.

    The red flag in statement 2 is “only”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “only” were true 27% of the time (82 statements). A hint, not a rule.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (b) goes: it leaves 1 out.

    What you needed to know: Not correct: the awards are not titles under Article 18(1).

  3. Then, if you were sure statement 3 is not correct, (a) goes: it leaves 3 out.

    What you needed to know: Not correct: Bharat Ratna is limited to three in a year, not five.

Only (d) is left. This one needs every statement.

Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Wrong: statement 3 is also not correct.
  • (b) Wrong: statement 1 is also not correct.
  • (c) Wrong: statement 2 is also not correct.
  • (d) Right: all three statements are incorrect.

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

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2021, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.