State and Union Territories of India

146

Q40. The Fifty-third Constitutional Amendment is associated with statehood for which State?

[WBCS Mains Polity and Economy (2023), 2023]

1. Mizoram
2. Tripura
3. Manipur
4. Meghalaya

Answer: (A) Mizoram

Explanation: The Fifty-third Constitutional Amendment, 1986 inserted Article 371G, containing safeguards specific to Mizoram. Mizoram became a full State in February 1987. Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya had already attained statehood in 1972.

Q39. Chief Ministers of all States served as ex-officio members of which historic planning body?

[WBCS Mains Polity and Economy (2023), 2023]

1. Planning Commission
2. National Development Council
3. Inter-State Council only
4. Finance Commission

Answer: (B) National Development Council

Explanation: The National Development Council, established in 1952, included State Chief Ministers, Union Cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister. It helped coordinate development planning. This is a historical institutional question; the Planning Commission was replaced by NITI Aayog in 2015.

Q38. For a State Legislative Council, what is the constitutional maximum relative to Assembly membership?

[SSC MTS (09 May 2023, Shift 3; 2022 cycle), 2023]

1. Two-thirds
2. Three-fourths
3. One-third
4. One-fifth

Answer: (C) One-third

Explanation: Article 171 states that a state legislative council ordinarily cannot exceed one-third of the assembly’s total strength and must generally have at least 40 members. The Council is a continuing chamber, unlike an assembly subject to dissolution.

Q37. Consider:
I. Uttar Pradesh is India’s largest state by area.
II. Rajasthan is India’s most populous state.

Which statement is correct?

[SSC CGL Tier I (12 Dec 2022, Shift 3), 2022]

1. Only I
2. Neither I nor II
3. Only II
4. Both I and II

Answer: (B) Neither I nor II

Explanation: Both statements are false. Rajasthan is the largest state by area, whereas Uttar Pradesh has the highest state population. Comparing these two superlatives is a common examination trap because geographical size and number of residents measure different things.

Q36. Which was India’s least populous State according to the 2011 Census?

[SSC CGL Tier I (02 Dec 2022, Shift 4), 2022]

1. Nagaland
2. Sikkim
3. Arunachal Pradesh
4. Goa

Answer: (B) Sikkim

Explanation: Sikkim had approximately 6.11 lakh residents in 2011, the smallest state population. Goa has the smallest geographical area among states, while Lakshadweep has the smallest land area among Union Territories. The three distinctions should not be interchanged.

Q35. In which year was India’s first post-Independence linguistic State established?

[SSC CHSL (08 Jun 2022, Shift 2; 2021 cycle), 2022]

1. 1957
2. 1951
3. 1952
4. 1953

Answer: (D) 1953

Explanation: The Andhra State was formed on 1 October 1953 to bring Telugu-speaking areas of Madras State together. Andhra Pradesh, incorporating Telugu-speaking regions of Hyderabad State, came later with reorganisation in 1956. Thus the first linguistic state dates to 1953.

Q34. Konkani is an official language of which State?

[RRB Group D (15 Sep 2022, Shift 1), 2022]

1. Tripura
2. Arunachal Pradesh
3. Goa
4. Sikkim

Answer: (C) Goa

Explanation: Goa made Konkani its official language through its 1987 official-language law. Konkani belongs to the Indo-Aryan linguistic group and is spoken along India’s western coast. Its recognition was part of Goa’s distinctive identity following statehood.

Q33. The Ao language is primarily associated with which Indian State?

[RRB Group D (11 Oct 2022, Shift 2), 2022]

1. Odisha
2. Nagaland
3. Chhattisgarh
4. Tripura

Answer: (B) Nagaland

Explanation: Ao is spoken mainly by the Ao Naga community of Nagaland and belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family. Nagaland has numerous indigenous languages, while English remains the official language for administrative work. Language and official status are separate concepts.

Q32. In which year did the Delhi Durbar announce the transfer of Britain’s Indian capital from Calcutta to Delhi?

[RRB Group D (26 Sep 2022, Shift 1), 2022]

1. 1877
2. 1910
3. 1903
4. 1911

Answer: (D) 1911

Explanation: The British announced the shift of their Indian imperial capital at the Delhi Durbar in 1911 during King George V’s visit. The announcement marked the move away from Calcutta; the planned city of New Delhi was formally inaugurated later, in 1931.

Q31. In which state or UT is Tsomgo, also called Changu Lake, located?

[UPSC CDS II General Knowledge (04 Sep 2022), 2022]

1. Ladakh
2. Himachal Pradesh
3. Sikkim
4. Uttarakhand

Answer: (C) Sikkim

Explanation: Tsomgo is a glacial lake in Sikkim, situated near Gangtok in the Eastern Himalayas. Its location is an important state-geography identification point. The lake is associated with high-altitude terrain and is distinct from lakes in Ladakh and Uttarakhand.