The Fundamental Duties of a citizen include 1. Respect for the Constitution,…
2012
The Fundamental Duties of a citizen include
1. Respect for the Constitution, the National Flag and the National Anthem
2. To develop the scientific temper.
3. Respect for the Government.
4. To protect Wildlife.
Choose the correct answer from the codes given below :
Codes :
Answer: B. 1, 2 and 4 — Concept: Fundamental Duties are not an open list of civic virtues; they are exactly the obligations enumerated in Article 51A, which forms Part IVA of the…
- A.
1, 2 and 3
- B.
1, 2 and 4
- C.
2, 3 and 4
- D.
1, 3, 4 and 2
Attempted by 7 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept: Fundamental Duties are not an open list of civic virtues; they are exactly the obligations enumerated in Article 51A, which forms Part IVA of the Constitution. Part IVA was inserted by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee with ten duties, and the 86th Amendment Act, 2002 added an eleventh. So the test for any candidate statement is purely textual: is it written into Article 51A or not? Notice what the Article binds a citizen to, namely the Constitution and its ideals and institutions, the national symbols, the natural environment and the scientific temper, and never to the executive of the day.
Application: check each numbered statement against the text of Article 51A.
Respect for the Constitution, the National Flag and the National Anthem restates clause 51A(a), which asks a citizen to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem. It is enumerated.
Developing the scientific temper restates clause 51A(h), to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform. It is enumerated.
Respect for the Government appears in no clause of Article 51A. The closest clause, 51A(a), names the Constitution, its ideals and institutions and the national symbols; a government is an authority constituted under that Constitution, not itself an object of duty named by the Article. It is not enumerated.
Protecting wildlife falls under clause 51A(g), to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures. It is enumerated.
Cross-check: map every statement to its clause before choosing the code.
Statement | Clause of Article 51A | Enumerated as a duty? |
|---|---|---|
Respect for the Constitution, the National Flag and the National Anthem | 51A(a) | Yes |
To develop the scientific temper | 51A(h) | Yes |
Respect for the Government | No such clause | No |
To protect wildlife | 51A(g) | Yes |
Result: Article 51A therefore enumerates statements 1, 2 and 4, so the correct code is 1, 2 and 4.
Contrast with the other codes:
The combination 1, 2 and 3 keeps statement 3 and drops statement 4, trading an enumerated environmental duty for an obligation Article 51A never states.
The combination 2, 3 and 4 drops statement 1, even though respect for the Constitution and the national symbols is the very opening clause, 51A(a).
The combination that takes all four statements, written as 1, 3, 4 and 2, still carries statement 3 and fails on the same point.