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Post-independence nation-building: Nehruvian era, states reorganisation, institutions and S&T MCQ - Practice Questions with Answers

Solve 15 Post-independence nation-building: Nehruvian era, states reorganisation, institutions and S&T questions for RAS/RPSC preparation.

Practice questions

Q1According to the final study note, which statement best defines nation-building after 1947?

A Only replacing colonial rulers with Indian rulers and drawing new borders
B Integrating territories, building constitutional democracy, common citizenship, institutions and planned development
C Keeping democracy suspended until poverty, illiteracy and social diversity disappeared
D Giving priority only to foreign policy while leaving economic development outside the state agenda
Explanation

The study note presents nation-building as a combined process rather than a narrow transfer of power. After independence, India had to integrate British Indian provinces and princely states, prevent fragmentation, create shared constitutional citizenship and run democracy through elections and institutions. Development was also essential because political freedom without agriculture, industry, education, health and infrastructure capacity would remain incomplete. This is why the topic links integration, constitutional democracy, institution building and planned development together.

Q2In the context of national integration after 1947, which pair is correctly matched?

A Homi J. Bhabha - integration of princely states
B Election Commission - voter rolls, polling and counting across a large diverse country
C Planning Commission - constitutional adjudication and federal disputes
D UPSC - communication, weather, education and remote sensing
Explanation

The Election Commission is connected with the practical working of democracy: voter rolls, polling and counting across a large and diverse country. This helped make regular elections a channel for democratic integration. Other institutions had different roles: Homi J. Bhabha is linked with atomic energy, the Planning Commission with Five Year Plans and development priorities, and UPSC with recruitment to higher civil services and administrative continuity.

Q3Which of the following is incorrect according to the study note?

A The first general elections of 1951-52 showed India’s use of universal adult franchise from the beginning.
B The Planning Commission was established in 1950 and linked with Five Year Plans and development priorities.
C Space research achievements of later decades should not be projected backwards into the 1950s.
D The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 reorganised India by abandoning the Union framework in favour of independent linguistic units.
Explanation

The incorrect statement distorts the central point about 1956. The study note says the States Reorganisation Act reorganised state boundaries mainly on linguistic and administrative grounds while keeping India as a single Union. Its importance was that it turned potential conflict into constitutional adjustment. It did not create independent linguistic units or abandon national unity. The other statements match the note’s chronology and cautions about elections, planning and space research.

Q4Arrange the following events in chronological order: Constitution came into force, first general elections, Andhra State was formed, States Reorganisation Act was passed.

A First general elections, Constitution came into force, Andhra State was formed, States Reorganisation Act was passed
B Constitution came into force, Andhra State was formed, first general elections, States Reorganisation Act was passed
C Andhra State was formed, Constitution came into force, first general elections, States Reorganisation Act was passed
D Constitution came into force, first general elections, Andhra State was formed, States Reorganisation Act was passed
Explanation

The chronology hook in the note is direct: the Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, the first general elections were held in 1951-52, Andhra State was formed in 1953 and the States Reorganisation Act came in 1956. This order also explains the broader pattern. India first operationalised the republic and electoral democracy, then responded to linguistic pressure through Andhra, and then used the 1956 Act for wider federal reorganisation.

Q5Which of the following is incorrectly matched according to the final study note?

A Election Commission - credible elections, voter rolls, polling and counting
B UPSC - recruitment to higher civil services and trained administration
C Supreme Court - coordination of Five Year Plans and resource allocation
D Planning Commission - Five Year Plans, resource allocation and development priorities
Explanation

The note assigns constitutional interpretation, rights protection and federal disputes to the Supreme Court. Coordination of Five Year Plans, resource allocation and development priorities belongs to the Planning Commission, established in 1950. CET traps often mix democratic-constitutional institutions with developmental planning bodies. The safer method is to attach each institution to its function: courts for constitutional rule, Election Commission for elections, UPSC for civil-service recruitment and Planning Commission for planned development.

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More questions

6Which statement best captures the Nehruvian era as an exam frame in the final study note?

AIt is a framework for parliamentary democracy, secular citizenship, mixed economy, Five Year Plans, public sector, scientific temper and non-alignment as background
BIt is mainly a list of foreign-policy events, with domestic institution building kept outside the topic
CIt means rejecting elections until literacy and industrial capacity were sufficient
DIt treats science and technology as unrelated to development and self-reliance

7A question asks which pair is most appropriately connected with territorial integration and which pair is most appropriately connected with early atomic energy. Which combination is correct?

ATerritorial integration: Homi J. Bhabha; early atomic energy: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and V. P. Menon
BTerritorial integration: Jawaharlal Nehru; early atomic energy: Election Commission
CTerritorial integration: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and V. P. Menon; early atomic energy: Homi J. Bhabha
DTerritorial integration: Supreme Court; early atomic energy: Planning Commission

8Assertion: The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 helped strengthen the Union by turning language-based pressure into constitutional adjustment. Reason: Language was linked with administration, education, political mobilisation and cultural identity.

ABoth the assertion and the reason are true, and the reason explains the assertion.
BBoth the assertion and the reason are true, but the reason does not explain the assertion.
CThe assertion is true, but the reason is false.
DThe assertion is false, but the reason is true.

9Assertion: Linguistic reorganisation of states helped convert potential conflict into constitutional adjustment. Reason: The final study note presents the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 as a turning point that reorganised boundaries mainly on linguistic and administrative grounds while keeping India a single Union.

ABoth assertion and reason are true, and the reason correctly explains the assertion
BBoth assertion and reason are true, but the reason does not explain the assertion
CThe assertion is true, but the reason is false
DThe assertion is false, but the reason is true

10Which statement is incorrect about science and technology development in early independent India?

AScientific temper meant encouraging rational thinking, experimentation and respect for evidence.
BThe Atomic Energy Commission was established in 1948.
CTechnical education through institutions like IITs helped prepare engineers and scientists.
DAll later space achievements should be treated as events of the 1950s.

11Assertion: In the Nehruvian era, science and technology were treated as part of nation-building, not as a separate luxury. Reason: Scientific temper, technical education, laboratories, atomic energy, agriculture and industry were linked with self-reliance and modern state capacity.

ABoth the assertion and the reason are true, and the reason correctly explains the assertion.
BBoth the assertion and the reason are true, but the reason does not explain the assertion.
CThe assertion is true, but the reason is false.
DThe assertion is false, but the reason is true.

12A CET aspirant says that linguistic state reorganisation weakened national integration because it gave priority to regional identity over unity. Which response best matches the study-note argument?

AThe argument is correct because the 1956 Act abandoned the idea of India as a Union.
BThe argument misses that constitutional accommodation of language converted potential conflict into stronger federal unity.
CThe argument is correct because linguistic identity was treated as separatism in every case after 1953.
DThe argument is incomplete because the first general elections, not state reorganisation, created Andhra State.

13Which statement best captures the Nehruvian economic approach described in the study note?

AThe state withdrew from planning and left heavy industry entirely to private capital.
BEconomic policy was limited to foreign-policy non-alignment and avoided domestic development.
CPrivate enterprise existed, but the state led planning, heavy industry, infrastructure and strategic sectors.
DThe model rejected public investment because political independence alone was considered sufficient.

14Which chronological sequence is correct for early post-independence nation-building?

AConstitution came into force, Planning Commission, first general elections, Andhra State, States Reorganisation Act
BPlanning Commission, Constitution came into force, first general elections, States Reorganisation Act, Andhra State
CFirst general elections, Constitution came into force, Planning Commission, Andhra State, States Reorganisation Act
DAndhra State, Planning Commission, Constitution came into force, first general elections, States Reorganisation Act

15Match the early-republic institution with its function as described in the study note. List I 1. Election Commission 2. Planning Commission 3. UPSC and all-India services 4. Supreme Court List II a. Coordinating Five Year Plans and development priorities b. Conducting credible elections c. Constitutional interpretation, rights and federal disputes d. Supplying trained administrators and administrative continuity

A1-b, 2-a, 3-d, 4-c
B1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d
C1-c, 2-d, 3-a, 4-b
D1-d, 2-c, 3-b, 4-a

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