RAS question
The original Constitution had how many Articles, Parts, and Schedules?
Correct answer: (B) 395 Articles, 22 Parts, and 8 Schedules.
At the time of its commencement, the Constitution of India had 395 Articles, 22 Parts and 8 Schedules.
Explanation
The original Constitution is counted as it stood at commencement on 26 January 1950, not as amended later. PIB's factsheet on the Constitution of India calls it the world's lengthiest written Constitution and states that, at the time of commencement, it had 395 Articles, 22 Parts and 8 Schedules. The exact original count is 395 Articles, 22 Parts and 8 Schedules. The distinction matters because the Constitution has since changed through additions and deletions; later amendments raised the present-day structure to about 470+ Articles, 25 Parts and 12 Schedules. The word original refers to the 1950 structure.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 450 Articles is not the commencement count; PIB gives 395 Articles, and the original Constitution had 22 Parts and 8 Schedules.
- (C) 400 Articles, 25 Parts and 12 Schedules describe neither the original structure nor the count stated by PIB for commencement.
- (D) 350 Articles, 20 Parts and 10 Schedules understate the Articles and Parts and overstate the Schedules compared with the original 395 Articles, 22 Parts and 8 Schedules.
Concept
The basic factual structure of the Constitution at commencement is a recurring Indian Polity area in RAS because amendments have altered the present-day count. Candidates must distinguish the original Constitution from the amended Constitution.