Political Theory MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Political Theory - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is Advisory

Key Points

• Nature of Recommendations:
  • The recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) are not binding on the government or authorities.
• Statutory Position:
  • Under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, NHRC has advisory powers. It can recommend actions but cannot enforce them.
• Follow-Up Mechanism: The concerned government authority is required to inform NHRC within one month of the action taken on its recommendations.
• Limitations:
  • NHRC does not have judicial powers to ensure compliance. It relies on moral authority and public pressure to ensure implementation.
• Purpose of Advisory Role: It allows the Commission to act as an independent watchdog without interfering with the executive or judiciary.

Additional Information

• Binding: NHRC’s recommendations are not enforceable by law.
• Both (a) and (b): A recommendation cannot be both binding and advisory; NHRC’s are purely advisory.
• None of the above:Incorrect because “Advisory” is the correct and specific answer

The correct answer is 

Key Points 

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) was established under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
• Date of Establishment:
  • Though the Act received the President’s assent on 8th January 1994, the NHRC was formally constituted and came into force on 12th October 1993 through a government notification under the Act.
• Purpose of NHRC:
  • To investigate complaints of human rights violations or negligence by public servants.
  • To promote human rights literacy and awareness.
• Headquarters: Located in New Delhi, India.
• First Chairperson: Justice Ranganath Misra, former Chief Justice of India, was the first Chairperson.

Additional Information 

• Option 1. 28th September, 1993: This is the date when the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance was promulgated, not the date NHRC was established.
• Option 2. 18th December, 1993: No significant event related to NHRC took place on this date.
• Option 3. 1st January, 1994: This date marks some provisions of the Act coming into operation but not the establishment of the NHRC.

The correct answer is 'Both A and R are right and R is the correct explanation of A.'

Key Points

• Universal Nature of Human Rights:
  • Human rights are recognized as universal, indivisible, and interdependent, implying that they apply to everyone, everywhere, without discrimination.
  • These rights are interconnected, meaning the realization of one right often depends on the realization of others (e.g., the right to education impacts the right to work and livelihood).
• World Conference on Human Rights, 1993:
  • The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 reaffirmed the universality, indivisibility, and interdependence of human rights.
  • The declaration emphasized that all human rights must be treated equally and with the same emphasis, irrespective of their political, economic, social, or cultural nature.
• Connection Between Assertion (A) and Reasoning (R):
  • The assertion (A) correctly states the principle that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent, and interrelated.
  • The reasoning (R) provides the context and source, as the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 explicitly confirmed this principle, making R the correct explanation of A.

Additional Information

• Analysis of Other Options:
  • Option 1: This is incorrect because while both A and R are right, R is not just an additional fact but the correct explanation of A.
  • Option 2: This is incorrect because A is true, and the universality of human rights is a widely accepted principle, reaffirmed by the 1993 World Conference. R is also true.
  • Option 3: This is incorrect because R is not wrong. The World Conference on Human Rights indeed affirmed the universality and interdependence of human rights.
  • Option 4 (Correct): Both A and R are true, and R provides the correct explanation for A, as the 1993 World Conference forms the basis for the assertion.
• Significance of Universality of Human Rights:
  • The principle ensures that human rights are not subject to cultural, political, or social relativism.
  • It provides a framework for international cooperation to address human rights violations globally.

The correct answer is '1993'.

Key Points

• The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993:
  • The Protection of Human Rights Act was enacted in 1993 by the Government of India to protect and promote human rights, which are guaranteed by the Constitution of India or are in accordance with international human rights treaties.
  • This Act led to the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and State Human Rights Commissions (SHRCs) to investigate complaints regarding the violation of human rights.
  • The NHRC plays a pivotal role in ensuring that human rights are respected, protected, and promoted in India through independent investigations, recommendations, and awareness programs.
  • The Act defines "human rights" as the rights relating to life, liberty, equality, and dignity of the individual, guaranteed by the Constitution or embodied in international covenants and enforceable by Indian courts.

Additional Information

• Explanation of Other Options:
  • Option 1 - 1996:
    • This year is incorrect because the Protection of Human Rights Act was passed earlier, in 1993, not in 1996. However, amendments to the Act and the enhancement of its provisions were made in later years.
  • Option 2 - 1950:
    • While 1950 is significant as the year the Constitution of India came into force, it is not related to the Protection of Human Rights Act, which came much later in response to evolving human rights concerns.
  • Option 3 - 1948:
    • The year 1948 is important in the global context as the year the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the United Nations. However, India’s Protection of Human Rights Act was not passed in this year.
  • Option 5 - (Blank):
    • This option does not provide a specific year, making it invalid as an answer. The correct year is 1993.

The correct answer is Foreign Policy. 

Important Points

• Kautilya propounded his Mandala Theory in his famous work named Arthashastra. 
• He gave this theory for any prospective king who wishes to rule over the world. 
• Kautilya played an important role in instituting Mauryan Dynasty at the throne of Magadha in 4th Century BC. 
• He guided King Chandragupta Maurya to overthrow the ruling dynast and gain the seat of Magadha. 

Thus we can conclude that Kautilya's model theory related to foreign policy.

Additional Information Mandala Theory of Kautilya: 

• In this system, Kautilya advocated six-fold policy to interact with the neighbors, which included co-existence, neutrality, alliance, double policy, march and war.
• To achieve this he advised the king to resort to five tactics:
  • conciliation,
  • gift and bribery,
  • dissention,
  • deceit and pretense,
  • open attack or war. 

The correct answer is 1993.

Key Points

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is an embodiment of India's concern for the promotion and protection of human rights.
• It was established on 12 October 1993.
• It was given a statutory basis by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.
• Human Rights is defined by the act as "Rights relating to Life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the constitution or embodied in the international covenants and enforceable by courts in India."
• NHRC performs the given functions:
  • Inquire into violations of human rights by the government of India
  • Study treaties and other international instruments on human rights
  • Engage in human rights education among various sections of society

 Thus, we can say that the National Human Rights Commission was constituted in 1993.

The branch of political science in which only western government, and ancient, historical and philosophical study methods were used is called traditional political science.

Key Points

• The Institutional Perspective, which mainly relates to the standard features of government and politics accentuates the study of the political institutions and structures.
  • The ancient philosophical thinker Aristotle has also been a supporter of this perspective.
• Linguistic philosophy is concerned with the scientific development of language and the standardization of its philosophical stage.
• The legal Perspective, mainly relates that the state is the entire organization for forming and enforcing laws.
• Historical Perspective mainly relates  Theorists who developed this political perspective focused on the historical factors like the age, place and the situation in which it evolved are taken into consideration.
  • The supporters of this approach are Cicero, Jean Bodin, Thomas Hobbes, Jeremy Bentham, John Austin, Dicey and Sir Henry Maine.

The correct answer is 1948.

Key Points

• The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the year 1948.

Additional Information

• The General Assembly adopted it on 10 December 1948 through a resolution known as the 'Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• It was accepted by 48 countries without any negative vote and eight states were absent.
• Due to the adoption of the Declaration on 10 December, the whole world celebrates this date as Human Rights Day.
• The impact of World War II triggered the establishment of the UDHR. 
• The Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that  -
  • The human rights described in the Declaration are proclaimed as a common standard for all individuals and for all nations.

The correct answer is Quentin Skinner

Key Points

• The Textualist approach to political theory is associated with a close reading and interpretation of political texts.
• Among the thinkers listed, Quentin Skinner is renowned for his work in the history of political thought, specifically his role in developing the Cambridge School of political thought.
• This school emphasizes a textual and historical approach to interpreting political writing, considering the historical context in which it was produced. This approach is somewhat akin to the Textualist approach.

Additional Information

• John Plamenatz and Andrew Hacker, on the other hand, are not typically associated with the Textualist approach.
• Plamenatz was a political philosopher who wrote on a wide variety of subjects, but is not known for a Textualist approach.
• Andrew Hacker is a political scientist and author known for his work on racial and gender politics in the United States, rather than textual interpretations of political theory.

Rawls' theory of jurisprudence is based on an ethical and equitable way of allocating various goods, services, opportunities, benefits, etc., among different sections of society, individuals and groups.

Key Points

• John Bordley Rawls was a liberal political philosopher, best known for his political-philosophical publication "A Theory of Justice (1971)".
• Rawls' theory of justice is largely influenced by Immanuel Kant's social contract theory.
• Under this theory, he emphasized the need for a state that is neutral between different views of values.
• Under this theory, he believed that just or fair actions are those that bring the greatest amount of good to the people.

Thus, the veil of ignorance, the position of origin, special precedence etc. is the terminology related to John Rawls' theory of justice while Lockean proviso is related to John Locke's theory.

Additional Information The Lockean proviso is a feature of John Locke's labor theory of property which states that whilst individuals have a right to homestead private property from nature by working on it, they can do so only "at least where there is enough, and as good, left in common for others".

The correct answer is a sovereign state represents the collective good - Karl Marx.Key Points

• Karl Marx states that sovereign states represent interest of Bourgeoise class and not collective interest of people at large.
• States act according to class based stratification and try to set up economic and material hegemony of ruling class.

Additional Information

• Rousseau defines the sovereign as all the citizens acting collectively. Together, they voice the general will and the laws of the state. The sovereign cannot be represented, divided, or broken up in any way: only all the people speaking collectively can be sovereign.
• Bodin holds that sovereignty cannot be divided – it must necessarily reside in one person or group of persons.
• Austin  Sovereignty must reside in a “determinate person” or in a “determinate body” which acts as the ultimate source of power in the state and the power of the determinate superior is unlimited and absolute. 

Thus, Not correctly matched is a sovereign state represents the collective good - Karl Marx

The correct answer is Max Weber.

Key Points The concept of power is one of the fundamental concepts of political theory.

• The analysis of the nature of power in both socialist and capitalist societies is essential for understanding the nature of politics as well as the state.
• A definition in “A Dictionary of Social Sciences” says: “Power in its most general sense denotes (a) the ability (exercised or not) to produce a certain occurrence or (b) the influence exerted by man or group, through whatever means, over the conduct of others in intended ways.”
• This definition of power is deeply influenced by Max Weber’s famous formulation: “power signifies any capacity to work one’s will within given social relations even against opposition, independent of what that capacity is based on.”
• This juridical conception of power was very popular among the western writers during the 1950s and 60s.
• In other words, Max Weber advocated that the central idea of Political Science is power.

Option 4 is correct, i.e. bringing about Socialism through democratic means.

• Democratic socialism is a political ideology that advocates political democracy alongside social ownership of the means of production, often with an emphasis on democratic management of enterprises within a socialist economic system.

Extra facts:

• Socialism is a political ideology and economic system of govt. which proposes a set of social and economic measures, policies, and systems that are characterized by social ownership.
• Democratic control of the means of production. In a capitalist system, market forces are allowed to operate freely and govt. has very less or no ownership over the resources.
• The Preamble declares India to be a 'Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic'.

The correct answer is Edmund Burke.

Important Points

• Edmund Burke was a statesman and political thinker who dominated debates in the British Parliament during the late 1700s.
• His principled stands on such controversies as the American and French revolutions inspired modern political conservatism. He is also known as Father of Conservatism. 
• In 1770, Edmund Burke defined a political party, ideologically, as a body of men and women united on the basis of their shared political ideas so as to promote the national interest.

Additional Information

• According to R. G. Gettel, a political party is “a group of citizens more or less organized, who act as a political unit and who by the use of their political power aim at controlling the government and carrying out its general policies.

The first ten amendments of the United States Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights.

Key Points

• The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution were enacted as a unified unit on December 15, 1791.
• It represents a collection of mutually reinforcing guarantees of individual rights and limitations on federal and state governments.

Thus, The Bill of Rights (first ten amendments) in America includes the Right to assembly, the Right to bear arms, the Right to a speedy trial, Right to security against unreasonable searches.

Additional Information

• Right to social security allowance was added to American Consitution through the Social Security Act of 1935.