Chief purpose of a Constitution — UPSC Prelims PYQ 2023
Which one of the following statements best reflects the Chief purpose of the ‘Constitution’ of a country?
- It determines the objective for the making of necessary laws.
- It enables the creation of political offices and a government.
- It defines and limits the powers of government.
- It secures social justice, social equality and social security.
Explanation
Statement (c) best reflects the Chief purpose of the ‘Constitution’ of a country
- The primary purpose of a constitution is to establish the framework for government and define its powers and limitations. In the Indian Constitution for example, it is specified that in most instances, Parliament gets to decide laws and policies, and that Parliament itself be organised in a particular manner.
- It ensures that the government’s powers are clearly outlined and restricted to prevent abuse of power and protect citizens’ rights. Constitutions limit the power of government in many ways. The most common way of limiting the power of government is to specify certain fundamental rights that all of us possess as citizens and which no government can ever be allowed to violate. The exact content and interpretation of these rights vary from constitution to constitution. But most constitutions will protect a basic cluster of rights.
Answer: (c) It defines and limits the powers of government; Difficulty Level: Easy
