Correct answer: (d) Federal
Explanation
- A
Sovereign
(a) Sovereign. ‘Sovereign’ is in the Preamble from 26 January 1950. It is mentioned.
- B
Democratic
(b) Democratic. ‘Democratic’ is in the original Preamble. It is mentioned.
- C
Secular
(c) Secular. ‘Secular’ was inserted by the 42nd Amendment, 1976, and is now in the Preamble. It is mentioned.
- D
Federal
(d) Federal. The Preamble describes India as a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic. It never uses the word ‘federal’. The Constitution’s body uses ‘Union of States’ in Article 1. That missing Preamble word is the official key.
Summary. Official key is (d) Federal. Sovereign, democratic and secular all appear in the Preamble (secular since 1976, with socialist). Federal is a doctrinal label for the Union–State split, not a Preamble word. Neighbouring Preamble terms include justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. ‘Integrity’ was also added in 1976.
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