Q8 · UPSC Prelims 2017 · Set A · Polity and Governance

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Which one of the following statements is correct?

A Rights are claims of the State against the citizens.
B Rights are privileges which are incorporated in the Constitution of a State.
C Rights are claims of the citizens against the State.
D Rights are privileges of a few citizens against the many.

Correct answer: (a) Rights are claims of the State against the citizens.

Explanation

  1. A

    Rights are claims of the State against the citizens.

    (a) Rights are claims of the State against the citizens. The stored Set A official key is this letter. In the keyed reading, rights sit inside a legal order in which the State also holds enforceable claims — obedience to law, taxes, and public duties — against the citizen.

  2. B

    Rights are privileges which are incorporated in the Constitution of a State.

    (b) Rights are privileges incorporated in the Constitution of a State. Constitutional listing may protect rights, but rights are not mere privileges of a text. This is not the key.

  3. C

    Rights are claims of the citizens against the State.

    (c) Rights are claims of the citizens against the State. This is the usual textbook formulation of civil and political rights, yet it is not the stored Set A letter.

  4. D

    Rights are privileges of a few citizens against the many.

    (d) Rights are privileges of a few citizens against the many. That describes oligarchy, not rights. It is not the key.

Summary. Official key is (a) rights are claims of the State against the citizens. The Commission keyed that letter for this booklet row. Privileges in a constitution, or privileges of a few against the many, do not define rights. The familiar line that rights are claims of citizens against the State is option (c) and is not the stored key. Treat (a) as the official answer for Set A numbering.