Ten MCQs on current International and national events - 148

PRERNA FOR IAS

(ASSOCIATE OF SAMKALP)

A-Category MCQs -148

1. With reference to the Supreme Court's observations on reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA), consider the following statements:

1. The Court favoured a permanent institutional mechanism over repeated ad hoc responses to examination failures.
2. Institutional memory can improve the management of high-stakes examinations.
3. The Court considered technological security largely irrelevant once strict criminal penalties are prescribed.
4. Secure premises, professional staffing and grievance mechanisms can form part of examination reform.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 2, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Correct Answer: (b)

Explanation: Statements 1, 2 and 4 are correct. The Supreme Court asked the Centre to institutionalise NTA reforms rather than rely on one-time corrective measures after every controversy. It referred to UPSC as an example of an institution that has accumulated expertise and institutional memory through repeated examination management. Statement 3 is incorrect because the Court specifically stressed digital security, secure premises, sovereign databases and professional staffing. Elimination clue: examination integrity is not merely a policing issue. Criminal punishment addresses wrongdoing after it occurs; institutional reform seeks to prevent failure in the first place.

2. With reference to the constitutional issues arising from the Noida labour protests, consider the following statements:

1. Mere presence in a protesting crowd necessarily establishes common criminal intention.
2. Courts emphasised specific evidence connecting individuals to violence or instigation.
3. Peaceful assembly and criminal violence require different legal treatment.
4. Collective criminalisation can raise concerns relating to personal liberty and due process.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Correct Answer: (b)

Explanation: Statements 2, 3 and 4 are correct. An examination of 222 bail orders found that courts granted relief in 188 cases, around 84%. Courts repeatedly stressed that mere presence in a protesting crowd does not establish individual criminal intent and that specific evidence should connect an accused person with violence, arson or instigation. Statement 1 is therefore incorrect. Elimination clue: criminal liability ordinarily requires evidence connecting the individual to the alleged offence. The broader constitutional principle emerging from these cases is that the State may prosecute identifiable violence, but association with a protest cannot by itself justify collective criminalisation.

3. With reference to preventive detention and national security, consider the following statements: