UPSC Prelims 2020— Question 26

This question tests preamble and legal status. The key concept is: The Preamble is part of the Constitution after the Supreme Court's interpretation, but it is not an independently enforceable source of legal power in the same manner as operative constitutional provisions. It assists constitutional interpretation and expresses foundational values. The verified answer for the uploaded Set-B paper is option D. Option A — a part of the Constitution but has no legal effect: This is not the correct option. The option does not match the verified combination or conclusion. The decisive point is the distinction explained above: The Preamble is part of the Constitution after the Supreme Court's interpretation, but it is not an independently enforceable source of legal power in the same manner as operative constitutional provisions. It assists constitutional interpretation and expresses foundational values. Therefore this alternative should be eliminated even if part of its wording appears plausible in isolation. Option B — not a part of the Constitution and has no legal effect either: This is not the correct option. The option does not match the verified combination or conclusion. The decisive point is the distinction explained above: The Preamble is part of the Constitution after the Supreme Court's interpretation, but it is not an independently enforceable source of legal power in the same manner as operative constitutional provisions. It assists constitutional interpretation and expresses foundational values. Therefore this alternative should be eliminated even if part of its wording appears plausible in isolation. Option C — a part of the Constitution and has the same legal effect as any other part: This is not the correct option. The option does not match the verified combination or conclusion. The decisive point is the distinction explained above: The Preamble is part of the Constitution after the Supreme Court's interpretation, but it is not an independently enforceable source of legal power in the same manner as operative constitutional provisions. It assists constitutional interpretation and expresses foundational values. Therefore this alternative should be eliminated even if part of its wording appears plausible in isolation. Option D — a part of the Constitution but has no legal effect independently of other parts: This is the correct option. It matches the verified conclusion because The Preamble is part of the Constitution after the Supreme Court's interpretation, but it is not an independently enforceable source of legal power in the same manner as operative constitutional provisions. It assists constitutional interpretation and expresses foundational values. The wording of the option is consistent with the governing concept tested by the question. For UPSC-style elimination, first identify the exact proposition being tested, then evaluate each statement independently before comparing the answer codes. Avoid treating a broad or absolute statement as correct merely because its general theme is familiar. The precise qualifiers in the question—such as 'all', 'only', 'cannot', 'largest', 'always' or a specific institutional role—often determine the answer. On that basis, option D is the verified answer.