UPSC Prelims 2020— Question 37

This question tests constitutional government. The key concept is: Constitutional government means government limited by a constitution and constrained by legal and institutional checks. It is therefore best described as limited government, not simply government by a legislature, popular government or a multi-party arrangement. The verified answer for the uploaded Set-B paper is option D. Option A — government by legislature: This is not the correct option. The option does not match the verified combination or conclusion. The decisive point is the distinction explained above: Constitutional government means government limited by a constitution and constrained by legal and institutional checks. It is therefore best described as limited government, not simply government by a legislature, popular government or a multi-party arrangement. Therefore this alternative should be eliminated even if part of its wording appears plausible in isolation. Option B — popular government: This is not the correct option. The option does not match the verified combination or conclusion. The decisive point is the distinction explained above: Constitutional government means government limited by a constitution and constrained by legal and institutional checks. It is therefore best described as limited government, not simply government by a legislature, popular government or a multi-party arrangement. Therefore this alternative should be eliminated even if part of its wording appears plausible in isolation. Option C — multi-party government: This is not the correct option. The option does not match the verified combination or conclusion. The decisive point is the distinction explained above: Constitutional government means government limited by a constitution and constrained by legal and institutional checks. It is therefore best described as limited government, not simply government by a legislature, popular government or a multi-party arrangement. Therefore this alternative should be eliminated even if part of its wording appears plausible in isolation. Option D — limited government: This is the correct option. It matches the verified conclusion because Constitutional government means government limited by a constitution and constrained by legal and institutional checks. It is therefore best described as limited government, not simply government by a legislature, popular government or a multi-party arrangement. 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.