Read the passage and answer the five questions that follow.
The Constituent Assembly deliberated upon the Indian Constitution, which came into effect on 26 January, 1950. It has the dubious distinction of being the longest in the world. But its length and complexity are perhaps understandable when one considers the country's size and diversity. At Independence, India was not merely large and diverse, but also deeply divided. A Constitution designed to keep the country together, and to take it forward, had necessarily to be an elaborate, carefully-worked-out, and painstakingly drafted document. For one thing, it sought to heal wounds of the past and the present, to make Indians of different classes, castes and communities come together in a shared political experiment. For another, it sought to nurture democratic institutions.
Why is the Constitution of India described as the longest document in the world?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The country size and diversity impacted the Constitution length.
The passage calls the Constitution the longest in the world and says that its length and complexity are understandable when one considers the country’s size and diversity.
Option (1) It is a painstakingly drafted document. — Incorrect. This tells how carefully it was drafted, not why it became so long.
Option (2) It is carefully worked out. — Incorrect. This too describes the care taken in framing it; the passage gives size and diversity as the reason for its length.
Option (3) It imbibes culture of hierarchy. — Incorrect. The full sentence in the chapter says the Constitution sought to nurture democratic institutions in what had long been a culture of hierarchy and deference. It worked against that culture; it did not take it in.
Option (4) The country size and diversity impacted the Constitution length. — Correct. A large and diverse country, deeply divided at Independence, needed an elaborate document to keep it together.
NCERT (2025-26): “The Indian Constitution, which came into effect on 26 January 1950, has the dubious distinction of being the longest in the world. But its length and complexity are perhaps understandable when one considers the country’s size and diversity. At Independence, India was not merely large and diverse, but also deeply divided. A Constitution designed to keep the country together, and to take it forward, had necessarily to be an elaborate, carefully-worked-out, and painstakingly drafted document. For one thing, it sought to heal wounds of the past and the present, to make Indians of different classes, castes and communities come together in a shared political experiment. For another, it sought to nurture democratic institutions in what had long been a culture of hierarchy and deference.…” |