Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

States like Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh enjoy special powers under Article 371 of the Constitution due to their peculiar social and historical circumstances. These include protection of land rights of indigenous peoples, their culture, and preferential employment in government services. Non-permanent residents cannot buy land there.

This shows that Indian federalism is a "holding together" federation, unlike the USA which is a "coming together" federation. In the USA, all constituent States have equal powers. In India, not all States have identical powers — the Union Government is stronger and some States enjoy more powers than others based on special needs.

Source: What makes India a federal country?, Chapter 2

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• The examiner expects you to name Article 371 and the specific special powers (land, culture, employment).
• The key contrast is "holding together" vs "coming together" federation — this is the core concept. In coming-together federations (USA), constituent units are equal; in holding-together federations (India), units can have unequal powers.
• Fill-in-the-blank Q6 in the textbook exercises directly tests this — memorise the exact terms.
• Do not write a general essay; stick to the two parts of the question.