Which of the following best explains why India is described as a secular state under its Constitution?
(A) The state promotes the values of the majority religion in public life.
(B) The state keeps an equal distance from all religions and does not grant privileges to any.
(C) The state restricts religious practices to prevent social conflict.
(D) The state recognises only religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:18 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Answer: (B) The state has no official religion and does not discriminate on grounds of religion.
India's Constitution gives no special status to any religion, prohibits religious discrimination, and grants all individuals freedom to profess, practise and propagate any religion.
Source: Democratic Politics II, Chapter 3, "Secular state" section.
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Explanation
- The passage clearly states India has no official religion, unlike Sri Lanka (Buddhism), Pakistan (Islam), or England (Christianity).
- The Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion and grants freedom to all to follow any religion.
- Option A is wrong — the state does not promote majority religion. Options C and D contradict the Constitution's guarantee of religious freedom.
- Examiner expects you to identify the correct option and briefly justify using constitutional provisions — this earns full marks even in a 1-mark MCQ if explanation is asked.