Question:
Affirmative action connotes:
I. Measures taken by the state to help the socially disadvantaged groups
II. Positive discrimination
III. Strict quotas for the socially and educationally backward class in school/college admissions and jobs.
Which of the above mentioned is true?
Affirmative action connotes:
I. Measures taken by the state to help the socially disadvantaged groups
II. Positive discrimination
III. Strict quotas for the socially and educationally backward class in school/college admissions and jobs.
Which of the above mentioned is true?
I. Measures taken by the state to help the socially disadvantaged groups
II. Positive discrimination
III. Strict quotas for the socially and educationally backward class in school/college admissions and jobs.
Which of the above mentioned is true?
Show Hint
Two statements define the idea, one confuses a single tool with the whole concept. Ask whether affirmative action means only strict quotas or a wider range of measures.
Updated On: Jul 17, 2026
- I and II only
- II only
- I, II and III
- II and III only
Show Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks what affirmative action means. Three descriptions are offered and we must decide which of them the expression covers.
Step 2: What affirmative action means:
Affirmative action is the whole set of measures a State takes to improve the position of groups that history has left behind. In the Indian Constitution the enabling provisions are Article 15(4) and 15(5), which let the State make special provision for socially and educationally backward classes and for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and Article 16(4), which permits reservation in appointments for backward classes not adequately represented in State services.
Step 3: Testing statement I:
Statement I says affirmative action is measures taken by the State to help socially disadvantaged groups. That is the plain definition of the idea, so statement I is true.
Step 4: Testing statement II:
Statement II says affirmative action is positive discrimination. This is simply the other common name for the same policy, used widely in Britain and in Indian constitutional writing. The State treats people unequally on purpose, but does so to lift a disadvantaged group rather than to hurt it. So statement II is true.
Step 5: Testing statement III:
Statement III says affirmative action is strict quotas for socially and educationally backward classes in admissions and jobs. This is where the statement overreaches. Reservation is only one tool of affirmative action, and the word "strict" makes it worse. Affirmative action also covers scholarships, fee waivers, hostels, relaxed age and marks criteria, special coaching, and free training. Equating the whole concept with strict quotas is too narrow.
Indian law also rejects strictness in quotas. In Indra Sawhney v. Union of India the Supreme Court held that reservations should ordinarily not exceed fifty per cent, kept the creamy layer out of the benefit, and barred reservation in promotions in the manner then proposed. A rigid, unlimited quota is not what affirmative action means. So statement III is not true.
Step 6: Why the other options fail:
Option (B), II only, wrongly rejects statement I, which is the basic definition.
Option (C), I, II and III, wrongly accepts the overbroad statement III.
Option (D), II and III only, drops the correct statement I and keeps the wrong statement III.
Final Answer:
Statements I and II describe affirmative action correctly and statement III is too narrow, so the answer is option (A).
The question asks what affirmative action means. Three descriptions are offered and we must decide which of them the expression covers.
Step 2: What affirmative action means:
Affirmative action is the whole set of measures a State takes to improve the position of groups that history has left behind. In the Indian Constitution the enabling provisions are Article 15(4) and 15(5), which let the State make special provision for socially and educationally backward classes and for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and Article 16(4), which permits reservation in appointments for backward classes not adequately represented in State services.
Step 3: Testing statement I:
Statement I says affirmative action is measures taken by the State to help socially disadvantaged groups. That is the plain definition of the idea, so statement I is true.
Step 4: Testing statement II:
Statement II says affirmative action is positive discrimination. This is simply the other common name for the same policy, used widely in Britain and in Indian constitutional writing. The State treats people unequally on purpose, but does so to lift a disadvantaged group rather than to hurt it. So statement II is true.
Step 5: Testing statement III:
Statement III says affirmative action is strict quotas for socially and educationally backward classes in admissions and jobs. This is where the statement overreaches. Reservation is only one tool of affirmative action, and the word "strict" makes it worse. Affirmative action also covers scholarships, fee waivers, hostels, relaxed age and marks criteria, special coaching, and free training. Equating the whole concept with strict quotas is too narrow.
Indian law also rejects strictness in quotas. In Indra Sawhney v. Union of India the Supreme Court held that reservations should ordinarily not exceed fifty per cent, kept the creamy layer out of the benefit, and barred reservation in promotions in the manner then proposed. A rigid, unlimited quota is not what affirmative action means. So statement III is not true.
Step 6: Why the other options fail:
Option (B), II only, wrongly rejects statement I, which is the basic definition.
Option (C), I, II and III, wrongly accepts the overbroad statement III.
Option (D), II and III only, drops the correct statement I and keeps the wrong statement III.
Final Answer:
Statements I and II describe affirmative action correctly and statement III is too narrow, so the answer is option (A).
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Top CLAT Legal Studies Questions
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[Extracted with edits and revisions from “Children from void, voidable marriages entitled to parents’ share in ancestral property: Supreme Court”, by Krishnadas Rajagopal, The Hindu, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/children-from-void-voidable-marriages-arelegitimate-can-claim-rights-in-parents-properties-sc/article67259229.ece ]
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