Question:
Identify the correct statement:
Identify the correct statement:
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Federalism divides power between levels of government. Dividing power among Legislature, Executive and Judiciary is a different doctrine altogether.
Updated On: Jul 17, 2026
- Federalism implies a system of government which embodies a division of powers between a central and a number of regional authorities
- Federalism implies a system of government which embodies a division of powers between Legislature, Executive and Judiciary
- Federalism implies a system of Government which embodies Parliamentary supremacy
- None of these
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Question:
Four descriptions of federalism are offered and only one is right. The task is to recall what federalism actually means and then reject the descriptions that belong to other ideas.
Step 2: What federalism means:
Federalism is a system in which governmental power is divided between one central authority and several regional authorities, with each drawing its authority from the Constitution rather than from the other. The division runs vertically, from the top down to the units.
A federal system usually shows a written constitution, a division of powers through lists of subjects, supremacy of the constitution, rigidity in amendment, and an independent judiciary to police the boundary. In India this shows up in the Seventh Schedule, with the Union List, the State List, and the Concurrent List, along with Articles 245 and 246.
Step 3: Testing option (A):
Option (A) describes a division of powers between a central authority and a number of regional authorities. That is the definition of federalism, so it is correct.
Step 4: Why the other options fail:
Option (B) describes the division of powers between the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. That is the separation of powers, a different doctrine associated with Montesquieu. It divides power horizontally among organs of the same government, while federalism divides power vertically between levels of government. A unitary State can have separation of powers, and a federation can be short of it, which shows the two are independent ideas.
Option (C) says federalism embodies parliamentary supremacy. This is close to the opposite of the truth. Under parliamentary supremacy, as in the United Kingdom, the legislature can make or unmake any law and no court may strike it down. A federation needs constitutional supremacy instead, because the constitution has to bind both levels and hold the line between them. If the central legislature could rewrite the division at will, the units would have no protected sphere left.
Option (D) is not available because option (A) is correct.
Final Answer:
Federalism means a division of powers between a central authority and regional authorities, so the answer is option (A).
Four descriptions of federalism are offered and only one is right. The task is to recall what federalism actually means and then reject the descriptions that belong to other ideas.
Step 2: What federalism means:
Federalism is a system in which governmental power is divided between one central authority and several regional authorities, with each drawing its authority from the Constitution rather than from the other. The division runs vertically, from the top down to the units.
A federal system usually shows a written constitution, a division of powers through lists of subjects, supremacy of the constitution, rigidity in amendment, and an independent judiciary to police the boundary. In India this shows up in the Seventh Schedule, with the Union List, the State List, and the Concurrent List, along with Articles 245 and 246.
Step 3: Testing option (A):
Option (A) describes a division of powers between a central authority and a number of regional authorities. That is the definition of federalism, so it is correct.
Step 4: Why the other options fail:
Option (B) describes the division of powers between the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary. That is the separation of powers, a different doctrine associated with Montesquieu. It divides power horizontally among organs of the same government, while federalism divides power vertically between levels of government. A unitary State can have separation of powers, and a federation can be short of it, which shows the two are independent ideas.
Option (C) says federalism embodies parliamentary supremacy. This is close to the opposite of the truth. Under parliamentary supremacy, as in the United Kingdom, the legislature can make or unmake any law and no court may strike it down. A federation needs constitutional supremacy instead, because the constitution has to bind both levels and hold the line between them. If the central legislature could rewrite the division at will, the units would have no protected sphere left.
Option (D) is not available because option (A) is correct.
Final Answer:
Federalism means a division of powers between a central authority and regional authorities, 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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