NDA (II) 2021 General Ability Test · Question 56 of 149

Correct — B, Sikkim. The Constitution (35th Amendment) Act, 1974 gave Sikkim the status of an 'associate state' of India, inserting Article 2A and a Tenth Schedule that set out the terms of association. This was the constitutional step just before the Constitution (36th Amendment) Act, 1975, which made Sikkim a full-fledged state of the Indian Union. So the 35th Amendment is tied to Sikkim, not to any of the other north-eastern states listed.

• (a)Mizoram — Mizoram became a state through the State of Mizoram Act, 1986 (with the 53rd Amendment adding Article 371G); it is unconnected with the 35th Amendment of 1974.
• (c)Nagaland — Nagaland was created in 1963 and its special provisions come from Article 371A (13th Amendment), not the 35th Amendment.
• (d)Arunachal Pradesh — Arunachal Pradesh became a state in 1987 (State of Arunachal Pradesh Act, 1986); it has nothing to do with the 35th Amendment.

Sikkim's entry into India happened in two constitutional steps. The 35th Amendment (1974) first made it an 'associate state', a transitional status with limited representation in Parliament. After a 1975 referendum, the 36th Amendment (1975) admitted Sikkim as the 22nd full state of the Indian Union through Article 371F.

The distractors are all north-eastern states with their own special-provision Articles, which is the trap. The distinguishing fact is the two-stage Sikkim story — 35th for associate status, 36th for full statehood.

• The 35th Amendment (1974) inserted Article 2A and the Tenth Schedule, making Sikkim an associate state of India.
• The 36th Amendment (1975) made Sikkim a full state, the 22nd, and inserted Article 371F.
• Sikkim had earlier been a British protectorate and then a protectorate of India after 1947.
• Nagaland (Article 371A), Mizoram (Article 371G) and Arunachal Pradesh have their own separate special provisions.

• Confusing the 35th Amendment (associate state) with the 36th Amendment (full statehood) for Sikkim.
• Assuming a north-eastern state must be linked because the other options are all from that region.

Asked as amendment-to-state matching — remember the Sikkim pair: 35th for associate status, 36th for statehood.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  By which Constitutional Amendment did Sikkim become a full-fledged State of the Indian Union?

  • (a)35th Amendment
  • (b)36th Amendment
  • (c)42nd Amendment
  • (d)44th Amendment

  Answer(b) 36th Amendment, 1975 — it admitted Sikkim as the 22nd state.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Special provisions for the State of Nagaland are contained in which Article of the Constitution?

  • (a)Article 370
  • (b)Article 371A
  • (c)Article 371F
  • (d)Article 371G

  Answer(b) Article 371A — the special provision for Nagaland.