📘 Q.9 IAS Prelims 2021 — Polity & Governance: Concept of the State
🧷 Authentic Classroom Explanation by IAS Monk
📍 The Question:
Which one of the following best defines the term ‘State’?
(a) A community of persons permanently occupying a definite territory independent of external control and possessing an organized government
(b) A politically organized people of a definite territory and possessing an authority to govern them, maintain law and order, protect their natural rights and safeguard their means of sustenance
(c) A number of persons who have been living in a definite territory for a very long time with their own culture, tradition and government
(d) A society permanently living in a definite territory with a central authority, an executive responsible to the central authority and an independent judiciary
✅ Correct Answer: (a)
🔎 Curiosity Raiser (UPSC basics check)
UPSC is testing whether you can recall the classical, minimal and universally accepted definition of the State, not a descriptive or value-loaded one.
🧠 Core Concept Tested
Essential elements of a State (Political Science fundamentals)
🔍 Classroom Explanation (UPSC Prelims Focused)
A State is a political organization distinguished by four essential elements:
- Population — a community of persons
- Territory — a definite geographical area
- Government — an organized authority
- Sovereignty — independence from external control (internal & external)
Why option (a) is correct:
- It precisely captures all four elements without adding extra conditions.
- Especially important is sovereignty, expressed as independent of external control.
👉 Hence, option (a) best defines the term State.
❌ Why other options are incorrect
- (b) Adds functions like protecting natural rights, which are not defining elements.
- (c) Emphasizes culture and tradition, which relate to a nation, not a State.
- (d) Mentions specific institutional arrangements (executive, judiciary), which are not mandatory for the definition.
📘 Enrich Notes (Prelims Value Add)
- State vs Nation:
- State → political-legal concept
- Nation → cultural-emotional concept
- Sovereignty:
- Internal → supreme authority within territory
- External → independence in foreign affairs
📌 Prelims Recall Line
No sovereignty, no State.
🧘♂️ IAS Monk Whisper
Territory gives space, government gives order,
but sovereignty gives the State its soul.