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UPSC PYQPrelims 2021

Civil Services Examination · Question 87

Which one of the following best defines the term 'State'?

  1. A community of persons permanently occupying a definite territory independent of external control and possessing an organized government
  2. 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
  3. A number of persons who have been living in a definite territory for a very long time with their own culture, tradition and government
  4. A society permanently living in a definite territory with a central authority, an executive responsible to the central authority and an independent judiciary
Show answer & explanation

Answer: (A) A community of persons permanently occupying a definite territory independent of external control and possessing an organized government

Explanation

A State has four elements: population, definite territory, government and sovereignty (independence from external control). Option (a) captures all four.