Under the Constitution of India, which one of the following is not a fundamental duty?

The answer is A. Voting is a constitutional and legal right of every eligible citizen. It rests on adult suffrage under Article 326 and is governed by the Representation of the People Acts of 1950 and 1951. It is not listed among the duties in Part IVA. Article 51A lists eleven duties, and the Constitution does not compel a citizen to vote. Abstaining from an election is not a constitutional offence.

Why the others are duties:

• B is Article 51A(h), which asks citizens to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.
• C is Article 51A(i), which asks citizens to safeguard public property and abjure violence.
• D is Article 51A(a), which asks citizens to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.

Core concept: fundamental duties were added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976 on the basis of the Swaran Singh Committee, and the eleventh duty on providing education to children was added by the 86th Amendment in 2002. For Mains, these duties help you discuss the balance between rights and responsibilities in a democracy.

Trap: aspirants pick voting because it feels like the most important civic responsibility. The test is what Article 51A actually says, not what is morally desirable.