In the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976, which single word was specifically added to the Preamble of the Constitution of India?

Introduction / Context:
This question focuses on the evolution of the Preamble to the Constitution of India. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976 brought major changes to several parts of the Constitution, including the Preamble. For examination purposes, it is important to know exactly which words were added by this amendment, because many questions ask about the original and amended forms of the Preamble and how these reflect the ideology of the Indian state.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The reference is to the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976.
• The amendment changed the wording of the Preamble.
• Four possible words are given as options.
• Only one of these is marked as the correct answer in this specific single choice format.

Concept / Approach:
Originally, the Preamble described India as a sovereign democratic republic. The 42nd Amendment inserted the words socialist and secular between sovereign and democratic and added the word integrity after unity, so that the phrase unity of the nation became unity and integrity of the nation. Many practice questions ask which new word was added and sometimes focus on only one of the two ideological terms. In this particular question format, standard key based material identifies secular as the correct answer option when only a single word is to be chosen from the given set.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the main changes to the Preamble by the 42nd Amendment, namely the addition of socialist, secular and integrity. Step 2: Note that democratic and equality were already present in the original Preamble adopted in 1950. Step 3: Compare the four options with the list of words definitely added in 1976. Step 4: Identify secular as one of the ideological words newly inserted by the amendment. Step 5: Choose secular as the most appropriate answer in line with standard single correct question keys.

Verification / Alternative check:
Reading the original Preamble and the amended Preamble side by side makes the change very clear. The phrase sovereign democratic republic becomes sovereign socialist secular democratic republic after the 42nd Amendment. This confirms that secular is indeed a word inserted by this amendment. Equality, on the other hand, forms part of the justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity aims that were already present. Democratic was also part of the original description. Therefore, secular is the valid choice among the options provided.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Democratic was already included in the original Preamble and therefore cannot be said to have been added by the 42nd Amendment. Equality also appears as part of the original goals of the Constitution and is not a new term. Socialist was also added by the same amendment, but in this particular question the official key picks secular as the single answer, so socialist does not match the expected response even though it is also a word added in 1976. Only one option is accepted as correct in this format and here that option is secular.

Common Pitfalls:
A common confusion is between secular and socialist because both of them were inserted at the same time. Students who try to memorise only one of these may pick the wrong one when the options are mixed. Others mistakenly believe that equality was added later because they do not recall the exact original text. To avoid such errors, aspirants should read the full Preamble in both its original and amended forms and remember that socialist, secular and integrity were the three additional words brought in by the 42nd Amendment.

Final Answer:
The word specifically picked in this single answer format is Secular, which was among the new words inserted into the Preamble by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976.