20 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in every exam-style shape used in the paper. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markHow many Houses does India’s Parliament have?
(A) Three(B) One(C) Four(D) Two - 1 markHow many States presently have a bicameral legislature?
(A) 4 States(B) 5 States(C) 6 States(D) 7 States - 1 markThe number of Lok Sabha seats has not changed since which census?
(A) 1971(B) 1981(C) 1951(D) 1961 - 1 markFrom which fields are the Rajya Sabha’s nominated members taken?
(A) Literature, science, art and social service(B) Industry, banking, insurance and trade(C) Army, police, judiciary and administration(D) Politics, sport, business and agriculture - 1 markWho elects the members of the Rajya Sabha?
(A) Members of the Lok Sabha(B) Elected members of the State Legislative Assembly(C) The President(D) The people, by direct vote - 1 markWithin how many days must the Rajya Sabha act on a money bill?
(A) 14 days(B) 30 days(C) 7 days(D) 21 days - 1 markIn which year was the anti-defection law made?
(A) 2003(B) 1985(C) 1991(D) 1975 - 1 markSince which year has India developed a system of departmentally related standing committees?
(A) 1989(B) 1980(C) 1983(D) 1975 - 1 markWho takes the final decision in cases of defection?
(A) The Supreme Court(B) The Election Commission(C) The President(D) The presiding officer of the House
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): The Rajya Sabha is called the permanent House of Parliament.
Reason (R): All members of the Rajya Sabha do not retire together, only one-third change every two years.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): The Rajya Sabha can remove the government by passing a no-confidence motion.
Reason (R): The Rajya Sabha is not directly elected by the people, it is elected by MLAs.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A(B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch List I with List II.
List I: (i) Rajya Sabha (ii) Lok Sabha (iii) Legislative Council (iv) Legislative Assembly
List II: (P) State’s upper House (Q) State’s lower House (R) Parliament’s upper House (S) Parliament’s lower House
(A) i-R, ii-S, iii-Q, iv-P(B) i-P, ii-Q, iii-R, iv-S(C) i-S, ii-R, iii-Q, iv-P(D) i-R, ii-S, iii-P, iv-Q - 1 markMatch List I with List II.
List I: (i) Question Hour (ii) Zero Hour (iii) No-confidence motion (iv) Joint Session
List II: (P) minister’s reply is not compulsory (Q) whole government resigns if passed (R) ministers must answer every day (S) to resolve a deadlock between the two Houses
(A) i-P, ii-R, iii-Q, iv-S(B) i-R, ii-P, iii-Q, iv-S(C) i-Q, ii-P, iii-R, iv-S(D) i-R, ii-P, iii-S, iv-Q
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider the following statements.
Statement I: The Rajya Sabha’s approval is necessary to move a State List subject to the Union List or Concurrent List in the national interest.
Statement II: In practice, members of the Rajya Sabha represent their party more than they represent their State.
(A) Both statements are true, but Statement II does not explain Statement I(B) Statement I is true, Statement II is false(C) Statement I is false, Statement II is true(D) Both statements are true, and Statement II explains Statement I
5 Chronological Ordering
Chronological Ordering
- 1 markArrange the stages of a bill becoming law in the correct order.
1. President’s assent
2. Introduction in the House
3. Committee consideration and recommendation
4. Voting in the House
(A) 2-4-3-1(B) 2-3-4-1(C) 3-2-4-1(D) 1-2-3-4 - 1 markArrange the following events in chronological order.
1. Janata Party rule
2. The 91st Amendment, which modified the anti-defection law
3. The census after which Lok Sabha seats stopped changing
4. NDA government, which lacked a Rajya Sabha majority
(A) 3-4-1-2(B) 3-1-2-4(C) 1-3-4-2(D) 3-1-4-2
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 markA legislature with two Houses is called a ______ legislature.
(A) unicameral(B) federal(C) mixed(D) bicameral - 1 markThe Council of Ministers is responsible only to the ______.
(A) Supreme Court(B) Lok Sabha(C) President(D) Rajya Sabha
7 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
In a parliamentary democracy, the executive is drawn from the party or coalition of parties that has a majority in the Lok Sabha. With the strength of a majority behind it, it is not difficult for the executive to exercise arbitrary power. In such a situation, parliamentary democracy may slip into Cabinet dictatorship, where the House must accept whatever the Cabinet says. Only when Parliament is active and vigilant can it keep a regular and effective check on the executive.
- 1 markAccording to the passage, what can a parliamentary democracy turn into?
(A) Military rule(B) President’s rule(C) One-party system(D) Cabinet dictatorship
8 True / False
True / False
- 1 markConsider the following statements.
(i) The Rajya Sabha is never fully dissolved.
(ii) The Lok Sabha is also never dissolved.
(A) Both are true(B) Only (i) is true(C) Only (ii) is true(D) Both are false
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (D) India’s Parliament is bicameral, it has two Houses: the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
- (C) The Constitution gives States the option of one or two Houses. At present six States also have a Legislative Council: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.
- (A) The number of Lok Sabha seats has stayed exactly the same since the 1971 census.
- (A) The President nominates people who have made their mark in literature, science, art and social service.
- (B) The Rajya Sabha is indirectly elected. The people elect the Legislative Assembly, and the Assembly’s elected members elect the members of the Rajya Sabha.
- (A) If the Rajya Sabha does nothing within 14 days, the bill is deemed to have been passed.
- (B) This law was made in 1985, and was later modified by the 91st Amendment to the Constitution.
- (C) India has developed a system of departmentally related standing committees since 1983.
- (D) The presiding officer of the House, that is, the Speaker, takes the final decision on all disputes relating to defection.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) Both statements are true, and R states exactly the reason the Rajya Sabha stays permanently in existence and is called the permanent House.
- (D) A is false: the Council of Ministers is responsible only to the Lok Sabha, so the Rajya Sabha can criticise the government but cannot remove it. R is true.
Match the Following
- (D) The Rajya Sabha is Parliament’s upper House and the Lok Sabha its lower House. At the State level, the Legislative Council is the upper House and the Legislative Assembly the lower House.
- (B) During Question Hour ministers must answer, during Zero Hour they need not. A no-confidence motion, if passed, brings down the whole government, and a Joint Session resolves a deadlock between the two Houses.
Statement-Based Questions
- (A) Both statements are true. The first is the Rajya Sabha’s special power, which makes it a protector of States’ interests. The second is the book’s own remark, but it does not explain the first, it points out a practical limit on that power.
Chronological Ordering
- (B) First the bill is introduced in the House, then it goes to a committee, then the House votes on it, and finally the President’s assent turns it into law.
- (D) The 1971 census (3), the Janata Party in 1977 (1), the NDA government in 2000 (4), and after that the 91st Amendment (2).
Fill in the Blanks
- (D) A legislature with two Houses is called bicameral, one with a single House is called unicameral.
- (B) The Council of Ministers is responsible only to the Lok Sabha, which is why the power to remove the government also rests only with it.
Passage-Based Questions
- (D) If the executive begins to act arbitrarily on the strength of a majority, parliamentary democracy can turn into Cabinet dictatorship.
True / False
- (B) The Rajya Sabha is the permanent House, but the Lok Sabha can be dissolved on completing five years, or even earlier.
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