Indian Politics Questions and Answers

Answer: C

Administrators of Union Territories are responsible to the president.

Article 239 provides that every Union Territory is administered by the president through an administrator appointed by him. Unlike a governor, an administrator is an agent of the president rather than a constitutional head in his own right.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Article 330

Article 330 reserves seats in the Lok Sabha for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and Article 332 does the same for the state Legislative Assemblies. The number of reserved seats is in proportion to the population of those groups in the state, so representation matches share rather than exceeding it. There is no reservation in the Rajya Sabha or the Legislative Councils. A reserved seat is not a separate electorate. All voters in the constituency vote, and only the candidature is restricted - a deliberate rejection of the separate electorates that had been introduced under British rule, and the outcome of the Poona Pact of 1932 between Gandhi and Ambedkar. The reservation was originally to last ten years, and has been extended by amendment every decade since; the 104th Amendment of 2019 extended it to 2030 while discontinuing the nomination of Anglo-Indian members. Articles 15(4) and 16(4) permit reservation in education and public employment, and Article 46 is the directive to promote the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections.

Answer: B

Correct answer: The Fundamental Rights

The Fundamental Rights in Part III, along with judicial review, the independence of the judiciary, the impeachment of the President and the removal of Supreme Court and High Court judges, were drawn from the United States Constitution. The framers borrowed deliberately and widely, and the sources are frequently examined. From Britain came the parliamentary system, the rule of law, single citizenship, the cabinet system and the office of Speaker. From Ireland came the Directive Principles, the nomination of Rajya Sabha members and the method of electing the President. From Canada came the federation with a strong centre, residuary powers with the union, and the appointment of state governors. From Australia came the Concurrent List, freedom of trade and the joint sitting of the two Houses. From the Government of India Act 1935, which is by far the largest single source, came the federal scheme, the office of Governor, the judiciary and much administrative detail.

Answer: A

A member of a State Public Service Commission may be removed for misbehaviour only after an enquiry by the Supreme Court of India.

The president then acts on that report. Tying removal to a Supreme Court finding rather than to the state government's will is what secures the commission's independence.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers

The Council of Ministers comprises three ranks: Cabinet Ministers, who head major ministries and attend Cabinet meetings; Ministers of State, who may hold independent charge of a ministry or assist a Cabinet Minister and do not ordinarily attend Cabinet; and Deputy Ministers, who assist and hold no independent charge. The Cabinet is therefore a smaller body within the Council, and it is the Cabinet that actually takes decisions. The Constitution as originally framed did not use the word Cabinet at all; it was inserted into Article 352 by the 44th Amendment in 1978, which required the Cabinet’s written advice before an emergency could be declared. The Council is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha under Article 75(3), and ministers hold office during the President’s pleasure. Its size is capped at 15 per cent of the strength of the Lok Sabha by the 91st Amendment of 2003, with a corresponding cap for the states, introduced to curb the practice of enlarging ministries to buy support.

Answer: C

The right to vote is a political right, not a social right.

Social rights concern a person's standing and welfare in society - the protection of Adivasis, women and children, access to education, health and equal treatment. Political rights concern participation in governing: voting, contesting elections and holding office.

Answer: C

Correct answer: 14 days

The Rajya Sabha may hold a Money Bill for no more than fourteen days. It cannot reject or amend one; it may only make recommendations, which the Lok Sabha is free to accept or ignore. If the Bill is not returned within fourteen days it is deemed passed by both Houses. This is the sharpest asymmetry between the two Houses, and it reflects the principle that control of public money belongs to the directly elected chamber. A Money Bill is defined by Article 110 and deals only with taxation, borrowing, the Consolidated Fund and related matters. It can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha, only on the President’s recommendation, and the Speaker’s certificate that a bill is a Money Bill is final. That certification power has itself become contentious, since classifying a bill as a Money Bill bypasses the Rajya Sabha altogether. Note also that a Money Bill is a narrower category than a Financial Bill, and that no joint sitting can be held on one - the deadlock the joint sitting exists to resolve cannot arise.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Dr B. R. Ambedkar

Dr B. R. Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly and is universally regarded as the chief architect of the Constitution. He served as independent India’s first Law Minister. He piloted the draft through the Assembly clause by clause and defended it in debate, and much of the constitutional protection of the weakest - the abolition of untouchability under Article 17, the fundamental rights, and the framework of reservation - reflects his insistence. He described Article 32 as the heart and soul of the document. The roles of the others are distinct and often confused. Jawaharlal Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution, which became the basis of the Preamble. Sardar Patel chaired several committees and led the integration of the princely states. Dr Rajendra Prasad presided over the Assembly itself. Ambedkar was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1990, and his birthday on 14 April is observed nationally.

Answer: B

The quorum for a sitting is one-tenth of the total membership of the House, including the presiding officer.

For the Lok Sabha that is 55 members. If there is no quorum, the presiding officer must adjourn the House or suspend the sitting until there is.

Answer: A

The Supreme Court at Calcutta was set up by the Regulating Act of 1773.

It had a chief justice and three other judges appointed by the Crown, with jurisdiction over British subjects in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. It was the first court in India established by Parliament rather than by the Company.