Indian Politics Questions and Answers

Answer: C

Members of parliamentary committees are drawn from the various groups and parties in Parliament in proportion to their strength.

They are elected by the House or nominated by the Speaker on that basis, so a committee mirrors the composition of the House and its findings carry cross-party weight.

Answer: A

The dignity of the individual is secured chiefly by guaranteeing equal fundamental rights to every citizen, which are enforceable in court.

Adequate means of livelihood, humane conditions of work and equal pay all appear in the Constitution too, but as directive principles, which are not enforceable by any court.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Hindi in the Devanagari script

Article 343 declares the official language of the Union to be Hindi in the Devanagari script, with the international form of Indian numerals. It provided that English would continue for official purposes for fifteen years from the commencement of the Constitution, that is until 1965, after which Hindi alone would be used. Opposition in the non-Hindi-speaking states, and violent protests in Tamil Nadu in 1965, led to the Official Languages Act of 1963 and its amendment in 1967, which provide that English may continue indefinitely alongside Hindi for Union purposes. Two related points are frequently confused with this. India has no national language; the Constitution uses only the term official language. And the Eighth Schedule lists 22 languages, which is a different category again, carrying rights of representation and of use in examinations rather than official status. States choose their own official languages under Article 345.

Answer: C

Part III of the Constitution, Articles 12 to 35, contains the fundamental rights.

They are enforceable in court under Article 32, which Ambedkar called the heart and soul of the Constitution. Part IV holds the directive principles, which are not enforceable.

Answer: B

The Contingency Fund of India is placed at the disposal of the president.

It lets the executive meet unforeseen expenditure without waiting for a parliamentary appropriation; approval is sought afterwards and the fund is then replenished. It stands at ₹30,000 crore.

Answer: B

The rank of ministers in the Union council is determined by the prime minister.

The prime minister decides who is a cabinet minister, who a minister of state and who a deputy minister, allocates portfolios, and may reshuffle or drop any of them. The president acts on that advice.

Answer: C

The minimum age for membership of the Rajya Sabha is 30 years.

For the Lok Sabha it is 25. The higher age reflects the Rajya Sabha's intended character as a house of elders and of second thought.

Answer: C

A member of a State Public Service Commission is removed by the president, on a report of the Supreme Court.

Although the governor appoints such members, only the president can remove them, and only after the Supreme Court has held an enquiry into the charges. The double safeguard is meant to keep the commission independent of the state government.

Answer: D

The council of ministers can move a confidence motion, asking the House to affirm its support.

No-confidence, censure and adjournment motions are all instruments of the opposition, moved against the government. A confidence motion is the government's own device, used when its majority is in doubt.

Answer: C

Parliament holds the power to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court.

Article 124 fixed the strength at a chief justice and seven other judges 'until Parliament by law prescribes a larger number'. It has done so repeatedly; the sanctioned strength is now 34.