Question 1

Which Article of the Indian Constitution deals with the composition and powers of the State Legislature?

Accepted Answer

Articles 168–212 of the Indian Constitution deal with State Legislatures. Article 168 specifically defines the composition of a State Legislature, which may consist of one or two houses (Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad). Article 169 allows Parliament to create or abolish the upper house (Vidhan Parishad) of a state by law.

Question 2

Which article of the Indian Constitution guarantees the Right to Life and Personal Liberty to all citizens?

Accepted Answer

Article 21 of the Indian Constitution explicitly states: 'No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.' This is a fundamental right under Part III of the Constitution and has been interpreted broadly by the Supreme Court to include various aspects of dignified living.

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a Fundamental Duty as per Article 51A of the Indian Constitution?

Accepted Answer

Article 51A (added by the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976) lists 11 Fundamental Duties of citizens. These include respecting the Constitution, defending the nation, promoting harmony, and protecting the environment. Demanding free education is NOT a Fundamental Duty; rather, free education is a Directive Principle of State Policy (Article 45, now Article 21A after 86th Amendment).

Question 4

Which article of the Indian Constitution defines the composition and powers of the State Legislative Assembly?

Accepted Answer

Article 168 of the Indian Constitution specifically defines the composition of the State Legislature. It states that the Legislature of each State shall consist of the Governor and one or two Houses—a Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) in all States, and a Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) in some States. The article also specifies that the Legislative Assembly shall not have more than 500 members and not fewer than 60 members, while the Legislative Council shall not have more than one-third the number of members in the Assembly and not fewer than 40 members.

Question 5

Under Article 102 of the Indian Constitution, which of the following is NOT a disqualification for membership of Parliament?

Accepted Answer

Article 102 lists the disqualifications for membership of either House of Parliament. Key disqualifications include: holding an office of profit under the Union or State government, being of unsound mind, being an undischarged insolvent, being a non-citizen, and being convicted of certain offences. However, holding a professional degree or being a member of a State Legislature is NOT a disqualification for Parliament membership.

Question 6

Which article of the Indian Constitution defines the composition and powers of the Lok Sabha?

Accepted Answer

Article 81 of the Indian Constitution specifically deals with the composition of the House of the People (Lok Sabha). It provides that the Lok Sabha shall consist of members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the States, with a maximum of 552 members (530 from States + 20 from Union Territories + 2 nominated Anglo-Indians).

Question 7

According to Article 110 of the Indian Constitution, what is the definition of a 'Money Bill'?

Accepted Answer

Article 110 defines a Money Bill as a bill that contains only provisions dealing with: (1) imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of taxes; (2) borrowing of money or giving of guarantees by the Government; (3) custody of the Consolidated Fund or the Contingency Fund; (4) appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund; (5) declaration of expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund; (6) receipt of money on account of the Consolidated Fund; or (7) audit of accounts of the Union or States. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha certifies whether a bill is a Money Bill.

Question 8

Which article of the Indian Constitution grants the President the power to summon and prorogue Parliament?

Accepted Answer

Article 85 of the Indian Constitution vests in the President the power to summon each House of Parliament and to prorogue the Houses. Summoning means calling Parliament into session, and proroguing means terminating a session without dissolving the House. This is a key executive power related to Parliament's functioning.

Question 9

Which of the following statements about the Rajya Sabha is correct according to the Indian Constitution?

Accepted Answer

The Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Indian Parliament. According to Article 80, it consists of not more than 250 members: 12 nominated by the President (persons with special knowledge in literature, science, art, social service) and 238 elected by State and Union Territory legislatures. The term of a Rajya Sabha member is 6 years, with one-third of members retiring every 2 years. It is a permanent body and cannot be dissolved.

Question 10

Under Article 110 of the Indian Constitution, a bill is classified as a Money Bill if it contains provisions relating to certain matters. Which of the following is NOT a matter covered under the definition of a Money Bill?

Accepted Answer

Article 110 defines a Money Bill as a bill that contains only provisions dealing with taxation, borrowing, public funds, and related matters. However, bills dealing with electoral matters, constitutional amendments, or the establishment of new courts are NOT classified as Money Bills. A Money Bill cannot be rejected by the Rajya Sabha; it can only be delayed by 14 days.

Question 11

The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 made significant changes to the Indian Constitution during the Emergency. Which of the following was NOT a change introduced by the 42nd Amendment?

Accepted Answer

The 42nd Amendment (1976) introduced several changes including: (1) changing 'Sovereign Democratic Republic' to 'Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic' in the Preamble, (2) adding Fundamental Duties (Article 51A), (3) reducing the term of Lok Sabha from 5 to 4 years (later reversed by 44th Amendment), and (4) limiting judicial review. However, the 42nd Amendment did NOT introduce the concept of 'Directive Principles of State Policy' — those were part of the original Constitution (Articles 36-51).

Question 12

Article 368 of the Indian Constitution outlines the amendment procedure. According to this article, which type of constitutional amendment requires ratification by the legislatures of at least half of the States in addition to parliamentary approval?

Accepted Answer

Article 368 specifies the amendment procedure. Amendments affecting the federal structure, the powers of the States, or the representation of States in Parliament require ratification by the legislatures of at least half (50%) of the States, in addition to a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament. This is a special safeguard for federalism.

Question 13

Under Article 368 of the Indian Constitution, which of the following amendments requires ratification by the legislatures of not less than one-half of the States in addition to passage by both Houses of Parliament?

Accepted Answer

Article 368(2) specifies that amendments affecting the federal structure, representation in Parliament, or powers of the States require ratification by legislatures of at least half the States. This was a key safeguard introduced to protect federalism.

Question 14

Which article of the Indian Constitution establishes the procedure for the removal of the President, and what is the minimum number of members required to sign the impeachment notice in the Lok Sabha?

Accepted Answer

Article 61 of the Indian Constitution outlines the impeachment procedure for the President. The impeachment notice must be signed by at least one-fourth of the total number of members of either House of Parliament. For the Lok Sabha (545 members), this means a minimum of 137 members must sign the notice.

Question 15

The 91st Amendment to the Indian Constitution introduced a constitutional limit on the size of the Council of Ministers. What is the maximum number of ministers (including the Prime Minister) that can be appointed, and what fraction of the Lok Sabha strength does this represent?

Accepted Answer

The 91st Amendment Act, 2003 inserted Article 78A and amended Article 75 to limit the Council of Ministers. The maximum number of ministers cannot exceed 15% of the total strength of the Lok Sabha. With the current Lok Sabha strength of 545 members, this translates to a maximum of 81-82 ministers (including the Prime Minister).

SSC MTS Parliament & State Legislature

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Parliament & State Legislature — Practice Questions

60-Second Revision — Parliament & State Legislature