UPSC Essentials : Daily subject-wise quiz | Polity and Governance (Week 22)

QUESTION 1

With reference to the Delimitation Commission, consider the following statements:

1. The Commission is appointed by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India.

2. The orders of the Commission are final and cannot be questioned before any court.

3. It is a statutory body constituted by the President.

4. The Commission determines the number of seats in a constituency and does not describe the boundaries of constituencies.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

QUESTION 2

The government has constituted a committee to explore the possibility of ‘one nation one election’ headed by:

(a) Justice B P Jeevan Reddy

(b) Ram Nath Kovind

(c) Sunil Arora

(d) Manmohan Singh

QUESTION 3

Consider the following statements with reference to the Amendments of the Constitution:

1. Some provisions can be amended by the simple legislative process adopted in passing any ordinary legislation in Parliament.

2. Some provisions are amended by passing an amendment bill in both Houses of Parliament by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting.

3. Some provisions need not just a special majority to be amended, but also require ratification by the legislatures of at least half of the states.

How many of the above are the ways in which the Constitution of India can be amended?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

QUESTION 4

Which of the following articles of the Constitution of India guarantees equal opportunity in matters of public employment?

(a) Article 14

(b) Article 15(5)

(c) Article 15

(d) Article 16

QUESTION 5

Consider the following statements: (PYQ 2022)

1. The Constitution of India classifies the ministers into four ranks viz. Cabinet Minister, Minister of State with Independent Charge, Minister of State and Deputy Minister.

2. The total number of ministers in the Union Government, including the Prime Minister, shall not exceed 15 per cent of the total number of members in the Lok Sabha.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

ANSWERS TO THE MCQs

1. (a)

FYI:

— Delimitation is the act of redrawing boundaries of Lok Sabha and state Assembly seats to represent changes in population.

— Under Article 82, Parliament is to enact a Delimitation Act after every Census. Once the Act is in force, the Union government sets up the Delimitation Commission. Hence, statement 3 is not correct.

— The main objective of delimitation is to provide equal representation to equal segments of a population.

— Delimitation is carried out by an independent Delimitation Commission, appointed by the Government of India under provisions of the Delimitation Commission Act.

— The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India and works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— It is composed of the following: a retired Supreme Court judge, the Chief Election Commissioner of India and respective State Election Commissioners.

— The Delimitation Commission is to work without any executive influence. The Constitution mandates that the Commission’s orders are final and cannot be questioned before any court as it would hold up an election indefinitely. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— The Commission is supposed to determine the number and boundaries of constituencies in a way that the population of all seats, so far as practicable, is the same. Hence, statement 4 is not correct.

— The Commission is also tasked with identifying seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

2. (b)

FYI:

— The government has constituted a committee headed by former president of India Ram Nath Kovind to explore the possibility of “one nation, one election”.

— Over the years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advocated for simultaneous Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. He stated in June 2019, following his re-election, that a committee would be created to investigate the matter and that a meeting with political party leaders would be scheduled.

— Making polls simultaneous would address various concerns, such as reducing the cost of holding elections and limiting all elections to a single season.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

3. (c)

FYI:

— The Constitution prescribes three different standards for amending different provisions.

— Simple majority: Several provisions of the Constitution can be amended by the simple legislative process adopted in passing any ordinary legislation in Parliament. This is done through a majority of those present and voting and does not require a quorum. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— Special majority: For amending provisions that do not fall under the first category, Article 368 requires that the amendment Bill is passed in both Houses of Parliament by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Under Rule 158 of the Lok Sabha Rules, ‘total membership’ means the total number of members of the House, irrespective of any vacancies or absentees at the moment.

— Ratification by states: A third category of provisions need not just a special majority to be amended, but also require ratification by the legislatures of at least half of the states. Only after the states’ ratification can such an amendment be presented to the President for assent. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

4. (d)

FYI:

— The 103rd Amendment of 2019 inserted Articles 15(6) and 16(6) in the Constitution to provide 10 per cent reservation to EWS other than backward classes, SCs, and STs in higher educational institutions and initial recruitment in government jobs.

— The rationale was that the amendment could empower state governments to provide reservations on the basis of economic backwardness – determined by criteria such as land size owned, annual income, etc.

— The EWS reservation was granted based on the recommendations of a commission headed by Major General (retd) S R Sinho. The commission, which was constituted by the UPA government in March 2005, submitted its report in July 2010.

— The Sinho Commission recommended that all below-poverty-line (BPL) families within the general category as notified from time to time, and also all families whose annual family income from all sources is below the taxable limit, should be identified as EBCs (economically backward classes).

— Article 15 prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.

— Article 16 guarantees equal opportunity in matters of public employment.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

5. (b)

FYI:

— Article 74 of the Constitution of India provides for Council of Ministers to aid and advise President. There is no classification of ministers in the Constitution of India.  Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at the head to aid and advise the President who shall, in the exercise of his functions, act in accordance with such advice.

— At present, there are Cabinet Ministers, Ministers of State (Independent Charge) and Ministers of State.

— The Prime Minister shall be appointed by the President and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister.

— The total number of Ministers, including the Prime Minister, in the Council of Ministers shall not exceed fifteen per cent of the total number of members of the House of the People. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

(Source: Constitution of India)

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 21)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 21)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 21)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 21)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 21)

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.