UPSC Prelims 2016 Polity questions: topic-wise weightage
UPSC Prelims 2016 asked 5 polity questions in GS Paper I, spread over 4 topics. See the polity weightage for 2016 below, then attempt each question with the official answer and an explanation.
Polity 2016: questions by topic
- Union and state executive1
- Parliament and state legislatures1
- Judiciary1
- Federalism, emergency provisions, local government2
Counted from the 5 questions on this page, tagged by topic in the Battle IAS PYQ bank.
Seeing 5 Polity questions spread over 4 topics can feel overwhelming. That's exactly why the Battle IAS PYQ Book maps every question topic by topic, so you know what to study first. Download free sample
Union and state executive 1
Consider the following statements :
- 1. The Chief Secretary in a State is appointed by the Governor of that State.
- 2. The Chief Secretary in a State has a fixed tenure.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). The Chief Secretary is not a constitutional post. The officer is chosen by the State government, in practice the Chief Minister's choice, not appointed by the Governor at discretion, so statement 1 is wrong. The post has no fixed tenure; the officer serves at the government's discretion until retirement or transfer, so statement 2 is wrong.
The Chief Secretary is the senior-most civil servant of the State and heads the State secretariat. Notice how the equivalent post at the Centre is the Cabinet Secretary, and how Prakash Singh (2006) gave fixed tenure to police chiefs, not to Chief Secretaries.
Governors appear in so many State appointments that statement 1 sounds automatic. This one is the State government's choice.
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Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Parliament and state legislatures 1
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1. A Bill pending in the Lok Sabha lapses on its prorogation.
- 2. A Bill pending in the Rajya Sabha, which has not been passed by the Lok Sabha, shall not lapse on dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). Prorogation ends a session but does not kill pending Bills (Article 107(3)), so statement 1 is wrong. Dissolution of the Lok Sabha makes Bills pending in the Lok Sabha lapse, but a Bill pending in the Rajya Sabha that the Lok Sabha has not passed survives (Article 107(4)).
Bills passed by the Lok Sabha but pending in the Rajya Sabha do lapse on dissolution. A Bill on which the President has called a joint sitting before dissolution does not lapse. Notice how the Rajya Sabha, a permanent House, keeps legislative work alive across elections.
prorogation and dissolution are different. Only dissolution makes Bills lapse, and only some of them.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Judiciary 1
With reference to the 'Gram Nyayalaya Act', which of the following statements is/are correct?
- 1. As per the Act, Gram Nyayalayas can hear only civil cases and not criminal cases.
- 2. The Act allows local social activists as mediators/reconciliators.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). Statement 1 is wrong: under the Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008, these village courts hear both civil and criminal cases listed in the Act's Schedules. Statement 2 is right: the Act lets the court appoint local social workers as conciliators to help parties settle disputes.
Gram Nyayalayas are set up at the intermediate panchayat level, presided over by a Nyayadhikari with the powers of a judicial magistrate. They can be mobile courts and follow simplified procedure. Notice how they aim to bring cheap, quick justice to the doorstep, reflecting Article 39A on equal justice and free legal aid, though few states have set them up.
"only civil". Most local justice schemes cover both kinds of dispute.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Federalism, emergency provisions, local government 2
The Parliament of India acquires the power to legislate on any item in the State List in the national interest if a resolution to that effect is passed by the
Answer (d) & explanation
The Rajya Sabha decides, by two-thirds of members present and voting (d). Under Article 249, if the Rajya Sabha, as the House representing the States, resolves this way that Parliament should make laws on a State List subject in the national interest, Parliament can do so. The resolution lasts one year and can be renewed one year at a time. The law stops working six months after the resolution ends. The Lok Sabha options (a, b) are wrong, and so is (c), because a simple majority is not enough.
Notice the other routes for central law on State subjects: a national emergency (Art. 250), agreement of two or more States (Art. 252), and international treaties (Art. 253). Rajya Sabha has two similar special powers: Art. 249 and Art. 312, for new All-India Services.
the Lok Sabha options. Only the States' House can open a State subject to Parliament.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. The minimum age prescribed for any person to be a member of Panchayat is 25 years.
- 2. A Panchayat reconstituted after premature dissolution continues only for the remainder period.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). Statement 1 is wrong because, under Article 243F, a person can become a Panchayat member at 21 years of age, not 25. The State legislature may also set other disqualifications, and some States have two-child rules or minimum education rules, which the Supreme Court upheld in Rajbala (2015). Statement 2 is right because, under Article 243E, a Panchayat elected after early dissolution serves only for the remainder of the original five-year term. If less than six months remain, no election is needed.
The 73rd Amendment (1992) also requires elections within six months of dissolution, run by the State Election Commission. Notice the same rules for municipalities under Articles 243U and 243V.
25 is the age for MLAs and Lok Sabha members. Panchayats use 21.
Traps like this come back in new clothes. The PYQ Book collects all of them, topic by topic, so none catch you twice. Try the free sample
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
All years by topic
Every question from 2011 to 2026, grouped by syllabus topic, with year-wise trends.