Parliament and state legislatures: previous-year questions
46 real UPSC Prelims questions (2011–2026) with the official answer and a clear explanation. 15 of them came in the last five papers.
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Questions per year, counted from the official papers.
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Regarding the office of the Lok Sabha Speaker, consider the following statements :
- 1. He/She holds the office during the pleasure of the President.
- 2. He/She need not be a member of the House at the time of his/her election but has to become a member of the House within six months from the date of his/her election.
- 3. If he/she intends to resign, the letter of his/her resignation has to be addressed to the Deputy Speaker.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statement 3 only is correct (b). Statement 1 is wrong: the Speaker is elected by the Lok Sabha and holds office normally for the life of the House, not at the President's pleasure; she can be removed only by a Lok Sabha resolution passed by an effective majority after 14 days' notice. Statement 2 is wrong: the Speaker must be a member of the Lok Sabha when elected; the six-month rule applies to ministers, not the Speaker. Statement 3 is correct: under Article 94, the Speaker resigns by writing to the Deputy Speaker. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the related rule: the Speaker does not vacate office on dissolution, but continues until the new House meets. The Speaker casts only a casting vote in a tie. Trap: statement 2 borrows the minister's six-month rule.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following special powers have been conferred on the Rajya Sabha by the Constitution of India?
Answer (b) & explanation
Option (b) is correct. As the House of the States, the Rajya Sabha alone can pass a resolution, by two-thirds of members present and voting, letting Parliament legislate on a State List subject in the national interest (Article 249). It alone can also authorise Parliament to create new All India Services (Article 312). (a) is wrong: changing a state's territory or name (Article 3) is done by ordinary law of both Houses. (c) is wrong: election procedure and pensions are set by laws of both Houses. (d) is wrong: the number of Election Commissioners is fixed by the President and law.
Notice the third power: when the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Rajya Sabha alone can approve emergency proclamations. Trap: states' territory sounds federal, but both Houses decide it.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which of the following are the methods of Parliamentary control over public finance in India?
- 1. Placing Annual Financial Statement before the Parliament
- 2. Withdrawal of moneys from Consolidated Fund of India only after passing the Appropriation Bill
- 3. Provisions of supplementary grants and vote-on-account
- 4. A periodic or at least a mid-year review of programme of the Government against macroeconomic forecasts and expenditure by a Parliamentary Budget Office
- 5. Introducing Finance Bill in the Parliament
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
Answer (a) & explanation
Items 1, 2, 3 and 5 are correct (a). Parliament controls public finance through the Annual Financial Statement (Article 112) (1), the Appropriation Bill, without which no money leaves the Consolidated Fund (Article 114) (2), supplementary grants and vote on account (Articles 115–116) (3), and the Finance Bill for taxes (5). Item 4 is wrong: India has no Parliamentary Budget Office; it has only been proposed. So (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the other tools: the Public Accounts Committee, Estimates Committee and Committee on Public Undertakings, plus CAG audits. The US has a Congressional Budget Office, and the UK an Office for Budget Responsibility. Trap: item 4 describes a good idea that India has not adopted.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
A deadlock between the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha calls for a joint sitting of the Parliament during the passage of
- 1. Ordinary Legislation
- 2. Money Bill
- 3. Constitution Amendment Bill
Select the correct answer using the codes given below :
Answer (a) & explanation
Ordinary legislation only is correct (a). A joint sitting under Article 108, called by the President and presided over by the Speaker, is possible only for ordinary bills when the Houses disagree (1). Item 2 is wrong: on a Money Bill, the Rajya Sabha can only make recommendations within 14 days, and the Lok Sabha prevails, so no deadlock arises. Item 3 is wrong: a Constitution Amendment Bill under Article 368 must pass each House separately by a special majority; there is no joint sitting. So (b), (c) and (d) fail.
Notice the record: joint sittings have been held only three times: the Dowry Prohibition Bill (1961), the Banking Service Commission (Repeal) Bill (1978) and the Prevention of Terrorism Bill (2002). Trap: joint sittings are rare and narrow.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
The authorization for the withdrawal of funds from the Consolidated Fund of India must come from
Answer (b) & explanation
Parliament is correct (b). Article 114 says no money can be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India except under an Appropriation Act passed by Parliament. This is the core of legislative control over the executive's purse. (a) is wrong: the President recommends money bills and gives assent, but does not authorise spending. (c) and (d) are wrong: the Prime Minister and Finance Minister prepare and present the Budget, but Parliament must vote it.
Notice the related tools: Vote on Account (Article 116) lets Parliament grant money before the Budget is passed; the Contingency Fund (Article 267) is at the President's disposal for emergencies, later recouped by Parliament; and the CAG audits spending afterwards.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
When the annual Union Budget is *not* passed by the Lok Sabha,
Answer (d) & explanation
The Prime Minister resigns is correct (d). Defeat of the Budget in the Lok Sabha means the government has lost the House's confidence, since money bills are central to governing. Under Article 75(3) the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha, so the Prime Minister must resign with the whole ministry. (a) is wrong: there is no simple re-presentation. (b) is wrong: the Rajya Sabha has only a 14-day recommending role on money bills and cannot rescue a defeated budget. (c) is wrong: responsibility is collective, not of one minister.
Notice the related devices: a cut motion (policy cut, economy cut, token cut) that passes is also treated as a defeat of the government.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.