CHAPTER 6: THE PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM: LEGISLATURE AND EXECUTIVE
Q1. What was the first important step in establishing the governance of independent India?
A. Establishing a monarchy
B. Drafting the Constitution of independent India
C. Abolishing all elections
D. Establishing colonial rule
Answer: B. Drafting the Constitution of independent India
Q2. What does Universal Adult Franchise guarantee?
A. Voting rights only to educated citizens
B. Voting rights only to wealthy citizens
C. The right of all adult citizens to vote, irrespective of their social or economic background
D. Voting rights only to government employees
Answer: C. The right of all adult citizens to vote, irrespective of their social or economic background
Q3. In which year was the 18th Lok Sabha constituted?
A. 2014
B. 2019
C. 2022
D. 2024
Answer: D. 2024
Q4. What is the supreme legislative body of India?
A. Parliament
B. Election Commission
C. Supreme Court
D. Union Public Service Commission
Answer: A. Parliament
Q5. What are the two Houses of the Indian Parliament?
A. Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad
B. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
C. Supreme Court and High Court
D. Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat
Answer: B. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha
Q6. What is meant by a bicameral legislature?
A. A legislature with only one House
B. A legislature controlled only by the Executive
C. A legislature consisting of two Houses
D. A legislature without elected representatives
Answer: C. A legislature consisting of two Houses
Q7. What is another name for the Lok Sabha?
A. Council of States
B. Upper House
C. Legislative Council
D. House of the People
Answer: D. House of the People
Q8. What is another name for the Rajya Sabha?
A. Council of States
B. House of the People
C. Legislative Assembly
D. Gram Sabha
Answer: A. Council of States
Q9. How are representatives to the Lok Sabha elected?
A. They are appointed by the President.
B. They are directly elected by the people.
C. They are selected by the Supreme Court.
D. They are nominated by state governors.
Answer: B. They are directly elected by the people.
Q10. How are members of the Rajya Sabha generally elected?
A. Directly by every citizen in a nationwide election
B. By the Prime Minister alone
C. Indirectly through an electoral college
D. By the Supreme Court
Answer: C. Indirectly through an electoral college
Q11. Which country’s system inspired India’s parliamentary democracy?
A. France
B. Japan
C. Russia
D. Britain
Answer: D. Britain
Q12. Why did the Constitution makers choose a bicameral Parliament?
A. To represent states and address the challenges of independent India
B. To eliminate the need for elections
C. To give all legislative powers to one individual
D. To prevent states from participating in governance
Answer: A. To represent states and address the challenges of independent India
Q13. What is federalism?
A. A system in which all power belongs to one individual
B. A system in which power is distributed between the Centre, states and local governments
C. A system in which states have no governing powers
D. A system without a Constitution
Answer: B. A system in which power is distributed between the Centre, states and local governments
Q14. Who presides over the proceedings of the Lok Sabha?
A. The President
B. The Prime Minister
C. The Speaker
D. The Chief Justice of India
Answer: C. The Speaker
Q15. Who presides over the Rajya Sabha?
A. The Prime Minister
B. The President
C. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha
D. The Vice President of India
Answer: D. The Vice President of India
Q16. What is one important responsibility of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha?
A. Maintaining order and ensuring that parliamentary rules are followed
B. Appointing all state governors
C. Making judicial decisions
D. Conducting elections in every constituency
Answer: A. Maintaining order and ensuring that parliamentary rules are followed
Q17. What does the Sengol symbolise in the context described in the chapter?
A. Military conquest alone
B. Righteous and just rule
C. The end of parliamentary democracy
D. The separation of states from India
Answer: B. Righteous and just rule
Q18. To whom was the Sengol symbolically handed over on 14 August 1947?
A. Dr. Rajendra Prasad
B. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
C. Jawaharlal Nehru
D. B. R. Ambedkar
Answer: C. Jawaharlal Nehru
Q19. What are the four broad categories of Parliament’s legislative functions described in the chapter?
A. Education, health, defence and agriculture
B. Elections, policing, transport and trade
C. Agriculture, industry, banking and tourism
D. Constitutional functions, lawmaking, executive accountability and financial accountability
Answer: D. Constitutional functions, lawmaking, executive accountability and financial accountability
Q20. Which of the following is a constitutional function of Parliament?
A. Upholding the core values of the Constitution
B. Conducting every court trial
C. Appointing every village official directly
D. Managing all private businesses
Answer: A. Upholding the core values of the Constitution
Q21. What is a bill?
A. A final court judgement
B. A draft of a proposed law that must go through the required process before becoming law
C. A government employee’s identity card
D. A record of election results
Answer: B. A draft of a proposed law that must go through the required process before becoming law
Q22. What is an Act?
A. A political campaign
B. A proposed law that has not been considered by Parliament
C. A law enacted through the required legislative process
D. A meeting of the Council of Ministers
Answer: C. A law enacted through the required legislative process
Q23. Which Act is used in the chapter to explain the process of lawmaking?
A. Right to Information Act, 2005
B. Indian Forest Act, 1927
C. Government of India Act, 1935
D. Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009
Answer: D. Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009
Q24. Which Constitutional Amendment introduced Article 21A concerning free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14 years?
A. The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002
B. The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976
C. The 44th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1978
D. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992
Answer: A. The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002
Q25. In which year did the Right to Education Act become an Act after receiving the President’s assent?
A. 2002
B. 2009
C. 2014
D. 2020
Answer: B. 2009
Q26. What is the purpose of a Standing Committee of Parliament?
A. To replace both Houses of Parliament
B. To conduct all elections in India
C. To examine government activities, make recommendations and ask questions
D. To appoint judges to every court
Answer: C. To examine government activities, make recommendations and ask questions
Q27. What is the Gazette in the lawmaking process?
A. A list of all voters
B. A register of school students
C. A document containing only parliamentary speeches
D. An official government publication announcing legal documents and official information
Answer: D. An official government publication announcing legal documents and official information
Q28. Which type of bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha, according to the chapter?
A. Money Bill
B. Ordinary Bill
C. Private letter
D. Judicial order
Answer: A. Money Bill
Q29. What is required before a Money Bill can be introduced in the Lok Sabha?
A. Approval from every state assembly
B. Prior recommendation of the President
C. Permission from the Supreme Court in every case
D. Approval from all political parties
Answer: B. Prior recommendation of the President
Q30. What is meant by executive accountability?
A. The Executive can ignore Parliament.
B. The Judiciary prepares the national budget.
C. The Executive must explain and justify its actions and decisions to Parliament.
D. Parliament cannot ask ministers any questions.
Answer: C. The Executive must explain and justify its actions and decisions to Parliament.
Q31. What is Question Hour in the Lok Sabha?
A. A period reserved for electing the President
B. A period for announcing school examination results
C. A period when courts present their judgements
D. A period when MPs can question ministers about government policies and activities
Answer: D. A period when MPs can question ministers about government policies and activities
Q32. What is the main purpose of Parliament’s financial accountability function?
A. To approve and monitor government expenditure
B. To control private household spending
C. To set prices for every private product
D. To conduct school admissions
Answer: A. To approve and monitor government expenditure
Q33. What does the Union Executive consist of, as described in the chapter?
A. The Speaker, Chief Justice and Governors
B. The President, Vice President and Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister
C. Only the Lok Sabha members
D. Only the Rajya Sabha members
Answer: B. The President, Vice President and Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister
Q34. Who is the Head of State and nominal head of the Union Executive?
A. The Prime Minister
B. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha
C. The President of India
D. The Chief Justice of India
Answer: C. The President of India
Q35. Who is the de facto executive authority in India’s parliamentary system?
A. The President
B. The Vice President
C. The Speaker
D. The Prime Minister
Answer: D. The Prime Minister
Q36. Who does the Council of Ministers collectively remain responsible to?
A. The Lok Sabha
B. The Supreme Court
C. The Election Commission
D. The State Legislative Councils
Answer: A. The Lok Sabha
Q37. Which of the following is an important function of the Prime Minister?
A. Conducting all judicial trials
B. Coordinating the work of different ministries
C. Appointing every Member of Parliament through direct selection
D. Replacing the Constitution
Answer: B. Coordinating the work of different ministries
Q38. Who helps implement laws and policies under the direction of ministers?
A. Only elected voters
B. Only judges
C. Civil servants and government administrators
D. Only members of the opposition
Answer: C. Civil servants and government administrators
Q39. Why did Lal Bahadur Shastri offer his resignation as Railway Minister in 1956?
A. He lost a parliamentary election.
B. He disagreed with the Constitution.
C. He was appointed Governor of a state.
D. He accepted moral responsibility following a train accident.
Answer: D. He accepted moral responsibility following a train accident.
Q40. What is the main difference between the Legislature and the Executive?
A. The Legislature makes laws and oversees the Executive, while the Executive implements laws.
B. The Legislature conducts court trials, while the Executive interprets the Constitution.
C. The Legislature implements all laws, while the Executive makes judicial decisions.
D. There is no difference between their functions.
Answer: A. The Legislature makes laws and oversees the Executive, while the Executive implements laws.
Q41. What is the primary role of the Judiciary?
A. Preparing the Union Budget
B. Interpreting and applying laws and safeguarding constitutional principles
C. Forming the Council of Ministers
D. Conducting parliamentary elections
Answer: B. Interpreting and applying laws and safeguarding constitutional principles
Q42. What is meant by checks and balances?
A. Giving all powers to Parliament
B. Allowing the Executive to control the Judiciary completely
C. Ensuring that different organs of government check one another so that no organ becomes too powerful
D. Preventing courts from examining government actions
Answer: C. Ensuring that different organs of government check one another so that no organ becomes too powerful
Q43. What are the members of a State Legislative Assembly called?
A. MPs
B. Governors
C. Ministers of Parliament
D. MLAs
Answer: D. MLAs
Q44. Which list contains subjects on which both Union and State governments can legislate?
A. Concurrent List
B. Union List only
C. State List only
D. Judicial List
Answer: A. Concurrent List
Q45. What happens when the Union government legislates on a subject in the Concurrent List?
A. The law applies only in the capital.
B. State governments are bound to follow the Union law.
C. The law automatically becomes invalid.
D. Only local governments can enforce it.
Answer: B. State governments are bound to follow the Union law.
Q46. What is the name of the lower House of a State Legislature?
A. Rajya Sabha
B. Lok Sabha
C. Vidhan Sabha
D. Vidhan Parishad
Answer: C. Vidhan Sabha
Q47. Which of the following states has a bicameral legislature, according to the chapter?
A. Punjab
B. Kerala
C. Rajasthan
D. Uttar Pradesh
Answer: D. Uttar Pradesh
Q48. Which of the following is identified as a challenge to the effective functioning of legislatures?
A. Absenteeism and disruptions during parliamentary proceedings
B. Too much time spent on every debate
C. The complete absence of government policies
D. The abolition of all legislative sessions
Answer: A. Absenteeism and disruptions during parliamentary proceedings
Q49. What are the three regular sessions of Parliament mentioned in the chapter?
A. Spring, Summer and Autumn Sessions
B. Budget, Monsoon and Winter Sessions
C. Election, Judicial and Federal Sessions
D. National, State and Local Sessions
Answer: B. Budget, Monsoon and Winter Sessions
Q50. According to the chapter, how can citizens help strengthen democracy and improve the functioning of legislatures?
A. By avoiding public discussions
B. By ignoring government decisions
C. By staying informed, asking questions and participating in public discussions
D. By leaving all decisions to government officials
Answer: C. By staying informed, asking questions and participating in public discussions
