Static Quiz 31 August 2026 (Indian Polity)

Article 79 defines Parliament as consisting of the President and the two Houses, and the President is constitutionally an integral part of Parliament even though not a sitting member of either House. Option (a) misstates the numbers, since Article 81 provides for a maximum Lok Sabha strength of 552, 530 from states and 20 from Union Territories, and the 104th Amendment of 2020 abolished only the 2 nominated Anglo-Indian seats, leaving the constitutional maximum of 552 unchanged while the current effective elected strength stands at 543. Option (b) is wrong since the Rajya Sabha is a permanent House that cannot be dissolved under any circumstances, only the Lok Sabha can be, and option (d) is incorrect since a Constitutional Amendment Bill can originate in either House, with no restriction to the Rajya Sabha.

Both statements are correct. Article 249 empowers the Rajya Sabha, by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting, to pass a resolution enabling Parliament to legislate on a State List subject in the national interest for one year, extendable by further resolutions, and Article 312 gives the Rajya Sabha the exclusive power to create new All-India Services by the same two-thirds majority. These are the two most important exclusive powers of the Rajya Sabha and are frequently paired in UPSC questions, and neither power is available to the Lok Sabha independently.

Article 108 provides for a joint sitting for ordinary Bills and Financial Bills when the Rajya Sabha rejects, amends unacceptably, or delays beyond six months, and the joint sitting is presided over by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. Option (a) is wrong since joint sittings cannot be convened for Constitutional Amendment Bills, which require independent special majorities in each House, or for Money Bills, two critical exclusions frequently tested, and option (b) is incorrect since the joint sitting is presided over by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha rather than the Rajya Sabha Chairman. Option (d) is wrong because if the Rajya Sabha fails to return a Money Bill within 14 days, it is deemed passed as sent by the Lok Sabha with no joint sitting triggered, since the Rajya Sabha has no veto over Money Bills.

Adjournment ends a sitting of the House, for the day, a few hours, or sine die, without ending the session, leaving bills and business pending to be taken up at the next sitting, while Prorogation terminates the session of Parliament, and though pending Bills do not lapse and remain on the Order Paper for the next session, notices of motions, resolutions, and questions not yet taken up do lapse, with the President proroguing Parliament on Cabinet advice. Dissolution terminates the Lok Sabha itself, since the Rajya Sabha, being permanent, is unaffected, causing all pending Bills that originated in the Lok Sabha to lapse and requiring fresh general elections within six months, while a Closure Motion is a procedural device moved by a member to cut short debate and proceed to an immediate vote on the matter under discussion.

Both A and R are correct, and R directly explains A. Under Article 100(1), the Speaker does not vote in the first instance but exercises a casting vote when there is a tie, and this applies to ordinary voting, since the Speaker retains the right to vote on constitutional matters requiring special majorities in specific situations. The rationale is precisely neutrality, since the Speaker as constitutional presiding officer is expected to be above partisan divisions, and by withholding the ordinary vote the Speaker signals impartiality, with the casting vote functioning as a constitutional necessity rather than a preference, making R the direct and causal explanation for the convention described in A.