44 practice questions on Elections & Representation from the Polity & Governance section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus.
44 come with a written explanation and 14 are actual previous year questions.
Try the sample set below - the answer stays hidden until you ask for it.
2 Easy31 Medium11 Hard14 from past papers
Sample questions
Q1
Previous year questionhard
Which of the following are included in the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court?
1. A dispute between the Government of India and one or more States
2. A dispute regarding elections to either House of the Parliament or that of Legislature of a State
3. A dispute between the Government of India and a Union Territory
4. A dispute between two or more States
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
A1 and 2
B2 and 3
C1 and 4
D3 and 4
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - 1 and 4
Article 131 confers exclusive original jurisdiction on the Supreme Court in disputes between the Government of India and one or more states, and in disputes between states, so statements 1 and 4 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong because election disputes relating to Parliament or state legislatures are tried as election petitions before High Courts (only disputes about the election of the President and Vice-President go directly to the Supreme Court, under Article 71, which is a separate jurisdiction). Statement 3 is wrong because Article 131 speaks of states; a Union Territory is administered by the Union itself and is not a party contemplated under this article. Hence (c).
Q2
Previous year questionmedium
Consider the following statements regarding 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam':
1. Provisions will come into effect from the 18th Lok Sabha.
2. This will be in force for 15 years after becoming an Act.
3. There are provisions for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes Women within the quota reserved for the Scheduled Castes.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A1, 2 and 3
B1 and 2 only
C2 and 3 only
D1 and 3 only
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - 2 and 3 only
The women's reservation law (106th Amendment, 2023) takes effect only after a delimitation exercise based on the first census conducted after its commencement, so it did not apply to the 18th Lok Sabha elected in 2024, making statement 1 incorrect. Statement 2 is correct since the reservation is to operate for 15 years from commencement, extendable by Parliament. Statement 3 is correct because one-third of the seats already reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are to be reserved for women of those categories.
Q3
Previous year questionmedium
Consider the following statements :
1. In India, there is no law restricting the candidates from contesting in one Lok Sabha election from three constituencies.
2. In 1991 Lok Sabha Election, Shri Devi Lal contested from three Lok Sabha constituencies.
3. As per the existing rules, if a candidate contests in one Lok Sabha election from many constituencies, his/her party should bear the cost of bye-elections to the constituencies vacated by him/her in the event of him/her winning in all the constituencies.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A1 only
B2 only
C1 and 3
D2 and 3
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - 2 only
Statement 1 is wrong because the Representation of the People Act (amended in 1996) restricts a candidate to contesting from at most two constituencies, so contesting from three is not permitted. Statement 2 is correct: in the 1991 Lok Sabha election Devi Lal did contest from three constituencies, which was allowed before the 1996 cap. Statement 3 is incorrect as there is no rule making a party bear the cost of resulting by-elections. Only statement 2 holds, giving 2 only, option (b).
Q4
Previous year questionmedium
With reference to the election of the President of India, consider the following statements:
1. The value of the vote of each MLA varies from State to State.
2. The value of the vote of MPs of the Loksabha is more than the value of the vote of MPs of the Rajyasabha
Which of the following statements given above is/are correct?
A1 only
B2 only
CBoth 1 and 2
DNeither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A - 1 only
Only statement 1 is correct, so 'A' is the answer. In the presidential election the value of an MLA's vote varies across States because it is based on the State's population relative to its number of MLAs. Statement 2 is wrong because the value of an MP's vote is the same for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members, derived from the total value of all MLAs' votes divided by the number of elected MPs. Hence 'A' (1 only).
Q5
Previous year questionmedium
For election to the Lok Sabha, a nomination paper can be filed by
Aanyone residing in India
Ba resident of the constituency from which the election is to be contested
Cany citizen of India whose name appears in the electoral roll of a constituency
Dany citizen of India
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C - any citizen of India whose name appears in the electoral roll of a constituency
For a Lok Sabha election, a nomination paper can be filed by any citizen of India whose name appears in the electoral roll of any constituency in the country; the candidate need not be an elector of the very constituency being contested. So option (c) is correct. Merely residing in India, or being a resident of that particular constituency, is neither necessary nor sufficient, and being any citizen without enrolment as a voter is not enough, so the other options are wrong.
Q6
Previous year questionmedium
With reference to anti-defection law in India, consider the following statements:
1. The law specifies that a nominated legislator cannot join any political party within six months of being appointed to the House.
2. The law does not provide any time-frame within which the presiding officer has to decide a defection case.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A1 only
B2 only
CBoth 1 and 2
DNeither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B - 2 only
The Tenth Schedule actually allows a nominated member to join a political party within six months of taking the seat; disqualification arises only if the member joins a party after that six month window. Statement 1 inverts this rule and is incorrect. The Schedule is silent on how quickly the Speaker or Chairman must decide a defection petition, a gap the Supreme Court criticised in the Keisham Meghachandra case while suggesting a three month norm, so statement 2 is correct. Hence the answer is 2 only.
Q7
Previous year questioneasy
How many Delimitation Commissions have been constituted by the Government of India till December 2023?
AOne
BTwo
CThree
DFour
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - Four
Four Delimitation Commissions have been set up so far, under the Delimitation Acts of 1952, 1962, 1972 and 2002. The fourth commission, chaired by Justice Kuldip Singh, worked on the basis of the 2001 census but could not change the number of Lok Sabha seats because the 42nd and 84th Amendments froze seat allocation. The options one, two and three undercount the commissions, since each of the four Acts led to a separate commission being constituted.
Q8
Previous year questionmedium
Consider the following statements :
1. In the election for Lok Sabha or State Assembly, the winning candidate must get at least 50 percent of the votes polled, to be declared elected.
2. According to the provisions laid down in the Constitution of India, in Lok Sabha, the Speaker's post goes to the majority party and the Deputy Speaker's to the Opposition.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A1 only
B2 only
CBoth 1 and 2
DNeither 1 nor 2
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D - Neither 1 nor 2
Both statements are wrong. India uses the first-past-the-post system, so the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of crossing 50 percent, making statement 1 false. The Constitution does not allocate the Speaker's post to the majority party and the Deputy Speaker's to the Opposition; both are elected by the House, and any such distribution is only a convention, not a constitutional provision, so statement 2 is false. Hence neither is correct.
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