Parliament MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Correct answer: C - 2 only

Statement 1 is wrong because the Union Budget is prepared by the Budget Division of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance; the Department of Revenue administers taxes but does not prepare the budget. Statement 2 is correct: under Article 114(3), no money can be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India except under an appropriation made by law passed by Parliament. Statement 3 is wrong because the Public Account holds money for which the government acts as a banker or trustee, such as provident funds and small savings, and payments from it are made by executive action without requiring parliamentary authorization. Hence 2 only.

Correct answer: C - the executive remains responsible to the legislature

The defining advantage of a parliamentary system is that the executive (council of ministers) is collectively responsible to and accountable before the legislature, which can remove it through a no-confidence motion. Option (a) describes the presidential separation of powers, not parliamentary government; continuity of policy is actually a feature claimed for presidential systems; and a parliamentary head of government can in fact be changed without a general election, so those options are wrong.

Correct answer: D - Provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003

The Macro Economic Framework Statement, along with the Medium Term Fiscal Policy Statement and the Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement, must be laid before Parliament under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003, which is a statutory and not a constitutional requirement. Article 112 only requires the Annual Financial Statement to be laid before Parliament, and Article 110 defines a Money Bill, so neither covers this document. Article 113 deals with the procedure for demands for grants. Since the obligation flows from a specific statute, it is not a matter of parliamentary convention either.

Correct answer: B - amending the Constitution

Under Article 368, a Constitution Amendment Bill must be passed by each House separately with the prescribed special majority, and there is no provision for a joint sitting, so the two Houses stand on an equal footing in amending the Constitution. Creating a new All India Service under Article 312 is actually a special power of the Rajya Sabha alone, requiring its resolution supported by two-thirds of members present and voting, so it is not an equal power. The government is responsible only to the Lok Sabha, which alone can remove it through a no-confidence motion. Cut motions relate to demands for grants, which are voted only in the Lok Sabha.

Correct answer: C - 1, 2 and 3

Article 109 indeed lays down the special procedure for Money Bills, and such a bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha, so statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Rajya Sabha must return a Money Bill within fourteen days with or without recommendations and has no power to reject or amend it on its own, making statement 3 correct. Statement 4 is wrong because the Lok Sabha is free to accept or reject the Rajya Sabha's recommendations; the bill is deemed passed in either case.

Correct answer: A - 1 and 2

Independent sectoral regulators such as TRAI, IRDAI and the electricity regulators are accountable to Parliament, which can scrutinise them through Ad Hoc Committees constituted for a specific purpose and through the Department Related Standing Committees, so statements 1 and 2 are correct. The Finance Commission only recommends the sharing of taxes between the Centre and States and has no review role over regulators. The Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission (FSLRC) was a one-time body that recommended reforms rather than a continuing reviewer, and NITI Aayog is a think tank with no oversight authority over these regulators. Hence only options containing 1 and 2 are correct.

Correct answer: B - To pass a resolution empowering the Parliament to make laws in the State List and to create one or more All India Services

Option (b) pairs the two special powers that the Constitution gives exclusively to the Rajya Sabha: under Article 249 it can pass a resolution by a two-thirds majority empowering Parliament to legislate on a State List subject in the national interest, and under Article 312 it can similarly authorise the creation of one or more All India Services. Option (a) is wrong because altering state territories or names (Article 3) needs an ordinary law of Parliament, not a special Rajya Sabha power. Options (c) and (d) are wrong because presidential election procedure, pensions, and the composition and functions of the Election Commission are not special prerogatives of the Rajya Sabha.

Correct answer: B - 3 only

Only statement 3 is correct: under Article 94, the Speaker's resignation is addressed to the Deputy Speaker. Statement 1 is wrong because the Speaker does not hold office during the pleasure of the President; he or she normally continues till just before the first meeting of the next Lok Sabha and can be removed only by a resolution passed by an effective majority of the House. Statement 2 is wrong because the Speaker must be a member of the Lok Sabha at the time of election; the six-month window to acquire membership applies to ministers, not to the Speaker.