UPSC Prelims 1996 · General Studies
Question 20: Polity and Governance
If the number of seats allocated to a state in the Lok Sabha is 42, then the number of seats reserved for the Scheduled Castes in that state will be
AnswerThe answer is (d).
Seats reserved for Scheduled Castes in the Lok Sabha are fixed state by state in proportion to the SC share of the state's population (Article 330), so there is no formula that turns total seats into SC seats. The key's six matches Andhra Pradesh (before it was divided), which had 42 Lok Sabha seats of which six were reserved for SCs. Remember: reservation follows each state's SC population share, not a fixed fraction of seats.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Half the seats is far above any state's SC share of its seats.
- (b) A third of the seats is well above the SC share in the state the key has in mind.
- (c) Seven is not the number reserved in the state the question means, which has six.
- (d) The key's answer: Andhra Pradesh's 42 seats included six reserved for SCs.
Worth knowing: Reservation follows each state's SC population and more than one state had 42 Lok Sabha seats, so the total alone does not identify the answer; the key's 6 matches Andhra Pradesh.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 1996, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.