2003 General Studies, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2003 · General Studies

Question 122: Polity and Governance

Consider the following statements: In the electoral college for Presidential Election in India.

  1. 1.The value of the vote of an elected Member of Legislative Assembly equals
  2. 2.The value of the vote of an elected Member of Parliament equals
  3. 3.There were more than 5000 members in the latest election

Which of these statements is/are correct?

a1 and 2
bOnly 2
c1 and 3
dOnly 3

AnswerThe answer is (b).

Only statement 2 is correct, per the key. The value of an MP's vote is fixed by dividing the total value of all elected MLAs' votes by the number of elected MPs, which balances the weight of the States and of Parliament in the electoral college. An MLA's vote value depends on the State's 1971 population divided by the number of elected MLAs times 1000. The electoral college then held about 4,900 electors (776 MPs and about 4,120 MLAs), fewer than 5,000.

  • 1. The statement is cut off in the printed paper; the key counts it as not correct.
  • 2. An elected MP's vote value is the total value of all MLAs' votes divided by the number of elected MPs.
  • 3. The electoral college had fewer than 5,000 members, about 776 MPs and 4,120 MLAs.
Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Statement 1 is not counted as correct by the key.
  • (b) Correct: only statement 2.
  • (c) Statement 3 is false, as the college had under 5,000 members.
  • (d) Statement 3 is false, so 'only 3' fails.

Worth knowing: As printed, statements 1 and 2 are cut off before their formulas, so the verdicts follow the compilation's key.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2003, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.