2017 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2017 · GS Paper I

Question 76: Polity and Governance

Consider the following statements :

  1. 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. 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

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).

Elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies follow the first-past-the-post system, in which the candidate with the most votes wins, even with less than 50 per cent of the votes polled, so Statement 1 is wrong. The Constitution (Article 93) only says the Lok Sabha chooses its Speaker and Deputy Speaker from among its members; giving the Speaker's post to the majority party and the Deputy Speaker's to the Opposition is a convention, not a constitutional provision, so Statement 2 is wrong. Remember: plurality wins, and the Deputy Speaker's post is a convention.

  • 1. The candidate with the most votes wins; 50 per cent is not required.
  • 2. The party allocation is a convention, not a constitutional provision.

How you could have got this

  1. If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (a) and (c) go: each of them includes 1.

    What you needed to know: The candidate with the most votes wins; 50 per cent is not required.

  2. Then, if you were sure statement 2 is not correct, (b) goes: it includes 2.

    What you needed to know: The party allocation is a convention, not a constitutional provision.

Only (d) is left. This one needs every statement.

Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.

Why each option is right or wrong
  • (a) Wrong: a plurality of votes is enough; 50 per cent is not required.
  • (b) Wrong: the Speaker and Deputy Speaker arrangement is a convention, not in the Constitution.
  • (c) Wrong: both statements are false.
  • (d) Right: neither statement is correct.

Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2017, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.