2023 GS Paper I, all questions

UPSC Prelims 2023 · GS Paper I

Question 36: Polity and Governance

Consider the following statements :

  1. 1.If the election of the President of India is declared void by the Supreme Court of India, all acts done by him/her in the performance of duties of his/her office of President before the date of decision become invalid.
  2. 2.Election for the post of the President of India can be postponed on the ground that some Legislative Assemblies have been dissolved and elections are yet to take place.
  3. 3.When a Bill is presented to the President of India, the Constitution prescribes time limits within which he/she has to declare his/her assent.

How many of the above statements are correct?

aOnly one
bOnly two
cAll three
dNone

AnswerUPSC’s answer is (d).

None of the statements is correct. If a President's election is declared void, acts done in office before the decision remain valid (Article 71). The election cannot be postponed because some State Assemblies are dissolved: Article 71 bars questioning an election on the ground of vacancies in the electoral college, and a new President must be elected before the term ends. For assent to a Bill, Article 111 gives no time limit; the President may assent, withhold assent or return a non-money Bill for reconsideration.

  • 1. Acts done before the declaration remain valid.
  • 2. Vacancies in the electoral college do not allow postponement.
  • 3. Article 111 sets no time limit for the President's assent.

How you could have got this

No shortcut here: in a “how many” question, ruling out options doesn’t help. Every statement has to be judged.

The red flag in statement 1 is “all”. In UPSC’s papers, statements with “all” were true 41% of the time (76 statements). A hint, not a rule.

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) Only one would need a correct statement; all three are wrong.
  • (b) Two would need two correct statements; none is.
  • (c) All three are wrong, so they cannot all be correct.
  • (d) Correct: every statement misstates the Constitution.

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

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2023, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.