UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — RS adjourned again; Opposition MPs seek apology from Shah
Q1. Consider the following statements regarding the presiding officers of the Rajya Sabha:
1. The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is not a member of the House, whereas the Deputy Chairman is chosen by the Rajya Sabha from amongst its own members.
2. While a resolution for the removal of the Deputy Chairman from office is under consideration, the Deputy Chairman, though present, may preside over that sitting but has no right to vote.
3. In the absence of both the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman, a member drawn from a panel of Vice-Chairmen, which is constituted every year, presides over the House.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is not a member of the House, whereas the Deputy Chairman is chosen by the Rajya Sabha from amongst its own members.
- While a resolution for the removal of the Deputy Chairman from office is under consideration, the Deputy Chairman, though present, may preside over that sitting but has no right to vote.
- In the absence of both the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman, a member drawn from a panel of Vice-Chairmen, which is constituted every year, presides over the House.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q2. In the Rajya Sabha, a motion proposing the name of a member for election as Deputy Chairman is taken up at which one of the following points in the day's proceedings?
- A. At the very commencement of the sitting, before Question Hour is called
- B. Immediately after Question Hour is concluded on the appointed day
- C. Immediately before the laying of papers on the Table of the House
- D. Immediately after the Zero Hour submissions of members are concluded
Q3. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 principally extends the protection of the parent Act to which one of the following, which was not covered earlier?
- A. The National Emblem as adopted under the State Emblem of India Act
- B. The National Calendar reckoned on the basis of the Saka era
- C. The National Song, in addition to what the parent Act already covers
- D. The National Pledge as recited in schools across the country
Q4. With reference to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 and its amendment, consider the following:
1. The parent legislation stands on the statute book as Act No. 69 of 1971.
2. Showing disrespect to, or bringing into contempt, the Indian National Flag or the Constitution of India in any public place is punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
3. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha by the Ministry of Culture.
4. The provision for an enhanced penalty applies where the person concerned is convicted a second or subsequent time.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The parent legislation stands on the statute book as Act No. 69 of 1971.
- Showing disrespect to, or bringing into contempt, the Indian National Flag or the Constitution of India in any public place is punishable with imprisonment which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.
- The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha by the Ministry of Culture.
- The provision for an enhanced penalty applies where the person concerned is convicted a second or subsequent time.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2, 3 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 1 and 4 only
Q5. Under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which one of the following is the essential ingredient that an act or omission must satisfy before it can be treated as the use of 'unfair means'?
- A. It must have been done or caused to be done for monetary or wrongful gain
- B. It must have resulted in the cancellation or postponement of the examination concerned
- C. It must have been committed by a person formally engaged in conducting that examination
- D. It must involve at least three persons or an institution acting together in concert
Q6. With reference to the penal scheme of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, consider the following:
1. Examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency fall within the ambit of the Act.
2. A service provider found guilty is liable to a fine of up to one crore rupees, besides recovery of the proportionate cost of the examination, and is barred from being assigned any responsibility for a public examination for four years.
3. Where an offence by a service provider is shown to have been committed with the consent or connivance of a Director or a person in senior management, such person is punishable with imprisonment of not less than three years extending to ten years and a fine of one crore rupees.
4. A person convicted of resorting to unfair means is punishable with imprisonment of not less than five years extending to ten years and a fine of up to fifty lakh rupees.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Examinations conducted by the National Testing Agency fall within the ambit of the Act.
- A service provider found guilty is liable to a fine of up to one crore rupees, besides recovery of the proportionate cost of the examination, and is barred from being assigned any responsibility for a public examination for four years.
- Where an offence by a service provider is shown to have been committed with the consent or connivance of a Director or a person in senior management, such person is punishable with imprisonment of not less than three years extending to ten years and a fine of one crore rupees.
- A person convicted of resorting to unfair means is punishable with imprisonment of not less than five years extending to ten years and a fine of up to fifty lakh rupees.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1, 3 and 4
- D. 2, 3 and 4
Q7. Which one of the following most precisely describes the function of the Business Advisory Committee of the Rajya Sabha?
- A. It decides the admissibility of notices for Calling Attention and Short Duration Discussions received from members of the House
- B. It recommends the allocation of time for the stages of Bills and other business referred to it by the Chairman
- C. It examines every Bill after introduction to determine whether it ought to be referred to a Department-related Standing Committee
- D. It classifies Private Members' Bills into categories after examining the constitutional competence of the House to pass them
Q8. Consider the following statements regarding the National Youth Parliament Scheme and the Youth Parliament programme of the Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs:
1. Unlike the earlier arrangement confined to educational institutions, the upgraded version of the National Youth Parliament Scheme portal is open to groups and to individual citizens as well.
2. Separate National Youth Parliament Competitions are held for Kendriya Vidyalayas and for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas.
3. On the upgraded portal, group participations outnumbered individual participations during the year 2025.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Unlike the earlier arrangement confined to educational institutions, the upgraded version of the National Youth Parliament Scheme portal is open to groups and to individual citizens as well.
- Separate National Youth Parliament Competitions are held for Kendriya Vidyalayas and for Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas.
- On the upgraded portal, group participations outnumbered individual participations during the year 2025.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q9. In parliamentary practice, a 'point of order' is best described as which one of the following?
- A. A point relating to the interpretation or enforcement of the Rules of Procedure, or of those articles of the Constitution that regulate the business of the House, submitted for the decision of the Chair
- B. A point raised by a member disputing the factual accuracy of a statement just made by a Minister, on which the Chair must require the Minister to offer a clarification
- C. A request by a member that the sequence of items entered in the List of Business for the day be rearranged, which the Chair decides after hearing the Leader of the House
- D. A submission by a member seeking a ruling from the Chair on whether a matter is of sufficiently urgent public importance to displace the business already listed
Q10. Consider the following statements comparing the procedural devices available in the two Houses of Parliament:
1. The Rajya Sabha has no procedure for the moving of an adjournment motion, a censure motion or a no-confidence motion against the Government.
2. Under the Calling Attention procedure, once the Minister has made the statement the House necessarily proceeds to a full-fledged debate on it, followed invariably by a vote.
3. A motion for the suspension of a rule must be relevant to the List of Business for the day before the House.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Rajya Sabha has no procedure for the moving of an adjournment motion, a censure motion or a no-confidence motion against the Government.
- Under the Calling Attention procedure, once the Minister has made the statement the House necessarily proceeds to a full-fledged debate on it, followed invariably by a vote.
- A motion for the suspension of a rule must be relevant to the List of Business for the day before the House.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q11. In the tracking of Parliament's functioning by PRS Legislative Research, the 'productivity' of a House for a session is arrived at by measuring which one of the following?
- A. The number of sittings actually held as a proportion of the sittings originally notified for that session
- B. The number of Bills passed as a proportion of the Bills listed in the legislative agenda for that session
- C. The time for which the House actually worked as a proportion of the time for which it was scheduled to sit
- D. The time devoted to legislative business as a proportion of the total time for which the House actually worked