UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — U.K.’s Farage referred to standards watchdog after new report of gifts

Q1. With reference to the U.K. House of Commons' Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly stated?

  1. It is an independent office that oversees the conduct of Members of Parliament.
  2. It investigates alleged breaches of the House of Commons Code of Conduct.
  3. Its powers are essentially investigatory and recommendatory rather than judicial.
  4. It can directly impose criminal fines and imprison Members it finds guilty of misconduct.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 3

Q2. The creation of an independent standards watchdog to monitor MPs' conduct at Westminster is most directly traceable to which of the following?

  • A. The 1994 'cash-for-questions' scandal
  • B. The 2009 MPs' expenses scandal
  • C. The 1963 Profumo affair
  • D. The 2019 unlawful prorogation controversy

Q3. In the U.K. House of Commons, the office chiefly responsible for overseeing MPs' registration of interests and investigating suspected non-registration is the:

  • A. Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
  • B. Electoral Commission
  • C. National Audit Office
  • D. Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Q4. In the House of Commons Code of Conduct, 'Rule 5' primarily refers to which of the following requirements?

  • A. Mandatory registration of an MP's financial and non-financial interests and benefits
  • B. A ban on MPs undertaking any paid outside employment
  • C. A cap on the total value of donations an MP may accept in a year
  • D. A requirement for Ministers to publish their personal tax returns

Q5. Under Nigel Farage's leadership, UKIP recorded a historic electoral first. Which one of the following describes it?

  • A. It finished first in the 2014 European Parliament elections, becoming the single largest U.K. party in that poll
  • B. It won an outright majority in the House of Commons
  • C. It entered a formal coalition government with the Conservatives
  • D. It captured control of the Greater London Assembly

Q6. In the statement 'Nigel Farage served as an MEP from 1999 to 2020', the abbreviation 'MEP' denotes:

  • A. Member of the European Parliament
  • B. Member of the English Parliament
  • C. Minister for European Policy
  • D. Member of Parliament (House of Commons)

Q7. As reported in early July 2026, how many separate Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards matters was Nigel Farage facing?

  • A. One
  • B. Two
  • C. Three
  • D. Four

Q8. India's first parliamentary Ethics Committee was constituted in which House and year?

  • A. Rajya Sabha, in 1997
  • B. Lok Sabha, in 1997
  • C. Rajya Sabha, in 2000
  • D. Lok Sabha, in 1993

Q9. In the Rajya Sabha, the primary body mandated to prepare a Code of Conduct for members and to examine alleged breaches of it is the:

  • A. Committee on Ethics
  • B. Committee of Privileges
  • C. Business Advisory Committee
  • D. General Purposes Committee

Q10. In the Westminster model of government, which single doctrine is regarded as the foundational/supreme constitutional principle?

  • A. Parliamentary sovereignty
  • B. Strict separation of powers
  • C. Judicial review of primary legislation
  • D. Federal supremacy

Q11. Reform UK originated under which name and year, and was rebranded to its current name in which year?

  • A. Founded as the Brexit Party in 2019; rebranded Reform UK in 2021
  • B. Founded as UKIP in 1993; rebranded Reform UK in 2016
  • C. Founded as the Reform Party in 2015; rebranded Reform UK in 2019
  • D. Founded as the Brexit Party in 2016; rebranded Reform UK in 2019