UPSC Prelims 2015 GS Paper I · Q82 of 100 Polity & Governance medium

Consider the following statements : 1. The Legislative Council of a State in India can be larger in size than half of the Legislative Assembly of that particular State. 2. The Governor of a State nominates the Chairman of Legislative Council of that particular State. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 2 only
  3. (c) Both 1 and 2
  4. (d) Neither 1 nor 2 ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• Statement 1 is wrong: under Article 171 the Legislative Council cannot exceed one-third of the Assembly's strength (and must have at least 40 members).

• Statement 2 is wrong: the Chairman of the Council is elected by its members from among themselves (Article 182); the Governor nominates only one-sixth of the Council's members.

• Hence neither 1 nor 2, option (d).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1 only
Statement 1 is wrong: the limit is one-third, not half.
(b) 2 only
Statement 2 is wrong: the Chairman is elected by the Council.
(c) Both 1 and 2
Both statements are wrong.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2015, held on 23 August 2015. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

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