Features of Fundamental Rights in the Indian Constitution partly derives its inspiration from the Bill of Rights, enshrined in the Constitution of _______.

The correct answer is C, Five. The Citizenship Act of 1955 lays down five ways of acquiring Indian citizenship: by birth, by descent, by registration, by naturalisation and by incorporation of territory. Citizenship by birth applies to those born in India within the periods the Act sets out, descent covers children born abroad to Indian parents, registration is for persons of Indian origin and spouses of Indian citizens who meet the conditions, naturalisation is for foreigners who have lived here for the required years, and incorporation of territory applies when new territory becomes part of India, as with Goa and Sikkim. The same Act provides three ways of losing citizenship: renunciation, termination and deprivation. A and B are wrong because three and four leave out modes the Act lists. D is wrong because there is no sixth mode. Exam tip: five ways in, three ways out, all under the Citizenship Act 1955.

The correct answer is A, Article 85. Article 85 of the Constitution deals with the sessions of Parliament, its prorogation and the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. It requires the President to summon each House so that not more than six months pass between the last sitting of one session and the first sitting of the next, which is why Parliament must meet at least twice a year, though in practice it holds three sessions, budget, monsoon and winter. B is wrong because Article 89 deals with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. C is wrong because Article 90 covers the vacation and resignation of the office of Deputy Chairman. D is wrong because Article 101 deals with the vacation of seats by members, including the rule about being absent for sixty days. Exam tip: Article 85 summons, prorogation and dissolution, with the six month gap rule between two sessions.

The correct answer is C, Article 164(2). Article 164(2) says that the Council of Ministers in a state shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly of that state, which is the rule that keeps a state government in office only while it holds the confidence of the Assembly and is the ground on which a no confidence motion works. The rest of Article 164 covers the other parts of the state executive. A is wrong because Article 164(3) deals with the oath of office and secrecy administered to a minister by the Governor. B is wrong because Article 164(4) says a minister who is not a member of the legislature for six consecutive months ceases to be a minister. D is wrong because Article 164(1) provides that the Chief Minister is appointed by the Governor and other ministers are appointed on the Chief Minister's advice. Exam tip: Article 75 is the Union mirror of Article 164 for the states.

The correct answer is C, Giani Zail Singh. Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as Prime Minister on 31 October 1984, the day his mother Indira Gandhi was assassinated, and Giani Zail Singh, who was President from 1982 to 1987, administered the oath. Zail Singh was the first Sikh to hold the office and had earlier been Chief Minister of Punjab and Union Home Minister. The swearing in shows the President's power under Article 75, by which the Prime Minister is appointed by the President and the other ministers are appointed on the Prime Minister's advice. A is wrong because R Venkataraman became President only in 1987. B is wrong because Shankar Dayal Sharma became President in 1992, after serving as Vice President. D is wrong because N Sanjiva Reddy's term ended in 1982. Exam tip: Zail Singh 1982 to 1987, Venkataraman 1987 to 1992, Sharma 1992 to 1997.

The correct answer is C, 1989. The Election Commission of India became a multi-member body for the first time on 16 October 1989, when two Election Commissioners were appointed alongside the Chief Election Commissioner just before the general election of that year. Article 324 leaves the number of Election Commissioners to the President, so the size of the Commission can be changed. The two posts were abolished in January 1990 and the Commission went back to being a single-member body; it was made multi-member again on 1 October 1993 and has remained a three-member body since. All members have equal say and matters are decided by majority. A is wrong because in 1995 the Supreme Court only upheld the multi-member structure that already existed. B is wrong because in 1985 the Commission was still headed by the Chief Election Commissioner alone. D is wrong because 1994 brought no change in the Commission's composition. Exam tip: multi-member first on 16 October 1989, single-member again in 1990, three-member since 1 October 1993.