What fraction of the members of a State Legislative Council is nominated by the Governor?

The correct answer is B, Article 169. It empowers Parliament to abolish an existing Legislative Council or to create one in a State that does not have it, provided the Legislative Assembly of that State first passes a resolution by a majority of its total membership and by not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting. The Article also says that such a law shall not be deemed to be an amendment of the Constitution for the purposes of Article 368, so a simple majority in Parliament is enough. Option A, Article 168, only declares that every State shall have a legislature consisting of the Governor and one or two Houses. Option C, Article 170, deals with the composition of the Legislative Assembly and its range of 60 to 500 members. Option D, Article 171, lays down the composition of the Legislative Council and the fractions by which its members are chosen.

The correct answer is C, 500. Article 170 says the Legislative Assembly of each State shall consist of not more than 500 and not less than 60 members, chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the State. Special provisions of the Constitution permit a smaller Assembly in some of the smaller States, which is why a few Assemblies have fewer than 60 seats. Option A, 250, is the ceiling for the Rajya Sabha, and a candidate who confuses the two Houses picks it. Option B, 400, corresponds to no constitutional limit at all and is a plain distractor. Option D, 550, is the maximum elected strength of the Lok Sabha, made up of 530 from the States and 20 from the Union Territories, so it belongs to the Union Parliament and not to a State Assembly.

The correct answer is C, 30 years. Article 173 lays down the qualifications for membership of a State Legislature: the person must be a citizen of India, must make and subscribe an oath or affirmation before a person authorised by the Election Commission, and must be at least 25 years of age for a seat in the Legislative Assembly or at least 30 years of age for a seat in the Legislative Council. Option A, 21 years, is the age at which a citizen may contest a panchayat or municipal election under most State laws, not a legislature seat. Option B, 25 years, is the age for the Legislative Assembly and for the Lok Sabha, and it is the answer examiners hope a hurried candidate will tick. Option D, 35 years, is the age qualification for the offices of President, Vice-President and Governor, not for a legislator.

The correct answer is A. Article 189 provides that the quorum to constitute a meeting of a House of the Legislature of a State shall be ten members or one-tenth of the total number of members of the House, whichever is greater. The rule is the same as the one Article 100 lays down for the Houses of Parliament, and it protects a small House from a handful of members transacting business. Option B, one-fourth, is the majority requirement in several removal and resolution procedures but never the quorum. Option C is wrong because the Constitution fixes no flat figure of twenty; the floor is ten and it rises with the size of the House. Option D, one-sixth, is the share of a Legislative Council nominated by the Governor under Article 171 and has nothing to do with quorum.

The correct answer is C, four months. When the Legislative Assembly passes an ordinary Bill and sends it to the Legislative Council, the Council may hold it up for a maximum of three months the first time. If the Assembly passes the Bill a second time and sends it again, the Council can delay it by only one month more. Three months and one month together give a total delay of four months, after which the Bill is deemed to have been passed. Option A, fourteen days, is the period for which a Council may keep a Money Bill under Article 198. Option B, one month, is only the second round of the ordinary Bill procedure. Option D, six months, is the maximum gap allowed between two sessions of a House under Article 174 and is not a delay period for Bills.