This page lists 6 previous year UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination (General Studies Paper-I) questions on Prime Minister (Polity), asked between 1996 to 2012. Choose an option to see the correct answer and the full explanation on the same page.
Showing 1–6 of 6 questions
As per the Article 75(1) of the Indian Constitution, the Prime Minister is appointed by the President, who also appoints other ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister. A person who is not a member of the Parliament/State legislature can be appointed as PM/CM for six months, within which time, he should be elected to the Parliament/State legislature as per Supreme Court judgments.
Statement 1 is incorrect: Under Article 75, the President appoints the Prime Minister, and the other Ministers are appointed by the President based on the Prime Minister’s advice. The Cabinet Secretary has no official role in the creation of either Ministries or Departments of the Government of India.
Statement 2 is correct: According to Article 75 of the Constitution of India, after the general elections or ministry reshuffling, the Prime Minister advises the President on the appointment of ministers to various ministries. The President, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, formally assigns ministries to the elected ministers.
Assertion (A) is false: As per the Article 75(3) the Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the House of the People (Lok sabha) only. Reason (R) is true: As per article 75(5) A Minister who for a period of six consecutive months is not a member of either House of Parliament shall at the expiration of that period cease to be a Minister. Thus members of both houses can be a Minister of the Union Government of India. However a person that is not a member of either house can be a minister for a maximum of 6 months.
Statement 1 is correct: Jawaharlal Nehru was in PM’s Office for four terms (1947-52, 1952-57, 1957-62 and 1962-64 until death).
Statement 2 is incorrect: JL Nehru represented Phulpur Lok Sabha Constituency near Allahabad. Indira Gandhi represented Rae Bareilly while Rajiv Gandhi represented Amethi LS constituencies.
Statement 3 is correct: Morarji Desai, from the Janata Party, became the first non-Congress Prime Minister on March 24, 1977.
A no-confidence motion is a parliamentary instrument used by the opposition to try to remove the government. Article 75(3) states that the Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha, meaning only the Lok Sabha can introduce a no confidence motion. Statement (a) is correct: A PM from the Upper House can not vote for a no confidence motion, as only Lok Sabha members can vote on it. Statements (b) and (c) are incorrect: Article 88 gives every minister (and the Attorney General of India) the right to speak in either house or joint sitting. It only restricts their respective Right to vote in the house which they are not members of. Statement (d) is incorrect: As per article 75(5) PM can be a member of either house of the Parliament. The Prime Minister (PM), like any other minister, can be appointed even if they are not a Member of Parliament (MP) at the time of appointment. However, they must become a member of either the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha within six months, failing which they must resign from the position.
As per Article 75(1), the Prime Minister advises the President on the appointment of ministers, and the President is bound to act on this advice. While the Prime Minister can nominate any individual to be appointed as a minister, they must become a Member of Parliament within six months, as per Article 75(5). The Prime Minister is not required to consult the President when selecting ministers, making it clear that the discretion in this matter lies entirely with the Prime Minister, not the President.
| Q | UPSC year | Correct answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012 | (a) Need not necessarily be a member of one of the Houses of the Parliament but must become a member of one of the Houses within six months |
| 2 | 2009 | (b) 2 only |
| 3 | 2007 | (d) A is false but R is true |
| 4 | 2007 | (d) 1 and 3 |
| 5 | 1997 | (a) he will not be able to vote in his favour in the event of a no-confidence motion |
| 6 | 1996 | (c) Has full discretion in the choice of persons who are to serve as ministers in his cabinet. |
This page covers 6 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Prime Minister (Polity), asked between 1996 to 2012. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Questions on Prime Minister (Polity) are available for 5 years, from 1996 to 2012. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
