The Council of Ministers – Old Year Questions
1. Which of the following statements is correct about the Prime Minister of India?
(a) The Prime Minister is the nominal head of the Council of Ministers.
(b) He is not responsible to the Parliament.
(c) He cannot dismiss any of his ministers.
(d) The Prime Minister is the real head of the Council of Ministers.
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2013]
2. The Prime Minister of India is –
(a) Elected
(b) Selected
(c) Nominated
(d) Appointed
(e) None of these
[Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2013]
3. Which of the following is not true?
(a) The President or Governor is immune from legal action for officials’ acts.
(b) No Court can compel a Governor to perform any duty.
(c) A two-month notice in writing must be delivered to a Governor for bringing civil proceedings in respect of their personal acts.
(d) Courts are empowered to enquire the advice tendered by the Ministers to the President or Governor.
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2016]
4. The Prime Minister of India is the head of the –
(a) State Government
(b) Central Government
(c) Both State and Central Governments
(d) None of them
[47th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2005]
5. Article 78 of the Constitution of India lays down the duties of the –
(a) Speaker of Lok Sabha
(b) Chairman of Rajya Sabha
(c) Comptroller and Auditor General of India
(d) Prime Minister
[U.P.P.S.C. (R.I.) 2014]
6. With reference to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) which one of the statements is/are correct?
1. It came into existence in 1977.
2. It is headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
Codes :
(a) Only 2
(b) Both 1 and 2
(c) Only 1
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2019]
7. Cabinet means –
(a) All Ministers in the Government
(b) Ministers with Cabinet Rank
(c) Cabinet Ministers and their Secretaries
(d) Ministers of State
[Uttarakhand P.C.S. (Mains) 2006]
8. Cabinet includes-
(a) Ministers with cabinet rank
(b) Minister of State level
(c) Cabinet Minister and State Minister
(d) Cabinet Minister, minister of state with independent
charge and minister of state
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1992]
9. Who exercises the actual/executive power under the parliamentary form of Government?
(a) Parliament
(b) Prime Minister
(c) President
(d) Bureaucracy
[M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2006]
10. Consider the following statements:
1. The President shall make rules for more convenient transactions of the business of the Government of India, and for the allocation among Ministers of the said business.
2. All executive actions of the Government of India shall be expressed to be taken in the name of the Prime Minister.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2014]
11. If the Prime Minister of India belongs to the Upper House of Parliament:
(a) He will not be able to vote in his favor in the event of a no-confidence motion
(b) He will not be able to speak on the budget in the Lower House
(c) He can make statements only in the Upper House
(d) He will have to become a member of the Lower House within six months of being sworn in as the Prime Minister
[I.A.S. (Pre) 1997]
12. Which Article of the Indian Constitution describes the appointment and disqualification of the Council of Ministers?
(a) Article 70
(b) Article 72
(c) Article 74
(d) Article 75
[U.P.U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2001]
13. The Prime Minister of India is generally-
(a) Not a member of Parliament
(b) Member of Lok Sabha
(c) Member of Rajya Sabha
(d) Member of both the Houses
[47th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2005]
14. Who is the President of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research?
(a) President of India
(b) Vice-President of India
(c) Prime Minister of India
(d) Union Minister of Science and Technology
[Uttarakhand Lower Sub. (Pre) 2010]
15. Who is the head of the National Defence Committee?
(a) Home Minister
(b) Prime Minister
(c) President
(d) Vice-President
[53rd to 55th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2011]
16. The Prime Minister of India, at the time of his/her appointment
(a) Need not necessarily be a member of one of the Houses of Parliament but must become a member of one of the Houses within six months.
(b) Need not necessarily be a member of one of the Houses of Parliament but must become a member of the Lok Sabha within six months.
(c) Must be a member of one of the Houses of the Parliament.
(d) Must be a member of the Lok Sabha.
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2012]
17. What is the minimum age requirement to become the Prime Minister of India?
(a) 21 years
(b) 25 years
(c) 30 years
(d) 35 years
[Uttarakhand U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2007]
18. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister –
(a) Was created under the original Constitution.
(b) Is an extra-constitutional growth.
(c) Was created by the 44th Amendment.
(d) Was created by the 85th Amendment.
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2009]
19. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a –
(a) Member of Lok Sabha from Punjab
(b) Member of Rajya Sabha from Punjab
(c) Member of Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan
(d) Member of Rajya Sabha from Assam
[M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2010]
20. The Prime Minister is –
(a) Elected by the Lok Sabha
(b) Elected by the Parliament
(c) Appointed by the President
(d) Nominated by the Party in the Majority of Lok Sabha.
[Jharkhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2011]
21. Which one of the following statements is correct about the Prime Minister of India?
(a) He is free to choose his ministers only among those who are members of either House of Parliament.
(b) He can choose his cabinet colleagues after due counseling by the President of India in this regard.
(c) He has full discretion in the choice of persons who are to serve as ministers in his cabinet.
(d) He has only limited power in the choice of his cabinet colleagues because of the discretionary powers vested in the President of India.
[I.A.S. (Pre) 1996]
22. A Central Minister who is not a member of any House, can remain in office for –
(a) 1 year
(b) 6 months
(c) 3 months
(d) 1 month
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2015, U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1993]
23. In India, a minister who is not a member of either House of Parliament will cease to be a minister after:
(a) Six Months
(b) One Year
(c) Two Years
(d) Three Years
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1995]
24. Which of the following statements is not true regarding the Parliament of India?
(a) The Constitution provides for a Parliamentary form of Government.
(b) The function of the Parliament is to provide for a Cabinet.
(c) The membership of the cabinet is restricted to the Lower House.
(d) The cabinet enjoys the confidence of the majority in the popular chamber of the house.
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2011]
25. The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible:
1. To the House of the People
2. Under a Constitutional Obligation
3. As per Article 75 (3)
4. As per Article 74 (3)
Which of the above statements is correct?
(a) 1, and 2 only
(b) 1, 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2012]
26. The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible for which of the following?
(a) Prime Minister
(b) President
(c) Rajya Sabha
(d) Lok Sabha
[U.P.P.C.S.(Pre) 2012, Uttarakhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2012, 40th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 1995, M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2010]
27. The Prime Minister of India is responsible to whom?
(a) The Cabinet
(b) The President
(c) The Lok Sabha
(d) The Rajya Sabha
(e) More than one of the above
[63rd B. P.S.C. (Pre) 2017]
28. Which one of the following is not a correct situation arising after the resignation of the Council of Ministers?
(a) The president’s Rule will be imposed.
(b) The President will ask to continue till alternative arrangement.
(c) The alternative arrangement means the earliest possible General Election to be held to form a new Government.
(d) The outgoing Council of Ministers may have had charge till the formation of the new Government
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2010]
29. The Union Council of Ministers is collectively responsible for–
(a) Prime Minister
(b) President
(c) Parliament
(d) Only to Lok Sabha
[41st B.P.S.C. (Pre) 1996]
30. Consider the following statements in the context of the Indian Constitution:
1. The Union Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
2. Union Ministers shall hold office at the pleasure of the Prime Minister.
Of these :
(a) Only 1 is correct
(b) Both 1 and 2 are correct.
(c) Neither 1 nor 2 is correct.
(d) Only 2 is correct.
[U.P.R.O./A.R.O. (Pre) 2016]
31. Consider the following statements:
1. The Council of Ministers in the Centre shall be collectively responsible to the Parliament.
2. The Union Ministers shall hold the office during the pleasure of the President of India.
3. The Prime Minister shall communicate to the President about the proposals for Legislation.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3
(d) All of these
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2013]
32. Which one of the following is not explicitly stated in the Constitution of India but followed as a convention?
(a) The Finance Minister is to be a Member of the Lower House.
(b) The Prime Minister has to resign if he loses the majority in the Lower House.
(c) All the parts of India are to be represented in the Councils of Ministers.
(d) In the event of both the President and the President demitting office simultaneously before the end of the tenure, the Speaker of the Lower House of the Parliament will officiate as the President.
[I.A.S. (Pre) 1995]
33. Which one of the following motions, the Council of Ministers in India can move?
(a) No-Confidence Motion
(b) Censure Motion
(c) Adjournment Motion
(d) Confidence Motion
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2010, U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2006]
34. The Council of Ministers has to resign if a no-confidence motion is passed by a majority of members of –
(a) Lok Sabha
(b) Rajya Sabha
(c) Both the Houses separately
(d) Both the Houses in Joint sitting
[U.P.P.C.S.(Pre) 2012]
35. After resigning, whose permission does a minister require to give a statement in Lok Sabha?
(a) Prime Minister
(b) Speaker
(c) President
(d) Supreme Court
(e) None of the above
[Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2015]
36. The number of Lok Sabha members required to table a ‘No Confidence Motion’ against the Council of Ministers is
(a) 30
(b) 40
(c) 50
(d) 60
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2013, U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2009, U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2015]
37. Consider the following statements regarding a ‘No Confidence Motion’ in India:
1. There is no mention of a ‘No-Confidence Motion’ in the Constitution of India.
2. A Motion of No-Confidence can be introduced in the Lok Sabha only.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2014]
38. Who will decide the Office of Profit?
(a) President and Governor
(b) Union Parliament
(c) Supreme Court
(d) Union Public Service Commission
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2006, U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2000]
39. In Indian Polity, the executive is subordinate to the
(a) Judiciary
(b) Legislature
(c) Election Commission
(d) Union Public Service Commission
[45th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2001]
40. Which leader of Madhya Pradesh became the Defence Minister first and later Home Minister in Nehru’s Cabinet?
(a) Prakash Chandra Sethi
(b) Ravi Shankar Shukla
(c) Kailash Nath Katju
(d) Dwarka Nath Mishra
[M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2010]
41. Who was the First Finance Minister of Independent India?
(a) Gulzari Lal Nanda
(b) John Mathai
(c) Krishnamachari
(d) Sarojini Naidu
[Uttarakhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2010]
42. Who was the Law Minister in the first Cabinet of post-independence India?
(a) K.M. Munshi
(b) S.P. Mukherjee
(c) Baldev Singh
(d) B.R. Ambedkar
[Jharkhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2013]
43. Which one of the following terms does not appear in the Constitution of India?
(a) Annual Financial Statement
(b) Appropriation Bill
(c) Budget
(d) Consolidated Fund of India
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2011]
44. Who was the 12th Prime Minister of India?
(a) Chandra Shekhar
(b) Deve Gowda
(c) I.K. Gujral
(d) A.B. Vajpayee
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2005 (*)]
45. Match the Prime Ministers with their tenure.
| A. Deve Gowda | i. 1999-2004 |
| B Chandra Shekhar | ii. 1989-90 |
| C. Atal Bihari Vajpayee | iii. 1990-91 |
| D. Inder Kumar Gujral | iv 1996-97 |
| E. Vishwanath Pratap Singh | v. 1997-98 |
Code :
A B C D E
(a) (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v)
(b) (v) (iv) (iii) (ii) (i)
(c) (iii) (i) (ii) (v) (iv)
(d) (iv) (iii) (i) (v) (ii)
(e) (ii) (i) (iii) (v) (iv)
[Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2014]
46. Who among the following held the office of the Prime Minister of India more than once?
1. Jawaharlal Nehru
2. Indira Gandhi
3. Gulzari Lal Nanda
4. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Choose the correct code:
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 1 and 3
(c) 1,2 and 4
(d) All of the above
[Uttarakhand U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2003]
47. Who among the following occupied the office of the Prime Minister of India more than once with gaps in between their political career?
1. Jawaharlal Nehru
2. Lal Bahadur Shastri
3. Gulzari Lal Nanda
4. Indira Gandhi
5. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Code :
(a) 1,2 and 3 only
(b) 1,3 and 4 only
(c) 3, 4 and 5 only
(d) 1,2,4 and 5 only
[U.P. U.D.A./L.D.A. (Mains) 2010]
48. Which Prime Minister died outside India?
(a) Jawahar Lal Nehru
(b) Morarji Desai
(c) Lal Bahadur Shashtri
(d) Charan Singh
[M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1995]
49. Which of the following persons was not a Chief Minister of any state before holding the office of Prime Minister?
(a) Morarji Desai
(b) P.V. Narasimha Rao
(c) Charan Singh
(d) Chandra Shekhar
[I.A.S. (Pre) 1994]
50. Who amongst the following had never been the Chief Minister of any State before becoming the Prime Minister of India?
(a) H.D. Dev Gowda
(b) P.V. Narasimha Rao
(c) Chandra Shekhar
(d) Morarji Desai
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2011]
51. Match the following States and their respective Chief Ministers, who became Prime Minister of India.
| List -1 | List-II |
| A. P.V. Narasimha Rao | i.Undivided Uttar Pradesh |
| B. Morarji Desai | ii. Undivided Andhra Pradesh |
| C. H.D. Devegowda | iii. Gujarat |
| D. Charan Singh | iv. Karnataka |
| E. Narendra Modi | v. Bombay |
Codes:
A B C D E
(a) ii v iv i iii
(b) iv ii v i iii
(c) ii i iv v iii
(d) ii v iv i iii
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2021]
52. Who among the following was the member of Lok Sabha during his Prime Ministership?
(a) Deve Gowda
(b) I.K. Gujral
(c) Chandrashekhar
(d) Dr. Manmohan Singh
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2015]
53. Which one of the following Prime Ministers of India, never attended the Parliament during his tenure?
(a) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
(b) V.P. Singh
(c) Chandra Shekhar
(d) Chaudhari Charan Singh
Uttarakhand U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2001
54. The word ‘matrimonial’ (cabinet) is mentioned only once in the Constitution, and that is in–
(a) Article 352
(b) Article 74
(c) Article 356
(d) Article 76
[41th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 1996]
55. Who among the following have been the Union Finance Ministers of India?
1. V. P. Singh
2. R. Venkataraman
3. Y. B. Chavan
4. Pranab Mukherjee
Select the correct answer by using the code given below:
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1, 3 and 4
(c) 2 and 4
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2007]
56. The Policy of Liberalisation, Privatisation, and Globalisation was announced as New Economic Policy by Prime Minister
(a) Rajeev Gandhi
(b) Vishwanath Pratap Singh
(c) P.V.Narsimha Rao
(d) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
[U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2013]
57. Which of the following statements is not true for Dr. Manmohan Singh?
(a) Former Finance Minister of India
(b) Former Governor of Reserve Bank of India
(c) Former Chairman of Finance Commission
(d) Former Representative of India at the IMF
[U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2004]
58. Assertion(A): Ministers make policy and civil servants adhere to that policy.
Reason(R): Parliamentary form of government works on the Principle of ‘’Cabinet Collective Responsibility’’
Code :
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (A) is the correct explanation of (R).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (A) is not the correct explanation of (R).
(c) (A) is true, (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false, (R) is true.
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1993]
59. Assertion (A): The Council of Ministers in the Union of India is collectively responsible both to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Reason (R): The members of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are eligible to be the Ministers of the Union Government.
Code :
(a) Both (A) and (R) are individually true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
(b) Both (A) and (R) are individually true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true, but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false, but (R) is true.
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2007]
60. Consider the following statements and choose the correct answer from the code given below
Assertion (A): Describing a person as Deputy Prime Minister is a political decision.
Reason (R): It does not confer on him any power of the Prime Minister.
Code :
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not a correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true but, (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false but, (R) is true.
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2004]
61. Consider the following statements:
1. The Executive Power of the Union of India is vested in the Prime Minister.
2. The Prime Minister is the ex-off cio Chairman of the Civil Services Board.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2015]
62. With reference to the Union Government, consider the following statements:
1. The Constitution of India provides that all Cabinet Ministers shall be compulsorily the sitting members of Lok Sabha only.
2. The Union Cabinet Secretariat operates under the direction of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2009]
63. Who are the highest Civil Services Officers of the Central Government?
(a) The Attorney General of India
(b) The Cabinet Secretary
(c) The Home Secretary
(d) The Finance Secretary
(e) None of the above / more than one of the above
[63rd B. P.S.C. (Pre) 2017]
64. Which one of the following Constitutional Amendments states that the total number of Ministers, including the Prime Minister in the Council of Ministers, shall not exceed fifteen percent of the total number of members of the House of the People.
(a) 90th
(b) 91st
(c) 92nd
(d) 93rd
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2009, U.P. P.C.S. (Mains) 2017]
65. Which of the following Constitutional Amendment Acts restricted the size of the Council of Ministers to 15 percent of the total members of the Lok Sabha?
(a) 95th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2009
(b) 93rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2005
(c) 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003
(d) 90th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002
(e) None of the above / More than one of the above
[66th B.P.S.C. (Pre) (Re-Exam), 2020]
66. With reference to the Union Government, consider the following statements:
1. The number of Ministries at the Centre on 15th August 1947 was 18.
2. The number of Ministries at the Centre at present is 36.
Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
[I.A.S. (Pre) 2009 (*)]
67. Which of the following official documents is related to India?
(a) Green Paper
(b) White Paper
(c) Yellow Book
(d) Blue Book
[U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2008]
68. Which Article of the Indian Constitution describes ‘’The Executive power of every State shall be so exercised as not to impede or prejudice the exercise of the Executive power of the Union.’’
(a) Article 257
(b) Article 258
(c) Article 355
(d) Article 356
[Jharkhand P.C.S. (Pre) 2011]
69. The Reorganization of the Union Cabinet is based on the Report of-
(a) Gopalaswami Ayyangar
(b) K.M. Munshi
(c) T.T. Krishnamachari
(d) B.C. Roy
[U.P.P.C.S. (GIC) 2010]
70. Which of the following is/are the function/functions of the Cabinet Secretariat?
1. Preparation of agenda for Cabinet Meetings
2. Secretariat assistance to Cabinet Committees
3. Allocation of fi nancial resources to the Ministries
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
[Chhattisgarh P.C.S. (Pre) 2013]
71. Which one of the following is NOT correctly matched?
(a) J.L.Nehru – Shanti Van
(b) L.B. Shastri – Vijaya Ghat
(c) Indira Gandhi – Shakti Sthal
(d) Rajiv Gandhi – Karam Bhumi
[U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1996]
72. Who gave the slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan?’
(a) J. L. Nehru
(b) Lal Bahadur Shastri
(c) Chaudhari Charan Singh
(d) Indira Gandhi
[M.P. P.C.S. (Pre) 1998]
73. Given below are two statements, one labeled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R) :
Assertion (A): The Executive powers of the State are exercised to ensure the compliance of the law of the Parliament and the laws applied in the State.
Reason (R): The government of India can give necessary direction to the states by using its executive powers.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
Codes :
(a) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(b) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(c) (A) is true but (R) is false.
(d) (A) is false but (R) is true.
[U.P. R.O./A.R.O. (Pre) (Re-Exam) 2016]