Q40. Who was the first Vice-President of India?
[SSC CGL 2020 Tier-I, held 16 August 2021 (Shift 2)]
(A) Zakir Hussain
(B) Gopal Swarup Pathak
(C) V. V. Giri
(D) Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Answer: (D) Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Explanation: Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan served as India’s first Vice-President from 1952 to 1962 and then as its second President from 1962 to 1967. Dr Rajendra Prasad was the first President during the same initial period.
Q39. Which Article states that there shall be a Vice-President of India?
[SSC CGL 2020 Tier-I, held 13 August 2021 (Shift 2)]
(A) Article 75
(B) Article 56
(C) Article 45
(D) Article 63
Answer: (D) Article 63
Explanation: Article 63 establishes the office of Vice-President. Article 64 makes the Vice-President ex officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha, while Article 65 deals with acting as President or discharging presidential functions in particular circumstances.
Q38. Who has the authority under Article 231 to establish a common High Court for two or more States?
[UPSC CDS-I 2021, General Knowledge (7 February 2021)]
(A) Parliament
(B) Supreme Court
(C) President of India
(D) Union Cabinet
Answer: (A) Parliament
Explanation: Article 231 empowers Parliament by law to establish a common High Court for two or more States, or States and a Union Territory. Presidential appointment of High Court judges does not confer the separate legislative power to establish such a court.
2020
Q37. Under Article 79, which constitute the Parliament of India? 1. House of the People; 2. Council of States; 3. President of India.
[UPSC NDA, General Ability Test (6 September 2020)]
(A) 1 only
(B) 1 and 2 only
(C) 2 and 3 only
(D) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (D) 1, 2 and 3
Explanation: Article 79 expressly comprises the President and the two Houses—Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Although not an elected House member, the President performs essential parliamentary functions such as summoning sessions and giving assent to legislation.
Q36. Ram Nath Kovind assumed office on 25 July 2017 as the ______ President of India.
[SSC CHSL, held 14 October 2020 (Shift 1)]
(A) Twelfth
(B) Fifteenth
(C) Fourteenth
(D) Thirteenth
Answer: (C) Fourteenth
Explanation: Ram Nath Kovind was sworn in as the fourteenth President on 25 July 2017 and served until July 2022. The ordinal count is of individual Presidents, not presidential election events or uninterrupted periods in office.
Q35. Who was India’s thirteenth President?
[SSC CHSL, held 19 March 2020 (Shift 2)]
(A) Ram Nath Kovind
(B) Pratibha Patil
(C) Pranab Mukherjee
(D) A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Answer: (C) Pranab Mukherjee
Explanation: Pranab Mukherjee served as India’s thirteenth President from 2012 to 2017. He succeeded Pratibha Patil and was followed by Ram Nath Kovind. He had earlier held major Union Cabinet portfolios, including Finance and Defence.
2019
Q34. Which statements are NOT correct?
1. The President resigns to the Chief Justice of India.
2. The Vice-President resigns to the President.
3. CAG removal follows the same process as removal of the President.
4. A Supreme Court judge resigns to the Chief Justice.
[UPSC CDS-II 2019, General Knowledge (8 September 2019)]
(A) 1 and 2 only
(B) 3 and 4 only
(C) 1, 2 and 3
(D) 1, 3 and 4
Answer: (D) 1, 3 and 4
Explanation: The President resigns to the Vice-President, while the Vice-President resigns to the President. The CAG is removed like a Supreme Court judge, not the President, and Supreme Court judges address resignations to the President.
Q33. Which reports are laid before Parliament on the President’s authority?
1. Union Finance Commission recommendations;
2. Public Accounts Committee report;
3. Comptroller and Auditor-General report;
4. National Commission for Scheduled Castes report.
[WBCS Preliminary Examination 2019]
(A) 1 only
(B) 2 and 4
(C) 1, 3 and 4
(D) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: (C) 1, 3 and 4
Explanation: Constitutional reports of the Finance Commission, Comptroller and Auditor-General and National Commission for Scheduled Castes are laid before Parliament through the prescribed presidential process. The Public Accounts Committee is itself a parliamentary committee and follows a different reporting arrangement.
Q32. Impeachment proceedings against the President can be initiated in which House?
[WBCS Preliminary Examination 2019]
(A) Either House of Parliament
(B) A joint sitting of both Houses
(C) Only Lok Sabha
(D) Only Rajya Sabha
Answer: (A) Either House of Parliament
Explanation: Article 61 expressly permits either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha to initiate a charge of constitutional violation against the President. The initiating resolution requires prescribed notice, signatures and a two-thirds majority of the total House membership.
Q31. Ram Nath Kovind was the ______ President of India.
[SSC CHSL, held 10 July 2019 (Shift 1)]
(A) Sixteenth
(B) Fourteenth
(C) Fifteenth
(D) Thirteenth
Answer: (B) Fourteenth
Explanation: Ram Nath Kovind became the fourteenth President in July 2017. His immediate predecessor was Pranab Mukherjee, the thirteenth President. He subsequently served until the election and inauguration of Droupadi Murmu in July 2022.
