Q10. The upper House of the State Legislature is called what?
[WBCS Preliminary Examination (2015)]
A. Lok Sabha
B. Rajya Sabha
C. Vidhan Sabha
D. Vidhan Parishad
Answer: D. Vidhan Parishad
Explanation: The upper chamber of a bicameral State Legislature is the Vidhan Parishad or Legislative Council. The Vidhan Sabha is the elected lower chamber. The Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha belong to Parliament at Union level.
Q9. How many Indian states had bicameral legislatures in 2015?
[RPSC Second Grade Teacher (2015)]
A. Five
B. Six
C. Seven
D. Eight
Answer: B. Six
Explanation: In 2015 six Indian states had Legislative Councils alongside their Assemblies. Telangana, formed in 2014, had joined the bicameral group. The number is historically specific because Parliament may create or abolish Councils following Article 169.
Q8. What is the normal term of a member of the State Legislative Council?
[Maharashtra Zilla Parishad Clerk (2015)]
A. Five years
B. Six years
C. Two-and-a-half years
D. Four years
Answer: B. Six years
Explanation: Legislative Council members ordinarily serve six years, and one-third retire every two years. This arrangement ensures continuity despite changes in the Assembly and executive. A Council itself does not come to an end after six years.
Q7. Which of these states has a unicameral legislature?
[Allahabad High Court Group C (18 Oct 2014)]
A. Uttar Pradesh
B. Bihar
C. West Bengal
D. Karnataka
Answer: C. West Bengal
Explanation: West Bengal has a Legislative Assembly but no Legislative Council, making its legislature unicameral. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Karnataka maintain both chambers. Bengal’s former Legislative Council was abolished in 1969 through parliamentary legislation.
Q6. Which Article of the Constitution describes the composition of State Legislative Councils?
[MPPSC State Service General Studies (2014)]
A. Article 170
B. Article 171
C. Article 172
D. Article 173
Answer: B. Article 171
Explanation: Article 171 describes the Council’s permitted size and its mixed electoral and nominated membership. Article 170 concerns the Assembly, Article 172 the duration of legislatures, and Article 173 qualifications of state legislators.
Q5. What is included in the State Legislature under the Indian Constitution?
[Rajasthan Third Grade Teacher (2013)]
A. Only the Legislative Assembly
B. Only the Legislative Council
C. The Assembly and Council but not the Governor
D. The Governor and the House or Houses of the State Legislature
Answer: D. The Governor and the House or Houses of the State Legislature
Explanation: Article 168 makes the Governor a constituent part of the state legislature along with the Assembly and, where it exists, the Legislative Council. This constitutional composition does not imply the Governor sits or votes as a legislator.
Q4. What is the strength of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly?
[MPPSC State Service Prelims (2013)]
A. 230
B. 232
C. 225
D. 216
Answer: A. 230
Explanation: Madhya Pradesh has 230 elected Assembly constituencies. Each returns an MLA by direct election. The Assembly exercises the state’s principal legislative and financial powers and holds the Council of Ministers politically responsible through confidence procedures.
Q3. What proportion of State Legislative Council members is nominated by the Governor?
[IB ACIO Grade II (23 Sep 2012)]
A. One-third
B. One-sixth
C. One-twelfth
D. One-fourth
Answer: B. One-sixth
Explanation: About one-sixth of a State Council is nominated by the Governor under Article 171. The nominees are selected from persons with special knowledge or practical experience in fields such as literature, science, art, cooperation and social service.
Q2. Which of the following states did NOT have a bicameral legislature in 2012?
[IB ACIO Grade II (23 Sep 2012)]
A. Bihar
B. Uttar Pradesh
C. Madhya Pradesh
D. Maharashtra
Answer: C. Madhya Pradesh
Explanation: Madhya Pradesh had only a Legislative Assembly, whereas Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra also had Legislative Councils. The answer relies on the institutions existing in 2012, not on a uniform requirement that every state maintain an upper house.
Q1. Under the Constitution, the membership of a proposed Legislative Council in Rajasthan could not exceed which fraction of the Legislative Assembly strength?
[RSMSSB Physical Training Instructor (2011)]
A. Between forty and sixty percent
B. One-fourth
C. One-third
D. One-half
Answer: C. One-third
Explanation: Article 171 caps a proposed State Council at one-third of the Assembly’s strength, subject to its general forty-member minimum. Rajasthan has considered proposals for a Council, but constitutional eligibility to create one does not establish it automatically.
