Joint sittings of the two Houses of Indian Parliament are held to

• elect the President of India

• elect the Vice President of India

• adopt a Constitution Amendment Bill

• consider and pass a Bill on which the two Houses disagree

The President of India can issue proclamation of Emergency

• on the advice of the Prime Minister

• on the advice of the Council of Ministers

• in his own discretion

• when the decision of the Union Cabinet for the issue of such proclamation has been communicated to him in writing

Which of the following statements is/are correct about the working of the Permanent Settlement in Bengal?

1. The traditional Zamindars lost their lands.
2. The reason for the Zamindars' inability to pay up land revenues was that tbe Ryots defaulted on payment of revenue.
3. A new group of farmers-the Jotedars-became influential.
4. The Collector replaced the Zamindars as the alternative focus of authority.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

• 1 only

• 1 and 4 only

• 2 and 3 only

• 1, 2, 3 and 4

Joint Parliamentary Sessions in India are chaired by the

• President of India

• Vice-President of India who is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha

• Speaker of the Lok Sabha

• Prime Minister of India

Which one among the following is not a function of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India?

• Auditing the transactions of Centre and State Governments relating to contingency funds and public accounts

• Compiling the accounts of Defence

• Auditing the accounts of institutions financed by the Government

• Compiling the accounts of States

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

Under Article 200 of the Constitution of India, the Governor of a State may

1. with hold his assent to a bill passed by the State Legislature
2. reserve the bill passed by the State Legislature for reconsideration of the President
3. return the bill, other than a money bill, for reconsideration of the Legislature

Select the correct answer using the code given below

• 1 only

• 1 and 2 only

• 2 and 3 only

• 1, 2 and 3

Point out the difference between the local government in India before and after the Constitutional Amendments in 1992:

1. It has become mandatory to hold regular elections to the local government bodies.
2. 1/3rd positions are reserved for women.
3. Elected officials exercise supreme power in the
   government.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

• 1 only

• 1 and 2 only

• 1, 2 and 3

• 2 and 3 only

The President of India is elected by proportional representative system by a single transferrable vote. This implies that

• elected MPs and MLAs of States have different number of votes

• all MPs and MLAs of States have one vote each

• all MPs and MLAs of States have equal number of votes

• MPs of the Lok Sabha have equal number of votes

Which one among the following statements is correct?

The press in democracy must

• be free and impartial

• be committed to the policies of the government

• highlight the achievement of the government without criticizing its policies

• criticize the policies of the government

Consider the following statements:

The state government shall appoint a Finance Commission to review the financial position of the Panchayats and to make recommendations as to

1. The distribution between the state and Panchayats of the net proceeds of taxes, tolls, and fees leviable by the states.
2. The determination of the taxes, duties, tolls, and fees which may be assigned to the Panchayats.
3. The principles that will determine grant-in-aid to the Panchayats

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• 1 only

• 2 and 3 only

• 1 and 3 only

• 1, 2 and 3