Class 11 Political Science Short Questions With Answers - Legislature

Q1: What is Legislature?
Ans: The legislature is one of the three organs of the Government of the modern state. Although its main function is to make a law it performs a number of other functions like representational and deliberate functions. The legislature has financial and administrative control over the executive.

Q2: How do you role the importance of the Legislature?
Ans: The work, role, and importance of the legislature are on increase. It is the platform of high kind of discussions, debate, deliberations, discussions co-operation and opposition. All the decisions and policy matters are dis¬cussed and debated here. All these activities of the legislature serve vital purposes. -Indeed a genuine democracy is inconceivable without represen¬tative efficient and responsible legislature. The legislature also helps people in holding the representatives accountable. Therefore we can say legislature has high importance in a representative democracy.

Q3: What constitutes the Indian parliament?
Ans: Followings are known as three organs of Indian Parliament: 

• Indian President
• Lok Sabha (House of people)
• Rajya Sabha (Council of states)

Q4: What is a bicameral legislature?
Ans: There are two types of legislatures. Where there is only one house, they are known as the unicameral legislature, and where there are two houses they are known as a bicameral legislature. India has a bicameral legislature in the center and in five states.

Q5: Who presides over the meetings of the Rajya Sabha?
Ans: Vice President of India is the Capacity of ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha who presides over, the meetings of Rajya Sabha and conducts the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha.

Q6: Give four arguments against the bicameral legislature.
Ans: 1. Bicameral legislatures are unnecessary
2. They cause avoidable delays.
3. They cause unnecessary expenditure and computation
4. They are unrepresentative in nature

Q7: Write the composition of Lok Sabha.
Ans: Lok Sabha is the lower house of the Indian Parliament. It has a total strength of 543 members. However, it has a maximum of 550 members which is fixed on the basis of population. The members are elected directly by the people. The minimum age to became a member of the Lok Sabha is 25 years. Eligible voter of a minimum of 18 years cast their votes in this election.

Q8: What are the functions of the speaker of Lok Sabha?
Ans: The presiding officer of the Lok Sabha is known as the speaker of Lok Sabha who is elected by the members of Lok Sabha from themselves. Speaker conducts the proceeding of the house and maintains discipline and decorum in the house.

Q9: Name the states which have bicameral legislation.
Ans: Following five states of India have bicameral legislation

• Jammu & Kashmir.
• Bihar
• Karnataka
• Maharashtra
• Uttar Pradesh

Q10: How the Rajya Sabha is compared?
Ans: Rajya Sabha is the upper house of the Indian Parliament. It is known as the council of states because it represents the interest of the states.-Its maximum capacity is 250 members, out of it238 an elected by the members of state assemblies, and 12 members are nominated by the President of India from the people who have earned the name in different fields like science, literature, art, social service, cinema, and sports.

Q11: In which areas Rajya Sabha is weak in comparison to Lok sabha.
Ans: Rajya Sabha is weaker in comparison to Lok Sabha in the following areas:-

• Legislative field (It can delay a bill only for 6 months)
• Financial field (It can delay money bill only for 14 days)
• Executive field (It can bring a no-confidence motion against the executive)

Q12: What is Bill and when it becomes Law?
Ans: The proposal to make a law is called a bill. When it is passed by both the Houses of Parliament and get the assent of the Indian President it became law.

Q13: Who amends the Indian constitution?
Ans: Parliament has the power to amend the constitution by following the definite procedure given in Art 368. State Assemblies have limited power in the amendment of the Constitution.

Q14: Give four arguments in favor of the bicameral legislature.
Ans: 

• It gives the opportunity to re-discuss in detail a bill that is passed in haste in the lower house.
• It helps in making a public opinion.
• It is an essential federal system of government.
• A bicameral legislature is necessary to give representation to the minorities.

Q15: Write two special power of Rajya Sabha.
Ans:

• It can declare a subject of National importance by 2/3 majority resolution.
• It can declare a service as AH India service by 2/3 majority resolution.

Q16: What is the main function of the Legislature in the modern state?
Ans: Legislatures of modem state perform the following functions whatever may be the forms of government:

• Discussion, debate, and deliberations on public issues.
• Legislative function:- Enactment of law is the primary function of legislation.
• Financial functions:- Legislatures control the expenditure. The executive cannot spend even a single penny without the approval of the Legislature.
• Executive functions:- Executive is controlled by the legislature by different methods.
• Constitutional amendment functions
• Judicial functions.
• Electoral functions
• Emergency powers.
• Miscellaneous functions

Q17: Discuss the compositions of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Ans:

• Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are two houses of the Indian Parliament. Lok Sabha is the Lower house and Rajya Sabha is the upper house. Lok Sabha has a maximum capacity of 550 members which are elected by the people by direct elections. A person of a minimum of 25 years of age can be a member of the Lok Sabha. Every person 18 years of age is eligible to cast his vote in this election.
• Rajya Sabha is a permanent house and cannot be dissolved Every member enjoys the tenure of 6 years. Its one-third of members are retired after every second year and new members are elected by the respective state assembly by a single transferable vote system.
• Its total strength is 250 members out of where 238 members are elected and the rest 12 members are nominated by the President of India. To become a member of the Rajya Sabha one should be a member of a minimum of 30 years of age. Vice President of India acts as ex-officio Chairman Parliament of Rajya Sabha and conducts its meetings.

Q18: How the parliament exercises control over the executive?
Ans: The Parliament exercises administrative and financial control as the executive in the following ways:

• It discusses, debate and make a public opinion on different policy matters of the executive.
• It molds the decisions of the government.
• It controls the arbitrariness of the government.
• Executive can not make any expedition without the approval of the Parliament
• The executive has to give the report of expenditure before the Parliament.

Q19: Write main functions of Parliament.
Ans: Parliament performs the following functions:-

• It discusses the issues of public importance
• It makes laws.
• It discusses, approves, and passes the budget.
• It exercises control on the executive.
• Parliament members take part in the election of President and Vice-President.
• Parliament makes amendments in the Constitution.
• Parliament brings and listens and passes the improvement against the President, Vice-Present, and judges of Supreme court and High Courts.
• Parliament approves the decision of declaration of emergency.

Q20: Tell the areas in which Rajya Sabha has equal powers.
Ans: Rajya Sabha enjoys equal powers with Lok Sabha in the following areas:

• In discussion and debate on the issues of public interest and to help in making a public opinion.
• In the area of a constitutional amendment, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have equal power. No amendment bill will become Act until and unless it is passed by both houses separately. Amendment bill can be introduced in either house of Parliament.
• In judicial matters also Lok sabha and Rajya sabha have equal powers as Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha can initiate impeachment proceedings against the President, Vice President, and judges of the Supreme court and High court.
•  Rajya Sabha has also emergency powers which it shares with Lok Sabha.

Q21: Write the various steps in the Lawmaking process.
Ans: Followings are various stages in the law-making process:

• Preparation of the bills
• Introduction of the bill in either House (First reading)
• Second Reading
• Committee stage
• Report stage
• Introduction of the bill in the second house.
• President’s assent.

Q22: Name the states which have a bicameral legislature and how bicameral legislature can be introduced.
Ans: The following five states have bicameral legislature:

• Uttar Pradesh
• Bihar
• Jammu & Kashmir
• Maharashtra.
• Karnataka

The Upper house in a state can be withdrawn or introduced at the request of the concerned state by constitutional amendment

Q23: Differentiate between
1. Government bilk and Private member bill
2. Ordinary bill and a money bill
3. Private bill and ordinary bill
Ans:

1. Government billAll the bills; which are introduced by the ministers are called Government bill while bills which are introduced by ordinal members are called private member bill.
2. Ordinary bills and money billAll the bills which are dealing with income and expenditure are called money bills and all other rum-money bills are called ordinary bills.
3. Private bill and an ordinary bill:-The bill that is related to a particular area, person a group is a private bill, and a bill that is related to the common general public is known as the General bill.

Q24: Should Rajya Sabha be scrapped?
Ans: Rajya Sabha is the upper house of Parliament. It is known as the permanent house as it is not subjected to dissolution. It is known as the council of the state as it is the representative of the interests of the Sates. Due to the weakness of the Rajya Sabha in the number of areas like legislative financial and executive, it is considered that Rajya Sabha is a useless and unnecessary house, therefore it should be scrapped. But this demand or proposition does not carry any weight because of the following reasons.

• India has a federal system and every federal system of Government needs an upper house in Parliament (Legislature).
• Rajya Sabha has equal powers with Lok Sabha in a number of houses.
• Rajya Sabha has some special powers in many areas.
• It is the house of elders and experienced persons.

Q25: Write the legislative powers of the Indian President.
Ans: President is the essential organ of the Indian Parliament and has power over the legislative process. Some of their powers are as under:

• He Summons prorogues and dissolves the Parliament.
• A bill passed by the Parliament becomes law only when it is signed by the President.
• President can send any message to the Parliament.
• He nominates two members of the Anglo Indian Community to Lok Sabha (if they do not get an adequate representation in the election) and 12 members to Rajya Sabha.
• He can issue an ordinance if Parliament is not a session.
• He can ask for the joint session and headdress the joint sessions of the Parliament.