Minimalist IAS
Prelims 2018 paper

UPSC CSE Prelims 2018 · GS Paper I · Question 1 · Parliament & the Union executive

निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए :

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2018, General Studies Paper I, Question 1 — Parliament & the Union executive.

निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए :

  1. 1.पहली लोक सभा में विपक्ष में सबसे बड़ा राजनीतिक दल स्वतन्त्र पार्टी था ।
  2. 2.लोक सभा में “नेता-प्रतिपक्ष” को सर्वप्रथम 1969 में मान्यता दी गई थी ।
  3. 3.लोक सभा में यदि किसी दल के न्यूनतम 75 सदस्य न हों तो उसके नेता को नेता-प्रतिपक्ष के रूप में मान्यता नहीं मिल सकती है ।

उपर्युक्त कथनों में से कौन-सा/से सही है/हैं ?

Read this question in English

Consider the following statements:

1. In the first Lok Sabha, the single largest party in the opposition was the Swatantra Party.

2. In the Lok Sabha, a "Leader of the Opposition" was recognised for the first time in 1969.

3. In the Lok Sabha, if a party does not have a minimum of 75 members, its leader cannot be recognised as the Leader of the Opposition.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only · (b) 2 only · (c) 2 and 3 only · (d) 1, 2 and 3

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (b) केवल 2

Only the 1969 statement stands. The Communist Party of India, with 16 seats, was the largest opposition party in the first Lok Sabha, and the threshold for recognising a party (and so its leader) is one-tenth of the House, not 75 members.

  • ✗ 1. In the first general election (1951–52) the CPI won 16 seats and became the largest opposition party. The Swatantra Party did not yet exist; it was founded in 1959.
  • ✓ 2. Until 1969 the opposition had no formally recognised leader in the Lok Sabha. After the Congress split, Ram Subhag Singh of the Congress (O) was recognised in December 1969; the post got statutory backing in 1977.
  • ✗ 3. The Speaker's Direction 121 requires a party to have at least the quorum strength, i.e. one-tenth of the House's members (about 55), not 75.

Remember · Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha: first recognised 1969 (Ram Subhag Singh); statutory since the 1977 Act; party needs one-tenth of the House (about 55 members).

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

Cite this question: UPSC CSE Prelims 2018, Q1 — minimalistias.com/pyqs/prelims/2018/q1

In the UPSC syllabus: Parliament & the Union executive › Parliament: houses, sessions & conduct of business See it and tick it covered →

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