Universal Franchise and India's Electoral System — Quiz

Q1. A returning officer refuses to let a citizen vote, saying she is too poor and has not finished school. Which principle of Indian franchise has the officer violated?

• A. Right to a secret ballot.
• B. First-Past-the-Post rule of the Lok Sabha.
• C. Right to contest elections from any constituency.
• D. Universal franchise — vote is irrespective of education and income.

Q2. Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar's 1949 Constituent Assembly remark — '[India] adopted the principle of adult franchise with an abundant faith in the common man' — is used in the chapter to

• A. Show that the Constitution makers boldly chose universal franchise from the outset.
• B. Argue that India copied the British voting system.
• C. Explain why voting age was reduced to 18 in 1988.
• D. Justify reservation of Lok Sabha seats for SC and ST.

Q3. Ravi cannot reach the polling booth, so he asks his elder brother to cast the vote in his place. The chapter says this is

• A. Allowed, because both are adult citizens.
• B. Allowed if the Returning Officer approves.
• C. Allowed only if Ravi signs a written permission.
• D. Not allowed — no one can vote on another's behalf.

Q4. In 1947, India's overall literacy was about 14% and women's literacy only about 8%. Despite this, the Constitution makers chose universal franchise from the start. Which conclusion BEST follows from?

• A. They believed only educated people deserved the vote.
• B. They wanted to copy the British system of property-linked voting.
• C. They had abundant faith in the common citizen's ability to choose.
• D. They planned to delay voting rights until literacy rose.

Q5. Priya makes a pie chart of Lok Sabha seats based on Fig. 5.12. The slice for seats reserved for scheduled tribes should show

• A. 12 seats
• B. 412 seats
• C. 84 seats
• D. 47 seats

Q6. India has 3.1 million elected representatives in more than 250,000 local government bodies, of whom 1.3 million are women. This figure BEST shows that universal franchise in India

• A. Is limited to the Lok Sabha alone.
• B. Excludes village panchayats from elections.
• C. Reaches the grassroots level and brings in many women.
• D. Applies only at the state level, not the centre.

Q7. The chapter describes the Election Commission of India as an 'independent constitutional body'. The word 'independent' here BEST means that the ECI

• A. Is funded entirely by political parties.
• B. Is elected directly by the people every five years.
• C. Reports to the Prime Minister's Office.
• D. Works free of control by the government of the day.

Q8. According to Fig. 5.11 the Election Commission of India at the national level consists of

• A. The Chief Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners.
• B. The Chief Election Commissioner alone.
• C. The President and the Prime Minister.
• D. Three District Election Officers.

Q9. Aarti's village is holding elections for the gram panchayat. Which body conducts these elections, according to the chapter?

• A. The Election Commission of India (ECI).
• B. The Lok Sabha Secretariat.
• C. The District Court.
• D. The State Election Commission.

Q10. Why is the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) attached to every EVM in Indian elections?

• A. To replace the EVM with a paper ballot.
• B. To allow the voter to take the slip home as proof.
• C. To produce a physical paper record so the vote can be verified and recounted.
• D. To stop voters from using NOTA.

Q11. India's EVMs and VVPATs have been used, with ECI support, in countries such as

• A. France and Germany
• B. Russia and China
• C. Japan and South Korea
• D. Namibia and Bhutan

Q12. Ravi's grandmother, aged 85, voted from home in the 2024 general elections. According to the chapter, this 'home voting' option was made available for the first time for

• A. Young voters between 18 and 21 years.
• B. Citizens working abroad.
• C. The elderly and persons with disabilities.
• D. Election officials on duty.

Q13. In the Suryodaya class-rep election, 33 votes were cast: Ahmed got 8, Gurmat 12 and Ravi 10. Gurmat was declared the winner. Which feature of India's electoral system does this BEST illustrate?

• A. Single transferable vote system.
• B. Indirect election through an electoral college.
• C. First-Past-the-Post — the candidate with the most votes wins, even without 50%.
• D. Proportional representation by party share.

Q14. The Rajya Sabha is called the 'Permanent House' because

• A. Its members are elected for life.
• B. Only the President can dissolve it.
• C. Its members hold permanent government jobs.
• D. It is never dissolved; one-third of its members retire every two years.

Q15. During the election period, a state minister announces a brand-new free electricity scheme aimed at winning voter support. Under the Model Code of Conduct, this is

• A. Allowed, because the government can announce schemes any time.
• B. Allowed only if approved by the Prime Minister.
• C. Not allowed — the party in government must not announce new schemes that may influence voters.
• D. Allowed only if the scheme costs less than ₹1 crore.