SPI Polity · Free notes
Government Structure: SPI Polity
Government Structure has 8 questions in the SPI bank, and three of them are from the 2022 paper, a large share for so small a chapter. Each one asks for an exact number or a one-word name: an article, a minimum age, a number of days, a vote share. Nothing has to be worked out, but the wrong options are the nearby numbers, so the page teaches each number beside the one it is confused with.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 3 reference tables · 7 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 3 reference tables · 7 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (3)
The three organs and the levels of government6 rows
| Organ or level | Job |
|---|---|
| Legislature | Makes laws |
| Executive | Carries out the laws |
| Judiciary | Interprets laws and settles disputes |
| Central Government | Union List and matters of the whole country |
| State Government | State List: police, agriculture, irrigation |
| Local government | Village and city matters |
Parliament, the state legislature and who may sit in them6 rows
| Office or House | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Voter | 18 years |
| Lok Sabha member | 25 years |
| Legislative Assembly member | 25 years |
| Rajya Sabha member | 30 years |
| Legislative Council member | 30 years |
| President or Vice-President | 35 years |
The Election Commission, party recognition and the words of elections6 rows
| Term or rule | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Election Commission | Article 324; headed by the Chief Election Commissioner |
| National party | 6% of votes in four states and 4 Lok Sabha seats |
| State party | 6% of votes in a state's Assembly election and 2 seats |
| Affidavit | A signed, sworn statement of one's own details |
| Defection | Leaving one's party for another after being elected |
| Coalition | Parties joining together to form a government |
Watch out for (7)
- Separation is not sameness→ The three organs and the levels of government
- Many states means the Centre→ The three organs and the levels of government
- 25 for the lower Houses, 30 for the upper→ Parliament, the state legislature and who may sit in them
- Fourteen days, not a month→ Parliament, the state legislature and who may sit in them
- The Rajya Sabha is not dissolved→ Parliament, the state legislature and who may sit in them
- 6% and four, not 5% or five→ The Election Commission, party recognition and the words of elections
- Defection is not a coalition→ The Election Commission, party recognition and the words of elections
Question weightage by concept
3 concepts · 8 questions — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
Question weightage by concept
3 concepts · 8 questions — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | Qs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The Election Commission, party recognition and the words of elections | 4 | 50% |
| The three organs and the levels of government | 2 | 25% |
| Parliament, the state legislature and who may sit in them | 2 | 25% |
Test yourself on a real paper
Sit a past SPI paper, timed and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.