SSC
A motion moved by a member to cut short the debate on a matter before the House, so that it can be put to vote, is called a:
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Answer: Option B — Closure motion
Detailed Solution
A closure motion is moved by a member to cut short the debate on a matter before the House. If the motion is approved, the debate is stopped and the matter is put to vote.
Kinds of closure motions:
- Simple closure: a member moves that "the matter having been sufficiently discussed be now put to vote".
- Closure by compartments: the clauses of a bill or a lengthy resolution are grouped into parts before the debate, and the debate covers each part as a whole before it is put to vote.
- Kangaroo closure: only important clauses are taken up for debate and voting; the intervening clauses are skipped and taken as passed.
- Guillotine closure: the undiscussed clauses of a bill or resolution are also put to vote along with the discussed ones because the time allotted for the discussion is over.
When guillotine is used:
The guillotine is commonly applied during the Budget session, when the time allotted for discussing demands for grants ends. All remaining demands are then put to vote together without discussion.
Who decides:
The presiding officer decides whether to accept a closure motion, so that it is not used to deny members a fair chance to speak.
Other motions in Parliament:
- Privilege motion: moved when a member feels that a minister has committed a breach of privilege of the House, for example by giving wrong information.
- Adjournment motion: moved to draw the attention of the House to a definite matter of urgent public importance; it needs the support of 50 members and is allowed only in the Lok Sabha.
- Censure motion: moved against the government for specific policies or actions; it must state the reasons.
- Calling attention motion: draws the attention of a minister to a matter of urgent public importance and seeks an authoritative statement; it is an Indian innovation.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Privilege, adjournment and censure motions have other purposes, as explained above.
Quick tip
Remember: Closure motion = cuts short debate; four types: simple, compartment, kangaroo and guillotine.
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Parliament — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Parliament, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Parliament of India: the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, their composition, powers and officers, sessions, the law-making process, money bills, joint sittings, parliamentary committees, and devices such as question hour, zero hour and the various motions. Typical questions ask about the maximum strength of each house, the minimum age for members, who certifies a money bill (the Speaker), who presides over a joint sitting, and which committee is chaired by a member of the opposition (the Public Accounts Committee, by convention). Note the special powers of the Rajya Sabha under Articles 249 and 312. Practise the Parliament questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.