UPPSC 2025 Prelims GS Paper-I · Question 58 of 150

Correct — A, 1, 4, 2, 3, that is Neelam Sanjiva Reddy → R. Venkataraman → K. R. Narayanan → A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was the 6th President of India and held office from 25 July 1977 to 25 July 1982. R. Venkataraman was the 8th President, from 25 July 1987 to 25 July 1992. K. R. Narayanan was the 10th President, from 25 July 1997 to 25 July 2002. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was the 11th President, from 25 July 2002 to 25 July 2007 — he took office on the very day Narayanan demitted it. The four are not consecutive: Zail Singh (7th, 1982-87) sits between Reddy and Venkataraman, and Shankar Dayal Sharma (9th, 1992-97) between Venkataraman and Narayanan.

• (b)4, 1, 2, 3 — It puts R. Venkataraman ahead of Neelam Sanjiva Reddy. Venkataraman's term began on 25 July 1987, five years after Reddy's had already ended on 25 July 1982. The rest of the sequence is right, so this is the option for a candidate who knows Narayanan preceded Kalam but has no fix on the 1970s and 1980s.
• (c)4, 1, 3, 2 — Two errors compounded — Venkataraman placed before Reddy, and Kalam placed before Narayanan. Kalam succeeded Narayanan directly on 25 July 2002, so no ordering that puts Kalam earlier can stand.
• (d)1, 4, 3, 2 — The opening pair is right, and then the last two are swapped: it makes Kalam precede Narayanan. Narayanan's term ran 1997-2002 and Kalam's 2002-2007, back to back. This is the trap option, because it differs from the correct answer only in that final reversal.

The President is the constitutional head of the Union executive under Article 52 onwards. Article 54 vests the election in an electoral college of the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the elected members of the State legislative assemblies, voting by proportional representation with a single transferable vote under Article 55. Article 56 fixes a five-year term from the date the President enters office, and Article 57 allows re-election. Because Presidents have generally served full terms since 1977, the office turns over on a tidy five-year rhythm, which is what makes a chronology question like this answerable from a single anchor date.

Four names, four codes, and the codes share structure — (b) and (c) both open with Venkataraman, (a) and (d) both open with Reddy. So the question really asks two yes-or-no things. First: is Reddy earlier than Venkataraman? Reddy is a President of the Janata-era late 1970s and Venkataraman of the late 1980s, so yes — that kills (b) and (c). Second: Narayanan or Kalam first? Kalam succeeded Narayanan in 2002, so Narayanan comes first, which kills (d). Every term in this stretch began on 25 July, so you only ever need to remember years, never days: 1977, 1987, 1997, 2002.

• Neelam Sanjiva Reddy — 6th President, 25 July 1977 to 25 July 1982
• R. Venkataraman — 8th President, 25 July 1987 to 25 July 1992; Zail Singh (7th) held office in between, 1982-87
• K. R. Narayanan — 10th President, 25 July 1997 to 25 July 2002; Shankar Dayal Sharma (9th) held office in between, 1992-97
• A. P. J. Abdul Kalam — 11th President, 25 July 2002 to 25 July 2007, taking office the day Narayanan's term ended
• Rajendra Prasad was the first President (26 January 1950 to 13 May 1962); Droupadi Murmu has held the office since 25 July 2022 and was the incumbent at the October 2025 exam, as she still is in 2026

• Swapping Narayanan and Kalam — they are consecutive, and the option that reverses them is deliberately placed
• Assuming Venkataraman preceded Reddy because the name feels older; Reddy's term ended in 1982 and Venkataraman's began in 1987
• Forgetting Zail Singh and Shankar Dayal Sharma, who sit inside the gaps here — the four named Presidents are not consecutive, and treating them as if they were will misfire on any question that asks 'who came immediately after'

UPPSC hands you names and a code and asks for the sequence, whether the office is the Presidency, a state commission's chairpersons or a set of committees. UPSC rarely asks the order; it asks the constitutional mechanics — how the President is elected, how the office may be vacated, or which named person held which office.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Who succeeded K. R. Narayanan as President of India?

  • (a)Zail Singh
  • (b)Shankar Dayal Sharma
  • (c)A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
  • (d)Pratibha Patil

  Answer(c) A. P. J. Abdul Kalam — he took office on 25 July 2002, the day Narayanan's five-year term ended.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which President of India held office between Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and R. Venkataraman?

  • (a)V. V. Giri
  • (b)Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
  • (c)Zail Singh
  • (d)Shankar Dayal Sharma

  Answer(c) Zail Singh — the 7th President, 25 July 1982 to 25 July 1987.