The main advantage of the parliamentary form of government is that
- A.the executive and legislature work independently.
- B.it provides continuity of policy and is more efficient.
- C.the executive remains responsible to the legislature.
- D.the head of the government cannot be changed without election.
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, the executive remains responsible to the legislature. In a parliamentary system the government holds office only while it keeps the confidence of the elected House, which makes it answerable every day.
India borrowed this system from Britain. Article 75(3) says the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha, and Article 164(2) applies the same rule to state governments and their Assemblies. The legislature keeps the executive in check through question hour, debates, motions such as adjournment and censure, and the no-confidence motion, which can remove a government at any time. The Constituent Assembly chose it because it valued this daily responsibility over the stability of a presidential system.
A is wrong because the executive and legislature work separately in the presidential system, as in the USA; in a parliamentary system ministers sit in the legislature. B is wrong because continuity and stability are claimed for the presidential system, whose executive has a fixed term. D is wrong because a Prime Minister can be replaced without an election.
Exam tip: Parliamentary = responsibility (Article 75); presidential = stability.
Practice Questions
View allAs per Article 368 of the Constitution of India, the Parliament may amend any provision of the Constitution by way of :
1. Addition
2. Variation
3. Repeal
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1 and 3 only
- D.1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Article 368(1) says Parliament may amend 'by way of addition, variation or repeal' any provision of the Constitution. Article 368 in Part XX lays down both the power and the procedure of amendment.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following are regarded as the main features of the "Rule of Law"?
1. Limitation of powers
2. Equality before law
3. People's responsibility to the Government
4. Liberty and civil rights
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- A.1 and 3 only
- B.2 and 4 only
- C.1, 2 and 4 only
- D.1, 2, 3 and 4
Show answer
The Rule of Law means that power is limited by law, everyone is equal before the law, and individual liberties are protected.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements about the Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of the Parliament of India :
1. Although members of this Committee are elected from both Houses of Parliament, the Chairperson of this Committee is appointed by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
2. Twenty members are elected by the Rajya Sabha and ten members by the Lok Sabha.
3. No Minister, except for the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, is eligible to be a member of this Committee.
4. Members are elected for a fixed term of two years from the date they enter their office.
Which one of the following conclusions based on the above statements is correct ?
- A.There are four correct statements.
- B.There is only one correct statement, that is statement 2.
- C.There are two correct statements, that include statement 1.
- D.There is no correct statement.
Show answer
Each of the four statements gets a basic feature of this committee wrong. The Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes has 30 members: 20 elected by the Lok Sabha and 10 by the Rajya Sabha, by proportional representation through the single transferable vote.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements in respect of questions asked by the Members in the Parliament of India :
1. Unstarred questions are those to which a Member desires an oral answer in the House.
2. Starred questions are those to which a Member desires a written answer.
3. No supplementary question can be asked on an unstarred question.
Which one of the following conclusions based on the above statements is correct ?
- A.All the three statements are correct.
- B.There are two correct statements, that include statement 2.
- C.There is only one correct statement.
- D.There is no correct statement.
Show answer
Statements 1 and 2 swap the meanings of starred and unstarred questions; only statement 3 is right. A starred question, marked with an asterisk, is one to which the Member wants an oral answer on the floor of the House, and supplementary questions may follow it.
Read the full explanation →In relation to the powers of the Union Government of India, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
- A.The Government of India may undertake legislative functions of a territory outside of India by agreement with the Government of that territory
- B.The Union Government may not entrust a State Government with functions over matters where executive power of the Union extends
- C.The Union Government may direct States for construction and maintenance of means of communication of military importance
- D.The Governor may, with consent of Government of India, entrust its officers with functions on matters which fall within the executive power of the State
Show answer
It is not correct, because Article 258 expressly lets the President, with a State Government's consent, entrust to it functions on any matter to which the Union's executive power extends.
Read the full explanation →