Chapter 1 - Introduction to the Parliamentary System
1. Choose the correct option and rewrite the statements.
1. Parliamentary System of government developed in …………. .
(a) England
(b) France
(c) United States of America
(d) Nepal
Ans: Option (a) – England
2. In the Presidential system ………… is the executive head.
(a) The Prime Minister
(b) The Lok Sabha Speaker
(c) The President
(d) The Governor
Ans: Option (c) – The President
2. Complete the information in the following table.
| Sr. No. | Name of the Institution | Functions |
|---|---|---|
1. | Legislature | |
2. | Executive | |
3. | Judiciary |
Ans:
| Sr. No. | Name of the Institution | Functions |
|---|---|---|
1. | Legislature | To make laws |
2. | Executive | To implement laws, frame policies |
3. | Judiciary | To provide justice |
3. Explain the following statements with reasons.
1. India adopted the parliamentary system of government.
Ans:
(i) The Parliamentary System of government developed primarily in England.
(ii) The British ruled over India for about 150 years. During this period, they ruled in accordance with this system.
(iii) So, Indians were familiar with this system of government.
(iv) The Constituent Assembly also adopted this system after a thorough discussion.
(v) Hence, the framers of the Constitution made a few changes to suit the Indian situation, and adopted the Parliamentary
2. Discussion and deliberations are important in a parliamentary system of government.
Ans:
(i) In a Parliamentary System of government, decisions are taken after discussions and deliberations.
(ii) Members of the opposition party also participate in the discussions.
(iii) They may support the government or point out shortcomings in the government policies.
(iv) Laws are framed after detailed discussions on questions of public welfare. This does not happen in autocratic rule.
(v) Hence, to protect the welfare and freedom of common people, discussions and deliberations are important.
4. Answer the following in 25 to 30 words.
1. What is a responsible government?
Ans:
(i) The government system in which the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers is responsible to the Legislature for all their actions and policies, is called a Responsible Government.
(ii) In this system, the Council of Ministers has to take the Legislature into confidence during governance.
(iii) Every decision taken by any ministry/ department is considered as the decision of the government.
2. Enumerate the characteristics of the Presidential system of government.
Ans: The following are the characteristics of the Presidential System of government:
(i) The President is directly elected by the people.
(ii) The President has lot of powers including power to implement laws.
(iii) The President is not dependent on the support of the Legislature.
(iv) The Legislature and the Executive are not dependent on each other, but still they have mutual control over each other.
5. Why is the role of opposition parties important? Write your opinion.
Ans: The role of opposition parties is important in both the parliamentary and Presidential systems of government.
(i) The opposition parties participate in the discussions and point out the shortcomings in the policies of the government.
(ii) The opposition parties control the Executive through their arguments based on deep study of the topics discussed in Parliament.
(iii) The Executive cannot behave in an irresponsible manner due to the pressure of the opposition parties.
(iv) The alertness of the opposition parties helps in avoiding wrong practices like corruption, ignoring public welfare, passing faulty laws, etc.