UPSC Prelims 2015 GS Paper I · Q91 of 100 Polity & Governance easy

There is a Parliamentary System of Government in India because the

  1. (a) Lok Sabha is elected directly by the people
  2. (b) Parliament can amend the Constitution
  3. (c) Rajya Sabha cannot be dissolved
  4. (d) Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha ✓ UPSC's answer

Why the answer is (d)

• The defining feature of the parliamentary system is the collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers to the Lok Sabha (Article 75(3)): the executive is drawn from and can be removed by the legislature — option (d).

• Direct election of the Lok Sabha (a), amending power (b) and a permanent Rajya Sabha (c) exist in other systems too and do not make a government parliamentary.

• Hence option (d).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) Lok Sabha is elected directly by the people
Direct election exists in presidential systems too.
(b) Parliament can amend the Constitution
Amending power does not define the parliamentary system.
(c) Rajya Sabha cannot be dissolved
A permanent upper house is not the defining feature.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2015, held on 23 August 2015. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.

Reading the answer is not the same as getting it right under a clock. Practise this question with UPSC's negative marking, and anything you miss goes into an error notebook until you get it right twice.

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