Political Executive (President, Prime Minister, and Council of Ministers)

Correct answer: A. Individual responsibility relates to a minister’s department, while collective responsibility relates to the government as a whole.

Answer: A. Individual ministerial responsibility means that a minister is answerable for the functioning and decisions of the department assigned to that minister. Collective responsibility means that the Council of Ministers stands together for the government’s major policies and decisions and is jointly responsible to the Lok Sabha. Ministers may discuss issues privately, but in public they are expected to support the government’s agreed policy or leave office. B is wrong because these are principles of parliamentary executive accountability, not only court matters. C is wrong because ministerial responsibility does not remove the Lok Sabha. D is wrong because collective responsibility belongs to the Council of Ministers, not to a private presidential opinion. Memory cue: individual equals one department; collective equals the whole government.

Correct answer: A. Parliamentary government based on Lok Sabha confidence would be weakened.

Answer: A. In India’s parliamentary system, the Council of Ministers must enjoy the confidence of the Lok Sabha. The Prime Minister leads that Council, so losing a majority means that the government may no longer have the House’s support to continue legitimately. The Prime Minister should normally resign or prove majority support through the constitutionally accepted process. Remaining in office without such support would weaken responsible government and democratic accountability. B is unrelated because the President’s indirect election is a separate constitutional matter. C is wrong because loss of majority does not make the judiciary an executive. D is wrong because it confuses parliamentary procedures and does not follow from a lost majority. Memory cue: no Lok Sabha confidence, no stable parliamentary government.

Correct answer: A. When there is no clear majority and a claim to form the government exists.

Answer: A. In a parliamentary system, the President normally acts on the advice of the Council of Ministers. A special situation arises when no party or alliance has a clear majority in the Lok Sabha. Then the President may invite the leader who appears most likely to form a government and prove majority support on the floor of the House. This discretion is limited and must be guided by constitutional conventions and the need to establish majority support. B and C are wrong because a clear or stable majority normally makes the choice straightforward. D is wrong because normal functioning does not by itself create special discretion. Memory cue: discretion is most visible in a hung House, not during a clear majority.

Correct answer: A. It would create conflict between the formal head and the elected executive, and refusing advice after reconsideration would breach the constitutional arrangement.

Correct answer: A. In India’s parliamentary system, the President generally acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. Under Article 74(1), the President may return advice once for reconsideration, but must act on the advice given after reconsideration. Repeated refusal beyond that would conflict with this constitutional rule and obstruct the elected government, which is accountable to the Lok Sabha.