Parliamentary and Federal System FAQs

1. Which Articles deal with the parliamentary system of government at the Centre?

2. Which Articles deal with the parliamentary system of government in the states?

3. In a parliamentary system, the executive is responsible to which organ of government?

4. Which of the following is NOT another name for the parliamentary system of government?

5. Consider the following countries: (I) Britain (II) USA (III) Japan Which of the above follow a parliamentary system of government?

6. Which of the following countries follows a presidential system of government?

7. Who described the parliamentary system as the 'cabinet system'?

8. The term 'Westminster model of government' is derived from which of the following?

9. The Prime Minister was traditionally described as 'primus inter pares' in relation to which body?

10. Which term has later political analysts like Crossman and Mackintosh used to describe the British system of government?

11. In the parliamentary system, who is the nominal executive?

12. Which Article provides for a council of ministers headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advise the President?

13. Consider the following statements: (I) The advice tendered by the council of ministers is binding on the President (II) The President is the de facto executive (III) The Prime Minister is the de jure executive Which of the above is/are correct?

14. Under majority party rule, who appoints other ministers besides the Prime Minister?

15. Collective responsibility of ministers is provided for under which Article?

16. Through which mechanism can the Lok Sabha remove the council of ministers from office?

17. A minister who is not a member of Parliament ceases to be a minister after which period?

18. Which of the following leadership roles is NOT held by the Prime Minister?

19. On whose recommendation can the President dissolve the Lok Sabha before the expiry of its term?

20. Who administers the oath of secrecy to ministers before they enter office?

21. In the American presidential system, the President governs with the help of an advisory body popularly known as what?

22. For how many years is the American President elected?

23. The American President can be removed from office only through which process?

24. Consider the following statements regarding the American presidential system: (I) The President and secretaries are not responsible to the Congress for their acts (II) The President can dissolve the House of Representatives (III) The doctrine of separation of powers is the basis of the presidential system Which of the above is/are correct?

25. Members of the American Kitchen Cabinet are best described as which of the following?

26. Which merit of the parliamentary system did Dr. Jennings describe with the phrase "the leader of the opposition is the alternative prime minister"?

27. Under the parliamentary system, executive authority is vested in a group of individuals rather than a single person. This is cited as a safeguard against which of the following?

28. Which of the following devices is used by Parliament to exercise control over ministers under the parliamentary system?

29. Which of the following governments is cited as an example of instability under the parliamentary system?

30. The Janata Government headed by Morarji Desai in 1977 is cited as an example illustrating which demerit of the parliamentary system?

31. Who complained of the "dictatorship of the cabinet" as a demerit of the parliamentary system?

32. Which scholar remarked that the parliamentary system gives the executive "an opportunity for tyranny"?

33. Bagehot described the cabinet using which of the following phrases?

34. Under the parliamentary system, the Prime Minister's choice of ministers is restricted to which of the following?

35. Which committee examined whether India's parliamentary system should be replaced by a presidential system?

36. Which member of the Constituent Assembly favoured the adoption of the presidential system for India?

37. Which leader argued in the Constituent Assembly that India's constitutional traditions had "become Parliamentary" and there was no need to "buy a novel experience"?

38. According to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a democratic executive must satisfy which two conditions?

39. As per Dr. Ambedkar's observation in the Constituent Assembly, the Draft Constitution's parliamentary system preferred which of the following?

40. Consider the following reasons cited for India adopting the parliamentary system: (I) Familiarity with the system due to its operation during British rule (II) Need to avoid legislative-executive conflicts (III) Nature of Indian society as a heterogeneous and plural state Which of the above is/are correct?

41. India differs from the British parliamentary model in having which of the following?

42. Unlike in Britain, the Indian Parliament is not supreme because of which of the following?

43. In Britain, the Prime Minister must be a member of which House of Parliament?

44. Consider the following statements: (I) In India, a person who is not a member of Parliament can be appointed as a minister for a maximum of six months (II) In Britain, ministers are required to countersign the official acts of the Head of State (III) India has a system of legal responsibility of the minister similar to Britain Which of the above is/are correct?

45. Which institution of the British cabinet system, formed by the opposition party to prepare for future ministerial office, does not exist in India?

46. Which Amendment Acts made the ministerial advice binding on the President?

47. Who propounded the theory of separation of powers, referenced in the context of the parliamentary system's demerits?

48. In which book did Montesquieu propound the theory of separation of powers?

49. Consider the following Prime Ministers who were members of the Rajya Sabha at the time: (I) Indira Gandhi (1966) (II) Deve Gowda (1996) (III) Manmohan Singh (2004) Which of the above is/are correctly identified as having been members of the Rajya Sabha?

50. Which feature of the parliamentary system is compared to the presidential system as "fusion of powers" versus "separation of powers"?

51. Governments are classified into unitary and federal on the basis of the nature of relations between which two entities?

52. In a unitary government, the regional governments derive their authority from which of the following?

53. Which of the following countries has a unitary model of government?

54. Which of the following countries has a federal model of government?

55. In a federal model, the regional government is also known by which of the following names?

56. The term 'federation' is derived from which Latin word?

57. In Switzerland, the units of the federation are known by which of the following names?

58. In Russia, the units of the federation are known by which of the following names?

59. A federation formed when militarily weak or economically backward independent states come together to form a strong union is formed by which method?

60. A federation formed when a big unitary state grants autonomy to its provinces is formed by which method?

61. Which country is considered the first and oldest federation in the world?

62. In which year was the US federation formed?

63. In which year was the Canadian Federation formed?

64. Consider the following statements: (I) A federal government has a written Constitution (II) A unitary government's Constitution may be written or unwritten (III) A federal government has an unwritten Constitution Which of the above is/are correct?

65. Which of the following is a feature of a federal government but not necessarily of a unitary government?

66. In a unitary government, the legislature may be bicameral or unicameral. Which country is cited as an example of a unicameral legislature under a unitary government?

67. Which two main reasons led the framers of the Indian Constitution to adopt a federal system?

68. The term 'federation' appears in which Article of the Indian Constitution?

69. As per Article 1, India is described as which of the following?

70. According to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the phrase 'Union of States' was preferred over 'Federation of States' to indicate which of the following? (I) The Indian federation is not the result of an agreement among the states (II) The states have no right to secede from the federation (III) The states have equal representation in the Rajya Sabha Which of the above is/are correct?

71. The Indian federal system is based on which model?

72. The Canadian model differs fundamentally from the American model in which respect?

73. Consider the following respects in which the Indian federation resembles the Canadian federation: (I) Formation by way of disintegration (II) Preference for the term 'Union' (III) Centralising tendency Which of the above is/are correct?

74. The Constitution establishes a dual polity consisting of which two levels of government?

75. The Union government primarily deals with matters such as defence, foreign affairs, currency, and communication. These are matters of which kind of importance?

76. State governments primarily look after matters such as public order, agriculture, health, and local government. These are matters of which kind of importance?

77. The Indian Constitution is often described as which of the following, in terms of its length?

78. How many Articles did the Indian Constitution originally contain?

79. At present, the Indian Constitution consists of approximately how many Articles?

80. The powers between the Centre and the states are divided in terms of which Lists, contained in the Seventh Schedule?

81. How many subjects does the Union List presently consist of?

82. How many subjects does the State List presently consist of?

83. How many subjects does the Concurrent List presently consist of?

84. In case of a conflict between a Central law and a state law on a subject in the Concurrent List, which law prevails?

85. Subjects not mentioned in the Union, State, or Concurrent Lists are known as which of the following, and are given to whom?

86. If a law made by the Centre or a state does not conform to the Constitution, which authority can declare it invalid?

87. Provisions concerned with the federal structure, such as Centre-state relations and judicial organisation, can be amended only through which process?

88. The rigidity of the Constitution with respect to federal provisions is primarily meant to protect which two features?

89. The Constitution establishes an independent judiciary headed by which body?

90. Consider the following purposes of an independent judiciary under the Constitution: (I) To protect the supremacy of the Constitution through judicial review (II) To settle disputes between the Centre and the states or between states (III) To conduct elections to the Central and state legislatures Which of the above is/are correct?

91. Which of the following measures is cited as making the judiciary independent of the government?

92. The Constitution provides for a bicameral legislature consisting of which two Houses?

93. Which House of Parliament represents the states of the Indian Federation?

94. The Rajya Sabha, despite being a less powerful chamber, is required to maintain the federal equilibrium by performing which function?

95. The division of powers in India is considered highly inequitable from the federal angle mainly because of which of the following?

96. Residuary powers in India are vested with which of the following, unlike in the US?

97. The Parliament can change the area, boundaries, or name of any state through which kind of majority?

98. The Indian Federation has been described as which of the following?

99. The American Federation, in contrast to the Indian Federation, has been described as which of the following?

100. In India, unlike in a typical federation, states do not have the right to which of the following?

101. Which erstwhile Indian state was the only exception to having its own separate state Constitution?

102. In the US, unlike in India, which of the following bodies can also propose a constitutional amendment?

103. Representation of states in the Rajya Sabha is based on which of the following?

104. Membership of states in the Rajya Sabha varies within which range?

105. How many members does the American Senate have in total?

106. How many senators does each American state send to the Senate, reflecting the principle of equality of representation?

107. During an emergency under the Indian Constitution, the federal structure temporarily converts into which kind of structure?

108. How many types of emergencies does the Indian Constitution stipulate?

109. Unlike most other federal states, India adopted which system of citizenship, similar to Canada?

110. Which of the following federal countries has dual citizenship, unlike India?

111. The Indian Constitution establishes an integrated judicial system with which court at the top?

112. In the US, unlike in India, laws are enforced through which kind of court system?

113. Which of the following are examples of All-India Services common to both the Centre and the states?

114. Members of the All-India Services are recruited and trained by which authority?

115. Which constitutional authority audits the accounts of both the Central government and the states?

116. The appointment and removal of the Comptroller and Auditor-General is done by whom, without consulting the states?

117. The Parliament can legislate on a subject in the State List if which body passes a resolution to that effect in the national interest?

118. The governor, who is the head of the state, is appointed by whom?

119. The governor holds office during which of the following?

120. Unlike the American Constitution, which provided for an elected head in the states, India adopted the appointed-governor system from which country?

121. Elections to both the Central and state legislatures are conducted by which body?

122. The governor is empowered to reserve certain state bills for the consideration of whom?

123. Over reserved state bills, the President enjoys which kind of veto?

124. Which constitutional expert described the Indian Constitution as "quasi-federal"?

125. K.C. Wheare described the Indian Union as which of the following?

126. According to K. Santhanam, which two factors have increased the unitary bias of the Constitution? (I) Dominance of the Centre in the financial sphere and dependence of states on Central grants (II) The emergence of a powerful erstwhile planning commission (III) The absence of an independent judiciary Which of the above is/are correct?

127. In 2015, the Planning Commission was replaced by which body?

128. Which political scientist characterised the Indian system as "extremely federal"?

129. Which political scientist termed the Indian federal system a "bargaining federalism"?

130. Ivor Jennings described the Indian Constitution as which of the following?

131. Which scholar described India as a case "sui generis," meaning unique in character?

132. Granville Austin, an American constitutional expert, described Indian federalism using which term?

133. In which case did the Supreme Court characterise federalism as a 'basic feature' of the Constitution?

134. Federalism in India represents a compromise between which two conflicting considerations?

135. Consider the following trends cited as reflecting the federal spirit of the Indian political system: (I) Territorial disputes between states, such as Maharashtra and Karnataka over Belgaum (II) Creation of new states like Jharkhand and Telangana (III) Supreme Court's imposition of procedural limitations on the use of Article 356 Which of the above is/are correct?

136. Which Article deals with President's Rule in the states, on whose use the Supreme Court has imposed procedural limitations?

10. Parliamentary and Federal System