Out of the following statements, choose the one that brings out the principle underlying the Cabinet

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UPSC Prelims is a competitive examination conducted in India. This question is from the 2017 UPSC Prelims Indian Polity & Governance paper.

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Question

Out of the following statements, choose the one that brings out the principle underlying the Cabinet form of Government:

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: C — A mechanism of parliamentary democracy for ensuring collective responsibility of the Government to the peopleSolution:The defining principle of the Cabinet form of government (also called the parliamentary system or Westminster model) is collective responsibility. Under this principle, all ministers are collectively responsible to the legislature (Lok Sabha in India's case) — they must act and speak as one team, sink or swim together. If a vote of no-confidence is passed against the government, the entire Cabinet must resign.This collective responsibility ultimately makes the government accountable to the elected legislature, which in turn represents the people — ensuring that government authority flows from and is answerable to the popular mandate. This is the core mechanism linking parliamentary democracy to accountable governance.Why other options are incorrect:Option A (Minimising criticism): The Cabinet system is not designed to minimise criticism — in fact, parliamentary democracy encourages vigorous opposition and debate.Option B (Speeding up government activities): Efficiency is incidental, not the defining principle. Parliamentary systems are often criticised for being slower than presidential systems due to the need for coalition management.Option D (Strengthening the head of government): The Cabinet system distributes power among the Cabinet collectively — it is not designed to strengthen any individual's hold over power.Key Concept: Collective responsibility is enshrined in Article 75(3) of the Indian Constitution: 'The Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the House of the People (Lok Sabha).' Features of Cabinet government: nominal vs. real executive; majority party rule; collective responsibility; ministerial membership of legislature; Prime Minister's leadership; dissolution of Lok Sabha. The principle contrasts with the Presidential system (USA) where the executive is separately elected and not responsible to the legislature.

Out of the following statements, choose the one that brings out the principle underlying the Cabinet form of Government:

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Out of the following statements, choose the one that brings out the principle underlying the Cabinet form of Government:

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Frequently Asked Questions