Q1. What is India’s national law-making body called and how many parts does it have?
Answer: The Parliament of India; it includes the President, Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha.
Q2. What does “bicameral” mean in the context of Parliament?
Answer: It means the legislature has two houses or chambers.
Q3. Why was a bicameral Parliament chosen for India?
Answer: To balance national needs with state interests and strengthen federalism.
Q4. Which house represents the people directly and which represents the states?
Answer: Lok Sabha represents the people directly; Rajya Sabha represents the states.
Q5. Who presides over the Lok Sabha?
Answer: The Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
Q6. Who is the Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha?
Answer: The Vice President of India.
Q7. Name the four broad functions of Parliament highlighted in the chapter.
Answer: Constitutional, lawmaking, executive accountability, and financial accountability.
Q8. What does the “constitutional function” of Parliament ensure?
Answer: Protection of democracy, federalism, separation of powers, Fundamental Rights, and Directive Principles.
Q9. What is a bill and when does it become an act?
Answer: A bill is a draft law; it becomes an act after passing both houses and receiving the President’s assent.
Q10. Give one example of a law and its constitutional basis from the chapter.
Answer: The Right to Education Act, 2009, rooted in Article 21A via the 86th Amendment.
Q11. What are “clauses” in a bill?
Answer: Specific sections detailing the provisions of the proposed law.
Q12. What is the official government publication for laws and notices called?
Answer: The Gazette.
Q13. What is special about Money Bills in Parliament?
Answer: They can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha and need the President’s prior recommendation.
Q14. What is Question Hour and why is it important?
Answer: A time when MPs question ministers, ensuring executive accountability.
Q15. How else does Parliament hold ministries accountable besides Question Hour?
Answer: Through parliamentary committees that scrutinize policies and decisions.
Q16. What is Parliament’s role in financial accountability?
Answer: Approving the Budget, overseeing allocation and use of public funds, and demanding accurate information.
Q17. Who forms the Union Executive?
Answer: The President, Vice President, and Council of Ministers led by the Prime Minister.
Q18. How is the Prime Minister appointed?
Answer: The President appoints the leader of the majority party/coalition in the Lok Sabha.
Q19. To whom is the Council of Ministers collectively responsible?
Answer: The Lok Sabha.
Q20. What is the President’s role regarding bills and sessions?
Answer: Summons/adjourns Parliament, appoints the PM/Ministers, and gives assent to bills.
Q21. In what situation may the President act using personal discretion?
Answer: When no party has a clear majority in the Lok Sabha.
Q22. Who assists ministers in executing laws and running departments?
Answer: Civil servants/administrators (the bureaucracy).
Q23. What example from 1956 illustrates ministerial accountability?
Answer: Railway Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned after a train accident, taking moral responsibility.
Q24. What service helps inclusivity in parliamentary debates across languages?
Answer: Simultaneous interpretation/translation in multiple Indian languages.
Q25. How does the chapter summarize the Legislature vs Executive distinction?
Answer: The Legislature makes laws and scrutinizes government; the Executive implements laws and governs under legislative oversight.