Out of the following statements, choose the one that brings out the principle underlying the Cabinet form of Government:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) A mechanism of parliamentary democracy for ensuring collective responsibility of the Government to the people.
The principle behind the Cabinet form of government is collective responsibility: the whole Council of Ministers answers to the elected House, and through it to the people. Article 75(3) states this for the Union: the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
- ✓ (c) Collective responsibility means the ministers sink or swim together, and the ministry must resign if the Lok Sabha withdraws its confidence. That is how a parliamentary democracy holds the government accountable to the people.
- ✗ (a) The Cabinet system does not exist to reduce criticism; it exposes the government to questions and debate in the legislature.
- ✗ (b) Speed of decision-making is a side benefit at most; accountability to the legislature is the defining principle.
- ✗ (d) The Cabinet system is meant to make the executive answerable, not to strengthen a leader whose support has weakened.
Remember · Cabinet (parliamentary) government rests on collective responsibility: the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha (Article 75(3)).
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 11 · Indian Constitution at Work, Chapter 4 “The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.”
- Constitution of India (Ministry of Law and Justice), Article 75(3) ↗ “The Council of Ministers shall be collectively responsible to the House of the People.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·