The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two houses. With reference to the Indian Parliament, answer the following questions:
Explain the following terms: (a) Question Hour (b) Quorum (c) No Confidence Motion
Topic: Parliamentary procedures
Answer
(a) Question Hour — the first hour of every sitting of Parliament, during which members may ask questions of the ministers, who are bound to answer. It is a device to keep the executive answerable to the legislature.
(b) Quorum — the minimum number of members who must be present for the House to transact business. In both Houses it is one-tenth of the total membership; if there is no quorum the Presiding Officer adjourns the House.
(c) No Confidence Motion — a motion moved in the Lok Sabha stating that the House has no confidence in the Council of Ministers. If it is passed by a majority, the entire Council of Ministers must resign.
One mark each, so give a complete sentence of definition for each term rather than a phrase. The details that lift each answer: for Question Hour, that it is the FIRST hour and that ministers are BOUND to answer; for Quorum, the exact figure of ONE-TENTH; for No Confidence, that the WHOLE ministry falls, not just one minister. Those specifics are what separate full marks from half.