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Q50 (IAS/2017) Polity & Governance › Parliament › Parliamentary control mechanisms Official Key

The Parliament of India exercises control over the functions of the Council of Ministers through 1. Adjournment motion 2. Question hour 3. Supplementary questions Select the correct answer using the code given below :

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The Constitution of India established a parliamentary form of government in which the Executive is responsible to the Parliament for its policies and acts, and the Parliament exercises control over the Executive through question-hour, zero hour, half-an-hour discussion, short duration discussion, calling attention motion, adjournment motion, no-confidence motion, censure motion and other discussions.[1]

**Adjournment motion** (Statement 1) is explicitly mentioned as one of the instruments through which Parliament controls the Executive. The first hour of every parliamentary sitting is slated for Question Hour, during which the members ask questions and the ministers usually give answers.[2] The question hour is perhaps the most effective method of keeping vigil on the executive and the administrative agencies of the government.[3]

**Supplementary questions** (Statement 3) are an integral part of the Question Hour mechanism. A starred question requires an oral answer and hence supplementary questions can follow.[2] These supplementary questions allow members to probe deeper into ministerial responses, thereby enhancing parliamentary control over the Executive.

Therefore, all three mechanisms—adjournment motion, question hour, and supplementary questions—enable Parliament to exercise control over the Council of Ministers, making **option D (1, 2 and 3)** the correct answer.

Sources
  1. [1] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 23: Parliament > fil l E~ecutive Powers and Functions > p. 257
  2. [2] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 23: Parliament > Question Hour > p. 240
  3. [3] Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: LEGISLATURE > Instruments of Parliamentary Control > p. 115
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Q. The Parliament of India exercises control over the functions of the Council of Ministers through 1. Adjournment motion 2. Question hour 3…
At a glance
Origin: From standard books Fairness: High fairness Books / CA: 10/10 · 0/10
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This is a non-negotiable 'Sitter'. It comes directly from the 'Devices of Parliamentary Proceedings' section in Laxmikanth. If you get this wrong, you are statistically out of the race because 95% of serious aspirants will mark this correctly.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Do adjournment motions in the Parliament of India enable Parliament to exercise control over the functions of the Council of Ministers?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 23: Parliament > fil l E~ecutive Powers and Functions > p. 257
Presence: 5/5
“The Constitution of India established a parliamentary form of government in which the Executive is responsible to the Parliament for its policies and acts. Hence, the Parliament exercises control over the Executive through question-hour, zero hour, half-an-hour discussion, short duration discussion, calling attention motion, adjournment motion, no-confidence motion, censure motion and other discussions. The ministers are collectively responsible to the Parliament in general and to the Lok Sabha in particular. As a part of collective responsibility, there is individual responsibility, that is, each minister is individually responsible for the efficient administration of the ministry under his/her charge. This means that they continue in office so long as they enjoy the confidence of the majority members in the Lok Sabha. no-confidence motion.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly lists 'adjournment motion' among the parliamentary devices through which Parliament exercises control over the Executive.
  • States ministers are collectively and individually responsible to Parliament/Lok Sabha, placing adjournment motion in the context of executive accountability.
Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 23: Parliament > Adjournment > p. 236
Presence: 3/5
“A session of Parliament consists of many meetings. Each meeting of a day consists of two sittings, that is, a morning sitting from 11 am to 1 pm and post-lunch sitting from 2 pm to 6 pm. A Sitting of Parliament can be terminated by adjournment or adjournment sine die or prorogation or dissolution (in the case of the Lok Sabha). An adjournment suspends the work in a sitting for a specified time, which may be hours, days or weeks. Adjournment Sine Die Adjournment sine die means terminating a sitting of Parliament for an indefinite period. Table 23.1 Adjournment vs Prorogation In other words, when the House is adjourned without naming a day for reassembly, it is called adjournment sine die.”
Why this source?
  • Defines 'adjournment' as suspension of a sitting for a specified time, providing procedural context for an adjournment motion.
  • Gives the formal meaning of adjournment, which helps explain how such a motion can interrupt proceedings and focus attention on executive actions.
Democratic Politics-I. Political Science-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: WORKING OF INSTITUTIONS > Two Houses of Parliament > p. 63
Presence: 4/5
“3 Most importantly, the Lok Sabha controls the Council of Ministers. Only a person who enjoys the support of the majority of the members in the Lok Sabha is appointed the Prime Minister. If the majority of the Lok Sabha members say they have 'no confidence' in the Council of Ministers, all ministers including the Prime Minister, have to quit. The Rajya Sabha does not have this power.”
Why this source?
  • Affirms that the Lok Sabha controls the Council of Ministers and can remove them by no-confidence, establishing the broader framework of parliamentary control.
  • Supports the relevance of parliamentary instruments (including adjournment motion as per other snippets) because the Lok Sabha holds authority over ministers.
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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 2001 · Q1 Relevance score: 1.87

In what way does the Indian Parliament exercise control over the administration?

CDS-I · 2014 · Q27 Relevance score: -0.13

The subject matter of an adjournment motion in the Parliament 1. must be directly related to the conduct of the Union Government 2. may involve failure of the Government of India to perform its duties in accordance with the Constitution Select the correct answer using the code given below.

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With reference to the Parliament of India, 1. Prorogation of a House by the President of India does not require the advice of the Council of Ministers. 2. Prorogation of a House is generally done after the House is adjourned sine die but there is no bar to the President of India prorogating the House which is in session. 3. Dissolution of the Lok Sabha is done by the President of India who, save in exceptional circumstances, does so on the advice of the Council of Ministers. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

IAS · 2012 · Q60 Relevance score: -1.72

Which of the following are the methods of Parliamentary control over public finance in India? 1. Placing Annual Financial Statement before the Parliament 2. Withdrawal of moneys from Consolidated Fund of India 3. Provisions of supplementary grants and vote-on-account 4. A periodic or at least a mid-year review of programme of the Government against macroeconomic forecasts and expenditure by a Parliamentary Budget Office 5. Introduction Finance Bill in the Parliament Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

IAS · 2013 · Q93 Relevance score: -1.77

Consider the following statements: 1. The Council of Ministers in the Centre shall be collectively responsible to the Parliament. 2. The Union Ministers shall hold the office during the pleasure of the President of India. 3. The Prime Minister shall communicate to the President about the proposals for legislation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?