Question

Define Opposition.
A. Representative who are not members of the ruling party
B. Representatives who are the members of the ruling party
C. More than half the number in a group
D. All of the above

Answer 1

Hint: The opposition party is supposed to help in fixing the mistakes of the Ruling party. They hold the ruling party accountable to the citizens of the country.

Complete answer:
The term Opposition is used to designate the party with the second largest number of seats in the Upper or the Lower house of either the Parliament or the State Legislative Assembly. The party must also be at least 10% of the total strength of the house. Also this 10% of the total strength has to be secured by a single party and not an alliance.
Roles of the Opposition –
Its main duty is to question the ruling party or the government of the day and to hold them accountable to the citizens. The Ruling party and the opposition are equally important in upholding the interests of the citizens of the nation. They must ensure that the Government does not make any decisions which might have a negative impact on the people of the country.
Representatives who are not members of the ruling party – The opposition are the members of a party that has the second highest number of seats in the house. Hence, it means that these representatives are not members of the ruling party but of some other party. They are supposed to help in fixing the mistakes of the Ruling party.
Representatives who are members of the ruling party – The members of the ruling party are the members who have the majority in the house. They are also called the Governing Party or the Serving Party.
More than half the number in a group – When a party secures more than half the number of the seats in any of the houses of either the Parliament or the State Legislative Assembly, it is said to be the Ruling Party, Serving Party or the Governing Party.

Thus, the correct answer is option (A) Representatives who are not the members of the ruling party.

Note:Currently in India, there is no opposition in the Lok Sabha since no party has secured a minimum of 10% seats.
In Rajya Sabha, the Indian National Congress has 40 seats out of the 245 and hence is designated as the Official Opposition.