Which form of government has a parliamentary body and a ceremonial monarch?

• A. Constitutional monarchy
• B. Monarchy
• C. Absolute monarchy
• D. Parliamentary democracy

Answer: (A)

When a country has a parliamentary body and a ceremonial monarch, the monarch’s role is symbolic and the real governing power sits with elected representatives in Parliament. This setup is a constitutional monarchy. The constitution limits the monarch’s powers, so the head of government (often a prime minister) leads the government, while the monarch serves as a largely ceremonial figure. This distinguishes it from an absolute monarchy, where the monarch holds significant political power, and from a plain parliamentary democracy that may or may not involve a ceremonial head of state; the defining feature here is the combination of a parliamentary system with a monarch who has no real political authority. Examples include the United Kingdom and Sweden.