Is the House of Commons more authoritative than the House of Lords?

In short: yes, and no. The issue with this question is that many students will end up thinking that 'authority' is synonymous with 'power', which is not necessarily the case. One must look at the question more deeply. The House of Commons gains large amounts of authority from its democratic mandate - each member was voted for in a general election, and is thus has an air of authority that the unelected Lords does not have.On the other hand, however, the Lords arguably gains authority from expertise. Those who make it into the upper chamber are appointed by an independent commission because of their knowledge and experience in their given fields. Lord Alan Sugar was appointed for his business expertise, and Baroness Helena Kennedy for her experience as a distinguished barrister. This is not to say that the Commons is full of incompetent individuals - the Lords is simply on a level of expertise that is difficult to match.