Answer: There are 495 different ways the members of the cabinet can be appointed.
Step-by-step explanation:
nCr+n! / (r! * (n-r)!)
Where n is the total number of items, and r is the number of items to choose.
In this case, there are 12 eligible candidates for 8 spots. So, we need to find the humber of ways to choose 8 candidates from 12, which is:
12C8 = 12!/ (8! * (12-8)!)+495