to be responsible for something bad, or to be punished for something

I expect parents to answer for their children's behaviour. 我希望父母能对其子女的行为负责。

"Why do you think there's so much violence nowadays?" "Well, violence on television has a lot to answer for (= is the cause of much of it)." “在你看来，为什么现在会有那么多的暴力事件？”“这个嘛，很大程度上要归咎于电视对暴力的宣扬。”

If you say that you can answer for someone or for a quality that they have, you mean that you know from experience that they can be trusted, or that they have that quality.

I can certainly answer for her professionalism, and whole-heartedly recommend her to any employer. 我当然可以对她的专业能力作出担保，并竭诚向任何雇主推荐她。