WASSCE GOVERNMENT MAY/JUNE 2005 (SSCE WAEC MAY/JUNE 2005 GOVERNMENT)

1. A government is said to be legitimate if it

A. has the people’s mandate to rule

B. is not oppressive

C. provide social services for the people

D. accepts people’s crticisms

 

2. All types of government performs all the following functions except

A. Providing welfare and developmental facilities

B. maintaining law and order

C. encourage the struggle for power

D. encourage trade with other states

 

3. In the study of government, public administration covers the

A. Army, prison Officers and the police Force

B. Civil service, Public Corporation, and the Local Government

C. Ministries of Education, Health and Agriculture

D. Schools, Hospitals and Health Centres.

 

4. Sovereignty ultimately resides in

A. the people within a political society

B. a country's chief executive

C. the judges of the Supreme Court

D. traditional rulers

 

5. Classical democracy implies government

A. through representatives

B. by all citizens

C. through electoral college

D. by martial laws

 

6. Which of the following is not a feature of a democratic system of government?

A. Limited franchise

B. Official opposition

C. Periodic elections

D. Rule of law

 

7. Which of the following political concepts is associated with land ownership?

A. Racism

B. Feudalism

C. Nazism

D. Socialism

8.  Fascism was a type of dictatorial government established in

A. Germany

B. Russia

C. Israel

D. Italy

 

9. Who among the following is associated with the concept of the rule of law?

A. Jean Bodin

B. A.V. Dicey

C. Jeremy Bentham

D. Barom de Montesquieu

 

10. Which of the following is a means of limiting the rule of law?

A. Supremacy of the law

B. Equality before the law

C. Immunity granted to diplomats

D. Strike action by workers

 

11. The lack of interest in politics by many citizens in a country is called

A. civil agitation

B. mass apathy

C. mass protest

D. political unrest

 

12. The industrial Revolution in Europe resulted in

A. socialism

B. communalism

C. aristocracy

D. capitalism

 

13. An agreed set of rules prescribing the governance of a country can be the

A. constitution

B. charter

C. manifesto

D. hansard

 

14. A constitution is said to be rigid if it

A. can be amended by the president only

B. is difficult to amend

C. is unwritten

D. is decreed by soldiers

 

15. A unitary system of government is most suitable for a

A. highly religious country

B. country with a lot of mineral deposits

C. small homogeneous country

D. highly populated country

 

16. The principle of collective responsibility is central to the

A. presidential system

B. federal system

C. unitary system

D. parliamentary system

 

17.  In a parliamentary system of government, the head of government is usually  

A. selected by the council of state

B. elected by the Supreme Court

C. the Majority Leader in the Legislature

D. the Head of State

 

18. The practice of two or more sovereign states uniting for security and external affairs is called

A. totalitarianism

B. confederalism

C. republicanism

D. sectionalism

 

19. A unicameral legislature has

A. two houses

B. one house

C. three houses

D. one head of state

 

20. One of the functions of a Party Whip in the Legislature is to

A. punish erring members of the party in the House

B. ensure that members are present during important sessions

C. ensure that the House is properly dissolved

D. lead the minority party in the House debate

 

21. The judiciary is an organ of government which

A. rules the country according to laws

B. makes laws for the country

C. gives legal backing to government's budgets

D. settles disputes in accordance with the laws of the land

 

22. To promote justice in a state, judges must

A. belong to the ruling party

B. punish people who oppose them

C. enjoy security of tenure of office

D. not socialise with the people

 

23. People pay taxes in order to

A. generate revenue for government

B. obtain a tax clearance certificate

C. avoid being prosecuted in the courts

D. save towards the future

 

24. All the following are essential functions of political parties except to

A. aggregate interests of members of the public

B. serve as link between the government and the people

C. seek political power lawfully

D. seek political power for the military

 

25. A multi-party system often leads to

A. unitary government

B. dictatorial government

C. coalition government

D. parliamentary government

 

26. The right of the citizens to vote and be voted for in an election is called

A. indirect election

B. nomination

C. general election

D. franchise

 

27. One major advantage of the secret ballot system of election is that, it

A. removes the fears of threat and victimization

B. enables the best party to win

C. ensures the efficiency of the electoral commission

D. helps to elect the best candidate

 

28. An election held to determine an important constitutional issue is called a

A. direct election

B. counter election

C. general election

D. referendum

 

29. A free and fair election requires all the following except

A. political parties

B. a long campaign period

C. gerrymandered constituencies

D. registration of all qualified voters

 

30. An electoral college is a

A. form of indirect election

B. school for electoral officers

C. college which trains party leaders

D. policy to dissolve constituencies

 

31. The main objective of a pressure group is to

A. change the government

B. fund election campaigns

C. form the government

D. influence government policies

 

32. Political opinion can be expressed through

A. census

B. general strike

C. socialisation

D. compromise

 

33. A local government administration promotes

A. consensus politics

B. responsible government

C. democracy at the grassroots

D. responsive government

 

34. All the following are features of the civil service except

A. anonymity

B. political neutrality and impartiality

C. security of tenure and permanence

D. political maturity and participation

 

35. Public corporations are set up by

A. the Board of Directors

B. the Minister

C. workers in the corporation

D. an act of parliament

 

36. The First Colonial Consul sent to administer the West Coast of Africa by the Britain, was

A. John Beecroft

B. Walter Egerton

C. George Goldie

D. Donald Cameron

 

37. The executive head who was responsible for British colonial territories in West Africa was the

A. Lord Chancellor

B. heir to the British throne

C. warrant chief

D. Secretary of State

 

38. The direct rule policy did not succeed in some parts of West Africa because

A. it was not well understood

B. only few British officers were posted to those areas

C. the powers of traditional rulers were not centralised

D. the elite were participatory to the policy

 

39. The policy of indigenat was parctised in the colonies controlled by

A. Belgium

B. Portugal

C. Britain

D. France

 

40. The French policy of Assimilation implied that

A. the French transferred powers to Africans

B. traditional rulers were recongnised

C. African countries were granted independence

D. Africans were modelled after the French

 

41. The West African Students Union (WASU) was formed in 1925 in

A. Dakar

B. London

C. Weshington

D. New York

 

42. One of the achievements of the National Congress of British West African (NCBWA) was the

A. introduction of railway transportation

B. appointment of a federal president

C. improvement of living standard

D. introduction of the elective principle

 

43. The main cause of military intervention in government in West African was

A. that soldiers wanted to form their own polical parties

B. the breakdown of democractic institutions

C. the need to grant the request of the colonial government

D. the soldiers wanted to take part in democracy

 

44. Military governments are likely to be

A. democratic

B. civilized

C. dictatorial

D. accountable

 

45. Which of the following West African countries operated a federal constitution at independence?

A. Ghana

B. Nigeria

C. The Gambia

D. Sierra Leone

 

46. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was formed to

A. increase the population of West Africa

B. stop trading activities with the advanced countries

C. encourage aliens to migrate

D. promote economic relations in West Africa

 

47. Which of the following is associated with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)?

A. Peace-keeping

B. Road rehabilitation

C. Importation of cars

D. Military rule

 

48. One of the main objectives of the African Union (AU) is to

A. hold elections in member states

B. distribute military equipment to its members

C. encourage co-operation among member states

D. establish courts in member states

 

49. A person representative achievement of the United Nations Organization (UNO) is the

A. election of a Secretary General form Africa

B. prevention of another world war

C. increase in its membership

D. Settlement of cases of election rigging

 

50. The most important achievement of the United Nations Organisation (UNO) is the

A. election of a Secretary General from Africa

B. prevention of another world war

C. increase in its membership

D. settlement of cases of election rigging