WASSCE GOVERNMENT MAY/JUNE 2010 (SSCE WAEC MAY/JUNE 2010 GOVERNMENT)
1. Government as a subject refers to the study of
A. territorial expansion
B. Political leaders
C. the various nations of the world
D. the institution of the state
2. Government is distinguished from the State because it
A. can be changed periodically
B. does not operate in any defined territory
C. is a loosely organized structure
D. enforces its will on the people of the state
3. A government is legitimate if it
A. comes to power trough a coup d’etat
B. it is not oppressive
C. provides social services for the people
D. has the mandate of the people to rule
4. A sovereign power over a number of people in a specific geographical area is called
A. society
B. confusion
C. coup d’etat
D. instability
5. Absence of government in a state is referred to as
A. anarchy
B. confusion
C. soup d’etat
D. instability
6. A situation where all the citizens meet in an open place to govern the state is called
A. direct democracy
B. electoral college
C. feudalism
D. fascism
7. A system of government in which the political power is vested in the elected representatives is known as
A. oligarchy
B. democracy
C. feudalism
D. fascism
8. Sovereignty implies all the following
A. the highest authority in a state
B. a state of political independence
C. unlimited power of a state to make and enforce laws
D. the supremacy of politically
9. Popular Sovereignty is located in the
A. military
B. police
C. electorate
D. opinion leaders
10. A system of government in which the leader exercises absolute power and allow no opposition is called
A. totalitarianism
B. capitalism
C. communism
D. socialism
11. Which of the following is a basic component culture?
A. Cultural development
B. Culture design
C. Cultural display
D. Cognitive orientation
12. Communism is propounded by Karl Marx was later interpreted by
A. Locke
B. Dicey
C. Bentham
D. Lennin
13. According to Karl Marx, those who own and control the means of production in a capitalist society are the
A. colonialist
B. workers
C. bourgeoisies
D. peasants
14. The Rule of law is limited by
A. free press
B. diplomatic immunity
C. constitutionalism
D. separation of powers
15. Which of the following is not a fundamental human right?
A. Right to life
B. Right to vote
C. Freedom of movement
D. Freedom of religion
16. The institution created by checking abuses by government department is known as the
A. secret service
B. judicial commission
C. ombudsam
D. corps marshall
17. A good example of an absolute monarch is
A. Adolf Hiltler of Germany
B. Beito Mussolini of Italy
C. Halle Salessie of Ethiopia
D. Magaret Thatcher of Britain
18 The system of governance in which powers are shared between the centre and the component units is called
A. totalitarianism
B. federation
C. unitary
D. oligarchy
19. The power of the central government to dissolve surbordinate units at will is feature of
A. confederal system
B. unitary system of government
C. parliamentary system of government
D. federal system of government
20. Which of the following is a feature of federalism?
A. Unwritten Constitution
B. Flexible Constitution
C. Unitary Constitution
D. Written Constitution
21. The exclusive list in federation includes all the following except
A. defence
B. foreign relation
C. currency
D. transportation
22. The order of mandamus is a
A. form of order by a superior body to perform a function
B. mandate from the executive to the public corporation
C. plea for a man of alibi in court
D. writ to produce a detained person for trial
23. In the legislature, filibuster is one who
A. is in charge of party discipline
B. presents party manifesto during parliamentary sessions
C. does not take part in law making
D. prevents the passage of a bill by making long speeches
24. Which of the following measures will ensure the independence of the judiciary? Judges
A. salaries must be handled by foreign banks
B. salaries must be fixed and not subject to arbitrary review
C. must not be separated from the executive
D. must be controlled by the president
25. The most important function of the Upper House in a federation is
A. serve as the highest court of the land
B. ensure equal representation of the component units
C. provide a place for retired politicians in the legislative
D. invite politicians for questioning
26. Bi-cameral legislature is the same as
A. legislative with two cameras
B. one chamber legislature
C. the Upper House in any Legislature
D. the Lower House in any Legislature
27. A short break in a parliamentary session is referred to as
A. suspension
B. recess
C. dissolution
D. termination
28. The term guillotine in the legislative refers to
A. allocation of time to a bill
B. passing a bill into law
C. voting a bill into law
D. passing an appropriation bill
29. The right of individual are usually enshrined in the
A. law books
B. courts
C constitutions
D. journals
30. A citizen’s freedom to movement may be restrained if he
A. has refused to salute the Head of State
B. has been convicted by the courts
C. refuses to vote at elections
D. criticizes the government
31. A major advantage of a one-party system is that it
A. prevent dictatorship
B. promotes unity
C. allows opposition
D. promotes freedom and liberty
32. Which of the following best describes the concept of enfranchisement? Right
A. to campaign for candidate during elections
B. to sue and be sued
C. given to people to vote and be voted for
D. to free expression on political issues
33. The arrangement by which a country is divide into parts for election purpose is called
A. enfranchisement
B. gerrymandering
C. delimitation
D. democratized ion
34. The process by which voters may remove a public officer before the end of his term is called
A. gerrymandering
B. recall
C. bye- election
D. public opinion
35. A yes or no vote cast by electorate to decide an important issue in an area is known as
A. franchise
B. plebiscite
C. electoral college
D. public opinion
36. The term winner-takes-all can also be associated with
A. second ballot system
B. representative government
C. first-past-the-post system
D. proportional representation
37. Anonymity of the civil servant means that they
A. are free from political heads
B. are to be seen but not to be heard
C. cannot vote for any political party
D. are to execute government policies
38. The Loi-Cadre Reforms of 1956 in the French West Africa were as a result of
A. pressure from the French territories
B. change in French
C. opposition to Bamako Conference
D. British colonial policy of granting internal self government
39. Which of the following best describes the status of Governor-General in British West African Countries at independence? They
A. were representing the Queen of England
B. were above the law
C. maintained friendly relation with French
D. were the heads of government
40. Before the second war, the British Colonial Executive Council consisted of
A. only elected Africans
B. only White officials
C. unofficials members
D. official and unofficial
41. The National Congress of Britsh West Africa (NCBWA) was founded in 1919 in
A. Lagos
B. Monrovia
C. Accra
D. Bathurst
42. The West African Students’ Union worked towards
A. the end of colonial rule
B. the end of indirect rule
C. getting accommodation of West African Students
D. the end of the policy of direct rule
43. The policy of Assimilation was abandoned because
A. it was too expensive to maintain
B. the French were fed up
C. the Africans liked it
D. it was less expensive
44. The constitutional reforms in West Africa after the Second World War wear geared towards
A. the assimilation of the people
B. the evaluation of colonialism
C. making the colonies independent states
D. making the people support their economic interests
45. One of the reasons for military take-over in West Africa is
A. Smooth administration
B. political stability
C. corruption among political leaders
D. good governance
46. Which of the following best describes the foreign policy of West African Countries during the Cold War?
A. Support for the Western bloc
B. Support for the Eastern bloc
C. Non-alignment with any power bloc
D. Allegiance to Nazi government
47.The Administrative headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is in
A. Freetown
B. Lome
C. Banjul
D. Abuja
48.The head of the Commonwealth of Nations is the
A. Colonial Secretary
B. Australian Foreign Secretary
C. British Monarch
D. New Zealand Foreign Minister
49. A representative of one country in another country with the commonwealth of Nations is called
A. High Commissioner
B. Attache
C. Foreign Minister
D.Consult
50. The Use of veto power in the United Nation Organization (UNO) is only exercised by the
A. Economic and Social Council
B. International Court of Justice
C. Trusteeship Council
D. Security Council