WASSCE GOVERNMENT MAY/JUNE 2016 (SSCE WAEC MAY/JUNE 2016 GOVERNMENT)
Government 2016
1. Government refers to all the following except
A. an academic field of study
B. an organized group of people that formulate policies
C. a process of making and enforcing laws
D. an institution made up of people with common interest
2. All the following are experienced by a community without government except
A. insecurity
B. planned development
C. lawlessness
D. political anarchy
3. As an academic field the study of government does not include
A. Political economy
B. Comparative politics
C. Public administration
D. Ecological interaction
4. Which of the following systems of government is authoritarian in nature?
A. Capitalist system
B. Fascism
C. Republicanism
D. Constitutional monarchy
5. The system that allows the opposition to participate in governance is
A. dictatorial
B. collectivism
C. aristocratic
D. democratic
6.Which of the following hinders the establishment of a representative government in a state?
A. Mass illiteracy
B. Existence of pressure groups
C. Vibrant political culture
D. Independent electoral commission
7. Which of the following is not an attribute of a state?
A. Definite territory
B. Population
C. Government
D. Common language
8. In a democracy political sovereignty is vested in the
A. judges
B. people
C. legislature
D. executive
9. According to Charles Montesquieu, the theory of separation of powers is to prevent
A. influence
B. authority
C. power
D. arbitrariness
10. Decentralization is a common feature of
A. totalitarian system of government
B. federal system of government
C. unitary system of government
D. fascist system
11. Bye-laws are made through
A. delegated legislation
B. executive instrument
C. presidential order
D. emergency power
12. Power is transformed into legal authority through
A. force
B. prayers
C. influence
D. legitimacy
13. Conventions are mostly used by states that have
A. a large number of illiterates
B. a lot of people not interested in political activities
C. unwritten constitution
D. rigid constitution
14. One advantage of a flexible constitution is that it
A. can lead to dictatorship
B. can easily be manipulated
C. is best suited for a federation
D. can be amended by a simple majority
15. A constitution that requires complicated procedure for its amendment is
A. rigid
B. flexible
C. written
D. unwritten
16. The official who enforces discipline among members of his party in parliament is the
A. majority leader
B. minority leader
C. clerk of the House
D. chief whip
17. When an action of the executive is declared ultra-vires, it is a control exercised by the
A. public
B. minister
C. judiciary
D. parliament
18. In a presidential system of government, the president can constitutionally be removed from the office through
A. persuasion
B. impeachment
C. coup d' etat
D. vote -of-no- confidence
19. Which of the following is an important feature of a Unitary Constitution
A. Centralization of power
B. Decentralization of power
C. Deconcentration of power
D. Power shared by constitution
20. One of the features of an absolute monarch is that the ruler
A. is elected by the electorate
B. has a definite tenure of office
C. is elected by the representatives of the people
D. wields the supreme power in a state
21. A notable feature of cabinet system of government is
A. collective responsibility
B. the separation of powers
C. violation of human rights
D. impeachment of the executive
22. All the following are the conditions for the adoption of federalism except
A. size
B. defence
C. population
D. homogeneity
23. The privilege citizens enjoyed in a country irrespective of sex, tribe or creed is
A. right
B. constitution
C. manifesto
D. franchise
24. The judicial order requiring a detained person to be brought before a judge is the writ of
A. Habeas corpus
B. Mandamus
C. Prohibition
D. Certiorari
25. A political party can contest and win a widely accepted election if it has
A. the ability to rig election
B. intolerant attitude to oppositions
C. a broad-based membership
D. the support of very wealthy politicians
26. Political parties aim at all the following except
A. contesting elections
B. forming a government
C. organizing general elections
D. educating the electorate politically
27. Which of the following is not a means through which political parties reach the populace?
A. Posters
B. newspapers
C. schools
D. the internet
28. An association whose ultimate aim is to influence government policies is known as
A. civil service
B. pressure group
C. political party
D. public corporation
29. Membership of pressure groups is usually limited because they
A. pursue specific and narrow objectives
B. promote other people's interests
C. do not have dynamic leadership
D. promote the interest of the government
30. Elections are conducted to
A. provide permanent employment for the people
B. make the people choose their leaders
C. known the number of people in a country
D. know the social amenities in the community
31. Suffrage is also known as
A. franchise
B. plebiscite
C. public opinion
D. electoral college
32. For an election to be fair and free Electoral Commission Must be
A. ready to manipulate results
B. ready to reject criticisms
C. headed by a minister in the executive
D. independent of other institutions of government
33. Which of the following categories of people can vote in periodic elections?
A. Minors
B. Aliens
C. Lunatics
D. Citizens
34. The anonymity of a civil servant means that he
A. is above the law of the land
B. should take part in partisan politics
C. receives neither praise nor blame publicly
D. should be prosecuted for professional misconduct
35. Which of the following functions is performed by the civil service?
A. Enactment of laws
B. Settlement of disputes
C. Appointment of ministers
D. Implementation of policies
36. Public corporations are established to
A. make maximum profits
B. help businessmen
C. provide employment for defeated politicians
D. provide utility services to the public at minimal cost
37. A minister controls public corporation by
A. provide the corporation's finances
B. auditing the accounts of the corporation personally
C. criticizing the corporation through the mass media
D. ensuring the effective administration of the corporation
38. An institution of government that makes bye-laws is the
A. judiciary
B. executive
C. legislature
D. local authorities
39. Local governments are created to
A. give more powers to the traditional rulers
B. bring the government closer to the people
C. make the people obey more of the local laws
D. take over the functions of the central government
40. Some pre-colonial West African governments were democratic because of the existence of
A. powerful traditional rulers
B. age grades
C. religious institutions
D. checks and balances
41. One of the measures introduced by indirect rule was
A. collection and keeping of taxes by the chiefs only
B. not recognizing traditional institutions
C. fixing and collection of taxes by British officials themselves
D. exclusion of the educated elite from the colonial administration
42. Which of the following policies was replaced by the French policy of association?
A. Apartheid
B. Assimilation
C. Indirect rule
D. Frenchification
43. The appointment and deposition of chiefs by their people was a demand of the
A. Pan African Movements
B. National Congress of British West Africa
C. West African Students' Union
D. West African Youth League
44. The desire for constitutional development in British West African Colonies was 'as a result of the
A. rigidity of the constitution
B. desire of the British to review the constitution
C. power of traditional rulers in British West Africa
D. growing agitation of the people for political independence
45. The following are features of military regimes except
A. respect for human rights
B. suspension of the constitution
C. rules by decrees and edicts
D. curtailment of human rights
46. Military regimes in West Africa have often made use of civilians because
A. only civilians can make decrees
B. the soldiers are democratic
C. civilians are part of the armed forces
D. they need the experience of civilians in government
47. One criticism leveled against the pre-independence political parties in West Africa was that some of them
A. did not possess credible programmes
B. did not contribute to political development
C. were not national in outlook
D. were instruments of the colonial administration
48. Foreign policy is the
A. general principles that guide foreigners in a country
B. policy made by a country during war
C. policy made by a country in peace time
D. general principles of a country in the conduct of international relations
49. The Commonwealth of Nations was originally made up of
A. former Portuguese colonies in Africa
B. former Spanish colonies in Africa
C. independent nations formerly under British Empire
D. France and her former colonies in West Africa
50. Which of the following countries was not instrumental to the formation of the United Nations Organization (UNO)?
A. United States of America
B. Britain
C. Germany
D. USSR