2014 Government WAEC SSCE (School Candidates) May/June

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Government 1 - Objective

1. Government protects the lives and property of the citizens of a state through the
   1. courts and the police
   2. legislature and prisons
   3. ministers and the police
   4. customs and the police
2. Political power could be acquired through
   1. persuasion
   2. election
   3. sanction
   4. nomination
3. Which of the following countries in Africa practised socialism?
   1. Nigeria
   2. Togo
   3. Tanzania
   4. Kenya
4. Nazism was introduced by
   1. Adolf Hitler
   2. Tsar Nicholas II
   3. Karl Marx
   4. Mao-Tse-Tung
5. The following are merits of separation of powers except
   1. abuse of power
   2. freedom and liberty
   3. stable political system
   4. absence of dominance
6. Which of the following is not a merit of checks and balances? It
   1. prevents excessive use of power
   2. has respect for human rights
   3. encourages the use of veto power
   4. prevents dictatorship
7. Representative government is alternatively called
   1. rule of law
   2. indirect democracy
   3. separation of powers
   4. classical democracy
8. A constitution is a
   1. set of regulations and customs
   2. body of doctrine and principles
   3. set of principles and customs
   4. body of rules, regulations and conventions
9. A feature of a rigid constitution is that it requires
   1. amendment by the judiciary
   2. one-third majority for its amendment
   3. special amendment procedures
   4. the votes of the electorate for its amendment
10. A characteristic of a federal system of government is that power is
    1. shared between the central and unit governments
    2. shared between the component units of government
    3. held by the national government
    4. held by the state government
11. In a federal system of government, education and health are examples of
    1. separation of powers
    2. reserved powers
    3. concurrent powers
    4. exclusive powers
12. Which of the following is not a function of the judiciary?
    1. Settlement of disputes
    2. Maintenance of law and order
    3. Interpretation of law
    4. Protection of rights
13. Statutes are
    1. bills passed by local governments
    2. laws passed by the judiciary
    3. bills passed by the executive
    4. laws passed by the parliament
14. Slander limits a citizen’s freedom of
    1. expression
    2. movement
    3. association
    4. religion
15. Which of the following bodies has the right to change the laws of the country? The
    1. Judiciary
    2. Ombudsman
    3. Legislature
    4. Executive
16. All the following are sources of revenue of a political party except
    1. payment of dues
    2. donations
    3. custom duties
    4. fund raising
17. Party manifesto is important in the following ways except to
    1. evaluate the party
    2. limit choice
    3. attract people
    4. guide the party
18. Coalition government can be defined as parties coming together
    1. to appoint a leader
    2. to form a government
    3. with a common manifesto
    4. to oppose the government
19. Which of the following West African countries practised a one-party system?
    1. Benin
    2. Nigeria
    3. Ghana
    4. Liberia
20. In limited franchise, restriction on voting can be based on
    1. height
    2. property
    3. strength
    4. exposure
21. Which of the following is a limitation to Universal Adult Suffrage?
    1. Wealth
    2. Age
    3. Race
    4. Sex
22. Which of the following is an example of a general election?
    1. Bye-election
    2. Presidential election
    3. Local election
    4. Student union election
23. The purpose of an election is to
    1. allow people to participate in choosing their leaders
    2. provide social amenities for the electorate
    3. give political education to the rich
    4. allow the counting of votes in public
24. Universal Adult Suffrage is popular because it
    1. allows for equal political representation
    2. allows for greater political participation
    3. encourages a multi-party system
    4. ensures equal performance of all political parties
25. Which of the following is not a factor that promotes democratic electoral system?
    1. Political consciousness
    2. Periodic election
    3. Up-to-date electoral register
    4. Popularity of the governor
26. A factor that could make elections to be free and fair is the
    1. existence of dependent electoral commission
    2. adoption of a flexible constitution
    3. opportunity for people to vote twice
    4. registration of eligible voters
27. The body responsible for conducting and supervising elections in West African countries is called
    1. ombudsman
    2. electoral commission
    3. election observers
    4. constituent assembly
28. Which of the following is not a problem of an electoral commission in West Africa?
    1. Electoral malpractices
    2. Inadequate personnel
    3. Inadequate funds
    4. Registration of voters
29. Which of the following is not an aim of pressure groups?
    1. Contesting election
    2. Agitating for interests
    3. Influencing government decisions
    4. Educating their members
30. A pressure group formed only by teachers is
    1. a promotional group
    2. an occupational group
    3. a religious group
    4. an economic group
31. Neutrality in the civil service means that
    1. the government can seek or replace top civil servants
    2. officials can only be removed from office due to ill-health
    3. civil servants should be loyal to the government and non-partisan
    4. officials need to defend the budget in parliament
32. Red-tapism in the civil service is a product of
    1. democracy
    2. autocracy
    3. bureaucracy
    4. theocracy
33. An advantage of public corporations in West Africa is
    1. creation of exposure
    2. political interference
    3. provision of employment
    4. provision of all the services needed
34. The central government can reduce annual subventions to public corporations through
    1. parliamentary control
    2. ministerial control
    3. judicial control
    4. public control
35. Collection of rates is a source of revenue to
    1. civil servants
    2. public corporations
    3. local authorities
    4. central government
36. The money given by the central government to local authorities is known as
    1. block grants
    2. capital expenditure
    3. loans
    4. royalties
37. The laws of the pre-colonial African political systems were
    1. written
    2. codified
    3. unwritten
    4. rigid
38. Auditing the accounts of public corporations amounts to
    1. media control
    2. judicial control
    3. public control
    4. financial control
39. The following were features of the French policy of Assimilation except
    1. centralized administration
    2. recognition of chieftaincy institution
    3. limited education
    4. indigent policy
40. The recurrent coups in West African countries resulted in
    1. dictatorship
    2. political instability
    3. nepotism
    4. poor conditions in the army
41. Foreign policy refers to the
    1. policy made by a foreign country
    2. policy made by a country for foreigners
    3. principles that govern a country when it is at war
    4. principles that govern a state’s international behaviour
42. Which of the following is a factor for the adoption of a unitary system of government in some West African countries?
    1. Vast territories
    2. Small territories
    3. Abundant resources
    4. Heterogeneous culture
43. Which of the following countries is a permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations Organization (UNO)?
    1. Germany
    2. Japan
    3. Canada
    4. Russia
44. The Commonwealth is
    1. an economic organization for the Caribbeans
    2. a political organization formed during the First World War
    3. made up of all independent ex-colonies of Britain
    4. made up of independent European countries
45. The United Nations Organization (UNO) came into existence in
    1. 1945
    2. 1948
    3. 1950
    4. 1953
46. The head of the Commonwealth of Nations is
    1. German Chancellor
    2. President of America
    3. Queen of England
    4. British Prime Minister
47. A Commonwealth member that has no colonial link with the United Kingdom is
    1. Nigeria
    2. Kenya
    3. Ghana
    4. Mozambique
48. The meetings of the Commonwealth of Nations are held once every
    1. six years
    2. five years
    3. three years
    4. two years
49. The ECOWAS Fund for Co-operation, Compensation and Development is located in
    1. Togo
    2. Nigeria
    3. The Gambia
    4. Sierra Leone
50. The organ responsible for investigating internal disputes in the United Nations Organization (UNO) is the
    1. General Assembly
    2. Security Council
    3. Secretariat
    4. Economic and Social Council

Government 2 - Essay

Section A: Elements of Government

Answer two question only from this section.

1. State five reasons for the study of government.
2. 1. Define Capitalism.
   2. State two advantages and two disadvantages of capitalism.
3. 1. Define Legitimacy.
   2. Highlight any four factors that determine legitimacy.
4. 1. Outline five factors that give rise to the adoption of federalism.
5. 1. In what five ways can elections be made free and fair in a country?

Section B: Political and Constitutional Development In West Africa and International Relations

Answer two questions only from this section.

6. 1. Identify five functions and powers of the King Makers in the Yoruba pre-colonial political system.
7. 1. Highlight five reasons for the slow rate of nationalism in French speaking West Africa.
8. 1. Outline three features of the Macpherson Constitution.
   2. State two reasons for the breakdown of the Lyttleton Constitution.
9. Question 9
   1. Outline five reasons people prefer democratic governments to military regimes.
10. Question 10
    1. Identify five challenges facing the Commonwealth of Nations.