WASSCE GOVERNMENT MAY/JUNE 2009 (SSCE WAEC MAY/JUNE 2009 GOVERNMENT)
1. Government as a process or art of governing means
A. voting at general elections
B. orders of the judiciary and police
C. activities of political parties and pressure groups
D. activities for making and enforcing laws in a state
2. Government can be made responsible and accountable to its citizens through the following methods except
A. periodic change of government
B. demonstration
C. political education
D. public opinion
3. Power can be described as the
A. ability of legislature to delegate its right of law of making to another body
B. ability of the executive to encourage pressure groups to go on strike
C. Capacity of the government to encourage communities to embark on self – help projects
D. capacity to compel or influence others to act in a certain way.
4. Nazism was practised in
A. Britain under Churchill
B. the United States under Woodrow Wilson
C. Germany under Adolf Hitler
D. Span under General Franco
5. Fascism can best be defined as the
A. government of a state controlled by a multi-party
B. system of government controlled by the armed forces
C. existence of a single party dictatorship to with a life president
D. existence of an elected president for a fixed term
6. Totalitarianism implies the control of government by
A. coalition parties
B. parties in succession
C. a few elite
D. a dictator
7. Which of the following countries practised totalitarian system of government before the Second World War?
A. Britain and France
B. Germany and Italy
C. The United States and Canada
D. Turkey and India
8. The subordinate class of people in the social hierarchy of a feudal system is the
A. lords
B. vassals
C. nobles
D. armed forces
9. A common language is one of the attributes of a
A. government
B. society
C. nation
D. state
10. The doctrine of the rule of law is credited to
A. J.J. Rousseau
B. John Locke
C. A.V.Dicey
D. Thomas Hobbes
11. Equality before the law is a principle of
A. separation of powers
B. checks and balances
C. collective responsibility
D. rule of law
12. Which of the following is a limitation to the doctrine of rule of law?
A. Diplomatic immunity
B. Private ownership of property
C. Rights of enlightened citizens
D. Political authority of the executive
13. Which of the following principles is emphasized among the three organs of government in a presidential system?
A. separation of powers
B. Centralization
C. Delegated legislation
D. Political participation
14. The principle of checks and balances is aimed at
A. allowing for a fusion of powers among the organs of government
B. preventing any organ of government from performing its duties
C. allowing for total independence of the three organs of government
D. preventing any organ of government from becoming too powerful
15. A true representative government is one that
A. resists freedom of movement
B. recognizes unlimited franchise
C. observes customs and traditions
D. allows devolution of governmental powers
16. Which of the following is not a main source of a constitution?
A. Judicial precedents
B. Legislative decisions
C. Previous constitutions
D. Public deliberations
17. A constitution whose procedure for amendment is the same as that of making an ordinary law is referred to as
A. a unitary constitution
B. an unwritten constitution
C. a flexible constitution
D. a confederal constitution
18. A governmental system where the head of state is distinct from the head of government is called
A. presidential
B. unitary
C. parliamentary
D. republican
19. A system of government in which the head of state is elected for a fixed term of office is known as
A. republican
B. monarchical
C. confederal
D. federal
20. The type of government that is headed by a king or queen is called
A. monarchical
B. federal
C. presidential
D. republican
21. The principle which requires members of the executive to resign when a governmental proposal is defeated in the parliament is known as
A. delegated legislation
B. individual responsibility
C. devolutionary powers
D. collective responsibility
22. Which of the following systems of government is more responsible to public opinion?
A. Oligarchy
B. Republicanism
C. Plutocracy
D. Monarchy
23. A federal system of government is adopted in a state with
A. a single ethnic group
B. small population with large expanse of land
C. weak economic base
D. marked inequalities among the component units
24. A system of government in which governmental positions are acquired through popular elections is known as
A. fascism
B. confederalism
C. monarchy
D. republicanism
25. A monarchy refers to
A. getting political office by election
B. Capturing political office by force
C. Selection into office by a council of state
D. hereditary right to a political office
26. The head of the judicial arm of government is known as
A. Chief Justice
B. Attorney-General
C. a judge
D. an advocate
27. The implementation of government policies is carried out by the
A. Legislature
B. Judiciary
C. Ombudsman
D. Executive
28. A system whereby there is only one legislative chamber parliament is referred to as
A. unicameral legislature
B. confederal legislature
C. monarchical legislature
D. bi-cameral legislature
29. Citizenship can be acquired through
A. renouncement
B. repudiation
C. birth
D. reference
30. Residing in an area for a specified period of years is one of the basic conditions to acquire citizenship through
A. marriage
B. honour
C. naturalization
D. birth
31. Civil rights in a country are enjoyed by
A. citizens
B. aliens
C. prisoners
D. refugees
32. Vibrant opposition parties in parliament help to
A. threaten democracy
B. strengthen democracy
C. safeguard independence
D. protect sovereignty
33. The practice of voting in absentia through an authorized representative is
A. bye-election
B. delegated election
C. voting by proxy
D. quota voting
34. Which of the following is a function of an electoral commission?
A. Educating the public on economic policies
B. Registration of voters for election
C. Sharing of political power among parties
D. Provision of essential services
35. A feature of pressure groups is that members
A. oppose the government
B. are in the same labour union
C. do not believe in dialogue
D. have similar interests
36. Measuring public opinion becomes highly expensive when
A. a referendum is held
B. public opinion poll is conducted
C. public debates are held
D. mass media reports are evaluated
37. The non-involvement of civil servants in partisan politics is related to
A. anonymity
B. neutrality
C. permanence
D. impartiality
38. A court can declare any action of a local government that is outside its area of jurisdiction as
A. ultra vires
B. billof rights
C. certiorari
D. habeas corpus
39. Laws made by the legislative council during the colonial period in British West Africa were called
A. acts of parliament
B. delegated legislations
C. ordinances
D. bye-laws
40. The French colonial policy of Assimilation was first applied in
A. Conakry, Goree, Bamako and St. Louis
B. Dakar, St, Louis, Goree and Conakry
C. Goree, Dakar, Bamako and Abidjan
D. St. Louis, Dakar, Goree and Rufisque
41. One of the criticisms against the policy of Assimilation was that it
A. did not recongnise African culture as good enough
B. granted French citizenship to all the people in Senegal
C. ignored the educated elite
D. recognised the traditional rulers
42. Nationalism in British West Africa aimed at
A. gaining independence
B. abolishing chieftaincy
C. collecting revenue
D. constructing roads
43. One of the demerits of the pre-Second World War constitutions of West African colonies was the
A. domination of the Legislative Council by official members
B. domination of the Legislative Council by un-official members
C. introduction of indirect Rule system in the colonies
D. exclusion of traditional rulers from the government
44. The first military coup détat in West Africa was staged in
A. The Gambia
B. Niger
C. Nigeria
D. Togo
45. Which of the following does not influence the foreign policy of a country?
A. Historical and cultural matters
B. Ideological factors
C. Economic factors
D. Intra-party conflicts
46. The highest organ of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is the
A. Council of Ministers
B. Secretariat
C. Tribunal
D. Authority of Heads of State and Government
47. Which of the following countries is a founding member of the Commonwealth?
A. Zimbabwe
B. Ghana
C. India
D. South Africa
48. Which of the following African countries participated in the signing of the United Nations Organization (UNO) Charter in 1945?
A. Ethiopia
B. Tunisia
C. Ghana
D. Nigeria
49. The Economic and Social Council of the United Nations Organization (UNO) is made up of
A. 25 members
B. 26 members
C. 27 members
D. 28 members
50.The United Nations Secretary-General is appointed for a
A. five-year term
B. four-year term
C. three-year term
D. single-year term