All 49 questions from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Government 2010 Objective paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.
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Government as a subject refers to the study of
Government as a subject refers to the study of the institutions of the state.
Government is distinguished from the State because it
One of the distinguishing factors that differentiate a government from a state is that while the state is permanent, government on the other hand changes from one administration to the other.
A government is legitimate if it
A government is legitimate if it has the mandate of the people to rule, that is, if the government has the support of the people to govern them.
A sovereign power over a number of people in a specific geographical area is called
A sovereign power over a number of people within a specific geographical area is called a state - it has sovereign power over the people within its jurisdiction because it has the absolute power to make and enforce laws which the citizens must obey.
Absence of government in a state is referred to as
The absence of government or centralised administration is referred to as anarchy.
A situation where all the citizens meet in an open place to govern the state is called
In direct democracy, the people exercise their governing powers directly through their active participation in the affairs of the state. The citizens come together in an open place to discuss the issues concerning their society - they are 'citizens' governors' who are at one and the same time subject to political authority and the creators of public rules and regulation. This was the type of democracy practised in ancient Greece.
A system of government in which political power is vested in the elected representatives is known as
Democracy is a system of government in which political powers is vested in the elected representatives. The elected representatives acquired political powers through the mandate they got from the people who voted for them in elections.
Sovereignty implies all the following except
Sovereignty is the absolute and supreme powers of a state to make and enforce laws without external control. It is the highest authority in a state, it implies a state of political independence, and the unlimited powers of a state to make and enforce laws. Sovereignty is not about the supremacy of political parties.
Popular sovereignty is located in the
Popular sovereignty refers to the power of the people to effect a change of government. It is located in the electorate - those who are eligible to exercise their franchise.
A system of government in which the leader exercises absolute power and allows no opposition is called
Totalitarian system of government is a form of government in which all aspects of life of the citizens are subject under the control of the State. The leader exercises absolute power and allows no opposition.
Which of the following is a basic component of political culture?
Cognitive orientation of political culture refers to the level of awareness or knowledge of the citizens about the political system, its roles and structure. It is one of the basic components of political culture. Other components of political culture are evaluative and affective orientations.
Communism as propounded by Karl Marx was later interpreted by
The ideas of Karl Marx on communism were given further explanation by V.I. Lenin.
According to Karl Marx, those who own and control the means of production in a capitalist society are the
The bourgeoisie, according to Karl Marx, are those who own and control the means of production and exchange in a capitalist society. As the owners of the means of production, the bourgeoisies employed the workers called the proletariat.
The Rule of law is limited by
The rule of law, which emphasises the supremacy of the law over everyone in the state, is limited by diplomatic immunity. This is because foreign diplomats cannot be prosecuted for crimes committed in their host country.
Which of the following is not a fundamental human right?
The right to vote is not an example of fundamental right because it can only be enjoyed by certain groups of people such as qualified adult citizens. Fundamental human rights are rights that are universally enjoyed by all people irrespective of their sex, religion or creed. For example, the right to life, freedom of religion and of movement are fundamental human rights.
The institution created for checking abuses by government department is known as the
The Ombudsman is a public complaint commission set up by the government to investigate and prosecute cases of maladministration and abuse of powers by government officials. It is an institution created for checking abuses on the part of government officials.
A good example of an absolute monarch is
Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was a good example of absolute monarchy. During his reign as the monarch in Ethiopia, he was the Head of State both in name and in deed and exercised wide powers. Note, however, that Ethiopia has long discarded the monarchical form of government.
The system of government in which powers are shared between the centre and the component units is called
A federal system of government is one in which there is a constitutional division of powers between the central government and the component units.
Which of the following is a feature of federalism?
A written constitution is one of the features of a federal system of government. This is because all federal states have written constitution.
The exclusive list in federalism includes all the following except
Exclusive list are legislative items on which only the central government can make laws in a federal state. Transportation is not included in the exclusive list as it belongs to the concurrent list, which both the central government and the component units can make laws.
The order of mandamus is a
An order from a highest court to a lower court or a government body entails to do something.
In the legislature, a filibuster is one who
A filibuster is someone in the parliament who tried to delay the passage of a bill into law by making long speeches.
Which of the following measures will ensure the independence of the judiciary? Judges'
The salary of judges must be fixed and not subject to arbitrary review if the independence of the judiciary is to be ensured. This is because subjecting the salary of judges to arbitrary review means that they can be punished by the executive through a reduction in their monthly pay. This promotes the dependence of the judiciary.
The most important function of the Upper House in a federation is to
In a federal system of government, the most important function of the upper legislative chamber is to ensure equal representation of the component units. For instance, in Nigeria, in the Senate which is the upper house, all the states are represented by three senators irrespective of the population or size of the state.
Bi-cameral legislature is the same as
A bicameral legislature is one with two legislative chambers.
A short break in parliamentary session is referred to as
Recess is a short break in parliamentary session.
The term guillotine in the legislature 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.
The term guillotine in the legislature refers to allocation of time to a bill.
The rights of individuals are usually enshrined in the
The rights of individuals in a state are usually enshrined in the constitution.
A citizen's freedom of movement may be restrained if he
A citizen's freedom of movement may be restricted if he is convicted by the courts.
A major advantage of a one-party system is that it
One major advantage of a One-Party system is that it promotes unity and integration among the people of a state.
Which of the following best describes the concept of enfranchisement?
Enfranchisement is the right to vote and be voted for.
The arrangement by which a country is divided into parts for election purposes is called
Delimitation is the division of a country into a number of constituencies for the purpose of elections.
The process by which voters may remove a public officer before the end of his term of office is called
Recall is the process through which voters/electorates in a constituency can remove a public office-holder, especially those in the legislative organ of government.
A yes or no vote cast by electorate to decide an important issue in an area is known as
Plebiscite is a form of yes or no vote cast by the electorate to decide important issue pertaining to government policies.
The term winner-takes-all can also be associated with
First-past-the-post system is a form of electoral system in which a candidate with the highest number of votes cast is declared as the winner of the electoral contest. Under this electoral system, the winner takes all because there is no place for the runner up.
Anonymity of the civil servants means that they
Anonymity of the civil service, aside from meaning that civil servants are not to be blamed or praised for the discharge of their duties, it also means that they are to be seen and not to be heard. This means they are not supposed to openly criticise or say anything about the government or its policies.
The Loi-Cadre Reforms of 1956 in the French West Africa were as a result of
Pressure mounted on the French government by nationalists in French West Africa for inclusive participation in the colonial government led to the introduction of the Loi-Cadre reforms.
Which of the following best describes the status of Governor-General in British West African Countries at independence? They
The Governors-General in British West African countries at independence represented the Queen of England as the Head of state in their country.
Before the Second World War, the British Colonial Executive Council consisted of
One of the characteristics of the British Colonial Executive Council before the Second World War was that it was composed mainly of white officials as its members.
The National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA) was founded in 1919 in
The National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA) was founded in 1919 in Accra, Ghana, by a Ghanaian lawyer, Casely Hayford.
The West African Students' Union worked towards
The West African Student Union (WASU), founded in 1925, was a nationalist movement that fought against colonialism.
The policy of Assimilation was abandoned because
The policy of assimilation, which tried to change Africans into French citizens, was abandoned because it was too expensive to maintain. The policy was a form of direct administration which required France to provide revenue for the provision of infrastructural and social amenities in its colonies.
The constitutional reforms in West Africa after the Second World War were geared towards
The constitutional reforms in West Africa after the Second World War were meant to help the colonies gain political independence.
One of the reasons for military take-over in West Africa is
One of the major reasons for military take-over of government in West Africa can be attributed to corruption on the part of the political leaders, the mismanagement of the resources as well as the diversion of public funds for private benefits by the political leaders made the military seize political power so as to put an end to corruption.
Which of the following best describes the foreign policy of West African countries during the Cold War?
The non-alignment policy of the West Africa countries during the Second World War was practised by the non-aligned states. The non-alignment policy encouraged countries to be neutral in the face of the ideological rivalries between the defunct USSR as the leader of the socialist eastern bloc and the USA as the leader of the capitalist western bloc.
The Administrative Headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is in
The administrative headquarters of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is in Abuja, Nigeria.
The head of the Commonwealth of Nations is the
The British Monarch (Queen of England) is the head of the Commonwealth of Nations.
A representative of one country in another within the Commonwealth of Nations is called a
A representative of one country in another within the Commonwealth of Nations is called a High Commissioner.
The use of veto power in the United Nations Organisation (UNO) is only exercised by the
The use of veto power in the United Nations Organisation (UNO) is only exercised by the Security Council.
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