21 questions. Try each one, then open the answer to check yourself and read the explanation.
A major element of politics is
Answer: C (power)
Politics is about who gets power, how they get it and how they use it, so power is its central element.
Politics is associated with all these except
Answer: C (behaviour)
The book's view is that politics is tied to the three arms of government (executive, legislature, judiciary), while behaviour on its own is not a political institution.
Ideologies include the following except
Answer: D (politics)
An ideology is a set of beliefs, values and opinions about how society should be run; politics is the activity, not part of the ideology.
Nigeria's colonial state came into existence in
Answer: A (1900)
On 1 January 1900 Britain took over from the Royal Niger Company and proclaimed the Protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria.
The absence of the rule of law ensures
Answer: A (human rights abuse)
Without the rule of law, rulers act as they like and citizens' fundamental rights are violated.
Centralization of power is the basic feature of
Answer: D (a unitary government)
In a unitary state all power is held by the central government, which may delegate some to local units.
The following countries are vying for Africa's slot in the Security Council:
Answer: C (Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt)
Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt are the leading contenders for a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council.
The major attributes of non-aligned countries is
Answer: C (poor state of the economy)
Most members of the Non-Aligned Movement are developing countries with weak economies.
The following are the policies of globalization except
Answer: D (transfer of technology)
Globalisation is driven by free-market policies: letting market forces work, privatising and deregulating. Technology transfer is an outcome hoped for, not one of these policies.
Which of the following is not one of the types of authority identified by Max Weber?
Answer: D (educational authority)
Weber named three types of authority: traditional, charismatic and legal-rational.
The following are agents of political socialization except
Answer: C (Ideology)
Agents of socialisation are institutions and groups (family, school, peers, religious bodies, media); an ideology is not an agent.
A political ideology that defines a system of societal organization in which the state controls the entire life of the citizen is called
Answer: D (totalitarianism)
Totalitarianism means the state controls all of life, political, economic, social and even private. Socialism is about public ownership of the means of production.
In which of the following countries is separation of powers least pronounced?
Answer: D (Britain)
Britain has a parliamentary system where ministers sit in parliament, so executive and legislature are fused.
Which of the following is not true of the concept of checks and balances?
Answer: B (it does not exist in a parliamentary system)
Checks and balances exist in parliamentary systems too, for example the legislature can pass a vote of no confidence in the government, so B is not true. Presidential assent and veto are both checks, and the judiciary checks the other two branches.
Delegated legislation does not include
Answer: D (Laws made by parliament)
Delegated legislation is law made by bodies other than parliament under powers parliament gives them; laws made by parliament itself are not delegated.
Which of the following is not true of a con-federal system?
Answer: B (component governments are subordinate to the central government)
In a confederation the member states are stronger than the centre, so they are not subordinate to it.
Which of the following is true of a presidential system?
Answer: D (presidential veto can be overridden by the parliament with a two-third majority.)
In a presidential system the legislature can override the president's veto with a two-thirds majority. Options A and B describe a parliamentary system, and ministers are confirmed by the legislature, not the court.
Which of the following is not a feature of Nigeria's electoral system?
Answer: D (proportional representation)
Nigeria uses first-past-the-post (simple majority) elections, not proportional representation.
The first Republic Constitution in Nigeria was in
Answer: D (1963)
The Republican Constitution came into force on 1 October 1963, when Nigeria became a republic.
Which of the following is not a theory of how a state originated?
Answer: A (Game Theory)
Divine right, social contract and force theories explain the origin of the state; game theory is about strategic decision-making.
The Millennium Development Goal is a plan of action initiated by the
Answer: B (United Nations Organization (UNO))
The MDGs came from the United Nations Millennium Declaration of 2000.