62 questions. Try each one, then open the answer to check yourself and read the explanation.
Government as an art of governing refers to the process of
Answer: A (ruling people in the society)
As an art or process, government means the act of ruling people and managing the affairs of a society.
An essential feature of a State is
Answer: C (an organized system of laws)
Every state needs a government with an organised system of laws; resources, infrastructure and markets are not essential.
The modern idea of democracy includes all the following except
Answer: A (unlimited freedom)
Freedom in a democracy is always limited by law and the rights of others; no freedom is unlimited.
The political system which allows equal access to the means of production, distribution and exchange is called
Answer: C (Socialism)
Socialism places the means of production under public ownership so that all have equal access to them.
The two components of sovereignty are
Answer: C (legal and political independence)
Sovereignty has a legal side (supreme law-making power) and a political side (the power behind it, ultimately the people), and it means independence from outside control.
The modern concept of the rule of law was introduced by
Answer: B (A.V. Dicey)
A. V. Dicey popularised the rule of law in his 1885 book on the law of the constitution.
Which of the following principles negates the concept of the rule of law?
Answer: D (Exercise of absolute power by the President.)
The rule of law means no one is above the law; absolute power in one person contradicts it.
Another name for Totalitarianism is
Answer: D (Authoritarianism.)
Totalitarian and authoritarian rule both concentrate power in a ruler who does not allow opposition.
The concept of Separation of powers was popularised by
Answer: C (Baron de Montesquieu)
Montesquieu set out the theory in The Spirit of the Laws (1748).
Which of the following does not have the power of delegated legislation?
Answer: B (Market men and women association)
Delegated law-making power is given by statute to ministers, lower governments and professional bodies, not to a market association.
The concept of decentralization includes all the following elements except
Answer: C (delimitation)
Decentralisation takes the forms of deconcentration, devolution and delegation; delimitation is the drawing of constituency boundaries.
All the following are sources of constitution except
Answer: B (devolution of power)
Constitutions come from statutes, conventions, customs, judicial decisions and learned writings; devolution is a way of sharing power, not a source.
A constitution is said to be flexible when its provisions are
Answer: D (easy to amend.)
A flexible constitution can be amended easily, by the ordinary law-making process.
The power to pardon any citizen charged with any criminal offence lies with the
Answer: B (executive)
The prerogative of mercy belongs to the head of the executive (the President or Governor).
The Police perform all the following functions except
Answer: A (public execution of law breakers)
Only a court can sentence a person; the police arrest and prosecute but do not punish or execute offenders.
The number of chambers in a bicameral legislature is
Answer: C (two)
'Bi' means two: a bicameral legislature has two houses.
In the legislature, a filibuster is one who
Answer: D (prevents the passage of a bill by making long speeches.)
Filibustering means delaying or blocking a bill by speaking at great length.
The verdicts of judges which are binding on lower courts are called judicial
Answer: B (precedents)
Under the doctrine of judicial precedent (stare decisis), lower courts must follow earlier decisions of higher courts.
The Judicial organ of government is the body which
Answer: B (interprets the law)
The judiciary interprets laws and applies them to settle disputes.
The system of government in which authority is shared between the centre and the component units is called
Answer: C (federal system of government)
In federalism the constitution divides power between the central government and the states or regions.
A constitutionally created account into which all public revenue is paid is called
Answer: D (Consolidated Fund.)
The constitution provides that all government revenue goes into the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
In a cabinet system of government, the ministers are collectively responsible to the
Answer: B (parliament)
Ministers in the cabinet system answer jointly to parliament, which can remove them by a vote of no confidence.
Official opposition is a feature of
Answer: A (Parliamentary system)
In the parliamentary system the largest party not in government is recognised as the official opposition.
In a monarchy, the Head of State is usually
Answer: D (a hereditary ruler.)
A monarch normally inherits the throne.
Which of the following is not a duty of a citizen?
Answer: D (Giving alms to the poor.)
Obeying laws, paying taxes and serving the nation are civic duties; giving alms is a voluntary or religious act.
Free and fair election is necessary for democracy to thrive because it
Answer: B (helps the people to exercise their popular sovereignty)
Through free and fair elections the people use their sovereign power to choose their rulers.
A system in which a candidate with the highest number of votes is declared winner in an election is called
Answer: A (first-pass-the-post)
Under first-past-the-post the candidate with the most votes wins, even without an absolute majority.
Pressure groups are also known as
Answer: C (interest groups)
Pressure groups are organised to promote their members' interests, so they are also called interest groups.
Public opinion is the view held by the
Answer: C (majority)
Public opinion is the views of the majority of people on public matters.
A manifesto refers to
Answer: D (proposed programme of a party.)
A manifesto is a party's published programme: what it promises to do if elected.
One demerit of a one-party system is that it encourages
Answer: B (dictatorship)
With no opposition to check it, a single party can easily turn into a dictatorship.
The functions of political parties include the following except
Answer: B (influencing policies of the government)
Parties aim to form the government themselves; merely influencing government policy is the work of pressure groups.
Anonymity of civil servants means that they
Answer: D (do not take praise or blame for their performance.)
Civil servants work behind the scenes; the minister, not the official, takes public credit or blame.
One of the objectives of public corporations is to
Answer: B (narrow the gap between the rich and the poor)
Public corporations provide essential services at affordable prices to all, which helps reduce inequality; they are not mainly profit-making.
Public corporations are financed
Answer: A (by tax payers)
Public corporations are owned by government and funded from public money, which comes from taxpayers.
Which of the following is an advantage of local governments in West Africa? Acting as
Answer: C (training grounds for political leaders)
Local councils give people early experience in politics and administration, training future leaders.
Some pre-colonial West African governments were democratic because of the existence of
Answer: D (checks and balances.)
Systems like the Old Oyo empire had checks and balances (e.g. the Oyo Mesi could remove the Alaafin), which limited the ruler's power.
In the pre-colonial West Africa, the Kingdoms of the Asante, Wolof and the Hausa were examples of a
Answer: A (state)
Each kingdom had a defined territory, people, its own government and independence, which are the features of a state.
Which of the following countries popularized the use of the Indirect Rule by the British?
Answer: A (Nigeria)
Lord Lugard developed and applied indirect rule in Northern Nigeria, from where it spread to other colonies.
Indirect Rule was successful in some parts of West Africa because
Answer: B (it suited the existing traditional political structure)
Indirect rule worked where there were already strong centralised chiefs, such as the emirates of Northern Nigeria.
The National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA) was founded in 1919 by
Answer: D (J.E. Caseley Hayford.)
J. E. Casely Hayford, a Gold Coast lawyer, led the founding of the NCBWA.
Elective principle was introduced in the British colonies after
Answer: C (a series of agitations by the educated elite)
Agitation by educated nationalists, especially the NCBWA, led to the elective principle in the 1920s constitutions.
An important innovation of the constitutions of British West African colonies in the 1920s was the
Answer: A (introduction of elective principle)
The Clifford (1922), Sierra Leone (1924) and Guggisberg (1925) constitutions introduced elected African members.
National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA) failed to achieve its aims initially because
Answer: A (the chiefs and Governors opposed those aims)
Colonial governors such as Clifford, and some chiefs like Nana Ofori Atta, opposed the Congress and said it did not represent the people.
A coup d'etat is regarded as
Answer: D (an unconstitutional way of changing the government.)
A coup removes a government by force, outside the constitution.
The military intervenes in West African politics mainly because
Answer: D (of election malpractices.)
Rigged elections and the crises that followed were a major reason soldiers gave for seizing power.
The United Nations Organization (UNO) was founded in 1945 as a successor to the
Answer: D (League of Nations.)
The UN replaced the League of Nations, which had failed to prevent the Second World War.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations Organization (UNO) is appointed for a period of
Answer: B (five years)
The Secretary-General is appointed for a five-year term, which can be renewed.
The official language of the Commonwealth is
Answer: D (English.)
The Commonwealth grew out of the British Empire and uses English as its working language.
Which of the following blocs existed in Africa, prior to the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU)? The
Answer: C (Cassablanca, Brazzaville and Monrovia group)
Before the OAU was formed in 1963, African states were divided into the Casablanca, Brazzaville and Monrovia groups.
(a) Define Government as an academic field of study.
(b) Describe any three branches of Government.
(a) As an academic field, Government (political science) is the systematic study of the state, its institutions and processes: how political power is acquired, organised and used, and how people relate to those who rule.
(b) Any three, each described: political theory/thought (ideas of thinkers like Plato, Locke, Hobbes); comparative politics (comparing political systems of countries); public administration (how government policies are carried out by the civil service and agencies); international relations (relations between states and international organisations); political economy; constitutional law/government institutions.
Some markers also accept the organs (legislature, executive, judiciary) as 'branches'; best to describe branches of the subject.
(a) Identify three types of delegated legislation.
(b) Give three reasons for the control of delegated legislation in West Africa.
(a) Any three: orders/regulations made by ministers (statutory instruments); bye-laws of local governments; rules of public corporations and boards; orders-in-council; rules made by professional bodies; rules of court made by judges; edicts/proclamations.
(b) Any three: to stop abuse of power by the delegated bodies; to prevent the executive usurping the legislature's power; to protect citizens' rights from oppressive rules; to make officials accountable; to keep the rules within the parent law (avoid ultra vires); to prevent conflicting or duplicated rules.
Compare your answer with the model answer: it lists the points a full-mark answer needs.
(a) Outline any three features of a Written Constitution.
(b) Highlight any three reasons for the adoption of a Unitary Constitution.
(a) Any three: contained in one document (or a few); usually rigid, needing special procedure to amend; supreme over other laws; clearly sets out the organs of government and their powers; contains fundamental human rights; easy to refer to in disputes; judicial review by the courts.
(b) Any three: small size of the country; homogeneous population (common language, culture, religion); no serious fear of domination among groups; need for strong central government and quick decisions; limited resources to run many governments; to promote national unity.
Compare your answer with the model answer: it lists the points a full-mark answer needs.
(a) Describe any three functions of a political party.
(b) State any three problems of political parties.
(a) Any three, each described: recruit and present candidates for elections; form government after winning; serve as opposition; political education of voters; interest aggregation and articulation; link between government and people; training of political leaders.
(b) Any three: poor funding; internal crises and lack of internal democracy (imposition of candidates by 'godfathers'); ethnic/regional basis; indiscipline and anti-party activities; corruption; lack of clear ideology; government interference/harassment; violence.
Compare your answer with the model answer: it lists the points a full-mark answer needs.
(a) Give three reasons for holding elections in a state.
(b) Identify three factors that can disqualify a person from voting in a democracy.
(a) Any three: to choose representatives/leaders; to give legitimacy to the government; to allow peaceful change of government; to let citizens participate in governance; to make leaders accountable (vote them out); to express popular sovereignty and public opinion.
(b) Any three: being under the voting age (18 in Nigeria); insanity/unsound mind; being an alien (not a citizen); not being registered; conviction for certain crimes / serving a prison sentence; electoral offences (e.g. impersonation).
Compare your answer with the model answer: it lists the points a full-mark answer needs.
Highlight any six methods used by the pre-colonial chiefs in your country to control their subjects.
Any six: settling disputes and judging cases; making rules and laws; use of age grades and masquerades to enforce rules; oath-taking and fear of ancestral spirits and deities; taboos and customs; sanctions such as fines, ostracism, banishment and death; appointment of loyal sub-chiefs and title holders; use of the army/warriors; control of land; religion (e.g. Islam in the Emirates).
Compare your answer with the model answer: it lists the points a full-mark answer needs.
(a) Outline four reasons for the adoption of the Indirect Rule system.
(b) Enumerate two achievements of the Indirect Rule system.
(a) Any four: shortage of British personnel; shortage of funds (it was cheap); vast size of the territory and poor communication; existence of well-organised traditional systems (e.g. emirates in the North); language barrier; to reduce resistance by ruling through rulers the people respected; harsh climate and disease (malaria) for Europeans; Lugard's success with it in Northern Nigeria.
(b) Any two: preserved traditional institutions and culture; maintained law and order cheaply; trained traditional rulers in modern local administration (native authorities, treasuries and courts); laid the foundation of local government.
Compare your answer with the model answer: it lists the points a full-mark answer needs.
(a) Highlight two methods used by nationalist leaders in their opposition to British rule in West Africa.
(b) Outline four external factors that led to increased nationalist demands after the Second World War in West Africa.
(a) Any two: use of newspapers (e.g. West African Pilot); formation of political parties; strikes and protests (e.g. 1945 general strike); petitions and delegations to London; constitutional conferences; boycotts; seminars and rallies.
(b) Any four: the Atlantic Charter (1941) on self-determination; experience of ex-servicemen who fought in the war; independence of India and Pakistan (1947); formation of the UN and its support for decolonisation; Pan-Africanism and the 1945 Manchester Pan-African Congress; influence of the USA and USSR (anti-colonial stance); the Labour Party government in Britain; activities of WASU and Africans educated abroad.
Part (b) asks for external factors only.
(a) State two objectives of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC).
(b) Describe four achievements of the NCNC.
(a) Any two: to achieve self-government for Nigeria; to unite the various peoples of Nigeria; to promote political, economic and social development (democracy, education, welfare); to fight colonial exploitation; to work for a united Nigeria and the Cameroons.
(b) Any four: led nationalist struggle (with Azikiwe and Herbert Macaulay) for independence; 1946–47 tour and delegation to London against the Richards Constitution; won elections and formed the government of the Eastern Region; formed coalition with NPC at the centre in 1959, Azikiwe became Governor-General (1960) and later President (1963); helped create the Midwest Region (1963); political education through its newspapers (West African Pilot).
Compare your answer with the model answer: it lists the points a full-mark answer needs.
(a) Highlight four features of the Nigerian federalism.
(b) State two problems confronting Nigerian federalism.
(a) Any four: division of powers between the federal and state governments (exclusive, concurrent and residual lists); written and rigid constitution; supremacy of the constitution; Supreme Court to settle disputes between tiers; bicameral federal legislature (Senate with equal state representation); three tiers of government (federal, 36 states and FCT, 774 local governments); federal character principle; revenue allocation formula.
(b) Any two: revenue allocation disputes; fear of domination and minority agitation; over-concentration of power at the centre; ethnic and religious conflicts; demand for creation of more states; boundary disputes; resource control agitation.
36 states and 774 local governments were the figures in 2006 and are still current.
(a) What is foreign policy?
(b) Outline three reasons for adoption of Africa as the centrepiece of Nigeria's foreign policy.
(a) Foreign policy is the set of principles, goals and strategies a country uses in its relations with other countries and international organisations to protect its national interest.
(b) Any three: Nigeria's size, population and resources make it a natural leader in Africa; to eradicate colonialism and apartheid (e.g. support for Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa); to promote African unity and co-operation (OAU/AU, ECOWAS); to secure peace and stability in its neighbourhood (ECOMOG); racial solidarity with black people; economic interest in African markets; security of Nigeria itself.
Compare your answer with the model answer: it lists the points a full-mark answer needs.
(a) List four organs of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
(b) Outline four obstacles that hinder the implementation of the aims and objectives of the ECOWAS.
(a) Any four: Authority of Heads of State and Government; Council of Ministers; Executive Secretariat (Commission since 2007); ECOWAS Parliament; Community Court of Justice; ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (formerly Fund for Co-operation); technical and specialised commissions.
(b) Any four: political instability and coups; language and colonial differences (Anglophone/Francophone); different currencies and monetary zones; poor transport and communication links; members' loyalty to other bodies (e.g. CFA/UEMOA ties with France); non-payment of dues; border closures and expulsion of aliens; similar export products, so little intra-regional trade; leadership rivalry and suspicion of Nigeria.
The Executive Secretariat became the ECOWAS Commission in 2007, after this paper.