58 questions. Try each one, then open the answer to check yourself and read the explanation.
Government as an institution of the state is defined as a body which
Answer: B (makes, enforces and interprets laws for the state.)
As an institution, government is the machinery that makes, enforces and interprets the state's laws.
The study of government in school is important because the students can
Answer: B (learn about their rights.)
Studying Government teaches students their rights and duties as citizens.
The functions of the state are achieved through
Answer: C (organs of government.)
The state acts through its organs: the legislature, executive and judiciary.
A unique feature of a state is
Answer: C (organized laws.)
A state has a government with an organised system of laws that binds everyone in it.
Ability to enforce obedience is known as
Answer: B (power.)
Power is the ability to make others obey.
A major source of political power is
Answer: A (election.)
In a democracy political power comes mainly from winning elections, which gives rulers the people's mandate.
Power is transferred into authority through
Answer: B (legitimacy.)
Power becomes authority when the people accept it as rightful (legitimate).
The extent to which the citizens accept the institutions, officials and activities of government is known as
Answer: C (legitimacy.)
Legitimacy is the people's acceptance of the government and its right to rule.
The concept of sovereignty was propounded by
Answer: D (Jean Bodin.)
Jean Bodin developed the modern theory of sovereignty in 1576.
Popular sovereignty belongs to the
Answer: B (electorate.)
Popular sovereignty rests with the people, who exercise it as the electorate.
Which of the following factors places limitation to the application of Sovereignty in a state?
Answer: B (International laws)
International law and treaties limit what a sovereign state can do.
Democracy originated from
Answer: A (Greece.)
Democracy began in the Greek city-state of Athens.
The concept of political culture was introduced by
Answer: D (Gabriel Almond.)
Gabriel Almond introduced the term in 1956 and developed it with Sidney Verba in 'The Civic Culture' (1963).
Which of the following is a component of political culture?
Answer: B (Cognitive orientation)
Political culture has cognitive, affective and evaluative orientations; the others are court orders.
The teaching and learning of political culture is known as political
Answer: B (socialization.)
Political socialisation is how people learn their society's political values and attitudes.
Which of the following can contribute to political socialization?
Answer: B (Tourism)
Travel exposes people to other political systems and ideas, which shapes their political attitudes.
Which of the following political concepts promotes sharing and cooperation in a society?
Answer: C (Communalism)
Communalism is based on sharing resources and working together for the community.
Which of the following is true about a capitalist state?
Answer: A (Private individuals control the economy)
In capitalism the means of production are privately owned and controlled.
The highest stage of socialism is
Answer: D (communism.)
Marx saw communism as the final stage after socialism.
Foreign domination by a group of people for social and economic benefits is known as
Answer: B (colonialism.)
Colonialism is the rule of one people by a foreign power for its own benefit.
A communist system recognises
Answer: B (the need of individual.)
Communism follows the principle 'to each according to his needs'.
Which of the following is the lowest in the hierarchy of a feudal system?
Answer: B (Serfs)
Serfs were at the bottom, bound to work the lord's land.
A common feature of feudalism is
Answer: A (hierarchical land ownership between the lords and the serfs.)
Feudalism was a hierarchy of land holding from king to lords to serfs.
An open market economy is a unique feature of
Answer: D (capitalism.)
Capitalism relies on a free (open) market where prices are set by supply and demand.
Which of the following political systems discourages socialism?
Answer: A (fascism)
Fascism was strongly anti-socialist and anti-communist.
The manor is a unique feature of
Answer: A (feudalism.)
The manor was the lord's estate, the basic unit of the feudal system.
The principle of rule of law was popularized by
Answer: D (A. V. Dicey.)
A. V. Dicey popularised the rule of law.
The body charged with the responsibility of preparing a new constitution in a country is the
Answer: B (constituent assembly.)
A constituent assembly is set up to draft or debate a new constitution.
The institution connected with law adjudication is the
Answer: A (judiciary.)
Adjudication (judging cases) is the work of the judiciary.
Which of the following is not a characteristic of confederation?
Answer: B (Sovereignty resides in the centre)
In a confederation sovereignty stays with the member units, not the centre.
Which of the following is a function of a head of state?
Answer: D (Receives foreign dignitaries)
Receiving foreign visitors and envoys is a ceremonial duty of the head of state.
Citizenship can be changed through
Answer: C (renunciation.)
A citizen can formally give up (renounce) citizenship, e.g. to take another.
On which of the following platforms do political parties mainly present their manifestoes to the electorate?
Answer: A (Campaigns and rallies)
Parties mainly sell their programmes to voters at campaigns and rallies.
In a two-party system, only two political parties
Answer: B (dominate the political scene.)
Other parties may exist, but only two strong parties alternate in power (e.g. USA).
Which of the following is not a form of proportional representation?
Answer: D (Plurality system)
The plurality (first-past-the-post) system gives the seat to the top candidate and is not proportional; the list system is the standard PR method. (Alternative vote and second ballot are also majority systems, not PR.)
The efficiency of public corporations can be enhanced through
Answer: D (less government interference.)
Public corporations work better when management is free from political interference.
A chief could be deposed in the pre-colonial era if he
Answer: B (persistently neglected the advice of his elders.)
Traditional councils (e.g. the Oyo Mesi) could remove a ruler who ignored their advice and became autocratic.
A common feature in a pre-colonial centralized state was
Answer: A (loyalty to one political superior.)
Centralised states like the emirates and Oyo had one supreme ruler to whom all owed loyalty.
Under the British Crown Colony system of administration, the head of the executive council was the
Answer: A (Governor-General.)
The Governor (Governor-General) headed the colony's Executive Council.
Taxation as a feature of Indirect Rule served as a
Answer: A (source of revenue for colonial administration.)
Taxes collected by native authorities paid for local administration, so indirect rule cost Britain little.
One effect of the French policy of Assimilation was that it
Answer: C (delayed nationalism in French West Africa.)
Assimilated Africans saw themselves as French, which delayed nationalism.
The late development of nationalism in French West Africa was due to
Answer: D (oppressive French colonial policies.)
Harsh policies such as the indigénat and forced labour, and close French control, suppressed early nationalist activity.
The first British West African country to practise the elective principle was
Answer: A (Nigeria.)
Nigeria's Clifford Constitution (1922) came before Sierra Leone's (1924) and the Gold Coast's (1925).
The first Pan-West African political organization formed by the educated elite in the early twentieth century was the
Answer: B (National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA).)
The NCBWA (1920) brought together elites from all four British West African colonies; the ARPS was a Gold Coast body.
Which of the following is a process in the transition from military to civil rule?
Answer: C (Setting up of a Constituent Assembly.)
Transition programmes usually include a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution, as in Nigeria in 1977–78 and 1988–89.
The objective of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is to
Answer: A (promote economic development among member states.)
ECOWAS was formed to promote economic co-operation and development in West Africa.
State six functions of government in a state.
Any six: defence of the state and protection of lives and property; maintenance of law and order; making laws; settling disputes (judiciary); provision of social services (education, health, water); provision of infrastructure (roads, power); promoting economic development and regulating the economy; conducting foreign relations; raising revenue through taxes; protecting fundamental human rights; promoting national unity; conducting elections for peaceful change of government; creating jobs.
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(a) Explain the concept of political participation.
(b) Highlight any four methods of political participation.
(a) Political participation is the involvement of citizens in political activities and decision-making in their country, such as choosing leaders and influencing policies.
(b) Any four: voting in elections; contesting elections; joining and working for political parties; campaigning; holding public office; joining pressure groups; attending rallies and meetings; peaceful protests and demonstrations; writing to newspapers/representatives; funding parties or candidates; serving as election officials or observers.
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(a) What are the limitations to the application of Rule of law?
Any five or six: state of emergency; immunity of the president/governors from prosecution while in office; diplomatic immunity; parliamentary privilege (immunity for things said in the legislature); special tribunals and ouster clauses; military rule by decree; delegated legislation and administrative discretion; illiteracy and poverty that stop people seeking justice; corruption; delays and cost of legal proceedings; partisan judiciary or police.
The book prints '(a)' but no part (b).
Highlight the merits and demerits of a two-party system.
Merits (any three or four): voters have a clear choice; stable government since one party usually wins a majority; strong opposition ready to take over; easier formation of government; less ethnic/sectional fragmentation; promotes accountability.
Demerits (any three or four): limits voters' choice; minority views may be ignored; may lead to tyranny of the majority party; can polarise the country into two camps; small parties have little chance; parties may become alike and offer no real alternative.
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Identify any four major functions of Civil/Public Service Commission.
Any four: recruitment/appointment of civil servants; promotion; discipline, including dismissal; transfer and posting; training and staff development; setting conditions of service; handling retirement and pensions matters; advising government on personnel policy; ensuring merit and federal character in appointments.
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In what six ways did colonial rule contribute to the decline of the powers of the traditional rulers in West Africa?
Any six: chiefs became subordinates of colonial officers (Residents/District Officers); deposition and exile of resisting rulers (e.g. Jaja of Opobo, Oba Ovonramwen of Benin); appointment of warrant chiefs without traditional legitimacy; colonial courts took over judicial functions; control of taxes and treasuries by the British; introduction of western education and Christianity that weakened traditional beliefs; rise of the educated elite who challenged chiefs; loss of military power and control of land; French policy of direct rule turned chiefs into mere agents; later local government reforms replaced native authorities with elected councils.
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Why did the French abandon the policy of Assimilation?
Any five or six: it was too expensive (education, citizenship rights for all); opposition by Africans who wanted to keep their culture and religion (especially Muslims); resistance by French settlers and traders who did not want Africans as equals; fear that assimilated Africans would outnumber French voters in the French parliament; the large size of the territories and population; it created a small elite cut off from their people; it was difficult to apply in the interior; preference for the cheaper policy of association.
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(a) Highlight four features of the 1979 Republican Constitution.
(b) State two ways by which the President could be removed from office according to the Constitution.
(a) Any four: executive presidential system (President is head of state and government, elected for four years); federal system of 19 states; separation of powers with checks and balances; bicameral National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives); fundamental human rights entrenched; federal character principle; independent judiciary; local governments recognised as a third tier; written and rigid constitution; registration requirements for national political parties.
(b) Any two: impeachment by the National Assembly for gross misconduct; removal for permanent incapacity (physical or mental) on a medical panel's report; (also voluntary resignation and death end his tenure).
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Identify any six problems confronting local government in Nigeria.
Any six: inadequate funds; interference/control by state governments (including the joint state–local government account); corruption and embezzlement; lack of qualified staff; frequent dissolution and use of caretaker committees instead of elected councils; poor revenue generation; political interference and godfatherism; lack of autonomy; poor planning and execution of projects; conflicts between councillors and chairmen; ethnic and communal conflicts.
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Outline any four ways of preventing military intervention in politics.
Any four: free and fair elections; good governance and accountability; fighting corruption; respect for the rule of law and the constitution; political education and a vigilant citizenry ready to resist coups; professionalism and good welfare of the armed forces; keeping the military out of politics and its recruitment balanced (federal character); entrenching constitutional provisions that outlaw coups; economic development to reduce discontent; international sanctions (e.g. AU/ECOWAS non-recognition of coup leaders).
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Highlight any four major objectives of the foreign policy of any one West African country.
For Nigeria, any four: protection of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity; promotion of African unity and Africa as centrepiece; eradication of colonialism and racism; promotion of international peace and security; non-alignment; promotion of economic co-operation and development (ECOWAS); protection of Nigerian citizens and interests abroad; respect for international law and treaties; promotion of a just world economic order.
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Outline six benefits member states of the Commonwealth derive from the organization.
Any six: technical assistance (Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation); scholarships and educational exchange; economic aid and trade links; forum for leaders to meet (CHOGM) and share ideas; promotion of democracy and election observation; mediation in conflicts; sporting and cultural links (Commonwealth Games); diplomatic support at the UN and elsewhere; easier exchange of High Commissioners; common language and legal traditions that ease co-operation.
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