WAEC Government 2001 Past Questions

Question 1

The first agent of political socialization is

A.school
B.mass media
C.community
D.family

Objective

Question 1

What are the characteristics of feudalism?

Theory

Question 2

Baron Montesquieu was noted for the theory of

A.the rule of law
B.delegated legislation
C.separation of powers
D.equality before the law

Objective

Question 2

Describe the basic features of a democratic state.

Theory

Question 3

Political sovereignty in the state resides with the

A.executive
B.people
C.national assembly
D.international community

Objective

Question 3

Why do some countries adopt unitary system of government?

Theory

Question 4

Which of the following best describe an absolute monarchy?

A.He wields the supreme power in a state
B.is elected by an electoral college
C.is elected by the electorate
D.had fixed tenure of office

Objective

Question 4

How can the revenue of Local Authorities in your country be improved?

Theory

Question 5

The modern idea of democracy includes all the following except

A.unlimited freedom
B.universal suffrage
C.periodic elections
D.equality before the law

Objective

Question 5

Enumerate the methods used by pressure groups to achieve their objectives.

Theory

Question 6

Which of the following is a method of acquiring political power in a democracy?

A.heredity
B.election
C.imposition
D.selection

Objective

Question 6

How did the people of any one British West African territory govern themselves before the advent of colonial rule?

Theory

Question 7

One of the arguments against delegated legislation is that it

A.encroaches on the functions of the judiciary
B.is against the principle of separation of power
C.promotes limited government
D.wastes the time of the legislature

Objective

Question 7

State how the British colonial policies contributed to the rise of nationalism in West Africa.

Theory

Question 8

One of the arguments against delegated legislation is that it

A.encroaches on the functions of the judiciary
B.is against the principle of separation of power
C.promotes limited government
D.wastes the time of the legislature

Objective

Question 8

Describe the main features of the 1946 Richards Constitution of Nigeria.

Theory

Question 9

A practice by which semi autonomous units are given part of governmental powers and functions is known as

A.deconcentration
B.distribution
C.devolution
D.decongestion

Objective

Question 9

Outline the objectives of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (N.C.N.C.)

Theory

Question 10

A disadvantage of centralized administration is that

A.wide powers are allocated to sub-national bodies
B.the influence of the administration is easily felt by the local people
C.local people are not easily exploited by the sub-national agents
D.sub-national bodies are denied initiative in decision making

Objective

Question 10

What were the causes of the 1975 military coup de'tat in Nigeria?

Theory

Question 11

Judicial independence means that the courts are independent of the

A.Civil Service and the Bar
B.Executive and the Legislature
C.Legislature and the Ministry of Justice
D.Executive and the Military

Objective

Question 11

(a) What is foreign policy?

(b) Outline the basic factors that influence Nigeria's foreign policy.

Theory

Question 12

A citizen can participate loyalty to his nation by

A.participating in sports
B.supporting political parties
C.singing the national anthem when required
D.lobbying for ministrial appointment

Objective

Question 12

Highlight the functions of the Assembly of Heads of State and Governments of the Organization of African Unity (0.A. U.).

Theory

Question 13

A citizen can participate in the politics of his country by

A.acquiring university education
B.attending international meetings
C.contesting for an elective post
D.being a good sportsman

Objective

Question 14

The office of the ombudsman is created to acts as

A.spy for government
B.an agency to redress maladministration
C.regulator of government activities
D.sole administrator of public corporations

Objective

Question 15

A constitution that has special rules for its amendment is said to be

A.written
B.federal
C.confederal
D.rigid

Objective

Question 16

Which of following statements best describes an unwritten constitution?

A.The legislature is always unicameral
B.The source of the constitution is supreme court verdicts
C.There are no limitations on the powers of government
D.The body of rules and laws cannot all be found in a single document

Objective

Question 17

The process by which people vote to elect their representatives is called

A.electoral system
B.plebiscite
C.electoral college
D.franchise

Objective

Question 18

Apart from making laws, the legislature has the important function of

A.implementing executive decisions
B.advising the judiciary
C.appointing the civil servants
D.checking the executive powers

Objective

Question 19

Which of the following is a demerit of bicameral legislature?

A.The scope for political participation is limited
B.Passing of bills into acts is delayed
C.No safeguard for the minority groups
D.There is tendency for despotic rule

Objective

Question 20

One from of delegated legislation is

A.case laws
B.statutory instruments
C.conventions
D.man-made laws

Objective

Question 21

A system in which one level of government exercises an overwhelming authority over others can best be described as

A.confederal
B.parliamentary
C.unitary
D.presidential

Objective

Question 22

A system in which one level of government exercises an overwhelming authority over others can best be described as

A.confederal
B.parliamentary
C.unitary
D.presidential

Objective

Question 23

A major weakness of a one - party system is that it

A.encourages the emergence of dictators
B.ensures freedom of political choice
C.negates the principle of one man one vote
D.requires a bicameral legislature

Objective

Question 24

A multi-party system often leads to the formation of

A.Coalition governmnet
B.dual government
C.dictatoral governmnet
D.monarchical government

Objective

Question 25

A multi-party system often leads to the formation of

A.Coalition governmnet
B.dual government
C.dictatoral governmnet
D.monarchical government

Objective

Question 26

Under a two - party system, the opposition party is as important as the ruling party because it

A.has equal unmber of supporters as the ruling party
B.is as strong as the ruling party
C.may force the government to resign
D.is the alternative government

Objective

Question 27

The dissolution of parliament is usually following by a

A.general election
B.referendum
C.plebiscite
D.resolution

Objective

Question 28

A major function of public corporation is to

A.construct roads and bridges
B.compete with private companies
C.provide certain essential service for all
D.collect revenue for government

Objective

Question 29

Carpet-corssing is a characteristic of

A.monarchical system
B.Cabinet system
C.presidential system
D.unitary system

Objective

Question 30

A minister controls public corporations by

A.auditing the accounts of the corporations himself
B.giving general policy dirctives
C.criticzing the corporations through the mass media
D.undertaking day-to-day administration of the corporations

Objective

Question 31

When there is a second chamber in a federal state, it

A.makes up for the imbalance in the representation in the lower house
B.ensures that the judicary is independent of the executive
C.reduces the power of the electorate
D.alone makes laws for the country

Objective

Question 32

Countries adopt federal system of government because of

A.uneven development
B.adoption of a state religion
C.the fear of domination of minorities
D.the availability of limited resources

Objective

Question 33

The three main contesting issues about revenue allocation in Nigeria are

A.oil, cocoa, and groundnut
B.oil, minority and majority
C.ethnicity, corruption
D.derivation, population and even development

Objective

Question 34

In Nigeria, the concurrent list of powers belongs to the

A.local authority only
B.executive, the judiciary and the legisture
C.federal and state governments
D.state and local government

Objective

Question 35

Rule by decrees is associated with

A.military government
B.totalitarian governments
C.democratic system
D.delegated legislation

Objective

Question 36

Which of the following Nigerian constitutions brought the Northern Provinces into the Legislative Council?

A.The 1979 Constitution
B.The Richards Constitution
C.The Clifford Constitution
D.The Lyttletion Constitution

Objective

Question 37

Under the Independence Constitutions of Nigeria, the Court of Appeal was the

A.West African Court of Appeal
B.Sharia Court of Nigeria
C.Privy Council in Britain
D.Supreme Millitary Council

Objective

Question 38

The Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) collapsed because of

A.leadership struggle
B.the ban on the press by the government
C.high-handedness by the leadership
D.corruption and nepotism

Objective