WAEC Government 2003 Past Questions

Practice each question, then open it to see the full details.

Government as an institution of the state refers to the

A.police and armed forces
B.judiciary the president and his minister
C.legislature , the executive and the judiciary
D.economic and political institutions

What is government as an academic field of study?

Authority means

A.an automatic right to be obeyed
B.legitimate right to be obeyed
C.a civic right to obey others
D.a civic right to be obeyed

(a) Outline any three fundamental human rights of a citizen.

(b) What are the limitations to these rights?

Authority means

A.an automatic right to be obeyed
B.legitimate right to be obeyed
C.a civic right to obey others
D.a civic right to be obeyed

Explain each of the following electoral systems:

(a) Simple plurality system

(b) The repeated ballot

(c) The second ballot

(d) The alternative vote.

Zionism resulted in the establishment of the state of

A.lraq
B.Jordan
C.Israel
D.Lebanon

How is Executive controlled in the exercise of its powers and functions?

Zionism resulted in the establishment of the state of

A.lraq
B.Jordan
C.Israel
D.Lebanon

What factors led to the increasing popularity of the presidential system of government in West Africa?

The purpose of Montesquieu's theory of separation of powers is to

A.prevent tyranny by the government
B.uphold the supremacy of parliament
C.ensure equality before the law
D.guarantee free and fair elections

In what ways did colonial rule contribute to the decline of the powers of the traditional rulers in West Africa?

The concept of sovereignty was first introduced into political terminology in 1576 by

A.Winston Churchill
B.Jean Bodin
C.Kari Marx
D.Abraham Lincoln

(a) Describe the organizational structure of the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM).

(b) What led to its collapse?

Power is different from authority because power lacks

A.ability
B.sovereignty
C.probity
D.legitimacy

Highlight the factors that contributed to the failure of the policy of Assimilation in the French West African Colonies.

Oligarchy implies rulership by

A.an absolute monarch
B.a few powerful individuals
C.a military governmnet
D.a charismatic leader

Describe how a Legislative Council was controlled in British West Africa before the Second World War.

A fascist regime is both

A.fair and legitimate
B.responsive and responsible
C.authoritarian and totalitarain
D.democratic and constitutional

Why did the nationalists criticize post 1945 Constitutions in British West African Colonies?

Freedom to act as one pleases but within the law is described as

A.democracy
B.separation of powers
C.human right
D.civic responsibility

Outline the conditions that gave rise to the adoption of federalism in Nigeria.

A written constitution should have

A.an easy process of amendment
B.the principle of judicial interpretation
C.a hereditary process of succession
D.a propertied franchise

In what ways do member States of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) co-operate with one another?

A written constitution should have

A.an easy process of amendment
B.the principle of judicial interpretation
C.a hereditary process of succession
D.a propertied franchise

A written constitution should have

A.an easy process of amendment
B.the principle of judicial interpretation
C.a hereditary process of succession
D.a propertied franchise

A written constitution should have

A.an easy process of amendment
B.the principle of judicial interpretation
C.a hereditary process of succession
D.a propertied franchise

Checks and balances violate the principle of

A.rule of law
B.devolution
C.decentralization
D.separation

In a constitutional monarchy, the Head of State performs mainly

A.executive functions
B.judicial functions
C.administrative functions
D.ceremonial functions

If a member of the legislature is appointed a minister, he forfeits his seat in the legislature, This is a feature of the

A.presidential system of governmnet
B.parliamentary system of governmnet
C.communist system of governmnet
D.feudal system of governmnet

Which of the following statements about the presidential system is false?

A.The constitution is supreme
B.Existence of official opposition
C.The president is populary elected
D.Ministers are not members of parliament

Citizens who are legally qualified to vote form

A.a constituency
B.the executive council
C.the House of Assembly
D.the electorate

Which of the following is an indirect form of election?

A.Electoral college
B.General election
C.Referendum
D.Bye-election

Franchise owes its evolution to the

A.development of representative government
B.establishment of state enterprise
C.development of the cabinet
D.establishment of electoral commission

One of the main functions of an election is

A.co-ordination of electoral activities
B.making of rules for governance
C.legitimization of the goverment
D.creating an avenue for politicans to make money

Which of the following factors limits universal adult suffrage?

A.wealth
B.age
C.education
D.heredity

The manifesto of a political party is a document which outlines

A.a country's political party development
B.a party's programme
C.the national ideology
D.the interest of party members

A system in which two or more political parties form the government is called

A.a coalition
B.an association
C.a decentralization
D.a centralization

Red tapism can be explained as

A.the decentralized way of taking decisions
B.a flexible way by which government decisions are taken
C.the rigid dependence on routine by civil servants
D.management by objectives

The major objectives of a pressure groups is to

A.influence policies of government
B.contest elections
C.control the machinery of government
D.provide political education

Which of the following agents of public opinion is the most widespread?

A.Mass media
B.The schools
C.The interest groups
D.Political parties

A statutory corporation is under the supervision of

A.the Chief Justice
B.commissioner or Police
C.a minister
D.a local government chairman

One of the functions of local government is to

A.collect company tax
B.make bye-laws
C.defend the nation
D.mint currency

The law-making body in Nigeria is called the

A.Congress
B.Presidum
C.National Assembly
D.Parliament

The independence of the Judiciary is meant to

A.protest the rights of the judges
B.safeguard the liberties of individuals
C.enable judges enact laws at will
D.allow judges to participate in partisan politics

An institution which seeks to redress people's grievances against abuse of administrative power is the

A.Ombudsman
B.Judiciary
C.Directorate of Public Prosecution
D.Judiciary Service Commission

Which of the following was not a feature of assimilation policy?

A.Forced labour
B.Compulsory military service
C.Indigenat
D.Use of traditional rulers

Two-party system of government enables the electorate to

A.participate in government
B.choose freely between alternatives
C.moblize faourable opinion for government
D.sympathise with government

Nigeria was a federal state under the constitution of 1954 because the constitution provided for

A.equal representation between the North and South
B.a division of functions between the centre and the component states
C.direct election of mebers of parliament
D.the post of a prime minister

All of the following were a demands made by the National Congress of British West Africa from the colonial government except the

A.establishment of a legislative conucil in each of the British colonial territories
B.appointment of an African as a governor in each of the British colonial territories
C.establishmemnet of a WestAfrican House of Assembly
D.establishment of West African University