2018 - WAEC Government Past Questions & Answers - page 1

1

A government performs the following functions except?

A
safeguarding life and property
B
maintaining law and order
C
providing all the needs of its citizens
D
providing basic welfare needs
CORRECT OPTION: c

1. Law Making
2. Military defence of the country
3. Provision of employment
4. Maintenance of law and order
5. Promotion of economic growth and development
6. Maintaining good relations with other sovereign states or countries (foreign diplomacy)
7. Protection of civil liberties
8. Protection of lives and properties
9. Administration of justice
10. Formulation and implementation of policies
11. Provision of social-welfare services

2

A political system in which government controls every aspect of a citizens life is?

A
feudalism
B
monarchy
C
democracy
D
totalitarianism
CORRECT OPTION: d

Totalitarianism is a political concept of a mode of government that prohibits opposition parties, restricts individual opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high degree of control over public and private life.

3

A political system in which the state owns and controls the major means of production is known as? 

A
feudalism
B
socialism
C
fascism
D
capitalism
CORRECT OPTION: b

Socialism, social and economic doctrine that calls for public rather than private ownership or control of property and natural resources. it is a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

4

communist governments aim at distributing goods and services according to?

A
gender and class
B
loyalty to the party
C
need and ability
D
work and residence
CORRECT OPTION: c

Communism is a political and economic system that seeks to create a classless society in which the major means of production, such as mines and factories, are owned and controlled by the public. it is a system of government in which all property is owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according to their ability and needs.

5

The theory of seperation of power is associated with?

A
Jean Bodin
B
Baron de Montesquieu
C
A.V Dicey
D
J.J Rousseau
CORRECT OPTION: b

The theory of Doctrine of Separation of Power was first propounded by Montesquieu, a French scholar in and 1747 published in his book ‘Espirit des Louis’ (The spirit of the laws). Montesquieu found that if the power is concentrated in a single person’s hand or a group of people then it results in a tyrannical form of government.

6

The basic purpose of setting up a state is to?

A
maintain law and order
B
protect foreign interest
C
Promote development
D
provide social facilities
CORRECT OPTION: a

A state is a political organization with a centralized government that maintains a monopoly by use of force within a certain geographical territory. It must be able to maintain law and order, enforce obedient from its citizens and defend its territoery from external / internal attacks when the need arises.

7

The process of taking part in the selection of leaders in a country is political?

A
socialization
B
participation
C
interaction
D
culture
CORRECT OPTION: b

Political participation is any activity that shapes, affects, or involves the political sphere. Political participation ranges from voting to attending a rally to committing an act of terrorism to sending a letter to a representative.

8

By comparism, a state is?

A
less permanent than a government
B
more permanent than a government
C
more changeable than a government
D
equally permanent with a government
CORRECT OPTION: b

state is a type of political entity.  The maindifference between state and government is that the government refers to a particular group of people who control the state at a given time whereas the state is an organized political community with sovereignty and more permanent. Basically, the state power is employed through the government.

9

in modern democracy, a government is?

A
a contract between the rulers and the ruled
B
a preserve of the political party in power
C
monopoly of the ethnic groups in the majority
D
alternation of power between the minority and majority tribes
CORRECT OPTION: a

Modern democracy in many ways is the opposite of ancient democracy. Modern democracy requires that there must be a constitution, that there must be equality before the law, there must be individual rights and liberties, there must be civil rights and liberties, there must be human rights and there must be the rule of law to enforce those rights and liberties. In modern democracy, governance is a contract between the citizens and the ruled. This means that, the citizens choose people who would represent them (usually through elections) at various levels for a particular period of time,  and these representatives are accountable to the people. 

10

The rule of law can be limited by?

A
power
B
state of emergency
C
legitimacy
D
checks and balances
CORRECT OPTION: b

A state of emergency is a situation of national danger or disaster in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures in order to regain control. Once a state of emergnecy is declared, the the principle of the rule of law would be restrained as the actions may be taken that negates the principle to restore normalcy.

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