SS3 Government Exam Questions and Answers for Second Term

Comprehensive SS3 Government Second Term exam questions and answers covering Nigerian politics, international organizations, federalism, electoral systems, and pre-colonial African political systems. Complete with 50 objective questions and 10 theory questions with detailed answers for students preparing for WAEC and NECO examinations.

SS3 Government Exam Questions- Second Term

SECOND TERM

CLASS: SS3
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Government protects the lives and property of the citizens of a state through the (A) Courts and the police (B) Legislature and prisons (C) Ministers and the police (D) Customs and the police
2. Political power could be acquired through (A) Persuasion (B) Election (C) Sanction (D) Nomination
3. Which of the following countries in Africa practised socialism? (A) Nigeria (B) Togo (C) Tanzania (D) Kenya
4. Nazism was introduced by (A) Adolf Hitler (B) Tsar Nicholas 11 (C) Karl Marx (D) Mao Tse-Tung
5. The following are merits of separation of powers except (A) Abuse of power (B) Freedom and liberty (C) Stable political system (D) Absence of dominance
6. Which of the following is not a merit of checks and balances? (A) Prevents excessive use of power (B) Has respect for human rights (C) Encourages the use of veto power (D) Prevents dictatorship
7. Representative is alternatively called (A) Rule of law (B) Indirect democracy (C) Separation of powers (D) Classical democracy
8. A constitution is a (A) Set of regulations and customs (B) Body of doctrine and principles (C) Set of principles and customs (D) Body of rules, regulations and conventions
9. A feature of a rigid constitution is that it requires (A) Amendment by the judiciary (B) One-third majority for its amendment (C) Special amendment procedures (D) The votes of the electorate for its amendment
10. A characteristic of a federal system of government is that power is (A) Shared between the central and the unit governments (B) Shared between the components units of government (C) Held by the national government (D) Head by the state government
11. In a federal system of government, education and health are examples of (A) Separation of power (B) Reserved power (C) Concurrent powers (D) Exclusive powers
12. Which of the following is not a function of the judiciary? (A) Settlement of disputes (B) Making of law order (C) Interpretation of law (D) Protection of rights
13. Statutes are (A) Bills passed by local government (B) Laws passed by judiciary (C) Bill passed by the executive (D) Laws passed by the parliament
14. Slander limits a citizen’s freedom of (A) Expression (B) Movement (C) Association (D) Religion
15. Which of the following bodies has the right to change the laws of the country? (A) Judiciary (B) Ombudsman (C) Legislature (D) Executive
16. All the following are sources of revenue of a political party except to (A) Payment of dues (B) Donations (C) Custom duties (D) Fund raising
17. Party manifesto is important in the following ways except to (A) Evaluate the party (B) Limit choice (C) Attract people (D) Guide the party
18. Coalition government can be defined as parties coming together (A) To appoint a leader (B) To form a government (C) With a common manifesto (D) To oppose the government
19. Which of the following West African countries practised a one party system? (A) Benin (B) Nigeria (C) Ghana (D) Liberia
20. In limited franchise, restriction on voting can be based on (A) Height (B) Property (C) Strength (D) Exposure
21. Which of the following is a limitation to Universal Adult Suffrage? (A) Wealth (B) Age (C) Race (D) Sex
22. Which of the following is an example of a general election? (A) Bye selection (B) Presidential election (C) Local election (D) Student union election
23. The purpose of an election is to (A) Allow people to participate in choosing their leaders (B) Provide social amenities for the electorate (C) Give political education to the rich (D) Allow the counting of votes in public
24. Universal Adult Suffrage is popular because it (A) Allows for equal political representation (B) Allows for greater participation (C) Encourages for multi party system (D) Ensures equal performance of all political parties
25. Which of the following is not a factor that promotes democratic electoral system? (A) Political consciousness (B) Periodic election (C) Up to date electoral register (D) Popularity of the governor
26. A factor that could make elections to be free and fair is the (A) Existence of dependent electoral commission (B) Adoption of a flexible constitution (C) Opportunity for people to vote twice (D) Registration of eligible voters
27. The body responsible for conducting and supervising elections in West African countries is called (A) Ombudsman (B) Electoral commission (C) Election observers (D) Constituent Assembly
28. Which of the following is not a problem of an electoral commission in West Africa? (A) Electoral malpractices (B) Inadequate personnel (C) Inadequate funds (D) Registration of voters
29. Which of the following is not an aim of pressure groups? (A) Contesting election (B) Agitating for interests (C) Influencing government decisions (D) Educating their members
30. A pressure group formed only by teachers is (A) A promotional group (B) An occupational group (C) A religious group (D) An economic group
31. Neutrality in the civil service means that (A) The government can seek or replace top civil servant (B) Officials need to defend the budget in parliament (C) Civil servants should be loyal to the government and non-partisan (D) Officials can only be removed from office due to ill health
32. Red-tapism in the civil service is a product of (A) Democracy (B) Autocracy (C) Bureaucracy (D) Theocracy
33. An advantage of public corporations in West Africa is (A) Creation of exposure (B) Political interference (C) Provision of employment (D) Provision of all the services needed
34. The central government can reduce annual subventions to public corporation through (A) Parliamentary control (B) Ministerial control (C) Judicial control (D) Public control
35. Collection of rates is a source of revenue to (A) Civil servants (B) Public corporations (C) Local authorities (D) Central government
36. The money given by the central government to local authorities is known as (A) Block grants (B) Capital expenditure (C) Loans (D) Royalties
37. The laws of the pre-colonial African political system were (A) Written (B) Codified (C) Unwritten (D) Rigid
38. Auditing the accounts of public corporations amount to (A) Media control (B) Judicial control (C) Public control (D) Financial control
39. The following were features of the French policy of Assimilation except (A) Centralised administration (B) Recognition of chieftaincy institution (C) Limited education (D) Indignant policy
40. The recurrent coups in West African countries resulted in (A) Dictatorship (B) Political instability (C) Nepotism (D) Poor conditions in the Army
41. Foreign policy refers to the (A) Policy made by a foreign country (B) Policy made by a country (C) Principles that govern a country when it is at war (D) Principles that govern a state’s international behaviour
42. Which of the following is a factor for the adoption of a unitary system of government in some West African countries? (A) Vast territories (B) Small territories (C) Abundant resources (D) Heterogeneous culture
43. Which of the following countries is a permanent member of the security council of the United Nations Organisation (UNO)? (A) Germany (B) Japan (C) Canada (D) Russia
44. The Commonwealth is (A) An economic organisation for the Caribbeans (B) A political organization formed during the First World War (C) Made up of all independent ext colonies of Britain (D) Made up of independent European countries
45. The United Nations Organisation (UNO) came into existence (A) 1945 (B) 1948 (C) 1950 (D) 1953
46. The head of the Commonwealth of Nations is (A) German chancellor (B) President of America (C) Queen of England (D) British Prime Minister
47. A commonwealth member that has no colonial link with United Kingdom is (A) Nigeria (B) Ghana (C) Liberia (D) Mozambique
48. The meetings of the Commonwealth of Nations are held once every (A) Six years (B) Five years (C) Three years (D) Two years
49. The ECOWAS Fund for Cooperation, Compensation and Development is located in (A) Togo (B) Nigeria (C) The Gambia (D) Liberia
50. The organ responsible for investigating internal disputes in the United Nations Organisation (UNO) is the (A) General Assembly (B) Security council (C) Secretariat (D) Economic and Social Council

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THEORY SECTION

ATTEMPT 5 QUESTIONS IN ALL
Answer two questions from section A and three from section B

SECTION A

1. State five reasons for studying government
2. Define Capitalism
   B. State two advantages and two disadvantages of capitalism
3. Define legitimacy
   B. Highlight any fours factors that determine legitimacy
4. Outline five factors that give rise to the adoption of federalism
5. In what five ways can elections be made free and fair in a country?

SECTION B

6. Identify five functions and powers of the king makers in the Yoruba pre-colonial political system
7. Highlight five reasons for the slow rate of nationalism in French speaking West Africa
8. Outline three features of MacPherson constitution
   B. State two reasons for the breakdown of the Lyttleton constitution
9. Outline five reasons people prefer democratic government to military regimes
10. Identify five challenges facing the Commonwealth of Nations

ANSWERS

Multiple Choice Answers

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. A
5. A
6. C
7. B
8. D
9. C
10. A
11. C
12. B
13. D
14. A
15. C
16. C
17. B
18. B
19. C
20. B
21. B
22. B
23. A
24. B
25. D
26. D
27. B
28. D
29. A
30. B
31. C
32. C
33. C
34. B
35. C
36. A
37. C
38. D
39. B
40. B
41. D
42. B
43. D
44. C
45. A
46. C
47. D
48. D
49. B
50. B

Theory Answers

SECTION A

1. To understand how government operates, to know our rights and duties as citizens, to understand political processes and institutions, to develop political awareness and consciousness, to prepare for active participation in governance

2. Capitalism is an economic system where means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit in a competitive market.

B. Advantages: Promotes economic growth and efficiency, encourages innovation and competition. Disadvantages: Creates economic inequality and wealth gap, leads to exploitation of workers

3. Legitimacy is the acceptance and recognition by the people that the government has the legal right to exercise authority and power over them.

B. Popular participation in government, performance and effectiveness of government, adherence to the rule of law and constitution, mandate of the people through free and fair elections

4. Geographical factors and large size of territory, desire to bring different groups together, need for even development, plural nature of the society, need to avoid concentration of power at the centre

5. Establishment of an independent electoral commission, regular update of voters register, use of transparent ballot boxes, adequate security during elections, proper education of voters on electoral processes

SECTION B

6. Selection and appointment of the king, removal of an incompetent king, serving as advisers to the king, performing religious functions and rituals, settling disputes in the kingdom

7. French policy of assimilation, destruction of African culture and institutions, limited education provided to Africans, granting of French citizenship to few educated elites, economic exploitation by French companies

8. Introduction of elected members into the central legislature, creation of regional councils, increased Nigerian participation in government

B. Disagreement among regions over revenue allocation, fear of domination by one region over others

9. Protection of human rights and freedoms, rule of law prevails, accountability and transparency in governance, political participation and representation, economic development and stability

10. Different political and economic systems among members, issue of human rights violations in some member states, financial constraints, lack of common binding force, neo-colonialism and external interference