Government 2012 JAMB Past Questions
Government 2012 JAMB Past Questions
1.The distinctive attribute of a state is the monopoly of
- A. control
- B. power
- C. violence
- D. justice
Correct Answer: Option B
2. State as a political entity refers to
- A. An organized group within a definite territory
- B. An association of men in a given society
- C. A branch of a nation
- D. A geographical location
Correct Answer: Option A
Explanation
A state is a type of political entity. It is an organized political community that lives under a single system of government. The main difference 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.
3. Political values are acquired in any given society through
- A. political re-orientation
- B. political campaign
- C. political socialization
- D. political indoctrination
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
Political socialization is the "process by which individuals learn and frequently internalize a political lens framing their perceptions of how power is arranged and how the world around them is (and should be) organized; those perceptions, in turn, shape and define individuals' definitions of who they are and how they should behave in the political and economic institutions in which they live." Political socialization also encompasses the way in which people acquire values and opinions that shape their political stance and ideology: it is a "study of the developmental processes by which people of all ages and adolescents acquire political cognition, attitudes, and behaviors." It refers to a learning process by which norms and behaviors acceptable to a well running political system are transmitted from one generation to another. It is through the performance of this function that individuals are inducted into the political culture and their orientations towards political objects are formed. Schools, media, and the state have a major influence in this process.
4. In a democratic government, political sovereignty is vested in the
- A. legislature
- B. elite
- C. executive
- D. electorate
Correct Answer: Option D
Explanation
In a democratic government, political authority is vested in the people. it is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, retain sovereignty over the government and where offices of state are not granted through heritage.
5. One judicial function performed by the executive is
- A. Granting of amnesty
- B. Implementing judicial orders
- C. Ensuring obedience to the law
- D. Appointing judges
Correct Answer: Option A
Explanation
Amnesty. Amnesty, in criminal law, sovereign act of oblivion or forgetfulness (from Greek amnēsia) for past acts, granted by a government to persons who have been guilty of crimes. ... Amnesty is granted usually for political crimes against the state, such as treason, sedition, or rebellion. the President (executive) has the power to grant amnesty for offences against the States, but understood that this power to grant amnesty was included in the power " to grant pardons
6. A governmental system in which constitutional supremacy resides in the center is
- A. federal
- B. confederal
- C. unitary
- D. parliamentary
Correct Answer: Option A
Explanation
A federal government is a system of dividing up power between a central national government and local state governments that are connected to one another by the national government. Some areas of public life are under the control of the national government, and some areas are under control of the local governments.
7. A political system which empowers the leader with the ultimate responsibility to execute laws is
- A. parliamentarianism
- B. presidentialism
- C. dictatorship
- D. autocracy
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
A dictatorship is an authoritarian form of government, characterized by a single leader or group of leaders with either no party or a weak party, little mass mobilization, and limited political pluralism. Dictatorship, form of government in which one person or a small group possesses absolute power without effective constitutional limitations. Dictators usually resort to force or fraud to gain despotic political power, which they maintain through the use of intimidation, terror, and the suppression of basic civil liberties. They may also employ techniques of mass propaganda in order to sustain their public support
8. A bill is a draft which is awaiting the consideration of the
- A. executive
- B. party caucus
- C. legislature
- D. judiciary
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
A bill is proposed legislation under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act of the legislature, or a statute. Bills are introduced in the legislature and are discussed, debated and voted upon.
9. The private ownership of the means of production is a feature of
- A. capitalism
- B. socialism
- C. communalism
- D. communism
Correct Answer: Option A
Explanation
an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
10. In a feudal system, the two major classes are the serfs and the
- A. masses
- B. vassals
- C. lords
- D. elite
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
Feudalism represented a system in which the occupants and users of the land they lived and worked on were not the owners; they were “tenants” of the “sovereign” – the Lord of the Manor – who legitimized his authority by claiming to offer protection to the occupants in the form of military service.Peasants or Serfs. Peasants are commoners and lived on the manors of monarchs, nobles, or knights. They were granted the right to farm a plot of land in exchange for working the nobleʼs land.
Lord of the Manor” was often used to denote someone who was in control of land.
11. An example of a country with a flexible constitution is
- A. South Africa
- B. Britain
- C. Benin Republic
- D. the United States of America
Correct Answer: Option B
Explanation
It is at once a legislature and a constituent assembly. The constitution of England is a typical example of a flexible constitution. The British Parliament is competent to pass, amend or repeal any constitutional law in an ordinary legislative process as both constitutional laws and ordinary laws are treated alike
12. The rule of law is negation of
- A. equality before the law
- B. supremacy of the law
- C. Limited power
- D. absolute power
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
The separation of powers is a model for the governance of a state. Under this model, a state's government is divided into branches, each with separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with the powers associated with the other branches.
13. To ensure the rights and freedom of citizens, the powers of the arms of government must be
- A. fused
- B. incorporated
- C. separated
- D. rotated
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
The separation of powers is a model for the governance of a state. Under this model, a state's government is divided into branches, each with separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with the powers associated with the other branches.
14. Delegated legislation is made by bodies others than the
- A. president
- B. governor
- C. parliament
- D. judiciary
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
· Delegated Legislation is law made by a person or body to whom Parliament has delegated law-making power; hence the term ‘delegated legislation’Delegated legislation is law that is not passed by an Act of Parliament but by a government minister, a delegated person or an entity
Delegated legislation: Legislation made by some person or body under authority given to that person or body by Act of Parliament - such an Act is termed an enabling or parent Act. Examples of delegated legislation are statutory orders, statutory instruments and bylaws.
15. The primary aim of pressure groups is to
- A. Attract people's attention
- B. protects the interest of members
- C. captured political power
- D. fight corrupt officials
Correct Answer: Option B
Explanation
The aim of all pressure groups is to influence the people who actually have the power to make decisions. Pressure groups do not look for the power of political office for themselves, but do seek to influence the decisions made by those who do hold this political power.
16. The French colonial system was underlined by the policy of
- A. assimilation
- B. paternalism
- C. socialism
- D. indirect rule
Correct Answer: Option A
Explanation
Assimilation was one ideological basis of French colonial policy in the 19th and 20th centuries. In contrast with British imperial policy, the French taught their subjects that, by adopting French language and culture, they could eventually become French. The famous 'Four Communes' in Senegal were seen as proof of this.
17. Which of the following is used in gauging public opinion?
- A. constitution
- B. educational institution
- C. mass media
- D. electoral college
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
Mass media helps shape public opinion. It is a powerful force yet many people do not realize what effect it has in shaping their opinion. Mass media is intended to be informative.
18. Colonization of Africa was mainly motivated by
- A. security considerations
- B. economic reasons
- C. religious reasons
- D. cultural factors
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
Mass media helps shape public opinion. It is a powerful force yet many people do not realize what effect it has in shaping their opinion. Mass media is intended to be informative.
19. The commission charged with the conduct of federal elections in Nigeria is
- A. NEC
- B. FEDECO
- C. INEC
- D. NECON
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was established by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to among other things organize elections into various political offices in the country.
20. In the Hausa pre- colonial political system, a district was headed by
- A. A hakimi
- B. a dagaci
- C. an alkali
- D. a waziri
Correct Answer: Option A
21. Which of the following ensured the practice of democracy in the pre-colonial Yoruba political system?
- A. Checks and balances
- B. Fusion of power
- C. individual responsibility
- D. the rule of law
Correct Answer: Option A
22. An electoral system in which parties are assigned seats in the parliament commensurate to the number of votes polled is
- A. Absolute majority
- B. Simple majority
- C. proporational representation
- D. indirect election
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
Proportional representation (PR) characterizes electoral systems in which divisions in an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. If n% of the electorate support a particular political party, then roughly n% of seats will be won by that party. The essence of such systems is that all votes contribute to the result - not just a plurality, or a bare majority.
23. The bringing of a session of a parliament to an end through royal proclamation is known as
- A. political impasse
- B. dissolution of parliament
- C. vote of no confidence
- D. prorogation of parliament
Correct Answer: Option D
Explanation
Prorogation is the end of a parliamentary session in the Parliament of Canada and the parliaments of its provinces and territories.
24. The right of citizens to participate in the affairs of government of their country is called
- A. economic right
- B. civil right
- C. political right
- D. social right
Correct Answer: Option C
Explanation
Political rights include natural justice (procedural fairness) in law, such as the rights of the accused, including the right to a fair trial; due process; the right to seek redress or a legal remedy; and rights of participation in civil society and politics such as freedom of association, the right to assemble, the right to petition etc.
25. A permanent structure that facilitates continuity and guarantees orderly conduct in governance is
- A. Bureaucracy
- B. public corporation
- C. ombudsman
- D. political party
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